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© 2017 AFPTrump wishes Muslims 'warm greetings' for Eid
By MANDEL NGAN WASHINGTON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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© 2017 AFP
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CrazyJoe
Since Trump couldn't even recognize Jews in his Holocaust remembrance statement, it's highly unlikely he will honor this dinner tradition. He's too culturally and morally stupid.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Hollow words by a hollow man.
A meaningless statement considering all his bigoted rhetoric.
Goodlucktoyou
i googled this. in english it translates to "blow you up, then sell you guns and give us your oil, or we will blow you up."
bass4funk
That's ok, Obama had no idea about international customs, the same goes for Bush, these men were equally ignant about world affairs, they have enough staff with in-depth knowledge that will explain the customs and traditions as they go along, so no worries.
Bigoted? Can you prove that?
clamenza
More angry statements from the constantly outraged.
If Trump says nothing, Outrage.
If he offers perfectly humble goodwill, Outrage.
At this point its actually fun to watch..
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Gee Bass, I dunno. Maybe because of Tump's travel ban? Maybe misquoting the Musim mayor of London to make it sound as if the mayor was saying terror attacks were normal? Claiming that perhaps Khizr Khan's wife wasn't allowed to speak because of their religion? Maybe claiming he saw many muslims in the street celebrating 911? Or maybe its Donny's odd silence following terror attacks in which Muslims are called?
Yes, Donny is a bigot.
bass4funk
Ok, so how is that bigoted? Then why aren't people from Indonesia or even Turkey denied entry or are part of the ban?
These are Muslim countries, are they not?
I see, so if Obama misquotes Obama, that makes him anti-Black????
If you are ignorant about certain religions, that makes you ill-informed perhaps, but a racist or a bigot? Dunno about that one, that is a serious accusation for anyone to make. I have a lot of Japanese friends that have NO idea about any religion, that doesn't make them racists, they just don't know, I don't fault them for that. This country is not really a religious Mecca.
Yeah, the celebrating one was a stretch, granted, but if the country was attacked by radical extremists and the president is silent, what do you want him to say?
Ok, how so? You didn't give me any factual concrete evidence just opinionated feelings and accusations.
clamenza
Forget it Bass, Trump must be a bigot because they want him to be so one badly.
Blacklabel
Yeah if he doesn't say anything he is criticized for silence. and if he does then he is attacked for supposedly not being allowed to make that statement due to reasons and feelings.
nishikat
Trump too, especially with his failed Muslim ban and his failing wall (which Mexico won't pay for)
Jimizo
A stretch? Do you mean a lie? It sounds like you don't believe it. There is no evidence for this claim and it's beyond belief that nobody saw this supposedly large crowd and at least photographed it.
Don't say things that aren't true, particularly when your lies paint a group in a very negative light. That is disgusting and everyone should agree.
Just for the sake of clarity, can we please drop the pathetic evasions in the form of words like 'stretch' and 'exaggeration' and use the word 'lie'?
clamenza
Polls show the majority of Americans are in favour of the Muslim ban, but its been halted by a Hillary supporting liberal judge. The fight is not over as Trump will most likely have 2 terms to get it done.
The wall? Its being built as we speak
John Brown
"On behalf of the American people, Melania and I send our warm greetings to Muslims as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr,"
"During this holiday, we are reminded of the importance of mercy, compassion, and goodwill."
"With Muslims around the world, the United States renews our commitment to honor these values."
I would like to believe these words from our president and are not merely rehearsed. I would also like to believe they are for the majority of Muslims, not only for our closest allies.
But his actions counter these words and the majority of his spoken rhetoric also contradicts these kind words. But we can always hope.
Jimizo
Let's be honest. These kinds of statements are just diplomatic niceties. When Trump comes out with a statement like this, almost all people see it for what it is. When the previous president said something like this, the lunatic fringe saw it as proof that he is or may be a Muslim.
nishikat
This judge was appointed by GWB. Also, a 120-day ban? What kind of ban is that? How is a 120 day ban going to keep ISIS out of the USA? Anyone can simply wait 120 days then....bye bye Empire State Building. The only effect a 120 day Muslim ban will have is it will delay any ISIS related terrorist acts by just 120 days. Trump is playing his followers like fools. 120 days? Is that some kind of joke?
