Joe Scarborough asked Rick Santorum a simple question: What can we do to show the millions of peaceful Muslim Americans that they are valued and respected members of society? Santorum rejected the question and said that onus was on every Muslim American to confront “the cancer within Islam.” Santorum said that “most Muslims” in America were shirking their duties to confront radicalism. Co-host Mika Brzezinski had enough. “I’ll turn the argument around on you. Why aren’t you working on white men with guns?,” she asked…. “You are telling Muslim Americans they all need to come out and talk about the tiny percentage of their community that has kind of, quite frankly, wreaked havoc. But yet, you look at the data of white men wreaking havoc on this country? Why aren’t white men coming forward? Why don’t you call on them to do that?,” Brzezinski continued. Santorum responded by saying he was dealing with the problem of “gun violence.” Not by supporting any kind of gun safety legislation but by encouraging people to get married.
The first thing we need to keep in mind when discussing Muslim Americans is the second part of that appellation. They’re AMERICANS, same as you and me. This means they by law and custom should be held to enjoy the same rights as good, God-fearing Conservative White Christian patriots. Muslim Americans are no more responsible for senseless violence committed in the name of their religion than Christian Americans are responsible for violence committed in the name of THEIR religion.
Of course, since Muslim Americans, by and large, look “different” and are a pronounced minority, it’s easy to demonize and thus exclude them from the rights and benefits that accrue to REAL Americans. The argument frequently employed is that America’s a Christian nation, which strictly speaking isn’t true. America is an officially secular nation with a large Christianity majority. Secular governance means that religion can’t come into play in matters of public policy. It’s called “separation of Church and State” for a reason.
What SHOULD come into play is the truth, which Santorum is loathe to address. When it can be documented that Christian terrorists have killed far more Americans than the wild-eyed radical Islamofascist variety since 9/11, the truth becomes…inconvenient. It’s also off-message, because Right-wing talking points dictate that Muslims by definition are terrorists and Christians are patriots.
And so we continue whistling past the graveyard, ignoring the reality and totality of the threat we face from home-grown CHRISTIAN domestic terrorism.
Brzezinski is right on the data. Since 9/11, fatalities from attacks by right-wing extremists — a group of almost exclusively white men — has accounted for 254 fatalities. Meanwhile, Islam-inspired attacks accounted for 50 fatalities over the same period. (This data was from June so did not include the recent attacks in Colorado and San Bernardino.)
Prejudice against Muslims in America is not without consequences. ThinkProgress has documented 46 anti-Islam incidents, many of them violent, since the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Why the hypocrisy? Is it because Santorum has nothing to offer in the way of solutions? Is it because he’s far more adept at pandering and inflaming the passions and prejudices of those on the Rabid Religious Right? Is it because he finds it easier to demonize Muslims than to show leadership and compassion?
Yes, yes, and most definitely YES.
Donald Trump has addressed the problem of Islam-based terrorism by saying that “[Muslims] have to help us solve this problem.” This is, of course, merely a feel-good half measure designed to lull his rabid, xenophobic base into believing he’s all about “solving” the problem that is terrorism. This ignores the far more pressing threat posed by Christian terrorists, which, to say the least, doesn’t mesh with his agenda. Addressing Christian terrorism means addressing some uncomfortable truths. It’s SO much easier to deflect attention onto Muslims, but it also ignores truth and reality. The Conservative conviction that Christians can’t be terrorists is just another example of the Far Right’s penchant for ignoring real problems by creating artificial scapegoats.
Then again, why would the Far Right try to solve a problem when they can blame and demonize a minority class of people and deflect the American Sheeple’s attention with yet another shiny thing- hating Muslims?
