Texas Republicans debate "motives" of American muslims
This is yet more evidence of an ingrained Islamophobia among the core GOP faithful that is both ugly and yet sadly predictable. At a Republican meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, the idea that muslim citizens of the United States are inherently disloyal and untrustworthy by virtue of their faith was not only entertained, it was actively promoted by a guest speaker, Dorrie O'Brien:
In her presentation to about 80 people, O'Brien said that Muslims are intent on converting the Western world to Islam. She described as "stealth jihad" a malicious effort by Muslims to subvert schools, local governments and banks throughout the country.
O'Brien reviewed the five pillars of Islam, noting that one of them is zakat, which means to give a percentage of one's income to charity. "There is a tremendous amount of proof out there that the zakat is now funding terrorism," she said.
O'Brien also compared the Quran to the Bible and dismissed any suggestion that atrocities committed by Christians in the past were relevant to a debate about the present.
"I am not going to get into a theological discussion tonight, but I will flatly say, no, there is no way we are praying to the same God," she said.