8 years to get a 120 day Muslim ban passed?
Really? That's news to me. Please give me more details as it progresses. Did they already confiscate the land from private owners in Texas? I thought there was a big fight for that.
clamenza
Maybe, maybe not. But the important thing is he's on his way to a second term to find out.
will do, but do you honestly think a mega project like that will be done by next Tuesday?
Have patience.
SuperLib
"Now get out and stay out."
nishikat
And meanwhile all those ISIS terrorists are coming to the United States with those dirty bombs and it is all on Trump. It's his fault. We have to wait 8 years for a ban that only lasts 120 days? We have no ban now and all those Muslims are coming in on Trump's watch (all this being stopped by a judge appointed by a Republican). It's all Trump's fault.
Which is it? Is it being built as we speak or not? And if it is built who is going to pay for it? Also, don't forget that ladders work very well to get over walls (and shovels for going under).
Swift_Justice
Obama approached the world in a nuanced manner because the world is complex. For this he was decried as soft and an embarrassment by the right. However, Obama's numbers speak for themselves regarding being tough: 563 drone strikes against terrorists.
Regarding immigration:
"the Obama-era policies represented the culmination of a gradual but consistent effort to narrow its enforcement focus to two key groups: The deportation of criminals and recent unauthorized border crossers."
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/obama-record-deportations-deporter-chief-or-not
(It was a good read. Quite nuanced. Very balanced as it described the immigration infrastructure Obama inherited. Clinton created the policy and Bush implemented it after Sept. 11.)
Trump approached the world in a simple manner. He is getting very little accomplished other than alienating allies and ceding our influence on the world stage to Russia and China. He's also normalized being a dick whether verbally or physically. The world is not simply black and white.
Swift_Justice
*Trump approaches
gokai_wo_maneku
That sounds totally like fake news. I wonder why.
plasticmonkey
I can tell that Trump sincerely loves "the Muslims". In fact, the restaurant at Trump Tower serves the best doner kebab and falafel bowls anywhere.
Even so, I can understand how Trump's busy golf schedule didn't allow him to host an event this year. Next year, though, is going to be unbelievable. Just wait.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Tell me Bass, how many Christian majority countries are on the ban list? 0. And so far, each and every court has agreed that the travel ban strongly suggests "religious animus."
Erm?Im assuming you mean Trump? If the misquote directly relates to Obamas race, then yes. Especially when Trump has a history of bigoted statements and cant seem to find the will to take them back.
If you suggest, with zero evidence, that a person mistreats their spouse simply because of their religion, that is the very definition of bigotry. If Donny didn't know, he shouldn't made such allegations, but I suspect Donny knows about Islam.
I just explained how. Literally everything that I wrote, other than my conclusion that Trump is a bigot, is fact. What kind of concrete "evidence" are you looking for, a neon sign that says bigot? And besides that, I thought you said you don't use facts, because it makes you more flexible?
M3M3M3
As unpleasant as Trump is, I don't think you can say he is a bigot. It's a misuse of language to say this. Like many people in recent years, he has probably looked into Islam and decided that he doesn't like the ideology and that it poses some threat to western society. He is not alone in reaching this conclusion. Bill Maher shares this view, is he also a bigot?
The fact that you fundamentally disagree does not mean that you are right and they are bigots. Most people have learned more about Islam since 9/11 than any other religion. They are not drawing conclusions based on ignorance or prejudice (which is the key ingredient of bigotry) but rather on what they read in Islamic sources and see unfolding on the news. This postjudice. It doesn't mean they are right, but it does mean they are not bigots according to the standard definition of that word.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
And the "standard" definition is?
bass4funk
I see. So why don't you tell me over the last 17 years how many radical Extremist attacks that were committed by Jihadist Islamists worldwide compared to so called Christian terrorists?
