In the First Amendment, certain items are guaranteed to everyone who is a United States citizen. Among the five, religion is printed in black and white for all to see. This is not a difficult concept for most people. Practice any religion you wish, in your preferred method. The only sticking point is not having the US government make an official religion for those who place them into office.
Lately, it seems a few individuals have lost sight of just what the Constitution means. In their minds, not worshipping in the same manner as they do or even attending the same denomination of a religous group is equivalent to being scum of the earth. Therefore, take action to beat some sense into those rabble-rousers.
Michael Enright is accused of doing exactly this to a New York cab driver. Let me see if I've got it correct. New York is perhaps the largest melting pot Stateside, with ethnic, religious, and national differences on every block. Enright then decides to physically attack a man simply for worshipping Allah rather than the Christian God? Alcohol is said to be the main cause for the meltdown. Of course. What's worse is that Enright has allegedly been trying to help spread the message of how Muslims are constantly being misunderstood.
What ever happened to good manners and respect for others as human beings?
Article comments
1 - Alan Kurtz
Sorry, I don't follow. The First Amendment's Establishment Clause precludes the government from favoring any particular religion. Check.
Under the Free Exercise Clause, the government cannot make a law prohibiting the practice of a person's religion. Check.
But how does this relate to the Michael Enright case? When he stabbed the Muslim cabbie, Enright was not acting as an agent of either the United States Government or the State of New York. This regrettable incident in no way deprived Ahmed H. Sharif of his right to practice Islam. It was the act of an apparently inebriated man who lost his senses. He will now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Yet you write: "Lately, it seems a few individuals have lost sight of just what the Constitution means." Is Michael Enright one such individual? For God's sake, Nancy, he acted in a drunken rage. The Constitution had nothing to do with it. Why can't you liberals stop posturing on this issue?
2 - Jen Z
Sorry, I don't see any information about Michael Enright that suggests he's a christian or was provoked to attack because the cab driver "worshipped allah rather than a christian God". Why not say Hindu, or any other religion, why pick christian if your just going to make stuff up? I checked out his Facebook page, no mention anywhere of him being a disciple of Christ.
3 - jeannie danna
The following is a description of this hate crime, born out of religious and ethnic intolerance.
Enright asked the cab-driver if he was a Muslim. After the cab driver answered, yes Enright proceeded to stab him!
I blame the media for this intolerance and rampant bigotry.
good article.
4 - Nancy
Thank you Jeannie. You saw my point. Enright attacks a guy for being different. This is in the same city where the mosque attempting to be built in Manhattan has gotten so much controversy.
5 - jeannie danna
Nancy,
I'm embarrassed by this country right now.
I say one thing repeatedly, It's a community center that is going to bring community to lower Manhattan.
Remember, the same people who are screaming that this is hollowed ground, don't seem to mind the strip clubs and bars that are on that land!
Also...there is a *Mosque* in the Pentagon. Personally, I don't think any denomination or faith should be setting up shop there.
: )Thanks for responding to my comment.
6 - roger nowosielski
At least Jeannie owned up on these pages to suffering from a PTSD as a result of bombing in Germany while stationed there.
Shall we be privy to a similar disclosure in the near future?
7 - handyguy
Quoth Alan Kurtz, expressing himself in typically sweet fashion on this very web site:
"I hate Islam."
Michael Enright may have been drunk and/or insane, but he was also acting on a deep fear and loathing of Islam.
Don't fuzz up the argument. Your hate is bad news, and it's different from Enright's primarily in degree.
8 - Alan Kurtz
"Including the attack on Ahmed H. Sharif," the Associated Press reports today, "there have been 10 hate crimes reported against Muslims in New York City so far this year, up from six total last year, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. By comparison, the top hate-crime categories this year are 93 anti-Semitic, 36 anti-gay and 23 anti-black incidents, according to the NYPD."
Of course 10 anti-Muslim hate crimes are 10 too many. But New York is America's largest city, packing 8,391,881 people into a mere 27,532 square miles. The commotion contrived by liberals over the attack on Mr. Sharif would be more convincing if those same individuals were on record as deploring the far more prevalent incidents of anti-Semitic, anti-gay and anti-black hate crimes.
9 - handyguy
And when did you develop this antipathy toward liberals, Alan? Apolitical Alan?
10 - Jordan Richardson
The commotion contrived by liberals over the attack on Mr. Sharif would be more convincing if those same individuals were on record as deploring the far more prevalent incidents of anti-Semitic, anti-gay and anti-black hate crimes.
You charge "liberals" as contriving a commotion, imply that "liberals" are a homogeneous group, but then charge "the same individuals" as apparently "not deploring" the more prevalent incidents. Interesting.
Also, I don't think I'm too far off in suggesting that the reason incidents against other groups (gays, blacks, Jews, etc.) are more "prevalent" is because the groups themselves are more "prevalent."
11 - Alan Kurtz
Roger Nowosielski (#6), due to an overaggressive comments editor, your post about PTSD now makes no sense whatsoever. Perhaps you'd like to re-couch whatever you meant there in terms that will pass today's unusually strict scrutiny.
12 - jeannie danna
Roger,
I would rather you not discuss me with Alan. OK?
: )wink
13 - Alan Kurtz
Thanks to their manufactured outrage over the Mickey Mosque issue, liberals are now the nearest available target of opportunity. When the conservatives next do something of such equally towering phoniness, I'll take them on, too. Which reminds me, coming up this Saturday, on the 47th anniversary of Dr. King's magnificent "I Have a Dream" speech, the Fox News Channel's execrable Glenn Beck will, along with Sarah Palin and the National Rifle Association, jam the Washington mall with white folks to "reclaim the civil rights moment." Now that promises to be entertaining!
14 - jeannie danna
It's a Community Center, and it will be more appropriate on *Hallowed Ground* than bars, strip clubs, and adult toy shops.
15 - Alan Kurtz
At last, the light dawns. Thank you, Jesus!
16 - jeannie danna
You're not well...but I wont back down, Alan because I have just as much right to be as you do.
17 - jeannie danna
Now you go ahead and have fun tonight, alright? Just don't get banned or something...
:)Nite, Alan
18 - jeannie danna
Nite BC :)
19 - El Bicho
Jeannie, do you know the song "I wont back down" by Tom Petty? You should play it in the background as your soundtrack when visiting the site
20 - zingzing
alan: "Thanks to their manufactured outrage over the Mickey Mosque issue, liberals are now the nearest available target of opportunity."
conservatives manufactured that outrage. it shouldn't be an issue. let it be built wherever it will be.
21 - Jordan Richardson
According to Alan, outrage over prejudice and bigotry is "manufactured."
22 - zingzing
putting alan aside, as his politics are a complete fucking mystery, why is it that shit which seems so obviously true on one side of the political aisle is seen as ridiculously stupid on the other side? it's amazing how little logic and politics have to do with each other. i'm beginning to think that HAL from 2001 should be in charge. it might actually be better, as long as he doesn't kill us all.
23 - jeannie danna
El, You must have ESP, I can almost hear Tom when I comment... :)
24 - handyguy
Zing is right, Alan. Pam Geller, abetted by Gingrich and Palin, manufactured the "mosque outrage." Liberals responded to the lies and propaganda.