Tough Love, Or Leave It

The Opinion Journal has a troubling piece on certain Muslim groups in Minnesota. It's the usual suspects, CAIR, etc.

MINNEAPOLIS--The land of 10,000 lakes and that welcoming attitude we call "Minnesota Nice"--is becoming a window on America's potential future. Here in Minneapolis, one of the nation's most livable cities, hard-line Muslim activists are injecting an element that is anything but nice.

Troubling incidents began several years ago, when taxi drivers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport--about three-quarters of whom are Muslim--started refusing to transport passengers carrying alcohol. One woman, returning from France with wine, was turned away by five cabs in succession. Refusals of service now number about 100 a month, and heated altercations have erupted.

Read the whole thing. Two things stuck out for me. The article quoted some moderate Muslim groups I hadn't heard of - that's good. Now if only the mainstream media would start getting opinions from those groups and not only the more radical CAIR.

The other element that stuck out was more troubling. Rather than looking to accommodate Muslim intolerance being professed to the many by some few, we should be rejecting it and telling the intolerant individuals to either adjust to a free and open society, or hit the road.

I know how the average American will react on the issue; I trust them. I don't trust our weak-kneed justice system and politicians who will cave to any group if it means a few votes. Any notion that tenets of sharia law have their place in even our informal ways of going about our business need to be opposed and rejected in the strongest of terms.

If we don't head it off now, we'll be fighting in the streets over this issue. Americans will not sit idly by and allow an intolerant, radical fringe group to start dictating our practices and behaviors.

Such a confrontation would make any current culture war look like a picnic in July.

Comments

[Fred Beloit]

Yes indeed. It is also important to vote against any legislators of either party at Fed, state, and local levels who show tendencies of making concessions to Sharia. Ix ney on the aria shay.

[scarshapedstar]

"If we don't head it off now, we'll be fighting in the streets over this issue."

We're already IN Baghdad. How can we possibly fight them in Brooklyn as well? It's impossible.

[Phoenix]

At least Minnesotans aren't buying it.

And what is this?: " Omar Shahin, leader of the detained imams,..." If this group is made up of just 'regular' guys, why do they need a leader? I hope the airline sues them back.

Just as Ellison implies we don't quite understand the Muslims, it's also very apparent they don't understand the typical American who minds his own business until someone tries to interfere with his freedoms and liberties. Although for a turncoat like Ellison to make such a fatuous statement is a joke. This won't end pretty.

[Purple Avenger]

"How can we possibly fight them in Brooklyn as well?"

Sharia is "bad for business". If the government won't do anything, the mafia will.

[tom]

I am a liberal and I am happy that Conservatives have picked up this story. There is no place in America, none, for Shariah Law, and all Americans had better see this. I'm not a blogger or activist but I hope my side weighs in against this two-tiered absurdity.

[Fred Beloit]

The double Ps. You two make beautiful music together.

[southdakotaboy]

Well, the libs will probably find some way to spin this as Islamaphobia. I mean the muslims are the poor oppressed minority their rights trump everyone elses. Maybe just maybe when the libs go to the store and can't buy their Chardaneys and such they might to final start waking up. I'm not going to hold my breath though.

[Scrapiron]

From everything I read or hear the people of Mn have already folded the tent and allowed the terrorists to dominate their freedom. I don't see anyone standing up to put the horse back in the barn after they opened the door. Too ate up with BDS and PC to stand up for the future of their children so they'll keep sending the terrorists lovers back to congress and the state houses. It's Sunday and that's the way it is.

[Purple Avenger]

"There is no place in America, none, for Shariah Law"

There is already a place in America for Sharia law. Several banks are offering "Islamic mortgages" now.

[tk]

I can't believe these cab drivers still have their licenses. Imagine they can decide who they will or will not convey. And the state's answer is a two color system.

