...according to President Obama.
The United States continues to stand with those who seek the chance to decide their own destiny, to live free from fear and violence, and to practice their faith freely. Here in the United States, Ramadan reminds us that Islam is part of the fabric of our Nation, and that—from public service to business, from healthcare and science to the arts—Muslim Americans help strengthen our country and enrich our lives.
If the idea is that Muslims are equal citizens in the United States, then it is fair to say that Muslims are part of the fabric of our nation. Presumably, insofar as Muslims are part of the fabric of our nation, then the faith they hold is part of that fabric.
But is Islam qua Islam a part of the fabric of the nation? Well, obviously not. Islam has played no part in the shaping of the institutions and culture of this attitude, and to the extent that Obama means to imply that it does, he's simply pandering.
A further thought, though, ism what happened to Obama's approach to role of religion in the public square? Has he ever identified Christianity as part of the "fabric of our nation"? His approach to Catholicism clearly distinguishes between the faith of Catholics - which gets no special recognition from him - and Catholics as part of the fungible mix of deracinated people without any particular commitment to anything in particular.
Bottom line, Obama is awfully solicitious of Muslims.
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2 comments:
Peter! I'm shocked! Surely a Historian such as yourself would admit to the crucial assistence given to the forging of our nation by Hi Jolly, the camel handler given to the US Government by an arab sheik, or king or caliph, or sumthin' (I wonder what Hi Jolly's NSN number was, since his master considered him property, and property in the US Army must have a NSN!)
I'm sure the Obominator probably places a wreath on his monument at Fort Tejon every time he passes that way.
Exactly!
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