Singling Out Islam: Newt Gingrich's Pandering Attacks

[ellisonz]

By Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic | National Journal – 18 hrs ago

It's interesting to observe what qualifies as beyond the pale in American politics. For bigoted newsletters written two decades ago, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is deemed by many to be disqualified from the presidency. I don't fault anyone for criticizing those newsletters. I've done so myself. They're terrible. So is the way he has handled the controversy. But isn't it interesting that Paul has been more discredited by years-old, ghostwritten remarks than has Newt Gingrich for bigotry that he's uttered himself, on camera, during the current campaign? It has gone largely ignored both in the mainstream press and the movement-conservative organs that were most vocal condemning Paul.

That's because Muslims are the target. And despite the fact that George W. Bush was admirably careful to avoid demonizing a whole religious faith for the actions of a small minority of its adherents--despite the fact that President Obama too has been beyond reproach in this respect--anti-Muslim bigotry in the United States is treated differently than every other kind, often by the very same people who allege without irony that there is a war in this country against Christians.

In the clip at the top of this post, Gingrich says, "Now, I think we need to have a government that respects our religions. I'm a little bit tired about respecting every religion on the planet. I'd like them to respect our religion." Of course, the U.S. government is compelled by the Constitution to afford protection to religion generally, and "our" religion includes Islam, a faith many Americans practice. That's just the beginning of what Gingrich has said about this minority group. In this clip, he likens Muslim Americans seeking to build a mosque in Lower Manhattan to Nazis building next to the Holocaust Museum. He once suggested that the right of Muslims to build mosques should be infringed upon by the U.S. government until Christians are permitted to build churches in Saudi Arabia, a straightforward suggestion that we violate the Constitution in order to mimic authoritarians. He favors a federal law that would preempt sharia--although not the religious law of any other faith--from being used in American courts, which would be the solution to a total nonproblem.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/singling-islam-newt-gingrichs-pandering-attacks-110755977.html