Something disturbing is happening in New York between 2 and 4 PM every Friday on 42nd Street and Madison Avenue. It seems there is an overabundance of Islamic worshipers from a nearby mosque who want to pray. Once the mosque is filled to capacity, the excess worshipers take to the streets, fall to their knees, and close down the NYC thoroughfare while they praise Allah.
Oh, this isn’t just happening on one street; there are multiple mosques which apparently are overflowing onto the streets of New York on Friday afternoons.
No one seems to mind. The police stand idly by, watching as the Muslims block the streets for 2 hours during the busiest time of day.
Meanwhile…..
A small, Christian group of students from Arizona stood on the steps of the Supreme Court building in Washington DC, joined hands and began saying a quiet prayer. A DC policeman approached the group and told them that they were not allowed to pray on the steps of the building. The leader of the Christian group then called the Supreme Court police and talked with a sergeant who asked if the group contained more than 3 persons and if they bowed their heads. When the group leader answered “Yes” to both questions, the sergeant then affirmed that their actions were, “definitely contrary to the law”.
A bible study group, held in a private home, was broken up in Gilbert, Arizona because such meetings are forbidden by the city’s zoning codes. After an intense amount of negative feedback- and also thanks to the lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund- it appears the city “reconsidered” its ban.
Another bible study, this one in the city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, was ordered shut down because the 15 people who gathered on Friday nights at a private home didn’t have a city permit. The city declared this gathering “a church”, although the folks actually rent space at a nearby community center to use for church on Sundays. The “permit” that the city required is not just a formality, but an entire process- involving public hearings, traffic studies, architectural-design reviews, etc.– a process that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Huh….
Now I want you to look back at the picture of the Muslims in the streets. Are there more than 3? Are they bowing their heads? Do they have a permit? Is that a PUBLIC, not private, street?
Isn’t this “definitely contrary to the law”?
But the double standard doesn’t stop with the streets of NYC. There’s more…
In public schools all over the country, Muslim students are given time to pray. At Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, the Islamic students are given time from 1 to 1:15 PM everyday for prayer. This is NOT their lunch hour, rather they are given a pass from regular classroom studies. One staff member familiar with the daily prayer had this to say, “The teachers hate it because it is disruptive to their class; the students are allowed to leave as long as they make up their work when they come back, but they rarely do. I’ve watched as the Muslim students file into the auditorium- only about 30% actually pray. The other 70% stand in the back of the room and use it as a social time.”
In Wayne, NJ, Rola Awwad wanted a private space for her 10-year-old son, Adam, to pray his Muslim prayers. She says that she wasn’t angry when the school district first denied her request, but then she learned from talking with a woman at her mosque that “the constitution protected the right to practice religion” and she pushed the issue. Once CAIR became involved, the school district compromised, allowing Adam to pray outside during recess or in the back of the classroom when other kids are present. Rola says that the lesson for her son is “not to give up on your rights. Be proud you are a Muslim and be proud you’re an American and born here.”
Meanwhile….
A small cross was taken off the seal of Los Angeles because it offended non-Christians who claimed “separation of church and state.”
The Ten Commandments have been stripped from government buildings throughout the country for the same reason. One of those monuments was stripped from a courthouse in Montgomery, Alabama back in 2003. At the time, 77% of Americans (according to a CNN-USA Today Poll) disapproved of removing the monument , yet the will of the people did not prevail. Not only was the monument removed, Chief Justice Ray Moore, the judge who fought to keep the Ten Commandments in his courthouse, was thrown out of his post by panel of government bureaucrats.
Six young girls were banned from performing in a holiday show in San Diego in 2005 because they wore t-shirts which read, “Jesus Christ Dancers.”
In 2002, a 7 year old named Laura Greska was given an assignment to bring a book to her Massachusetts school that represented her Christmas traditions. Laura brought in a book called, “The First Christmas” and wasn’t allowed to share her book because it was “religious-based.”
Yet….
Musim foot baths used before prayer were installed in the bathrooms at Minneapolis Community College. According to the AZ Conservative, the college president, Phil Davis, justified the foot baths by pointing out the differences between Muslims and those of other faiths. “The foot-washing facilities are not about religion, they are about public safety,” Davis said. “Christians and Jews aren’t going to kill anyone over this issue. Muslims are different. We’ve already received threats saying the college will be bombed if we refuse to build this facility. So, as anyone can see, we’re not promoting the Muslim religion. We’re saving the lives of our students and faculty.”
Nothing to see…nothing is strange…no double standard exists….
Move along, comrades.
