Thursday, September 02, 2010
"That's not primarily because the bishops got the Holy Spirit, that's because the bishops got sued. "
--Kelly Clark, a Portland, Ore., lawyer for six men who reached a settlement Wednesday (Sept. 1) with the Boy Scouts over sexual abuse by a former Scout leader. He was talking about changes the Roman Catholic Church made to protect children after the sexual abuse crisis exploded in 2002.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
"How much of this is turning to God? How much is religious revival and how much is a snake oil medicine show? "
--Tom Tradup a vice president at Salem Radio Network, which serves more than 2,000 mostly Christian stations, about Glenn Beck's turn toward religious rhetoric. He was quoted by The Washington Post.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
"Something that is beyond man is happening. America today begins to turn back to God. For too long, this country has wandered in darkness. "
--Fox News talk show host Glenn Beck, speaking Saturday (Aug. 28) at the “Restoring Honor” rally he helped organization on the National Mall.
Monday, August 30, 2010
"When I came here four years ago, one thing I found striking was all the greenery that had begun to come back. And I was reminded of a passage from the book of Job. `There is hope for a tree if it be cut down that it will sprout again, and that its tender branch will not cease.' The work ahead will not be easy, and there will be setbacks. There will be challenges along the way. But thanks to you, thanks to the great people of this great city, New Orleans is blossoming again. "
--President Obama, speaking Sunday (Aug. 29) at Xavier University in Louisiana.
Friday, August 27, 2010
"It helps to know that you have some people behind you. Not because they're the same religion as you, but just because they know what's right and what's wrong. "
--Adam Sbita, 21, a junior at George Mason University, speaking to The Washington Post about the support of Muslims exhibited recently by President Obama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
"I beg of you, don't kill me. I worked so hard, I have a family. "
--New York City cab driver Ahmed H. Sharif, on what he told alleged attacker Michael Enright, after Enright attacked him Tuesday when Sharif admitted he was an observant Muslim. He was quoted by The New York Times
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
"As long as it's humane, we allow the customer to do whatever their tradition and religion dictate. We just clean up afterwards. "
--Joe Cavanaugh, owner of Lambco, a slaughterhouse in New Windsor, Md., that caters mostly to Muslims, including immigrants who wanted to follow Muslim dietary and slaughter laws during Ramadan. He was quoted by The Washington Post.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
"For many people who do not understand Islam, Muslims do not appear in the Western media to act in a way that let them believe that Islam is a religion of peace. So there is a certain cognitive dissonance here. If Islam is a religion of peace, why do we see Muslims unpeaceful? Why do we see suicide bombings in Muslim countries? Why do we see indiscriminate killing of people? "
--Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the organizer behind the controversial Park51 Islamic center near Ground Zero, speaking to Bahrain TV during a tour of the Middle East sponsored by the U.S. State Department.
Monday, August 23, 2010
"The individuals who call this an act of insensitivity forget that Muslim Americans were victims on 9/11 also. Our country was attacked. Our neighbors were attacked. ... Our faith was hijacked on that day. "
--Haris Tarin, director of the Washington office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, speaking about how he thinks the debate over a proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero reflects a growing lack of acceptance of U.S. Muslims. He was quoted by The Washington Post.
Friday, August 20, 2010
"You could always play the `would-of, could-of, should-of,' but the president's top priority here isn't making sure that Americans know what a devout Christian he is, it's making sure that we're getting the economy on track and we're creating jobs in this country. "
--White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, speaking Thursday (Aug. 19) aboard Air Force One about a poll that shows an increasing number of Americans mistakenly believe President Obama is a Muslim.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
"The total absence of Feisal Rauf has a `Where's Waldo' quality that is maddening in itself. I'm quite capable of defending Rauf against some of the accusations against him, but am not inclined to carry his water for him while he gallivants about the globe. "
--Muslim writer Aziz Poonawalla, talking to the blog ordinary-gentlemen.com about Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the organizer behind the controversial Islamic community center and mosque two blocks north of Ground Zero in New York.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
"We teach tolerance by being tolerant. We can't insist that our freedom of speech allows us to draw cartoons or produce plays that Muslims find offensive and then demand that they be more sensitive to our feelings. More to the point, the tolerance we urge the Muslim world to embrace as we exercise our right to free expression ... is the same we must embrace when Muslims seek to express themselves peacefully. "
--Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker, writing about the proposed Cordoba House Islamic center near Ground Zero.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
"When I think of the Constitution and the oath I took, it is to support Jew and Gentile, Protestant and Catholic, Muslim and Christian. It doesn't have a limitation to it. I think it's incredibly dangerous for (Republicans) to move down this path, and it undermines a lot of their other arguments about the Constitution and the preservation of the Constitution. "
--Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., on Republican opposition to a planned Islamic center in lower Manhattan near Ground Zero. He was quoted by The Star-Ledger.
Monday, August 16, 2010
"Demons aren't lazy, Christians are. "
--Pastor Donald Crosby of Warner Robins, Ga., who was arrested on Aug. 9 for protesting the local high school's mascot, the Demon.
Friday, August 13, 2010
"I do not believe these charges are true. Elias, my son, is a religious, God-fearing man who always assists anyone who needs help. "
--Iyam al-Azzam, mother of Israeli citizen and legal U.S. resident Elias Abuelazam, who was charged Wednesday (Aug. 11) in connection with a three-month stabbing spree in Michigan. The comments to Israel Radio were quoted by The Associated Press.