[southdakotaboy]

This is how it all starts. Over in Germany they have already built several new schools that have one door for Muslims and one door for Christians ,Jews and others. What is going to happen is this will slowly but surely take hold. You need to remember the libs will say that we need to understand and compromise with them. After each little compromise the Muslims will lie low for a year or so and then start pushing again. Look at what they started to do after they took heat for the airport thing. You get the whole Target thing with muslims refusing to ring up pork products. What does Target do? Fire those employees for refusing to their jobs? No, they allow them to pick where they want to transfer to and/or get to wear gloves to handle the pork. Its just nuts. Just wait till the calls for prayer reverberate over Minneapolis/St. Paul (wonder how long it will be called St. Paul)

[Bat Guano]

When are you going to start talking about our own version of the taliban? What about when some "believer" refuses to sell emergency contraception to a woman because they feel that it goes against their beliefs? Typical racist screed. I will agree with all this if you apply it equally to ALL extremists (even ours).

[Sarcastro]

Don't forget sexist as well BG.

Really Dan, are you so monumentally stupid that you didn't see this coming when all you wingnuts supported the "right" of religious nutcases to decide what to sell and not to sell when it comes to birth control?

[Gary Denton]

I also note your hypocrisy in seeming to support Christian individuals in refusing to provide products and services that violate their religious beliefs. Or are you supporting a Christian religious state and everyone holding other beliefs can leave?

[tally]

sharia law only allows "the morning after pill" for those who are married (and this is in dispute). if you are not married, it's an execution by stoning.

[Bourbon Straight]

The Great WMD of 1964 keeps spawning new WMDs, more and more each year. Now the fools on both sides of the “what to do next?” argument keep running into each other like chickens with their heads cut off.
But afraid to confront the enemy within.

I will give you a little exercise:

Take a blank sheet of paper. Draw on it a box. Write inside the box: ”Think inside the box”.
Outside, in the perimeter, write: ”Think outside the box”.
Now, mark off a small corner inside the box and write in there: “Do not think here!”.

This is where you fools are, and where the WMD1964 was designed to put you.

[Buzzy]

The answer is to be found in the marketplace. Nobody is owed a job with any company or business and a business gets to decide what goods or services it will provide. If an employee (any employee) decides that he or she will not sell a customer a package of pork rinds or slab of bacon then they need to find another job that doesn't require them to do that. By the same token an employee at a drug store that sells the morning after pill doesn't get to decide on his or her own to refuse to sell that product.

The left's reliance in the government to force its people to do things they don't think is right and businesses to sell things they oppose is tyranny and it is fascist.

[dave]

So what about pharmacists that refuse to fill prescriptions because of their "religious beliefs"?

I can wait...

[southdakotaboy]

Well Bat Guano and Sarcastro those people who are Christian "extremists" otherwise known as the pro-life crowd tend to get upset and talk about not killing "people". Now I know libs don't think the unborn are people but at least our extremists want life.
The muslims would kill any single women asking for birth contol. Now compair that with the fact that muslims would be dicriminating against the blind, hungry people, partying people you know anyone not following their religion.
What I want to know is what atheists think about this?

And just to sum it all up guys Christians are rather used to you guys pitching fits about us. We get a pretty steady stream of ridicule and crap from you guys. We just want you to be as indignent when the muslims do things like this. Or could it be that the muslims are on to something with this whole violence thing. I mean killing those who disagree with you and committing all sorts of violent actions tends to make their religion get some respect from you guys. Is that what it takes?

[seekeronos]

SDB, you've hit the nail on the head.

I think the smarter libtards have figured out that Christians will not resort to violence to acheive their ends, but the Muzzies will.

But the logic isn't connecting to the fact that if our resident Muzzies aren't suppressed and deported in short order, they will kepp rolling our freedoms back until we have to watch our backs, fear the Muzzein's call to Islamist prayer, and the Sharia police who come to kill us or take us to prison, rape our wives and sisters, and kill our children on the points of bayonets for the fun of it.

