Muslims Are Not Embracing The ACLU
This is a Stop The ACLU Thursday Blogburst!
The ACLU filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court in North Carolina on Tuesday of this week to adopt a policy allowing the Quran and other religious texts for oath-taking in North Carolina courtrooms. Guilford Senior Resident Superior Court Judge W. Douglas Albright and Guilford Chief District Court Judge Joseph E. Turner decided that they could not accept the Koran or other religious texts for courtroom use after an attempt by Muslims from the Al-Ummil Ummat Islamic Center in Greensboro to donate copies of the Quran to Guilford County's two courthouses last month.
Seth Cohen of Greensboro an ACLU attorney, is arguing that the judge's decision is a violation of the First Amendment establishment clause by favoring one religion over another. The key to the argument is interpretation of the original 1856 state Supreme Court decision which was called "Administration of oath upon the Gospels" that was revised by legislators in 1985 who took out "the Gospels" in the title and changed the language to simply read "Holy Scriptures". The ACLU is arguing that the Koran is considered "Holy Scriptures" and should be accepted for the swearing in of witnesses in the courtrooms.
Where are the Muslim's in this lawsuit? Mr. Cohen and the North Carolina ACLU are not getting any support from the Al-Ummil Ummat Islamic Center in Greensboro, nor are local Muslim leaders such as Imam Charles Abdullah advocating that this be done. The ACLU has filed WITHOUT a defined person or entity to seek damages for.
So the ACLU is going it alone. They decided to file on behalf of some 8000 Muslims and Jews that live in the state. It seems that this is one fight that they will fight alone, because the Muslims and Jews are not endorsing it. And why should they? Would it help them so much in the long run, or would it make a mockery of religion in general, when the Satanists bring in their backwards Bible and upside down cross to swear by. Possibly, the religious leaders of these two communities understand the ramifications of a ruling to allow all "sacred documents" will be sacrilegious to all religions, not only their own. The Muslim community was not trying to make any changes to the law, only make the Koran available to Islamic believers without a major controversy.
I doubt that the Al-Ummil Ummat Islamic Center really thought that it would go this far. But then too, the ACLU is being investigated by the FBI - perhaps that may be the reason that they are trying to distance themselves from involvement with the ACLU, although this would never be the reason that would be given publicly, it may have some bearing on their decision to pass in the lawsuit.
Besides, it's the ACLU - they don't need anyone to stand up for. They will stand up for you whether you want them to or not. And whether you like it or not.
This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst! If you would like to join us, register at the Protest The ACLU Portal. You will be added to our mailing list and emailed further instructions.
cross posted from Is It Just Me?
The ACLU filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court in North Carolina on Tuesday of this week to adopt a policy allowing the Quran and other religious texts for oath-taking in North Carolina courtrooms. Guilford Senior Resident Superior Court Judge W. Douglas Albright and Guilford Chief District Court Judge Joseph E. Turner decided that they could not accept the Koran or other religious texts for courtroom use after an attempt by Muslims from the Al-Ummil Ummat Islamic Center in Greensboro to donate copies of the Quran to Guilford County's two courthouses last month.
Seth Cohen of Greensboro an ACLU attorney, is arguing that the judge's decision is a violation of the First Amendment establishment clause by favoring one religion over another. The key to the argument is interpretation of the original 1856 state Supreme Court decision which was called "Administration of oath upon the Gospels" that was revised by legislators in 1985 who took out "the Gospels" in the title and changed the language to simply read "Holy Scriptures". The ACLU is arguing that the Koran is considered "Holy Scriptures" and should be accepted for the swearing in of witnesses in the courtrooms.
Where are the Muslim's in this lawsuit? Mr. Cohen and the North Carolina ACLU are not getting any support from the Al-Ummil Ummat Islamic Center in Greensboro, nor are local Muslim leaders such as Imam Charles Abdullah advocating that this be done. The ACLU has filed WITHOUT a defined person or entity to seek damages for.
"We certainly envision this ultimately ending up in the North Carolina Supreme Court," said Jennifer Rudinger, the executive director of the state ACLU."The main thing is everyone has to be treated the same," Rudinger said. "The government has to be neutral, whether it allows all texts or no texts. Those are the choices." Rudinger said her organization tried to contact members of the Islamic center but ultimately decided the lawsuit could go forward without them.
So the ACLU is going it alone. They decided to file on behalf of some 8000 Muslims and Jews that live in the state. It seems that this is one fight that they will fight alone, because the Muslims and Jews are not endorsing it. And why should they? Would it help them so much in the long run, or would it make a mockery of religion in general, when the Satanists bring in their backwards Bible and upside down cross to swear by. Possibly, the religious leaders of these two communities understand the ramifications of a ruling to allow all "sacred documents" will be sacrilegious to all religions, not only their own. The Muslim community was not trying to make any changes to the law, only make the Koran available to Islamic believers without a major controversy.
I doubt that the Al-Ummil Ummat Islamic Center really thought that it would go this far. But then too, the ACLU is being investigated by the FBI - perhaps that may be the reason that they are trying to distance themselves from involvement with the ACLU, although this would never be the reason that would be given publicly, it may have some bearing on their decision to pass in the lawsuit.
Besides, it's the ACLU - they don't need anyone to stand up for. They will stand up for you whether you want them to or not. And whether you like it or not.
This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst! If you would like to join us, register at the Protest The ACLU Portal. You will be added to our mailing list and emailed further instructions.
cross posted from Is It Just Me?
posted by Is It Just Me? at 11:09 PM
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