[Vision2020] McCain Must Now Renounced Rev. Ron Parsley

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Calls on McCain to Renounce Second Bigoted Pastor 
Muslim group welcomes candidate’s rejection of Hagee endorsement

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/22/2008) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed Sen. John McCain’s rejection of bigoted Texas pastor John Hagee’s endorsement, and called on the presidential candidate to “unequivocally distance himself” from Ohio pastor Rod Parsley.

Senator McCain said he chose to reject Reverend Hagee’s support after learning some of the hateful comments he has made. With similar disturbing statements by Reverend Parsley circulating widely on the Internet, it’s time for the senator to renounce the endorsement of this second bigoted pastor.

Millions of American Muslims may feel unsafe knowing that a candidate for the highest office in the country would embrace a man who demonizes them as "spiritually evil" and believes our country was founded, in part, to destroy their faith.

In the interest of best positioning any future administration to defeat the narrative of anti-American extremists, we call on Senator McCain to unequivocally distance himself from Pastor Rod Parsley."

Parsley has referred to Islam as an "anti-Christ religion" and has expressed support for "seeing this false religion [Islam] destroyed." He also described Islam’s prophet Mohammed as "the mouthpiece of a conspiracy of spiritual evil."

Gier's addition: Parsley has also claimed that America's Founding Fathers wanted to destroy Islam, apparently in reference to the Barbary pirates of North Africa.  I've written about early America's amazing toleration of Islam even with the Barbary pirate conflict going on.  Here is an excerpt:

James H. Hutson, chief of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, did a search of his documents and has offered the following instances of tolerance for Muslims in the early American Republic: 

1. On June 7, 1776 the Continental Congress passed a resolution declaring that "true freedom embraces the Muslim and the Hindu as well as the Christian."  

2.  In 1786 the Virginia legislature, by a large majority, voted against attempts to exclude Jews and Muslims from a bill protecting religious freedom.  

3.  In 1780 representatives of the people of Massachusetts made sure that their constitution gave "the most ample liberty of conscience . . . to Deists, Muslims, Jews, and Christians." 

4.  Hutson also cites a petition from citizens of Chesterfield County, Virginia, who were concerned about "not becoming our own enemies and weakening this infant state" by excluding Jews and Muslims.

Would that many contemporary Americans could be so tolerant.

Nick Gier