Tonight at 8PM Eastern, I have the pleasure of being Rick Moran’s podcast guest with Dan Riehl and Monica Showalter.
Tonight’s podcast topic: OF RAISED EYEBROWS AND MUSLIM GAY BARS
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Ground Zero mosque Imam on his THIRD State Department-sponsored trip
As you already know, Feisal Abdul Rauf, Iman Feisal of theproposed Ground Zero mosque, will be touring the Middle East courtesy of the State Department on the taxpayers’ dime.
Outrageous as that may strike you, there are two more outrageous things on this:
a. he’s already done it twice before (the first time under the Bush administration)
and
b. apparently he will be accompanied by State Dept. employee J. P. Crowley. I say apparently because I have not received conformation that Crowley would go on that trip.
“Ground Zero Mosque” Imam to Represent U.S.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley praised the Imam, calling him “a distinguished Muslim cleric,” who is part of a program where “we send people from Muslim communities here in this country around the world to help people overseas to understand our society and the role of religion within our society.”
Crowley also said that fundraising on the Imam’s trip for the Islamic Center would not be allowed.
And how will Crowley know? Does Crowley (if he goes with Feisal) speak fluent Arabic? Aside from directly asking someone to “open their checkbook”, what is the difference between networking and fundraising? And if the Imam does, will the State Dept. pull the plug on the trip and send him home? Home where? Feisal’s out of the country right now, somewhere unspecified.
But back to the above article,
It turns out that this government supported trip will be the Imam’s third with the State Department. Crowley said the first was in 2007, during the Bush administration, and that Rauf went to Egypt this past January.
“We have a long term relationship with him,” Crowley explained. “His work on tolerance and religious diversity is well known and he brings a moderate perspective to foreign audiences on what it is like to be a practicing Muslim in the United States.”
A moderate perspective from a guy who
he recently refused to call Hamas a terrorist organization and he has said that the United States was partly to blame for the terrorist attacks on 9-11.
In an interview with “60 Minutes,” in 2001, Rauf claimed that U.S. policies were quote, “an accessory” to the 9-11 attacks.
As John Bolton put it,
“The State Department has no responsibility to send fruitcakes around as if they are representatives of America,” says former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton
Indeed.
Fox News video on the Imam:
Hat tip: Maggie.
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Gutfeld’s goofy idea, which I like
In the spirit of tolerance and understanding, Greg Gutfeld wants to open a gay bar across from the Ground Zero mosque:
Investment Opportunity: My Ground Zero Islamic Gay Bar
The goal, however, is not simply to open a typical gay bar, but one friendly to men of Islamic faith. An entire floor, for example, will feature non-alcoholic drinks, since booze is forbidden by the faith. The bar will be open all day and night, to accommodate men who would rather keep their sexuality under wraps – but still want to dance.
Jonah Goldberg has an even more inclusive idea,
Numerous readers say they wanted to open a strip club across the street. Others: A pork store (like Satriales in the Sopranos). I for one don’t see why you have to pick just one. A strip club/gay bar with many pork dishes on the menu (and elsewhere) might work just fine. Bonus: They could give away puppies!
Winnie the Pooh t-shirts, too?
Greg will have to contend with a whole bunch of NYC bureaucratic hurdles (not the least of which is a liquor license), but at least one hopes he’ll make sure to clear title if he purchases a property, unlike the Ground Zero mosque front man, Sharif El-Gamal, who paid $700,000 for ConEd’s 99-year lease but not for the ownership interests. Andrew McCarthy explains,
This raises at least three intriguing points.
First, did the Ground Zero mosque sponsors mislead the public and the various review boards about the status of the property at issue? Rep. Pete King certainly appears to think so, as Connie Hair reports at Human Events.
Second, how does the lack of full ownership affect the potential financing? Of course, to this point, we don’t know anything about which entities — including foreign entities — may be putting up dough for this project. Yet, whoever the investors may be, it would obviously make a big difference to them whether they’re buying (a) a property reasonably free and clear, or (b) a lease with lots more strings attached. And would other potential buyers get into the mix in order to stop the project?
Finally, there is politics — specifically, New York gubernatorial politics. El-Gamal is said to want to purchase the property outright from Con Ed. Whether that happens or not, New York’s Public Service Commission will evidently have a lot to say. According to the Post, the commission not only determines utility rates but has the power to reject any proposed sale if it would interfere with the delivery of services. More to the point, the commissioners are appointed by the governor.
Of course, the governor of New York State and/or perhaps the mayor of New York City can intervene in favor of the mosque – in the spirit of “tolerance and understanding” and favoritism, too – and claim eminent domain over the ConEd property. Which in turn would open another can of worms, since ConEd is already providing services “for the public good.”
Conversely, Greg may find it profitable to get backing from the State Department and go on a networking tour, like Feisal Abdul Rauf, Iman Feisal, will be doing at taxpayer expense. The State Department seems amenable to things involving in the spirit of tolerance and understanding, at least when it comes to Imam Feisal.
In any case, if I had money to spare I would become one of Greg’s financial backers and enjoy a glass of malbec at the gay bar/strip club/lechonera (how diverse can you get?), along with a nice serving of fresh chicharrones – Puerto Rican pork rinds.
All in the spirit of tolerance and understanding, of course.
And,
Ed Driscoll points the way to the #gutfeldgaybarnames
* La Hajj Aux Folles
* Big Gay Al-Qaeda
* Behind The Jihad Door
* Taqiyya Sunrise
* Taqiyya & Tequila
* The Allah-mentary Canal
* Turban Cowboy
* The Ba’ath House
* Flaming Mo’s
And, of course, Outfidels.
UPDATE
Andrew Sullivan is enthusiastic about the marketing:
I suspect it will be a huge hit not just with Muslim gay men but with the bears (who doesn’t like a bushy beard on a hot Middle Eastern dude?) and the Recovery community. A gay bar with an alcohol-free zone. Greg is ahead of his time.
Let’s not forget that there’s gay marriage in Cordoba, too.
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