Earl Blumenauer: Support the troops? Then don't target Muslims with hatred

[HuckleB]

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/09/support_the_troops_then_dont_t.html


"We live in an astoundingly interconnected world. For evidence, look no further than the impact of a Florida pastor's plan to burn Qurans on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Since this act of collective bigotry was announced, thousands of Muslims have marched in protest around the world. At an angry rally in the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, pastor Terry Jones was burned in effigy while the crowd chanted "death to America." In Indonesia, hundreds demonstrated outside the U.S. embassy and threatened violence if the burning takes place.

The members of Pastor Jones' church would likely tell you they support America's men and women in uniform. Yet as the Kabul protest and subsequent statements from U.S. Gen. David Petraeus have made clear, his event "is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems -- not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community."

Put differently, images of a Quran burning in Florida will be replayed around the world, inspiring impressionable young men in Afghanistan and elsewhere to take up arms against U.S. forces.

..."


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A fine piece by Rep. Blumenauer.

If you have a moment, please defend this honorable Democrat against the sick attacks made the the juvenile conservatives who post at OregonLive.

Thank you!