Great read, Steve. I had never heard this practice as a specifically titled strategy. Takes more thought and effort. And risk, if you are actually engaging with their ideas, honestly.
Important note: the signs were out up by Wayne County on a county road, not by Dearborn or Dearborn Heights on a city road.
Population of Dearborn Heights is ~61k
Population of Dearborn is ~106k
Population of Wayne County is 1.77mil, with ~50 being White and 40% being Black/African-American.
A lot of (digital) ink being used for what amounts to small cities that don't really matter much, except for those that want to fear-monger about Islam and Muslims.
I do agree that saying someone is unwelcome is un-American, though we should then note how often that has actually been the case (anti-Catholic sentiment against the Irish, the anti-Mormon sentiment that lead to their migration to Utah, and of course anti-Muslim sentiment that still leads to communities fighting against the building of a mosque).
While not everything is a national issue, wrong is wrong. It’s wrong to submit to theocracy or a religious system that seeks to exercise political control. It’s wrong to honor terrorists. It’s wrong if it’s a statue of Robert E. Lee or a street named in honor of an Islamic terrorist. So it doesn’t matter how small the community, it’s wrong.
Firstly, we're not talking theocracy to my knowledge because the relevant laws have not been written to create said theocracy. What there is is a noise ordinances violation that needs to be enforced, and that's ultimately something that can and should be worked through the courts.
Osama Siblani has lived in the US since 1976 and is a newspaper publisher (founder of The Arab American News). He's exercising his right to free speech, and yes is very much pro-Palestinian. But that's not terrorism, so be careful on how you speak about it too.
And really, that's no bearing on the point that it was the county that put up that sign - not the city. So again: what is your point about the city?
They’re not okay. But use the same standard on government getting cozy with Christianity as you do with Islam. Islam is a different system than Christianity. Objectively it calls for government control. Christianity rejects that. We must recognize that difference.
That's just BS: people are individuals, and there are Christians that die want government control. ‘cause every individual interprets their religious beliefs themselves and ultimately picks and chooses what they choose to believe from their own often-contradictory texts. Many of the Muslims that have come to the US were escaping their own persecution too, and also approach life from a secular standpoint.
I apply the same guidelines for religion and government that we all should: keep ‘em entirely separate. You say you do, but then show you don't.
So let me know when Dearborn or Dearborn Heights starts sounding calls to prayer by the city. Then we have something to talk about.
Meanwhile we can talk about actual attempts to enact theocratic government here by say disallowing prayers or displays in public meetings/areas by those other than Christians.
And because I just recalled this part: why are "blue" laws OK? Forcing business closures on Sunday is itself a form of theocracy, IMO - though SCOTUS somehow found them to be secular...
Great read, Steve. I had never heard this practice as a specifically titled strategy. Takes more thought and effort. And risk, if you are actually engaging with their ideas, honestly.
Important note: the signs were out up by Wayne County on a county road, not by Dearborn or Dearborn Heights on a city road.
Population of Dearborn Heights is ~61k
Population of Dearborn is ~106k
Population of Wayne County is 1.77mil, with ~50 being White and 40% being Black/African-American.
A lot of (digital) ink being used for what amounts to small cities that don't really matter much, except for those that want to fear-monger about Islam and Muslims.
I do agree that saying someone is unwelcome is un-American, though we should then note how often that has actually been the case (anti-Catholic sentiment against the Irish, the anti-Mormon sentiment that lead to their migration to Utah, and of course anti-Muslim sentiment that still leads to communities fighting against the building of a mosque).
First point: agreed. But it shouldn’t matter how small. Second point: agreed we spend far too much time chumming the water for rage bait.
It's just good to have some perspective here - and when you say it shouldn't matter how small, what do you mean exactly?
While not everything is a national issue, wrong is wrong. It’s wrong to submit to theocracy or a religious system that seeks to exercise political control. It’s wrong to honor terrorists. It’s wrong if it’s a statue of Robert E. Lee or a street named in honor of an Islamic terrorist. So it doesn’t matter how small the community, it’s wrong.
Firstly, we're not talking theocracy to my knowledge because the relevant laws have not been written to create said theocracy. What there is is a noise ordinances violation that needs to be enforced, and that's ultimately something that can and should be worked through the courts.
Osama Siblani has lived in the US since 1976 and is a newspaper publisher (founder of The Arab American News). He's exercising his right to free speech, and yes is very much pro-Palestinian. But that's not terrorism, so be careful on how you speak about it too.
And really, that's no bearing on the point that it was the county that put up that sign - not the city. So again: what is your point about the city?
They’re not okay. But use the same standard on government getting cozy with Christianity as you do with Islam. Islam is a different system than Christianity. Objectively it calls for government control. Christianity rejects that. We must recognize that difference.
That's just BS: people are individuals, and there are Christians that die want government control. ‘cause every individual interprets their religious beliefs themselves and ultimately picks and chooses what they choose to believe from their own often-contradictory texts. Many of the Muslims that have come to the US were escaping their own persecution too, and also approach life from a secular standpoint.
I apply the same guidelines for religion and government that we all should: keep ‘em entirely separate. You say you do, but then show you don't.
So let me know when Dearborn or Dearborn Heights starts sounding calls to prayer by the city. Then we have something to talk about.
Meanwhile we can talk about actual attempts to enact theocratic government here by say disallowing prayers or displays in public meetings/areas by those other than Christians.
And because I just recalled this part: why are "blue" laws OK? Forcing business closures on Sunday is itself a form of theocracy, IMO - though SCOTUS somehow found them to be secular...