FLASHBACK: In 2006 joint appearance, Beck appeared to call Imam Rauf a ‘good Muslim’
FLASHBACK: In 2006 joint appearance, Beck appeared to call Imam Rauf a ‘good Muslim’
One of the main lines of attack in the never-ending conservative freak-out over the plan to build an Islamic community center in downtown Manhattan has been attempting to smear the developers of the center — Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf in particular — as “radical.” In their usual despicable fashion, conservative media figures have worked hard to blur the line between the terrorists who attacked us on 9-11 and the moderate Muslims who are behind the planned center.
One of the loudest voices in conservatives’ fight against the center has been Glenn Beck, who has specifically targeted Imam Rauf with blatant falsehoods and hypocritical attacks in a desperate attempt to smear him as a radical.
Additionally, among other offensive comments, Beck has asked, “after you’ve killed 3,000 people you’re going to now build your mosque?” He’s also absurdly labeled the center an “actual danger” and suggested it is an “Allah-tells-me-to-blow-up-America mosque.” Though we — and many other outlets — have repeatedly pointed out that Rauf is widely viewed as a moderate and has often denounced the extremists who carry out violent attacks in the name of Islam, Beck and his fellow demagogues continue to push the dishonest attack.