Op-ed:
In 1986 my father came to America from Iran. He found himself alone, broke and isolated in the southern United States. He couldn’t speak a word of English, had $75 in his pocket and one bag of belongings. He would soon meet a southern belle from Savannah who I would grow up to call mom. My father came to America to escape the Islamic Revolution. He is a man of strong conservative convictions and a thirst for freedom, liberty and justice. These values are reflected strongly in me. Most in my family are Christian. Many of those still in Iran do not claim Islam as their religion, but would in fear of persecution. Some are Muslim, but there is an undeniable dichotomy in Islam where extremism lives, and does not.
Religion has long been a scapegoat for extremism. It is the perfect vector in a sense because it is often protected from legislative action in America. I will start by saying that I know many Muslims who are friends, neighbors, co-workers and peers. Many are peaceful and are shameful of the behavior that is exhibited through Islam. However, the cover-up of the core direction of Islam in America cannot be ignored. At the Democratic National Convention in 2012 Democrats tried to remove God and Israel from the party’s platform. Once this hit mainstream media the chairman allowed for the rules to be changed to allow for an amendment. An amendment was made to reinsert God and Israel into the party platform, which required a 2/3 vote for approval. The vote was clearly not in favor of adding God and Israel back into the platform, but in a video a woman is seen telling the chairman to ignore the delegates and approve it anyways. In the same video of the event, Muslims are seen furious with the adoption of the amendment. Also assess the fact that Benghazi was blamed on an anti-Islam video by the Obama administration and not a premeditated attack by Muslim radicals. Through the Benghazi hearings we now know this to be a lie. Many defend Muslim prayer in public schools, and will simultaneously condemn optional bible courses. How does this hold salt?
An innate difference between Islam and the other Abrahamic religions exists, and it is that many Muslims are radicalized through the Islamic liturgy. Also, it is essential to understand that Islam is not only a religion, but a form of government. This is not so for the other two Abrahamic religions. In 2003 a young man named Carlos Bledsoe moved from Memphis, TN to Nashville to attend Tennessee State University (TSU). Carlos’ father, Melvin Bledsoe, says that Carols became involved with radical Islam professors and groups at TSU and started attending the Islamic Center of Nashville. Here he was radicalized and changed his name to Abdulhakim. Now he sits in a federal prison for the murder of Army PFC William Long. Abdulhakim (Bledsoe) said in an interview, “It was not murder, murder is not justified. What I did is justified under Islamic law. It was justified by common sense. We believe we have to strike back.”
I am of the libertarian-republican strain, and therefore I hold in high regard freedom of religion and the First Amendment. Let it be understood though that when people come to America to use our rules against us, chaos is bred. Recently in Tennessee the Obama/Holder Justice Department sent Bill Killian, U.S. attorney, to warn citizens that they could be persecuted for exercising their first Amendment rights to speak out against Sharia law in America. What the Obama administration and radicalized Muslims fail to understand is that religion may be exercised freely, but it may not supersede constitutional law in this country. Floyd Abrams, one of America’s most respected First Amendment attorneys, is quoted as saying of Killian: “He’s just wrong. The government may, indeed, play a useful and entirely constitutional role in urging people not to engage in speech that amounts to religious discrimination. But it may not, under the First Amendment, prevent or punish speech even if it may be viewed as hostile to a religion. And what it most clearly may not do is to stifle political or social debate, however rambunctious or offensive some may think it is.”
Examine any religious script and you can find a case for rape, murder, polygamy, incest, mass-killings and more. However, we do not practice this, and encroach upon the liberty of others because these scripts say in the name of God it is acceptable. A line does exist. In Syria, where the line does not exist, a rebel recently cut out the heart of a soldier and ate it. The rebel is quoted claiming the act in the name of Allah.
Tolerance of those who wish to pursue peace, liberty and tolerance themselves should always be encouraged in America no-matter the channel. Challenge and opportunity meets any individual willing to take on this endeavor. However, it is important to understand that in countries where Islam is the majority, minority rights are not allowed. In these countries women, Christians, homosexuals, etc. are all persecuted under Islamic law. Meanwhile, in countries where Islam is the minority those of the extremist class demand “rights” to implement laws contrary to those of the Founders, which protect individual liberty.
### Michael Lotfi is a Iranian-American conservative commentator, campaign consultant, and legislative lobbyist living in Nashville, TN.
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