|
Reverend Jerry Falwell And His Anti-Muslim Rant
By Ayub Khan
15/03/2001
 Christian fundamentalist leader, Reverend Jerry Falwell has a long history of advocating hate and intolerance. Interestingly, he is also one of the most vocal (or rather leading) supporters of the state of Israel in America today. Considering this, his anti-Muslim rant in a recent interview with the web-based faith portal, belief.net, is not the least bit surprising.
In the interview, Falwell said, "I think the Moslem faith teaches hate. I think there's clear evidence that the Islam religion, wherever it has majority control - and I can name a dozen countries - doesn't even allow people of other faiths to express themselves or evangelize or to exist in their presence..."
"I think that when persons are clearly bigoted towards other persons in the human family, they should be disqualified from funds," he said while referring to President Bush's faith-based initiative program. "For that reason, Islam should be out the door before they knock."
Falwell sounded alarmed at the rapid growth of Islam in America, especially among the black community. "Islam is growing among African American young people. It's growing in the prisons. And whenever Islam, God forbid, ever gets a majority in the United States - like Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, all the Moslem countries -free expression will disappear."
Then he went on to say, "I applaud Mr. Bush for including everyone include [including] Islam [in his presidency]. We should not respond to the Moslems the way they respond to us."
And then he made this farcical comment, "If I were president of the United States, I would include Moslems in my presidency. And I would do my best to change them. I'm simply saying their track record worldwide, outside the U.S., is not good. If anybody questions what I'm saying, I would challenge them to send a Christian minister into any predominantly Moslem country and apply for a permit to build a church."
It is astonishing to know that Rev. Falwell has not seen the Bible Society's Annual Report for 1999, which clearly mentions that a number of churches exist in Iraq and other Muslim countries. Regarding Iraq, it says,
"In every part of Iraq you can now find little 'Bible Houses' attached to local churches and run by mostly young people who are faithfully making the Scriptures available."
Personally, I would like to ask Mr. Falwell, "By the way, what religion do you think Saddam's most trusted advisor, Tariq Aziz, belongs to?" (Answer: He is a Christian).
This response to the Reverend's remarks offers just one example from just one country, and that country is certainly not the best example. The fact is that a sizable number of Christians exist and have their own established churches in most Islamic countries. Falwell's simplistic challenge about applying for a permit to build a church in any 'Moslem' immediately falls flat on its face when you take an example like the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a country with a 97% majority Muslim population which is home to a number of churches as varied as Pentecostal, Seventh Day Adventist, Anglican, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Korean Church, etc. Large open-air gatherings are also held in many cities (sometimes by fake evangelists wishing to take people for a ride).
After mounting criticism to his comments, Falwell released a statement in his characteristic style saying that he is not anti-Muslim and, "I also said that Moslem organizations should be willing to renounce any anti-Semitism, if it exists. I did not charge all American Moslem organizations with being anti-Semitic. However, I stated that Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and a host of Moslem nations allow little or no religious freedom for those of other faiths... particularly accusing these nations of anti-Semitism. Their hatred for Israel is known to the world."
Maybe the venerable Reverend needs a good lesson in 'practicing what you preach.' Falwell, in spite of his strong and continuous support for the state of Israel (for which he has been generously rewarded; e.g., with the presentation of a million dollar jet), has himself been guilty of anti-Semitic remarks. Following, is a sampling of Falwell's comments taken from the book
Forcing God's Hand by Grace Halsell:
"Who will the Antichrist be? … Of course, he'll be Jewish."
"I know a lot of you here today don't like Jews. And I know why. He (a Jew) can make more money accidentally than you can on purpose."
"As long as they don't convert, Jews are "spiritually blind."
In his post interview statement, Falwell said, "I was simply saying that the Bush administration should bar all bigots and racists from participating in their faith-based program." If President Bush decides to follow his advice, Falwell may find himself among the first to be shown out the door… even before he knocks.
Note: For a detailed analysis of the apparently contradictory nexus that Falwell and other Christian Fundamentalists have with the Zionist state, consult the late Grace Halsell's masterful book
Forcing God's Hand published by Crossroads International Publishing.
I would like to acknowledge the help of Dr. Sabeel Ahmed in preparing this article.
|