But he never attacked his race, his Blackness or even made fun of it.
Example?
Sorry, being ill-informed doesn't mean you are an all out David Duke racist, if Trump went to a Klan rally, you might have a point, but on this, sorry...grasping.
So you're saying because the Khan's lost a son in a war that the previous president was leading, he has to shut up and take it? Really? Personally, I wouldn't.
No, it's not because nothing points to the man being a bigot, now you may not like how he articulates his point of position or he's rough around the edges, but a bigot would never in a million years hire a person of color to be their spokesperson or appoint a Neurosurgeon to US dept. of HUD. No way, impossible.
I don't use liberal ONLY facts, that's what I implied.
SuperLib
He's a bigot for wanting to ban over a billion people because of their religion. His bigotry causes him to talk about made up things like tens of thousands of Muslims cheering on 9/11. And 95% of what he says about Muslims (and blacks) is negative.
Oh, and he's racist for refusing the rent to black people in some of his buildings. He was sued by the government and settled out of court after agreeing to make changes.
nishikat
He said Obama was born in Kenya. And the Muslim ban. But what kind of ban is 120 days. That's not a ban. That's a joke. In order for it to be a ban it would have to be 120 years. He also hates Mexico and wants to build the solar wall. Who is going to pay for all this?
M3M3M3
The one in the dictionary.
If you think Trump is a bigot, it's not enough to show that he dislikes Islam. It's not even enough to show that some of his negative opinions are clearly wrong or unfounded. You must show that he is unwilling to change his opinion and prejudices. This is quite hard to do, which is why most people don't level accusations of bigotry lightly. At the very least, you would have to point to some convincing evidence that had the power to change some non-bigoted people's negative opinion of Islam to a positive one.
I think people need to be careful that they don't overuse words like bigot, racist, and nazi just to smear people they disagree with. Otherwise, these words will start to lose their meaning.
Swift_Justice
M3:
Spot on. We all know it only takes ten minutes for Trump to change his mind.
nishikat
He still wants to have a Muslim ban. Also, a Mexican ban via wall.
M3M3M3
@nishikat
Yes, and I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that these things are either entirely illegal under federal law or completely unworkable and ridiculous. But very little has ever been achieved by painting people you have fundamental disagreements with as evil and bigoted white supremacist monsters with illegitimate ideas that must be silenced. It's not healthy for civil discourse.
nishikat
Sounds like a Hillary supporter.
Jimizo
I don't think even that will pass on the lunatic fringe for bigotry.
Birtherism on the other hand was a perfectly legitimate line of enquiry.
nishikat
Now sounds like a Trump supporter
But Reagan did this with his millions of greencard amnesty.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Which dictionary? There I am not being fickle, but you must realize there are different dictionaries, with different definitions. But let's just run with your defintion, which seems to have been taken from Webster's dictionary?
But you seem to have left out:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigot
Now tell me, is that not exactly what Donald Trump does, yes or no?
M3M3M3
I don't mean formal legalisation. I mean the more bizarre idea that immigration law should no longer be enforced and that referring to someone as an illegal immigrant is now racist and offensive. I generally like to avoid labels like left and right, but they are a useful shorthand sometimes. The right was the undisputed king of nutty political ideas 20 years ago (ie. abortion is murder, rap music leads to crime, video games rot children's brains, etc), but the left has now caught up and surpassed them.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
We're moving off topic here, bass. I simply stated that Trump's proposed 120 day Muslim ban was born of bigotry. So, since has been inaugurated, how many terror attacks have been committed on US soil?
Stop wavering between racism and bigotry. They're not the same thing. Ben Carson is black, not muslim. But if having a black man in his cabinet means trump is not racist, I suppose not having a muslim in the cabinet means Trump is a bigot?
I know you wouldn't, that much is obvious. But if you're willing to lob accusations like that, be prepared to be called a bigot. What he did was utterly outrageous.
katsu78
Now that's a fun rhetorical trick - blaming racism and sexism on the people who call it out, not the people who practice it.
