(NOTE: I included this piece from naplesnews.com because the media has failed to identify one of the components of the current hysteria over the Islamic community center in lower Manhattan a couple of blocks from the site of the World Trade Center attack: bullying. The First Amendment is a profound anti-bullying provision because it gives voice to the powerless and helps guard against a tyranny of the majority. One does not dishonor the lost and shattered lives by pointing out that the opposition to the community center is based on demagoguery and fear-mongering. What does dishonor them is embracing the kind of tactic that encourages the clash of civilizations that the terrorists so badly want. This is a blog dedicated to bullying and cyberbullying issues, not politics. However, this big political story is also a bullying event — and should be regarded as such. — Mike)
On Aug. 6 the Connecticut Post reported that “about a dozen right-wing Christians, carrying placards and yelling ‘Islam is a lie,’ angrily confronted worshippers. ‘Jesus hates Muslims,’ they screamed at worshippers arriving at the Masjid An-Noor mosque to prepare for the holy month of Ramadan. One protester shoved a placard at a group of young children leaving the mosque. ‘Murderers,’ he shouted.”
On Aug. 14, Newt Gingrich equated Islam with Nazism.
Closer to home, a Gainesville church is planning an “International Burn a Quran Day” this Sept. 11.