This is not satire. It is Barack Obama, verbatim, at a prayer breakfast this morning:
Froma school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris, we have seen violenceand terror perpetrated by those who profess to stand up for faith,their faith. Professed to stand up for Islam but, in fact, arebetraying it. We see ISIL, a brutal, vicious death cult that in thename of religion carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism,terrorizing religious minorities, like the Yazidis, subjecting womento rape as a weapon of war, and claiming the mantle of religiousauthority for such actions. We see sectarian war in Syria. The murderof Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. Religious war in the CentralAfrican Republic. A rising tide of anti-Semitism and hate crimes inEurope. So often perpetrated in the name of religion.
Sohow do we as people of faith reconcile these realities? The profoundgood, the strength, the tenacity, the compassion and love that canflow from all of our faiths, operating alongside those who seek tohijack religions for their own murderous ends.
Humanityhas been grappling with these questions throughout human history. Andlest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some otherplace, remember that during the crusades and the inquisition, peoplecommitted terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country,slavery, Jim Crow, all too often was justified in the name of Christ.
I would call what you just read unbelievable….except it is Barack Obama, and therefore the lack of any acknowledgement that this is being done by Islamic lunatics is all too believable.
Earth to Barack Obama: the acts you are describing are not being perpetrated by some small-time group of nutcakes in the middle of nowhere, who no religion would claim ownership of. They are being perpetrated by large groups, which are growing exponentially, both in size and strength – such as al-qaeda, ISIS (or ISIL if you prefer), the taliban, boko haram, hamas, hezbollah, etc. etc. etc. — all of which have one religious component in common: belief in a fundamentalist version of Islam.
Does this mean that all Islamic people are radical fanatics, hell-bent to murder anyone who does not subscribe to their views. Absolutely not. Not even close.
But the indisputable fact remains that every group named above specifically characterizes itself as Islamic and worships Allah.
Invoking Christian crusades from a millennium ago, and slavery (what did that have to do with religion?) does not change this a bit.
The crusades – the murderous, intolerant crusades – were perpetrated by Christians. I have never heard anyone deny that. And, based on your “in the name of Christ” line, apparently you don\’t either.
The difference is that the crusades, thankfully, died out centuries ago (the last crusade ended with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648). And the inquisition was largely over by the end of the 14th century. But Islamic crusades did not die out centuries ago. They exist, and are thriving, today – despite your absurd lies about them being “virtually decimated” or just a “jayvee squad”.
Pretending radical Islam is not part of Islam does not make them disappear. The only thing that disappears is your credibility.
What little of it you have left.
