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Should we look in the mirror?
According to a Boston Globe columnist, Nicholas D. Kristof ignored some of the facts last week when he said that America must look at itself before claiming Islam is spreading religious bigotry.

Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times, argues that the U.S. cannot "scold Arabs for acquiescing in religious hatred unless we try vigorously to uproot our own religious bigotry." He sees a double standard in criticism of Islam for anti-Semitism when anti-Islam feelings are prevalent in the U.S. Writes Kristof: "If we want Saudi princes to confront their society's hate-mongers, our own leaders should confront ours."

Cathy Young, columnist for The Boston Globe, writes that what Kristof did not mention was that three of his examples of supposed religious bigotry—comments by Ann Coulter, Franklin Graham, and Jerry Vines—were all widely condemned.

"Coulter was fired from the National Review … due to her inflammatory comments about Muslims and Arabs," Young writes. "Graham's anti-Islamic slur caused a huge outcry [and] he issued something of a retraction in the Wall Street Journal. Likewise, Vines's rhetoric was quickly denounced by mainline Protestant and Jewish leaders."

She also finds fault with Kristof's assertion that President Bush actually condoned bigotry by speaking at the Southern Baptist Convention after that denomination's Vines called Muhammad a pedophile. Young points out that the White House responded to Vines's comment by restating Bush's respect for all faiths.

"Perhaps it wasn't a strong enough statement," Young writes. "But is there really a parallel here to Saudi Arabia, where a preacher in the Ministry of Islamic Affairs declared in February that Jews were 'the worms of the entire world?'"

Bush's appearance at the convention and the comments by Graham, Coulter and others is not equivalent to state-sponsored hate speech that goes unchecked in some Arab countries, Young says. "Vile claims appear, with no rebuttals, in the government press in Egypt and Saudi Arabia—including articles dismissing the Holocaust as a Jewish hoax and expressing regret that Hitler didn't destroy the Jews," she writes.

While Young admits that there is undoubtedly anti- Muslim bigotry in America, the country has "bent over backwards to avoid demonizing Muslims and Islam itself" after terrorists acting in the name of Islam killed 3,000 citizens. But in these efforts to be politically correct, Young says, the U.S. cannot ignore genuine dangers. She writes, "a fanatical brand of Islamic ideology is alarmingly prevalent in the Muslim world; often, it manifests itself in vicious anti-Semitism which we have every right to denounce.

Young recognizes that, especially now, sweeping generalizations should not be made about how "good" or "bad" Islam is. Opposing Islamic ideologies are wrestling for dominance. The New York Times has reported that even in Saudi Arabia, a cautious debate is beginning over the religion's attitudes toward non-Muslims.

Jabez Networks re-launches IBelieve.com
After almost two years, IBelieve.com has returned. The site announced this week that it is "returning with a new owner, a proven business model, and a renewed focus on being the premier online destination for the nation's 90 million committed Christians."

The site shut down in 2000 with 60 ministry partners and 550,000 registered users when it could not secure additional financing. But now, Brentwood, Tenn.-based Jabez Networks, Inc. has acquired the assets of IBelieve.com from Christian retailer Family Christian Stores, who will remain involved as an e-commerce partner.

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July (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46