M3M3M3
I did indeed take the definition from Websters. And I did leave out that part precisely because I suspected someone might twist and willfully misinterpret it for their own ends. You seem to have done exactly that by omitting the word 'especially' between the two section you pasted. The latter is not an alternative definition of the word bigot, only an especially common example of its usage.
Someone who treats a group with hatred or intolerance is not automatically a bigot. For example, I hate nationalists and refuse to tolerate them. However, I am not a bigot if I am open to changing my mind about them.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
I'm the one who twisted words now? Absurd. I posted the link! Don't just ignore the parts of the definition you do not like.
Here is yet another definition of "bigot."
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bigot
wtfjapan
The wall? Its being built as we speak i think your mistaking a wall with a fence, most of the fence was a left over of the Obama presidency. Trumps got a long way to go if hes going to build his solar wall and to think Mexico will pay for it is just laughable.
nishikat
Trump called Mexicans the worst of the worst rapists and murderers.
Who had this idea? Which party has this idea?
M3M3M3
Well, you did leave out the word 'especially' which suggested that the second part was an alternative definition. I left it out entirely because I am only interested in the strict definition, not examples of usage.
As far as the Cambridge definition, what is an unreasonable belief? Is having a negative opinion of Islam unreasonable? Is Bill Maher a bigot? What about Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Douglas Murray, Christoper Hitchens and many other less prominent people?
Can you give me one example of a person with a negative view of Islam who is not a bigot in your opinion? If you can't, I suspect your definition of a bigot might simply be someone who disagrees with you.
@katsu78
There is absolutely nothing wrong with calling out racism and sexism. The problem starts when real racists and sexists are in short supply in the year 2017 but extremist interest groups still attempt to label everything racist and sexist, thus cheapening the word and causing extremists on the other end of the spectrum to declare that nothing is racist or sexist. Honesty and reasonableness are the key.
M3M3M3
The people who advocate for sanctuary cities, no?
I'm not American so I'm not particularly bothered about it or about Trump, but it does seems obvious to me that Trump is just a product of the culture.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
I posted the link, it wasn't an accident. Had I wanted to deceive anyone, I wouldn't have bothered posting the link.
Who cares about Richard Dawkins, Bill Maher or anyone else for that matter.
Does Trump regard or treat Muslims with hatred and intolerance?
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
was* an accident
M3M3M3
Yes.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Then he is a bigot.
M3M3M3
Do you regard or treat Nazis and fascists with hatred and intolerance? I hope you can see the problem with your reasoning.
nishikat
Democrats?
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
You're right. I should just embrace them. And engage them in conversation and try to convince them to change their ways. If, and only if, that's not possible, can I call them bigots.
Whatsnext
Calling trump a bigot has no more power and pointless aregument. That was a tactic used by the dems before the election. It wont change the fact that he is the potus and will be for the next 8 years. Suck it up.
And if you like the countries on the ban list so much why dont you take a vacation tour to each one; let us all know on jt how your trip was.
Protip: you wont.
SuperLib
Trump's a bigot. We can save the academic arguments for Trump fans who are trying to escape their support of a bigot.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Who cares? You making this into this thing or that thing. My original post was that "Trump's well wishes mean nothing due to his bigoted rhetoric."
Is Trump a bigot or merely pandering to bigots, I cannot know. But his rhetoric is without a doubt bigoted. Anything further is just a ridiculous excrrcise in tautology.
bass4funk
So then how do you explain Indonesia? The largest Muslim nation on the planet and they can come and go as they wish. You can't be bigot and deny one person entry, but allow another person, if you brought that kind of case to a courtroom and tried to file a lawsuit you'd get laughed out of the court.
Ok, so when Obama said, "conservatives love clinging to their guns and religion" then that makes him equally racist for making that kind of stereotype. Got it.
