The president said: "Some of the comments that have been uttered about Islam do not reflect the sentiments of my government or the sentiments of most Americans. Islam, as practiced by the vast majority of people, is a peaceful religion, a religion that respects others. Ours is a country based upon tolerance and we welcome people of all faiths in America."
That statement would not pass muster with the Republicans lusting after President Obama's job.
After Obama's visit last week to a mosque in Catonsville, Florida's occasional senator, Marco Rubio, was quoted in the Washington Post as saying: "I'm tired of being divided against each other for political reasons like this president's done. Always pitting people against each other. Always. Look at today — he gave a speech at a mosque, oh you know, basically implying that America is discriminating against Muslims. Of course there's going to be discrimination in America of every kind. But the bigger issue is radical Islam. And by the way, radical Islam poses a threat to Muslims themselves. But again, it's this constant pitting people against each other — that I can't stand." Donald Trump, whose relationship to facts is at best tenuous, said in an interview with Fox News: "I don't have much thought, I think that we can go to lots of places. Right now, I don't know if he's — maybe he feels comfortable there." Then in South Carolina, he said Obama "goes to a mosque and apologizes."
I must confess to a small bit of deception. The president who spoke those words you just read wasn't Obama. George W. Bush delivered them from the Oval Office on Nov. 13, 2002. The plain fact is the Republican Party has repudiated Bush's message of comity toward the Muslim world. They may argue that times have changed since 2001, but the fact is that 9/11 killed thousands more Americans than ISIS has. As much as it pains me to say it, too many Republicans have hung out a "Muslims not welcome here" sign. Ben Carson compared Muslims to rabid dogs (Washington Post, Nov. 19). Trump, Cruz and Rubio have, to a greater or lesser degree, spoken out to block entry to the country by Muslims from the Middle East.
Last Saturday, this paper, which rarely puts politics on Page 1, had a headline "Bill may alter tax status of mosques." The article discussed District 4 Del. David Vogt's proposed legislation, the "Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act." Vogt wants to revoke tax exemptions for "a church, a religious organization, or any other nonprofit organization" if said organization has known ties to terrorism. The proposed bill never says how the state comptroller or Homeland Security can identify these suspect organizations. Does Vogt expect the government to spy on suspicious churches, or has he got a little list of mosques that he thinks wouldn't be missed? Would Vogt's targets include the religious organization that Timothy McVeigh, who murdered 168 Americans in the 1995 Murrah Building bombing, belonged to? Maybe he would check Unabomber Ted Kaczynski's place of worship. I doubt it.
Montgomery County Del. Eric Luedtke said of the bill, "it would be unenforceable and would infringe on free speech and religious freedom rights. It's unconstitutional."
Vogt said of his bill, "While there's some extremists that don't support it, it's common sense." He must believe that civil libertarians, people who oppose government domestic espionage, or those respecting the First Amendment are, to use his word, "extremists." So must District 5 Del. Haven Shoemaker, and this bill's 21 other Republican co-sponsors. Make no mistake: Vogt is targeting a religious minority. Perhaps he thinks this bill will burnish his conservative credentials as he seeks a congressional seat; there is no other rational explanation for his bill.
The majority of the state's Republican delegation has the good sense and decency not to add their names and prestige to Vogt's bill. In the past, Gov. Hogan opposed a Republican candidate, Michael Peroutka, for his racist ties. He can once again put partisanship aside and stood on the side of common sense and civility by opposing this distasteful, unconstitutional bit of political grandstanding.
Mitch Edelman writes from Finksburg. Email him at mjemath@gmail.com.