I've no illusion that I might have to put my marksmanhip skills to use to protect my family and fellow Christian brethren though... civil war is coming to America, and our weak kneed, pablum-puking politicians on both sides of the aisle seem more than willing to hand over the keys to the Republic as quick as they please.

[Jeff]

OK, scenerion: You go to Walgreens for any prescription, and they deny it to you. What do you do? Go to any other drug store! In the towns where lawsuits are there are several drug stores, these are nothing but show suits.

I'm not against the morning after pill, but I think that if you are worried about getting pregnant because you failed eigth grade health, I think that you would be willing to take however much time it takes and find the pill.

What the cabbies are doing isn't a against the law, but what I would say is if you aren't willing to provide the service to anyone who asks (without any really extranious circumstances) get out of that profession. Cabbies are largely for people who drink (especially at night)...

At least the whole GOP, and sens like Boxer, Schumer, and few other Dems are seeing that CAIR is a terrorist entity.

[Phoenix]

Stupid comparison about the Christian pharmacists who won't sell the morning-after-pill. They don't make a big deal out of it and draw attention to themselves. They quietly get another pharmacist to do it. BIG difference. If they do make a big deal out of, you can bet they won't have their job for long.

PA,

What are "Islamic mortgages"? Money without the pork of interest payments up front? :)

[southdakotaboy]

Jeff, what they cabbies are doing is against the law they are refusing to pickup blind people with seeing eye dogs, because dogs are unclean animals. This is against the American's with Disabilities act if I'm not mistaken.

[Buzzy]

"So what about pharmacists that refuse to fill prescriptions because of their "religious beliefs"?

Well Dave, I guess that's his right and as long as his employer is OK with it I'd guess you'd have to go to another pharmacy to get your pills.

The alternative is America giving in to your fascist dream where everyone is forced by the government to do just what some small group wants.

That is the freedom from government tyranny that our forefathers built into this nation and I am more than willing to allow people's will decide if they want to get in a cab driven by a Muslim or buy stuff at Wal Mart even though the cabbie won't haul seeing eye dogs and the Wally World pharmacist won't dispense morning after pills. In either case when the cab company doesn't have any fares and the drivers are unemployed or the Wal Mart lot in empty the people have spoken and the government should not get involved.

[SJ]

So what about the Florida Muslim employer who fired his non-Muslim employee for eating a BLT in the break room? My recollection is that some were quite bent out of shape about that. But nobody here, right?

[Jeff]

I guess the republicans aren't the only people who lost their jobs because of pork.

Yuck, the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2525635.stm

[Dan Riehl]

Frankly, it's pathetic to see Leftists who only view radical Islam as a vehicle to attack Christians. Today's liberals are morally bankrupt. They don't even comprehend the difference between good and bad, right or wrong. Their belief system, if you can call it that, is better defined as a form of mental illness, than an ideology. At least with an ideology, there's presumed to be reason involved.

[Jody]

So, Muslims that refuse to touch pork when scanning groceries: dangerous, seditious element that must learn to suck it up and get with the program.

Woman refused emergency contraception by fundamentalist pharmacist who refuses to fill her prescription: the pharmacist was just practicing his freedom of religion.

This is because all Muslims are a hair's breadth away from resorting to terror, and all catholics are peace loving, decent citizens.

Got it.

[Hard Right]

SJ, didn't hear about that. I think the employee might have a winning lawsuit on his hands.

As for the religious pharmacist, funny how the left gets outraged at that but has no comment on the muslims. It's no surprise they are supporting them. They both have the same goal. Destroy America so they can remake it into the image they want.

[seekeronos]

To distill this further:

Conservative (USA) ideology: smaller government in general, with functions (and tax funds) distributed to state and local gov'ts that can handle the local issues better. Strong defensive and tactically responsive military, particular in terms of naval and air power. Non-interference with peoples' lives for the most part, except where lack of said intereference would result in greivous harm to society. Acknowledges at some(if not most levels) the primacy of the Diety, usually the Judeo-Christian one, if not some Higher Principle (bordering on the Founding Fathers' sense of "secular humanism" as advertised by the atheists).

