Bernie Sanders Hugs Muslim Student and Vows to Confront Islamophobia (VIDEO)

[jrego 32]

It's not an easy question to answer why Germans were less 'problematic' than a Japanese person in those times, and yet.. it is an easy question, just one that is often an uncomfortable and complex truth. German heritage in America more or less has been around since colonist times... Asian immigration came into the mix much later and under very different circumstances, with a whole host of rather obvious insulting racial reasons why the Japanese were pegged. Germans, however did receive scrunity based on left-over laws during the Revolutionary war. Hessian Germans brutally fought during those times for the British, and many of our patriots (Scot-Irish immigrants for example) fought them bravely. One of my ancestors were among these, and found himself dragged off to a prison camp during the Revolutionary War by the Hessians. Returning patriots after the war, and you can imagine Germans settlers weren't well thought of, and still at the same time there were other German immigrants, in particular in Pennsylvania for instance that took a more pacifist approach toward the war and got along well, though not without difficulty and racism. Pre WWII and during, the Alien Sedition act (which as I mentioned before was born from the revolutionary war period) came down quite heavily upon honest kindly German immigrants and full-fledged German Americans to this country who had escaped brutality or had lived here for generations. I know this in reviewing my own ancestor's records and stories. Like the Japanese, they were rounded up and civil rights abuses ran rampant. Despite this though, the spirit of Nazism and anti-semitism did exist (and still shamefully does today!), and those who joined the communist party in America (and even in the UK) remained largely untouched. Contrast this to the Japanese who like other groups of Asian immigrants that entered this country in the 1800s, had it extremely rough from the get-go. Being blamed for everything from disease, witchcraft, mocked for their looks, accent, manner of dress, religion, or being ''lesser beings'' -- racism towards these groups was extremely prevalent as was sexual slavery. Despite this, Japanese men and women integrated the best they could for generations in the US, they bravely fought in WWII and endured just as much racism and brutality as African Americans in combat. But back home thousands of families were rounded up and placed in camps.. an appalling chapter in our history, and one we are ever dangerously close to repeating if we learn nothing from it. Japanese here were supportive of our cause. I cannot speak for how those persons felt about the innocents that were killed during the bombings in Japan at the close of the war, just as it is a subject of debate now. It must of been a painful thing to witness. As mentioned above the Japanese culture of honor and shame is common... many felt very grieved.

There is never any justification to the internment of our citizens. Period.

We we not the only allied country to intern its citizens. The British interned German nationals and British citizens of German decent during the war. Although those married to non-Germans were sometimes spared. They however were more often than not after processing sent to one of the Islands and housed in homes.

I don't think there is any justification for imprisoning an entire group of people based off of ancestry. There is also no justification for betraying your own country for the benefit of another. The craziest part is that the entire British Royal family is of German decent... But I guess there was a class category as well.

[GandD 5,966]

Canada had interment camps for Canadians of Japanese descent as well.

[Dakine10 5,452]

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

Heck yeah. Sign me up for that

[Expat1 971]

I agree . Lets just talk about what should or should not have happened 70+ years ago. #### happens during war and we need to figure out away to eliminate the Islam "extremists" today.

Eliminate who?

Islam is peaceful.

[GandD 5,966]

One post removed. If you have an argument to make, make it. You can't just keep making derogatory comments about Islam.

[Expat1 971]

One post removed. If you have an argument to make, make it. You can't just keep making derogatory comments about Islam.

Not in Islamic countries. Punishments for criticizing Islam in Islamic countries range from peaceful prison to peaceful flogging to peaceful death. I'm sure it's not just the "small" troublesome "minority" who celebrates those floggings in the streets either.

At home:

https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/06/23/nationwide-poll-of-us-muslims-shows-thousands-support-shariah-jihad/

Overall, the survey, which was conducted by The Polling Company for the Center for Security Policy (CSP), suggests that a substantial number of Muslims living in the United States see the country very differently than does the population overall. The sentiments of the latter were sampled in late May in another CSP-commissioned Polling Company nationwide survey.

According to the just-released survey of Muslims, a majority (51%) agreed that “Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to shariah.” When that question was put to the broader U.S. population, the overwhelming majority held that shariah should not displace the U.S. Constitution (86% to 2%).

