Leftist “Interfaith” Group Tries to Censor Charlie Sykes
It all started with a parody from Tom McMahon, who was aggravated by the extremely smug and intellectually slovenly bumper sticker in which a variety of religious symbols spell out “COEXIST.”
McMahon produced a parody bumper sticker with Nazi and Communist symbols substituted.
His point, of course, was that some religious views are simply impossible to coexist with, and must (like Nazism and Communism) be fought.
Charlie Sykes picked this up and ran it on his blog, and then the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee jumped in, demanding of Sykes and Sykes’ boss that the symbols be removed.
Interfaith Conference
Is the Interfaith Conference a protector of religious tolerance, attentive to slights against diverse faiths?
No, they are a bunch of liberal bureaucrat/activists who dislike Sykes simply because Sykes is a conservative.
Their leftist politics is not some sort of secret. They advertise it all over their web site.
They are, for example, supporters of socialized medicine. Not only did they sponsor a showing of the Michael Moore film “Sicko,” they strongly supported the “Healthy Wisconsin” proposal in the recent state budget battle.
They are also strong supporters of a Housing Trust Fund supposedly for low-income housing. While this may sound good, in reality it is merely a pork-barrel subsidy for local social activist organizations.
They are supporters of something called “Project Working Communities.” The web site of that project lays out its objectives.
The Conferences sponsors a meeting called Common Ground, “A One Day Conference on Racism and White Privilege” where, from all appearances, the race card will be played incessantly. The program from the 2007 conference makes this clear, and the 2006 program features panels on subjects like “Globalization and New Urbanism are metaphors of white privilege,” and “White bonding, hurricane Katrina & other unnatural disasters.” Add to that the enchantingly titled “Old glory, mom, apple pie and racism: A dialogue on race beyond black and white.”
Anybody familiar with the mindset of leftist clerical bureaucrats won’t be surprised to learn that they oppose the death penalty.
Nor to learn that they favor a very liberal approach to immigration, and buy into the standard environmentalist agenda.
Who is Anti-Semitic?
Perhaps the most bizarre thing about the Interfaith Conference statement is the claim that the parody bumper sticker is somehow anti-Semitic. Yet the actions of the Conference raise serious questions. For example:
But Shah’s group, the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, is a member of the Interfaith Conference!
The simple fact is that the Interfaith Conference lacks any credibility in attacking Sykes, or making any assertions about religious tolerance.
They are simply a bunch of liberals and leftists who dislike Sykes because they don’t like conservatives.
McMahon produced a parody bumper sticker with Nazi and Communist symbols substituted.
His point, of course, was that some religious views are simply impossible to coexist with, and must (like Nazism and Communism) be fought.
Charlie Sykes picked this up and ran it on his blog, and then the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee jumped in, demanding of Sykes and Sykes’ boss that the symbols be removed.
Interfaith Conference
Is the Interfaith Conference a protector of religious tolerance, attentive to slights against diverse faiths?
No, they are a bunch of liberal bureaucrat/activists who dislike Sykes simply because Sykes is a conservative.
Their leftist politics is not some sort of secret. They advertise it all over their web site.
They are, for example, supporters of socialized medicine. Not only did they sponsor a showing of the Michael Moore film “Sicko,” they strongly supported the “Healthy Wisconsin” proposal in the recent state budget battle.
They are also strong supporters of a Housing Trust Fund supposedly for low-income housing. While this may sound good, in reality it is merely a pork-barrel subsidy for local social activist organizations.
They are supporters of something called “Project Working Communities.” The web site of that project lays out its objectives.
- When available, all jobs will be with locally owned, union-represented businesses paying living wages and offering full-time work.
- All construction-phase jobs will pay at least prevailing wage.
- During construction, at least 25% of jobs will be in Disadvantaged Business Enterprises/Minority Business Enterprises and 5% in Women’s Business Enterprises
- During construction, at least 25% of employees will be minorities and 5% women.
- After construction, at least 75% of jobs will pay at least a living wage or market wage (whichever is higher), plus health insurance. The living wage is 110% of the federal poverty line for a family of four (in 2003, $9.73 per hour). Jobs without health insurance will pay at least $2 per hour more.
- Preferred jobs will be full-time, with sick leave, vacation time, and flexibility for family needs.
The Conferences sponsors a meeting called Common Ground, “A One Day Conference on Racism and White Privilege” where, from all appearances, the race card will be played incessantly. The program from the 2007 conference makes this clear, and the 2006 program features panels on subjects like “Globalization and New Urbanism are metaphors of white privilege,” and “White bonding, hurricane Katrina & other unnatural disasters.” Add to that the enchantingly titled “Old glory, mom, apple pie and racism: A dialogue on race beyond black and white.”
Anybody familiar with the mindset of leftist clerical bureaucrats won’t be surprised to learn that they oppose the death penalty.
Nor to learn that they favor a very liberal approach to immigration, and buy into the standard environmentalist agenda.
Who is Anti-Semitic?
Perhaps the most bizarre thing about the Interfaith Conference statement is the claim that the parody bumper sticker is somehow anti-Semitic. Yet the actions of the Conference raise serious questions. For example:
When the Toledo charity KindHearts was shut down this past February, for raising millions of dollars for Hamas, the group’s leaders got off scott free. One of those leaders was KindHearts’ President, Khaled Smaili. Another was KindHearts’ South Asia Director, Zulfiqar Ali Shah. Unlike Smaili, who has remained virtually silent since the closure, Shah has continued to bask in the spotlight. He now sits in his new digs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Religious Director of a large Islamic institution and the toast of the media. Today, the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee will be sponsoring a Shah talk, taking place at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.And further:
. . . Shah’s love for his fellow man was not manifest, when, just a few years prior, in June of 2001, he spoke of a wild conspiracy regarding Jews retaking the Saudi city of Medina. He said, “If we are unable to stop the Jews now, their next stop is Yathrib (The Prophet’s city of Medina), where the Jews used to live until their expulsion by Prophet Muhammad. That’s the pinnacle of their motives.”You can find further information on Shah here. Local Milwaukee columnists Cary Spivak & Dan Bice raised a variety of questions about Shah in a 2006 article.
But Shah’s group, the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, is a member of the Interfaith Conference!
The simple fact is that the Interfaith Conference lacks any credibility in attacking Sykes, or making any assertions about religious tolerance.
They are simply a bunch of liberals and leftists who dislike Sykes because they don’t like conservatives.
Labels: Charles Sykes, Charlie Sykes, Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Liberal Free Speech Intolerance, Secularism, Zulfiqar Ali Shah
posted by John McAdams at 12:38 PM
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