So NYC was swamped in drugs, the mafia was running amok in those days and it was their strongest decade for selling narcotics to poor Blacks and Hispanics throughout the neighborhood and because Trump didn't want and dealings going on, that makes him a racist. Obviously, you never lived in NYC during the 70's, it was a nightmare. Squatters, prostitutes, crime everywhere, so I can imagine that he didn't want to take chance given the crime climate at the time and color has nothing to do with it, everyone did what they had to do to survive. So I'm not buying this crap necessarily that Trump refused these people based on their skin color. No evidence whatsoever. A leopard doesn't change his spots and if Trump were a racist the way libs want to portray this man, there is no way he would have a black spokeswoman or hire Ben Carson for any position in his cabinet.
Serrano
Super: "He's a bigot for wanting to ban over a billion people because of their religion."
Uh, no. Case in point:
bass4: "So then how do you explain Indonesia? The largest Muslim nation on the planet and they can come and go as they wish."
Super can't explain it, hehe
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Weird, cuz that's not the way literallh every court to hear Donny's case has ruled.
Jimizo
Some people did screeching 180s on principles they held when they joined what they previously referred to as a lunatic fringe. It wasn't so much a change of spots as a metamorphosis.
Why did he settle this matter out of court?
Incidentally, if he did refuse people based on skin colour, would it qualify as bigotry?
bass4funk
You guys are funny, you know you don't have an argument whatsoever. If Trump were racist, No Muslims from any country wouldn't be allowed in.
The courts can say whatever they want, but do they know what the man is thinking or were they there to witness what occurred? Anyone can file a claim of discrimination for any reason whatsoever, doesn't make it true. The problem with the left is, they only care about hearing "one side" and that's the side of other liberals every time, all the time.
SuperLib
He refused to rent to anyone black just because they were black.
Except for the evidence contained in the government's lawsuit against him.
Yes, they used undercover shoppers and also got statements from Trump's staff. This is why Trump settled and agreed to make changes.
As in, "I don't deny blacks because I'm racist, I deny blacks because of the drugs and the crime that a black person might bring into my building. Because they're black." You know, kind of like discrimination.
Then saying "a complete and total shutdown" on Muslims entering the US would be pretty racist.
What you do is get 6 countries no one really cares about, and you ban them. That gets people on board with the concept of a ban. Then you expand the ban from there. Besides, the court cases talk about this specifically, but since you guys don't read....
Exactly.
So it's OK to ban Muslims from entering the country and it's OK to ban black people from renting property. That leaves us with a few races left that are, um, acceptable.
bass4funk
And you know this as a bold face fact because.....
So that makes it legit? I could hire Gloria Allred to represent me, doesn't mean my complaint is legitimate. Frivolous lawsuits are filed all the time....all the time.
As I said, living in NYC was a madhouse and given the drug climate, I might've done the same, the funny thing is, there were a lot of Whites selling drugs, now they were selling higher end drugs like: Heroin, LSD etc and many worked and sold them in clubs like Studio 54, the were getting busted all the time as well, point is, you can send shoppers, doesn't mean a darn thing. NYC was as rough as a city could get and in those neighborhoods, with the mob flooding drugs and having Blacks and Latinos working for them selling the stuff in the streets, I think Trump was right, so he settled out of court, doesn't mean you are innocent or guilty, but you have a rich man, file a claim, go to court, play the disgruntled victim and walk away with cash. Again, you or I were not there and none of us can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that what was filed in the lawsuit is true of actually happened.
Or because I see a rich man and looking to get paid, out of work. Out of a job or working with mafia types like Frank Lucas, The Colombo family etc. So many angles to this.
So why Turkish people and Indonesian can come into the country, they're Muslim aren't they and if Trump hates them all, shouldn't they be blocked from coming in as well? So let me get this straight, he's a racist, but not really a racist, just to certain Muslims, but to other Muslims, he's cool. ROFL
Yeah, makes sense.
Uh-huh! Lol! Trade in that shovel for a pick axe, homie.
I guess that means, liberals will never give in and stop making themselves look like fools paddling and wallowing in constant and never ending race baiting.
