I don't know how I managed to miss this one, but apparently, Texas state senator Florence Shapiro invited a radical imam to perform the opening prayer for the Texas Senate April 4.
Here's the buzz from the Dallas Morning News' website:
The DFW chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations sends along this item:
Imam Yusuf Kavakci to open TX State Senate with prayer, April 4
Don't miss the next milestone event for the Texas Muslim community! On April 4, 2007, the first Muslim Imam will open the Texas Senate with an Islamic prayer to be broadcast live over the State Legislature's website! The Chair of the Texas Education Committee, Senator Florence Shapiro along with Texas's Lt Governor Dewhurst will welcome Imam Yusuf Kavakci and the Texas Muslim community on this monumental occasion.
Imam Dr. Yusuf Kavakci has been serving the Dallas-Ft. Worth Muslim community for nearly 20 years. With the help of the Texas Muslim community and our coalition partner CAIR-Texas, the Freedom and Justice Foundation (F&J) would like to show our support and gratitude to Imam Kavakci by bringing the largest group of Muslims to ever congregate in the Senate Gallery at the State Capitol!
Who is Dr. Yusuf Kavakci? Well, the Jawa Report quoted the DMN as saying this about Kavakci:
According to [a Freedom House report] (available at freedomhouse.org/religion), investigators gathered literature that teaches contempt for Jews, Christians and tolerant Muslims, as well as hatred for America. Material found in a Houston mosque even commands the faithful to establish a revolutionary fifth column.
Some of these documents came from the Dallas Central Mosque in Richardson. Unfortunately, this kind of thing is not altogether alien to this mosque. Last spring, it hosted a youth quiz competition, sponsored by two national organizations closely tied to the worldwide Islamist movement. Kids were tested on the work of premier jihad ideologist Sayyid Qutb.
The mosque’s imam, Dr. Yusuf Kavakci, has publicly praised two of the world’s foremost radical Islamists, Yusuf Qaradawi and Hasan al-Turabi, as exemplary leaders. Dr. Kavakci also sits on the board of the Saudi-backed Islamic Society of North America, described in congressional testimony as a major conduit of Wahhabist teaching. Yet Dr. Kavakci tells The Dallas Morning News he rejects Wahhabist teaching. Something doesn’t add up.
I would have linked back to the original story, but the DMN has pulled it, apparently.
So, what's this guy doing saying a prayer at the Texas Senate? And worse yet, he said this prayer:
In the name of god, Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. All praise is for Allah, our lord, the lord of the worlds, the compassionate, the merciful, master of the day of judgments. Oh, god, Allah, you alone we worship, and you alone we call on for help. Oh, Allah, guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom you have favored, not of those who have earned your wrath or of those who have lost the way. Our lord, have mercy on us from yourself and guide us in our efforts, strivings, and works."
That doesn't sound so bad on the face of it, although it's not nearly as non-denominational as most Christian prayers are supposed to be in public. But World Net Daily pointed out that
Islam, of course, teaches that Jews and Christians both have earned the wrath of Allah by failing to follow Islam, and also have lost the way by following the teachings of the Torah for the Jews or the Bible for Christians.
So, this could be construed as an anti-Jewish, anti-Christian prayer.
Needless to say, a lot of people got upset about this.
"Imagine the outcry if a Christian or Jew had offered a prayer that excluded all other religions to open the state Senate!" said S. Newman. "This state and nation were established and have been sustained on a foundation of Biblical principles and practices. The only reason to attack the foundation of any structure is to initiate the process which leads to ultimate destruction"...
"I believe that an explanation is due the citizens of our great state … as to why you invite an imam who offers a prayer to open the state Senate that excluded both Christians and Jews," Newman wrote.
Initially, Shapiro responded with a non-answer.
"To Whom It May Concern: Thank you for sending me your thoughts and opinions. I appreciate hearing from my constituents on issues of importance to you and your families. Due to the large number of e-mails my office receives, we are only able to respond by US post mail to those who provide a complete and current mailing address. If you did not include a mailing address, please resend your correspondence with a complete mailing address, so that we can respond to your concerns in a timely manner. Thank you, Florence Shapiro."
Unsatisfactory, said Newman.
"I don't believe a single word in your 'Out of office' auto reply. This is just a way to dampen the reaction to your questionable actions. Yes, I will be looking forward to your US Postal letter reply…," he wrote.
The state senator then followed up with a letter, apologizing if her actions offended anyone.
"Thank you for your correspondence regarding Imam Dr. Yusuf Kavaci (sic). I appreciate your perspective. I want to make it clear that my intentions were never to offend anyone. If I did so, I apologize," she wrote.
"The Freedom and Justice Foundation contacted me with the request for Dr. Kavakci to follow the protocol set two years ago during their legislative day, when Imam Moujahed Bakhach of the Islamic Association of Tarrant County opened the Texas House with a blessing. Having worked with Dr. Kavakci on legislation, and seeing his resume and extensive inter-faith experience, I honored his request."
It's apparent to me that Shapiro didn't do any research on who this imam was, but thought that she would be showing tolerance to the Religion of Peace by letting him perform this prayer. And while that's embarrassing to Shapiro, it's worse that she tried to duck her constituents and doesn't want to answer questions about the situation.
And then there's this snarky post at the DMN religion site:
If you go to DallasNews.com/Extra and scroll down to the entry titled, "Senate invocation video," you can watch the opening prayer delivered before the Texas Senate yesterday by Imam Yusuf Kavakci.
One footnote: When the imam prays to Allah, he is not, as some of you have commented, praying to some false god who is not the real God -- you know, not your God. According to No god but God, a history of Islam by Reza Aslan, "Allah" is simply a contraction of the Arabic word al-ilah, which means "the god."
After the prayer, Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano -- who invited Imam Kavakci to give the invocation -- shared with her fellow senators a bit of his background. He has a law degree, used to teach at Istanbul University, is involved in numerous interfaith activities, and advises Dallas-area school districts on issues involving religion.
Sen. Shapiro then pointedly noted that "28 of my colleagues on the Senate floor" joined her in welcoming the imam.
There are 31 members of the Texas Senate, so she has 30 colleagues.
One has been excused from the session while he recovers from surgery.
The other absence? Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, a radio talk show host, chose to pander to his right-wing audience by boycotting the prayer.
So, one senator exercises his right to protest a radical imam's prayer at the Texas Senate and he's "pandering to his right-wing audience" but Florence Shapiro isn't "pandering" to the muslims by inviting a man who has praised radical Islamists?
Seems to me Bruce Tomaso should spend a little less time being a smartass and a little more just covering events.
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