CO Sen. Urges of Banning New Mosques

[redheadbaker]

denver.cbslocal.com/2012/07/16/colorado-state-sen-says-banning-new-mosques-is-something-to-think-about/

Colorado State Sen. Says Banning New Mosques Is Something to Think About

DENVER (CBS4) – In light of Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders recent remarks calling Islam “a totalitarian ideology striving for world dominance,” Colorado State Sen. Kevin Grantham, R-Canon City, expressed support for considering regulations on the construction of new mosques.

Wilders sparked controversy during a recent appearance at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver by warning audiences of the rising Islamic threat and hailing a stop to the “islamization process.”

“More Islam means more intolerance, more Sharia and less freedom,” said Wilders at the event. “We must stop immigration from Islamic countries, we must expel criminal immigrants, we must forbid the construction of new mosques. There is enough Islam in the West already.”

After Wilders’ speech, Grantham told The Colorado Statesman that he believes the idea to prohibit the construction of mosques warrants some attention.

“You know, we’d have to hear more on that, because, as (Wilders) said, mosques are not churches like we would think of churches,” said Grantham. “They think of mosques more as a foothold into a society, as a foothold into a community, more in the cultural and in the nationalistic sense. Our churches, we don’t feel that way, they’re places of worship, and mosques are simply not that, and we need to take that into account when approving construction of those.”

While Wilders justifies his proposal as an effort to “preserve our nations and our homes,” his plan of action seems to contradict the fundamental liberties established in the Constitution. Muslim-American activists highlight the proposed regulation on building mosques as a violation of the First Amendment’s right to freedom of religion.

“The same kinds of smears were used against Catholics and Jews,” said Corey Saylor, national legislative director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “We have moved past that kind of bigotry and we have the Constitution which prohibits the regulation of religion. In the U.S., we have the First Amendment. They are talking about interfering in the exercise of a minority religion, which is fundamentally against American values.”

However, the First Amendment argument is not a definitive tactic in preventing all attempts to ban new mosques. In May 2011, Wilders gave a speech in Tennessee that bears a striking similarity to his recent comments in Denver where he called upon the audience to “forbid the construction of new hate palaces called mosques.” A little over a year later, Murfreesboro, Tenn. finds itself in the midst of a dispute over whether to allow a new mosque to open.

In May, Chancellor Robert Corlew ruled that construction on the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro must stop because the Rutherford County Planning Commission did not give the public adequate notice of the May 2010 meeting where the site plan was approved. However, planning commissioners are currently appealing Corlew’s decision with the hope of opening the mosque before Ramadan, which begins July 19.

Despite the situation in Murfreesboro and the remarks by Wilders and Grantham, Muslim-Americans are optimistic that the United States will remain tolerant of Islam and unite to combat discriminatory actions.

“Too often what you see after fear mongering speech is fear mongering behavior,” said Saylor. “We just always stick to the greater hope that the bulk of American people will find that speech repugnant and stand up against it.”

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Holy asshole, Batman. Who elects these asshats???

[basilosaurus]

Canon City. It's not exactly a bustling metropolis. It's the prison capital of Colorado (and of surrounding states). Big supermax prison and lots of other prisons.

I imagine it's entirely populated by power hungry prison guards.

[Deleted]

Jul 17, 2012 22:25:35 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

denver.cbslocal.com/2012/07/16/colorado-state-sen-says-banning-new-mosques-is-something-to-think-about/

“More Islam means more intolerance, more Sharia and less freedom,” said Wilders at the event. “We must stop immigration from Islamic countries, we must expel criminal immigrants, we must forbid the construction of new mosques. There is enough Islam in the West already.”

Let me make sure I have this right: to ensure that Islamists don't take away our freedom, we must take away our freedom ourselves?

[MrsAxilla]

Jul 17, 2012 22:35:39 GMT -5 sandsonik said:

Jul 17, 2012 22:25:35 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

denver.cbslocal.com/2012/07/16/colorado-state-sen-says-banning-new-mosques-is-something-to-think-about/

“More Islam means more intolerance, more Sharia and less freedom,” said Wilders at the event. “We must stop immigration from Islamic countries, we must expel criminal immigrants, we must forbid the construction of new mosques. There is enough Islam in the West already.”

Let me make sure I have this right: to ensure that Islamists don't take away our freedom, we must take away our freedom ourselves?

Congratulations! You win these lovely egg cups! Lol! Yeah, that seems to be the case.

Ditto Sibil. All those Western Slope assholes tend to be assholes.

[basilosaurus]

They're not western slope. Just west of Pueblo. Not that that changes anything. Still assholes.

[MrsAxilla]

Jul 17, 2012 23:59:05 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

They're not western slope. Just west of Pueblo. Not that that changes anything. Still assholes.

Duh! It was the Western Conservative group that threw me.

Those rural southern assholes are assholes, too. Basically, with a few exceptions, everyone outside of Denver metro, Larimer county, and Eagle county are assholes.

Did I mention that I love proboards for the cussing?

[NitaX]

Jul 17, 2012 23:48:31 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

"a totalitarian ideology striving for world dominance”

Kind of like the Religious Right.

Get out of my head. Or even better, the Catholic Church. *sigh*

It's like we believe in the laws of the land that have prevented religious ideology from dominating our government, but we don't really believe it, so we're gonna ban you from having a mosque.

[marie427]

You know what I would like? If the people constantly bringing up Sharia when speaking about Islam knew what Sharia was and, more importantly, knew what it wasn't. It pisses me off to see it uttered in the same breath as Islam, as if there's only one kind of Islam (the bad kind, duh).