Aren't Turkish people and Indonesians? As for the renting situation, having been to NYC hundreds at that time visiting family I would say knowing what I know, I probably might have done the same. But I wasn't there and what we hear or see doesn't always tell the entire story.
Ok, so how can you be a racist, but then not be one?
M3M3M3
I care because words are important. Especially these days when they are used by some to smear people and silence them. You might think it's acceptable when it comes to someone as detestable as Trump, but others might take your simple test for bigotry and apply it to countless people who you would never dream of labelling as bigots. It's a slippery slope unless we have some agreed upon definitions. This is why a word like Islamophobia has been so effective at silencing people. You can't defend yourself against it because nobody knows precisely what the definition is.
Rhetoric itself can never be inherently bigoted. Ideas have no mind of their own. Only the people speaking or listening might be bigoted. It's better to discuss the merits of the ideas themselves rather than just labelling and dismissing the speakers. Remember, Trump's ideas are not his own. They come from millions of people who share his views to some extent and would be able to articulate them more coherently and convincingly than Trump. People might want to sharpen their arguments for these people who will inevitably replace Trump once the circus leaves town. They will be pushing the same agenda but will be much harder to ridicule and dismiss.
SuperLib
Because the lawsuit is available online for anyone to read, and in it you can learn about the investigation they did.
Well, yeah. That's kind of their job. Did you want someone else to do the investigation?
Then you'd also open yourself up to a slam dunk discrimination lawsuit. The laws are made precisely because of people like you and Trump.
OK, so, when Trump talks about wanting a "total and complete shutdown" on Muslims entering the country, exactly how so I be reading that?
Moderator
Readers, this ends the bickering.
RealCDN
Mr. Obama piloted the USA into a nosedive - the biggest descent in US history. It is taking Mr. Trump some time to stop the descent (for it has/had momentum) and turn things around. Let's give him a chance. Be positive. And, if it will help the left, let's all virtually hold hands.
Swift_Justice
Mr. Obama piloted the USA to new heights - the biggest accent in US history. It is taking Mr. Trump some time to stop the accent (for it has/had momentum) and turn things around.
Kestrel
I think the president sees that particular white house "tradition" as being inappropriate and an insult to the victims of this violent intolerant religion.
nishikat
With the 120-day Muslim ban and the wall?
Ike-in-Tokyo-from-89
Mr. Trump's statement was political thus not necessarily sincere. A good move along the road of reconciliation with Muslims. Repeat anything frequently enough and people will start to believe it.
However, most of you no doubt missed his earlier statement in March:
"On behalf of the American people, Melania and I send our warm greetings to Christians as they begin their observance of Lent."
I missed it, too.
"Lent"? This March, I decided to take advantage of the coincidental start of Lent and my long neglected desire to lose weight. I am aware of the Christian tradition, but am not observant yet I can appreciate the intention. When I mentioned this to several Japanese friends they responded with a little confusion thinking that I was referring to Ramadan. I wonder if Americans today aren't far behind the Japanese in their ignorance of other cultures. (I hope the Japanese are not purposely emulating Americans in this regard!)
Mr. Trump and/or his advisors apparently didn't see a Lenten statement as necessary as many Christians are of a conservative bent anyway. (Okay. I exclude Methodists of the HRC variety.)
My point? To all the talk about Trump using the "religious (Christian) right" I say of course he does. He'd love to enroll the Muslim "religious right" as well. Both camps are essentially conservative. Stop attacking Muslims in America and you'll see a new conservative voting block form.
Still think Mr. Trump is stupid?
Kestrel
good for Mr Trump. Its high time everyone stopped the hypocritical pretense that islam is something beyond an individuals private choice to "worship" something.
the pc crowd feels duty bound to fall on their collective ass in showing how virtuous they are in acknowledging, lets face it please, a backward and most importantly, dangerous belief system. IT doesnt mean sane people have to do likewise.
mmwkdw
Why should he have to ? What about all the other Religions and their Celebrations - I guess if he had to provide messages for each of those, he'd have no time left for Twitter....