Liberal (USA) "ideology": Big government that coerces a politically correct scheme for nearly all the minutiae and mundane details of life, as determined by certain politically favoured "intelligentsia", because the common uneducated masses of rabble simply cannot be trusted to think for themselves. Completely and utterly opposed to any notion of God in the public forum, and especially antagonistic toward The One God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Will tolerate Islam under the deception that it is really some peaceful tribal religion with a few thorny quirks. Is prone to violence at the fringes (much more so than fringe elements of conservatism).

Christianity: Directs worship to the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ, acknowledging Him as the source of all Power, Wisdom, and Redemption. Looks forward thru Christ to the time of His Dominion, when He (not the Christian followers) will subjugate the Earth and all her nations under the direct rule of God; while living in the present, accepts and supports godly rulers and governments as they are appointed by God for the benefit and riule of men. The highest form of this comes to the American Republic, where godly men and women can themselves form the government and rule responsibly... with the caveat that said governance is only as good as the practical faith of both the ruled and the rulers they elect.

Atheism: Is tied together with the socialist strains of liberalism (see above) and rejects God and His wisdom, relying soley upon the council of Man's thoughts, which have - over the past 7,000 years of recorded history, have proven Man to be generally idiotic and/or irresponsible or just plain evil... time and time again. Is itself responsible for the massacre of untold billions of humans thru genocides and general tyranny.

Islam: Is set to possibly replace Atheism as the worlds' #1 mass killer belief system in the 21st century. Brooks no mercy or tolerance for other religions, and propagates itself by conquest, murder, and slavery (dhimmah) of "non-believers" (kuffar). Like Liberalism (see above) it encompasses a few socre-thousand regulations for every whipstitched detail, even to the ritual shaving of hair on the rear end to keep dingleberries from forming.

It is both a religion (although designed to enslave people and keep them in fear of learning or turning to the True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... ) and an ideology, utterly at enmity both to certain Western Nations (such as the USA) that cherish personal freedom, and is at enmity with the Creator, Father God Himself, who is blessed forever.

[Buzzy]

Ooooh, listen to the feigned outrage as the left wets its pants because some chick can't get her morning after pill (when did this get considered emergency contraception except in cases of rape)filled at Wal Mart. Hell in some Wal Marts I can't buy ammo for my guns and you want me to get upset because this chick can't buy a baby kill pill. Well she can do exactly what I do, go and buy it somewhere else.

I hadn't heard about the BLT outrage either SJ. He needs a good attorney and should sue CAIR along with the business owner.

[Gus]

It's pathetic that radical Christians can't see the hypocrisy of their positions. Whatever one believes about the morning after pill, it's a legal medication. If a pharmacist can't dispense it, get out of the business. Similarly, if a Muslim cab driver won't give someone a ride because he has a bottle of wine, get out of the profession. If a Muslim cashier won't ring up a package of bacon, find a new job. There are plenty of Halal grocery stores in Minneapolis, maybe the Muslim cashier can find a job there. Like most liberals, I'm not anti-Christian or anti-Muslim. I'm anti-religious fanatic.

[SJ]

Just google "bacon muslim florida" and you'll get the story.

"I think the employee might have a winning lawsuit on his hands." --- I think you're wrong, both on the law and on the principle. The law bans religious discrimination in employment -- no religion that I know of compels its adherents to eat bacon on the job. On the principle --- like many here, I'm in favor of conscience clauses. Some above would allow only the employment, e.g., the pharmacy owner, as opposed to the pharmacist employee, to make a conscience-based decision not to sell contraceptives. That would cover the employer who didn't want BLTs consumed on his premises.

[Jeff Fecke]

I think that one way or another, it seems to me a reasonable idea that dysfunctional idiots like this be encouraged to not eat pork in the first place.