[UMaineTeach]

their logic just makes no sense
they have no valid points

[penguingrrl]

Woohoo for Freedom of Religion as long as it's the accepted mainstream religion of your town!

[bqbride]

I did not know that mosques are not places of worship. Just because it's a sacred place where Muslims are supposed to gather and pray 5x/day, that doesn't make a place of worship, right? I supposed only Christian churches (but only the *right* kind of Christian, of course) are actual "places of worship."

So much hate in the name of Jesus.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Jul 18, 2012 11:06:50 GMT -5 marie427 said:

You know what I would like? If the people constantly bringing up Sharia when speaking about Islam knew what Sharia was and, more importantly, knew what it wasn't. It pisses me off to see it uttered in the same breath as Islam, as if there's only one kind of Islam (the bad kind, duh).

SOCIALISM!!!!!

[One Girl In All The World]

Thank you to the Religious Right for representing the pinnacle of freedom. Oh, wait...

[One Girl In All The World]

Jul 18, 2012 15:14:27 GMT -5 @mrdobalina said:

How can they see this as NOT a first amendment violation? How? How?

Because the Constitution was written by and for Christians. Clearly.

[NitaX]

Jul 18, 2012 15:15:07 GMT -5 One Girl In All The World said:

Jul 18, 2012 15:14:27 GMT -5 @mrdobalina said:

How can they see this as NOT a first amendment violation? How? How?

Because the Constitution was written by and for Christians. Clearly.

[basilosaurus]

So, sharia law is bad, but let's be all anti-gay because the bible says so. Did I get that right?

[2vermont]

Jul 18, 2012 11:02:30 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Jul 17, 2012 23:48:31 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

"a totalitarian ideology striving for world dominance”

Kind of like the Religious Right.

Get out of my head. Or even better, the Catholic Church. *sigh*

It's like we believe in the laws of the land that have prevented religious ideology from dominating our government, but we don't really believe it, so we're gonna ban you from having a mosque.

Maybe it's me, but I'm not getting the Catholic Church reference here. What does this have to do with the RCC?

[NitaX]

2V - The Inquisition. The Crusades. Would you feel better if I put the Roman Catholic Church instead of the Catholic Church?

[2vermont]

Jul 18, 2012 15:21:06 GMT -5 NitaX said:

2V - The Inquisition. The Crusades. Would you feel better if I put the Roman Catholic Church instead of the Catholic Church?

That's one in the same. I guess I find the reference unfortunate given the Catholic Church does not support this in the here and now.

[laurenpetro]

so if allowing mosques = less tolerance then banning mosques = more tolerance?

how does that work?

[NitaX]

Jul 18, 2012 15:24:49 GMT -5 2vermont said:

Jul 18, 2012 15:21:06 GMT -5 NitaX said:

2V - The Inquisition. The Crusades. Would you feel better if I put the Roman Catholic Church instead of the Catholic Church?

That's one in the same. I guess I find the reference unfortunate given the Catholic Church does not support this in the here and now.

But at one point, it did seek to dominate the world via it's ideology. It doesn't necessarily have to be current comparison.

My point is that the idiots running around spewing this foolishness seem to have forgotten that once upon a time ago, the institution they are fighting for with such fervor over bcp, did espouse the same thing.

[2vermont]

Jul 18, 2012 15:31:17 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Jul 18, 2012 15:24:49 GMT -5 2vermont said:

That's one in the same. I guess I find the reference unfortunate given the Catholic Church does not support this in the here and now.

But at one point, it did seek to dominate the world via it's ideology. It doesn't necessarily have to be current comparison.

My point is that the idiots running around spewing this foolishness seem to have forgotten that once upon a time ago, the institution they are fighting for with such fervor over bcp, did espouse the same thing.

I guess I don't see any evidence of the bolded ...at least in the OP. And like I said, regardless of what happened between Mulims and Christians in the past, the Catholic Church would NOT agree with banning the building of mosques.

[NitaX]

The comparison was to word domination via ideology 2V - not banning mosques.

[2vermont]

Jul 18, 2012 15:50:36 GMT -5 NitaX said:

The comparison was to word domination via ideology 2V - not banning mosques.

Mea Culpa...I totally misunderstood you.

[taratru]

Canon City = meth capital of Colorado. No joke. My sister lives there. As does my MIL. I don't know how. You couldn't pay me enough. I shudder to think of the ignorance that abounds in that area.

[NitaX]

Jul 18, 2012 15:52:59 GMT -5 2vermont said:

Jul 18, 2012 15:50:36 GMT -5 NitaX said:

The comparison was to word domination via ideology 2V - not banning mosques.

Mea Culpa...I totally misunderstood you.

No probs.

[Deleted]

Jul 18, 2012 15:14:27 GMT -5 @mrdobalina said:

How can they see this as NOT a first amendment violation? How? How?

Silly rabbit, Trix are for Kids and only the SECOND amendment matters.

I refer you to a FB posting today that pissed me off:

"I believe in the right to keep and bear arms. A Facebooker has challenged all gun owners to paste this on their wall. The US Supreme Court has affirmed the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right of an individual. If you believe in the 2nd Amendment and are not afraid to show it, re-post this! Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

^o)

What? If I don't "believe" in it loudly enough, like Tinkerbell and Santa Claus, it might die? Why do these people feel so threatened all the time? I responded that I believed in the rightto arm bears, and is tomorrow 3rd Amendment day?

[basilosaurus]

sandsonik, did they miss 1st amendment day?