It's not just a technicality

I haven't said anything about Congressman Tancredo's comments about bombing Mecca because it all just seemed so ridiculous. Plus, Rick has covered it well here and here at StonesCryOut. Yesterday, Hugh talked about it in depth and made the following comments:

I want to be very clear on this. No responsible American can endorse the idea that the U.S. is in a war with Islam. That is repugnant and wrong, and bloggers and writers and would-be bloggers and writers have to chose sides on this, especially if you are a center-right blogger. The idea that all of Islam is the problem is a fringe opinion. It cannot be welcomed into mainstream thought because it is factually wrong. If Tancredo's blunder does not offend you, then you do not understand the GWOT. Yoni Tidi is a frequent and popular guest on my program, a deeply religious Jew and a retired major from the Israeli security services. On the program tonight he condemned the idea of attacking Mecca or any other target that is "Muslim" as opposed to "terrorist-supporting." We are not in a war with devout Muslims. We are in a war with Muslims who think that their faith compels them to kill non-believers and the nations that support those extremists.

These are excellent points. Hugh has the emphases in the original and they are valid emphases. I've said before that this war is not against Islam. That's not parsing words, that's a fact. While it may be true that Islam has some inherrent problems that lead to fanaticism, it is not the fault of mainline Muslims that fanatic Muslims choose terrorism and jihad.

As a Christian, I would not want to be blamed for the Ku Klux Klan. They had issues that were there own and, in my strong belief, would not be sanctioned by the Lord. I may not believe there to be truth in the Muslim religion, but I don't call for war on all Muslims because some of their contemporaries have gone astray.


In other news, of course John Roberts has been nominated to the Supreme Court. Awesome. But, as Hugh said:

A SCOTUS nomination will sweep Congressman Tancredo's remarks from the headlines, but I hope center-right bloggers will stand up and be counted on this issue.

Consider this center-right blogger to be standing up.