Top Ten Things Anthony Weiner Has Said That Are Worse Than Sexting

10 June 2011

By Juan Cole

The real scandal surrounding Anthony Weiner is that he is bigoted against Palestinians and has misused his position in Congress to support punitive policies against them. Americans appear to be bored by policy, titillated by private peccadilloes. But it is the policies that are important. Mahatma Gandhi was once kicked out of a brothel in South Africa. No one judges him by his lapses. Weiner, in contrast to Gandhi, has not worked for peace but has rather given knee-jerk support to the worst policies of the most far rightwing parties in Israel toward Palestinians. A social liberal in American terms, Weiner is so blinded by his allegiance to Israel and so studied in his ignorance of the Middle East that he has played a uniformly sinister role in that aspect of foreign policy. If he were replaced by, say, an up an up-and-coming Dominican-American politician from Queens who had some sympathy with Arabs, that would be all to the good.

Weiner:

1. Called for Columbia University professor Joseph Massad to be fired for being critical of Israel; Weiner thus spearheaded a new McCarthyism.

2. On the Israeli attack, in international waters, on the Mavi Marmara relief ship, Weiner sputtered: ""If you want to instigate a conflict with the Israeli navy it isn't hard to do. They were offered alternatives. Instead they chose to sail into the teeth of an internationally recognized blockade." The blockade of Gaza civilians is a breach of international law; it is not internationally recognized and has on the contrary been condemned by almost every nation and human rights organization.

3. Alleged that the New York Times is anti-Israel: ";Amnesty International in particular, has always had bias against Israel, and frankly I would argue that in many cases, the New York Times has, as well."

4. Alleged that the Palestine Liberation Organization is still listed by the US as a terrorist organization. It was dropped from the list over 2 decades ago.

5. Tried to bar the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations from New York.

6. Alleged that Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestine Authority, is not the head of the PLO. He is.

7. Refused to condemn the use by Israel of cluster bombs on the civilian farms of south Lebanon in 2006.

8. Alleged that the Israeli army does not occupy the West Bank and that there is no Israeli Army presence in the West Bank.


9. Called Israel's war on Gaza a "humane" war. 400 children were killed.

10. Voted for Iraq War authorization in 2002, before later turning against the war.

Joe Kaufman's protest against Florida mosque attracts twenty supporters

A mosque whose imam has been charged with sending money to the Pakistani Taliban has become the target of a small group of protesters seeking to shut it down.

Twenty mostly senior citizens supporting the Tea Party of Fort Lauderdale as well as groups that call themselves Americans Against Hate, Church of All Nations and Citizens of Margate gathered Tuesday morning in front of Masjid Jamaat Al-Mumineen mosque.

During a press conference to preview a demonstration that evening, speakers demanded that the congregation once led by Imam Izhar Khan be investigated.

When Khan and five others were arrested in the alleged plot last month, John V. Gillies, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami office said, "I remind everyone that the Muslim and Arab-American members of our community should never be judged by the illegal activities of a few."

Tuesday's speakers were not swayed. "The feds are acting politically correct," said Joe Kaufman, chairman of Coral Springs-based Americans Against Hate.

Six Margate police officers, some perched in an observation tower that had been raised about the trees, watched the demonstrators and made sure they didn't get hit by passing traffic on Holiday Springs Boulevard.

City Commissioner Lesa Peerman, who also came to watch, confirmed what a police spokesman said: the mosque has enjoyed a peaceful co-existence with the city for many years. "I don't believe in holding an organization responsible for the actions of one individual," Peerman said.

As a battered black pickup drove by flying a massive American flag from its tailgate, Peerman pointed out that the imam has been charged but not yet tried. "Thank God we live in a country where people can protest peacefully, people are innocent until proven guilty and we have freedom of religion," Peerman said.

 

©  EsinIslam.Com

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