Facilitating dialogue to promote open and multi-faceted discussion and awareness

John Boehner made an interesting (ridiculous) statement earlier today, addressing both the Cordoba Initiative and Terry Jones, the radical conservative pastor from Gainseville, Florida, in the same breath:

“Just because you have the right to do something in America, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do…”

This is just a testament to how ridiculous this debate has come to. Allow me to play Captain Obvious and list some problems with Boehner’s comparison of the Cordoba Initiative and Terry Jones:

- It’s interesting that Christians and Jews are coming out trying to appeal to Jones not to proceed with the burning. They are also appealing to the public that Jones version of radical Christianity does not define Christianity as a whole (something the Cordoba Initiative is trying to accomplish as well, speaking and living out against radical, violent Islam…).

- Terry Jones actions are actions out of fear and are blatantly meant to cause a divide and a reaction. His action will incite violence, as warned by General Petraeus himself. The Cordoba Initiative, on the other hand, is built upon the premise of peace, tolerance, and community.

- Terry Jones is the radically violent fringe of Christianity, Feisal Abdul Rauf and the Cordoba Initiative are the peaceful, mainstream vein of Islam. As Jones speaks of burning Islam’s holy book, Rauf speaks this:

“The wonderful outpouring of support for our right to build this community center from across the social, religious and political spectrum seriously undermines the ability of anti-American radicals to recruit young, impressionable Muslims by falsely claiming that America persecutes Muslims for their faith. These efforts by radicals at distortion endanger our national security and the personal security of Americans worldwide. This is why Americans must not back away from completion of this project. If we do, we cede the discourse and, essentially, our future to radicals on both sides. The paradigm of a clash between the West and the Muslim world will continue, as it has in recent decades at terrible cost. It is a paradigm we must shift.”

Rauf means to influence the impressionable young Muslims who do not feel accepted in society to become a part of a peaceful community and “to strengthen relations between the Western and Muslim worlds and to help counter radical ideology.” Jones actions will simply give those young Muslims more reason to feel alienated in western culture.

Boehners’ ridiculous remark just adds a bigger voice to the subtle bigotry that is becoming not so subtle here in the United States. To further alienate the Muslim world out of fear and hatred is giving Osama Bin Laden what he wants, and more fuel to train his radical extremists in terrorism and hate.

These kinds of comments are simply aiding and abetting terrorism itself…