Will Obama greet Muslims on Capitol Hill?
Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 9/17/2009 4:00:00 AM
The event, called "Islam on Capitol Hill 2009," will take place on Friday, September 25. It is being promoted as a day of Islamic unity "to express and illustrate the wonderful diversity of Islam." The organizers also say they intend to "inspire a new generation of Muslims to work for the greater good of all people...regardless of race, religion, or national origin." The event's website says 50,000 people are expected to attend.
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Will the mainstream media play up the Sept. 25 'Islam on Capitol Hill' event?
Gary Bauer, chairman of American Values, says he would like to see those who come to the event take a realistic look at radical Islamic terrorism.
"I certainly hope that those Muslims who are there will denounce Islamic fascism -- the kind of extremism and regular violence we see around the world to kill Americans and kill others," he says. "If they do that, then there would be something positive that would come out of the event."
The conservative spokesman is curious how President Obama will treat the event. "Whether there's any kind of special greetings or whatever," says Bauer. "Most of us remember President Obama refused to do an event at the White House to mark the National Day of Prayer [in May], which was deeply disappointing and certainly put him in a category by himself in refusing to do that."
In addition, last month the president made special notice of the beginning of the Muslim observance of Ramadan, producing and posting a five-minute video that Bauer said makes him wonder if the president actually understands the threat the U.S. faces from radical Islam. (See related article)
Bauer says unlike coverage of most Christian venues, the mainstream media coverage of the upcoming Muslim gathering has been very positive and supportive.
