Conservative anti-tax activist Grover Norquist says no room for Islamophobia In 2012 elections
The annual Conservative Political Action Conference is occuring this week (read Politico's on-going coverage). Most of the news from this event has centered around a number of groups thought of as the "Religious Right" withdrawing from their sponsorship after a GOP-aligned gay rights group was allowed to co-sponsor the gathering. There is another issue at play, however, that deserves attention: growing Islamophobia.
A prominent blog - Red State - published an entry yesterday that basically accused the American Conservative Union, which puts on the event, of being taken over by Islamic extremists.
That has led one well known conservative activist, Grover Norquist, to push back against Islamophobia. Think Progress has the story:
It is no secret that Islamophobia has been widely prevalent in the conservative movement, particular since President Obama took office. From Reps. Peter King (R-NY) and Allen West (R-FL) to Newt Gingrich and those hyperventilating against the Islamic community center near Ground Zero, the right is promoting a baseless and irrational fear about Muslim participation in American civil society.
Frank Gaffney is one of the right’s main proponents of anti-Muslim fearmongering. He recently claimed that conservatives are being infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood and “radical Islamists,” and he recently attacked Americans for Tax Reform leader Grover Norquist for “credentialing the perpetrators of this Muslim Brotherhood influence operation” at this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC.
At CPAC yesterday, ThinkProgress caught up with Norquist — whose wife is Muslim — and asked him to respond to Gaffney and the general Muslim fearmongering from the right. “It’s very important to recognize that each of these faiths is completely consistent with the U.S. Constitution and a free and open society,” Norquist said, adding it’s also important “for the conservative movement to have many doors open.” He said that the right has to “marginalize” Islamophobia within its ranks and “knock that stuff down and just make it clear that there’s no place for that in the party of Reagan.” Referring to Gingrich’s anti-Muslim fervor, ThinkProgress asked whether there is a place for Islamophobia in the GOP 2012 presidential primaries. “I don’t think there is,” Norquist replied.
This is an issue that all Americans - regardless of party or faith - should get behind. There should be no room for religious bigority in our politics. We'll have to work hard to make that a reality.
