Today President Bush went to the Islamic Center of Washington extending peace, friendship and mutual respect between Muslims and all people.
..."This is what freedom offers: societies where people can live and worship as they choose without intimidation, without suspicion, without a knock on the door from the secret police. The freedom of religion is the very first protection offered in America's Bill of Rights. It is a precious freedom. ...In the Middle East, we have seen instead the rise of a group of extremists who seek to use religion as a path to power and a means of domination ...America has stood with Muslims seeking to freely practice their beliefs in places such as Burma and China. ....Men and women of conscience have a duty to speak out and condemn this murderous movement before it finds its path to power. We must help millions of Muslims as they rescue a proud and historic religion from murderers and beheaders who seek to soil the name of Islam..."
In this speech the President announced an envoy he will assign to an global Islamic advancement organization which seems to contradict his very message since many member states of this Islamic organization do not allow freedom of religion. Obviously, I've got to be missing something in his message.
The last time President Bush was at this mosque was shortly after 9/11 where the White House arranged for Imam Muzammil Siddiqi to speak. This Imam was later quoted in the Washington Post criticizing U.S. support for Israel at a rally outside the White House, at which marchers chanted in praise of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
President Bush informed the audience today that he was going to name a special envoy to The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). This is a first envoy ever named by an American President to this 57 Islamic member state organization.
From the OIC about section: "The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an inter-governmental organization grouping fifty-seven States. These States decided to pool their resources together, combine their efforts and speak with one voice to safeguard the interest and ensure the progress and well-being of their peoples and those of other Muslims in the world over.
The Organization was established in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, on 12 Rajab 1389H (25 September 1969) when the First meeting of the leaders of the Islamic world was held in this city in the wake of the criminal arson perpetrated on 21 August 1969 by Zionist elements against Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem.
The OIC seeks to strengthen Islamic solidarity among Member States and upon further inspection you'll get a feel for a group who is all about their Islamism and advancing their cause. Yep, that sounds like an organization an overwhelmingly Christian country wants to participate. For a list of member countries, including Iran and Syria, click here.
The OIC was recently in the news this past March when a controversial resolution at the UN resulted in the Human Rights Watchdog group to say: "..the resolution (by the UN Human Rights Council) on defamation of religions could itself endanger human rights". The resolution, put forward by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, focuses on protection of religions themselves, particularly Islam, rather than the rights of individuals, including members of religious minorities. This unbinding resolution was also condemned by Freedom House and UN Watch.
UN Watch stated at the time that; "In its nine months of existence, the Council has condemned only one country in the entire world for human rights violations: Israel. At this session, the Council passed yet another resolution—its ninth—against the Jewish state". Hey, did I mention that the US refused to become a member of the relatively new UN Human Rights Council?
In a June 7, 2007 press release UN Watch said the following: ...
"The OIC had called three special sessions in five months, all to criticize Israel, according to Hillel Neuer, head of UN Watch. "It has ignored the world's worst abusers while repeatedly condemning only one country in the entire world, Israel," he said.
OIC said in a 6/21 press release:
"Holding Israel, the occupying force in the Palestinian territories, responsible for the deterioration in the situation an demanding it to end its hostile practices of killing, assassination, arrest, confiscation of territories, continuation of settlement expansion, construction of racial segregation wall and aggression against Islamic and Christian holy places".
Surely President Bush advisors are well aware of the OIC's strong dislike for Israel and their goals.
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