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2006/10/wackjob_alert_t.html

[Fred Beloit]

It seems to me the issue of employees deciding what to handle or not is for the employER to decide. Generally in this country "Employment at will" is the policy governing such matters, not the Government. If an employer allows an employee not to handle bacon, that is their business. The market place will punish those making bad decisions. A case could be made, I guess, for places like the airports of Minnesota that they are monopolies that must be regulated to serve everyone. But for most drugstores? One can go elsewhere and decide to never shop there again. Bad for business? Fire or reassign the employee.

[southdakotaboy]

Gus, once again you libs are missing the point. We always catch hell from you guys whenever one of our people does something "intolerent" because of religion. On the other hand when Muslims practice systematic intolerence against like the blind (you know no seeing eye dogs) all we hear from you guys is the sound of crickets in the background. Where are all the angry lefy leaders holding protests infront of the mosques. Where is your outrage. Why isn't the ACLU beating a path to the courthouse with threats to sue? If a bunch of Baptists tried the no booz thing it would be on national tv with you guys screaming bloody murder. We would just like you guys to be consistant or could it be that the muslims are on to something. You know they don't really practice that whole ture the other cheek thing matter of fact the are pretty open about violence and threats of violence if you harras their religion. Is that the lesson you want us christians to take away from this Gus. Violence = Religious Respect What do you think Gus?

[templar knight]

Yeah, Gus, what do you think?

[tk]

The self hate here among lefties is unbelievable. "Christians", that living filth you despise, are far worst then extremist Muslims. Yet these loving Muslims most hate secular liberals. You guys need therapy.

[Zifnab]

:-p I don't know which is the more ill-informed meme, that liberals "hate" Christians or that they "love" Muslims. You guys really do take the short bus when it comes to reasoned thinking.

[Hard Right]

To the left the muslims are a "victim class". So they will excuse their actions and even protect them. The lefties do so to make themselves feel good about themselves since they are protecting "the victims, the underdogs". It also allows them to tell themselves how morally superior they are to non-liberals. So extreme is the need to feel good and superior they will defend people like CAIR. You'll also note they won't defend a non liberal institution or group etc. that is of American or Pro-American origin. Examples: Christianity, U.S. Military, U.S. Corporations, etc. CAIR fits in quite nicely to the "not of America" criteria.

[southdakotaboy]

We're on the short bus Zifnab. How do you figure that? Just because we see the lefts constant attacks on us and their constant hypocrisy when dealing with muslims? Forgive us if we think you guys have it out for us when we constantly see examples of you trying to drive us from the public square. Or your silence when colleges ban Christian groups but think its perfectly fine for muslim groups to advocate the genocide of Jews and all non-muslims. Or your silence about the on going violence against Buddhists in Thialand. Once again it keeps looking like if you want to have your religion respected by the left in this country you need to be willing to cut off heads and strap bombs to yourself and go and randomly kill others. Thats the lesson you on the left are teaching with your silence a harrasment of Christians.

[Hard Right]

Yeah Zif, it's all in our imagination and there's NO proof to support the belief. (roll eyes)

[SJ]

southdakotaboy- you seem raring to go off and emulate Muslim terrorists. If you feel that way, why don't you just go ahead and say the magic phrases and convert.

[southdakotaboy]

Imagine a liberal misses the point. I don't want to go off and emulate a bunch of backward, women hating, gay bashing, seventh century morons. What I keep trying to point out and the libs on this sight don't seem to get is that liberal continued kneejerk excuses for the muslims can have a negative backlash. Libs in this country already view Evangelicals and most Christians as racist hate mongers who are prone to violence anyway. If we were really as violent as most libs think we are we would have already had a campaign of terror against the left of this country. And don't bring up a handful of anti-abortion nuts who were hunted down and convicted and put in jail as morally equivalent to the muslim extremists in this world who enslave, brutalize and murder numbers in the tens if not hundreds of thousands around the world every year.
Liberals in this country have some sort of blinders on when it comes to the muslim world. I like how Glenn Beck constantly tries to warn muslims of the danger. And yes sj there will come a point in this country when something terrible happens and really sets us off only we aren't going to be converted we are the ones going out and making the converts.

[Gus]

I thought I was pretty clear. Just so you know, I don't particularly get worked up with either pharmacists who won't dispense the morning after pill or the Muslim cab drivers. I won't support either one with my business (and I'm a lot more likely to require cab service). I'm all for the ACLU suing Muslim cab drivers who refuse service to people who need service dogs. I'm not going to picket either mosques or churches. My position is consistent. If I owned a drugstore, I wouldn't hire anyone who wouldn refuse to dispense the morning after pill. If I owned a grocery store, I wouldn't hire someone who refused to ring up pork products, nor would I grant that person the right to say their prayers on my time. If I owned a grocery store, I wouldn't hire a Hindu who refused to ring up beef products, or a Mormon who refused to ring up cigarettes, either. My problem is with people who defend the right of Christian pharmacists to refuse to dispense legal medication, but don't believe Muslims have the right to refuse service for their religious reasons. Try to put aside your abhorrence of abortion, and keep in mind that we're talking about a legal, commercially available product. I don't want someone's religion to dictate the services I receive, but I will demonstrate with my pocketbook, not a picket sign. Since it's a free country, people are unfortunately free to inject their religious beliefs into their work. As long as their bosses have the right to fire them for non-performance of duty, and I retain the right to not give them my business, that's a compromise I can live with. Is that clearer?
Cheers.

[Gus]

Sorry that sentence in the middle should read If I owned a drugstore, I wouldn't hire anyone who would refuse to dispense the morning after pill.

[tk]

Gus...In the business world unless you state up front what you will or will not do according to the law you must respect the rights of the consumer. That being said, I would never want a pharmacist to deny a legal product to someone for religious beliefs. All beliefs are by nature moral and personal. But the business world is a neutral place and should remain that way. But to compare not giving transportation to someone carrying a product to someone's concern for human life is not even close.

[Zifnab]

"I like how Glenn Beck constantly tries to warn muslims of the danger."

Yeah, Beck is a sweetheart.

Also, SouthDakotaBoy, who is "us"? I don't believe I've ever been anywhere near South Dakota, so I'm confident I haven't vomited hate any Christians in your area, or showered any South Dakota Muslims with rampant affection for that matter. I'm not even sure of your denomination, so I'm not sure how I could have offended your sect or credo. Perhaps you are refering to the blank non-denominational term "evangelical", but then I don't think I've ever disparaged evangelicals in particular... or in general for that matter.

If I didn't know better, I would think you're just pulling all this extrament out of your posterior. I don't think I've ever heard "liberals" call "Christians" racist, although I have heard people hold objection to Tony Perkin's association with the Council of Conservative Citizens and business dealings with former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050509/blumenthal
Or when Jerry Falwell stated that somewhere on earth the Anti-Christ walked the world as a male Jew, I could see how people might construe that as anti-Semetic. That, of course, doesn't mean anything for Joel Olsteen, who has been a model for religious tolerance and racial harmony. I don't know anyone, liberal or conservative, who has anything but warm words for the man.

[Njorl]

"What I keep trying to point out and the libs on this sight don't seem to get is that liberal continued kneejerk excuses for the muslims can have a negative backlash."

What liberal continued kneejerk excuses?

When I read liberals writing about radical muslims, they are condemning the extemities of sharia, female genital mutilation, forced marriages, pointless violence against other fanatical muslim sects etc.

You've got to learn to seperate your own propaganda from reality. We don't hate America. We don't love Islam (except those of us who happen to be Muslims, I suppose, though Muslims tend to be conservatives, not liberals). We don't kill babies for sport. We aren't hoping for catastrophic global warming. We aren't hoping for more disaster in Iraq. Those are just things conservatives say to get unthinking twits all worked up.

[Hard Right]

Njorl, you live in a cave in outer siberia, don't you?