More than half (51%) of U.S. Muslims polled also believe either that they should have the choice of American or shariah courts, or that they should have their own tribunals to apply shariah. Only 39% of those polled said that Muslims in the U.S. should be subject to American courts.

These notions were powerfully rejected by the broader population according to the Center’s earlier national survey. It found by a margin of 92%-2% that Muslims should be subject to the same courts as other citizens, rather than have their own courts and tribunals here in the U.S.

Even more troubling, is the fact that nearly a quarter of the Muslims polled believed that, “It is legitimate to use violence to punish those who give offense to Islam by, for example, portraying the prophet Mohammed.”

By contrast, the broader survey found that a 63% majority of those sampled said that “the freedom to engage in expression that offends Muslims or anybody else is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and cannot be restricted.”

Nearly one-fifth of Muslim respondents said that the use of violence in the United States is justified in order to make shariah the law of the land in this country.

Summary: Polling data seems to indicate that this "small peaceful minority" theory being floated around these boards is bunk. I'm all for diversity, but I am not for imposing diversity at the expense of respecting and following our laws and principles.

[Boiler 45,482]

Not in Islamic countries. Punishments for criticizing Islam in Islamic countries range from peaceful prison to peaceful flogging to peaceful death. I'm sure it's not just the "small" troublesome "minority" who celebrates those floggings in the streets either.

At home:

https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/06/23/nationwide-poll-of-us-muslims-shows-thousands-support-shariah-jihad/

Overall, the survey, which was conducted by The Polling Company for the Center for Security Policy (CSP), suggests that a substantial number of Muslims living in the United States see the country very differently than does the population overall. The sentiments of the latter were sampled in late May in another CSP-commissioned Polling Company nationwide survey.

According to the just-released survey of Muslims, a majority (51%) agreed that “Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to shariah.” When that question was put to the broader U.S. population, the overwhelming majority held that shariah should not displace the U.S. Constitution (86% to 2%).

More than half (51%) of U.S. Muslims polled also believe either that they should have the choice of American or shariah courts, or that they should have their own tribunals to apply shariah. Only 39% of those polled said that Muslims in the U.S. should be subject to American courts.

These notions were powerfully rejected by the broader population according to the Center’s earlier national survey. It found by a margin of 92%-2% that Muslims should be subject to the same courts as other citizens, rather than have their own courts and tribunals here in the U.S.

Even more troubling, is the fact that nearly a quarter of the Muslims polled believed that, “It is legitimate to use violence to punish those who give offense to Islam by, for example, portraying the prophet Mohammed.”

By contrast, the broader survey found that a 63% majority of those sampled said that “the freedom to engage in expression that offends Muslims or anybody else is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and cannot be restricted.”

Nearly one-fifth of Muslim respondents said that the use of violence in the United States is justified in order to make shariah the law of the land in this country.

Summary: Polling data seems to indicate that this "small peaceful minority" theory being floated around these boards is bunk. I'm all for diversity, but I am not for imposing diversity at the expense of respecting and following our laws and principles.

Ohhh

[JohnR! 5,495]

You can certainly poll people all you want, but in the end you must ask what is applicable under the US Constitution. It's not a matter of public opinion, so much as the constitutionality of the issue, that really matters. Our Constitution has been under attack from religious extremists for over 200 years now, and strong it stands.

We have had so-called witches lovingly immolated, lovingly tortured, and lovingly killed by the Puritans, in the name of god, and yet, the constitution survived.

Many Americans have fought and died to make sure it was, is, and will be so.

On a positive note, it's episodes like these, that serve us all as a stark reminder that people like Rafael Eduardo Cruz and his ilk have no place in the Oval.

Edited November 16, 2015 by JohnR!

[GandD 5,966]

The Salem witch trials were in the 1600's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials

[Expat1 971]

We have had so-called witches lovingly immolated, lovingly tortured, and lovingly killed by the Puritans in 1692, in the name of god, and yet, the constitution survived.

Just pointing out that the Salem Witch trials predated the constitution by a considerable period of time, 100 years or so

With that said, thank you for validating my position that actions taken "in the name of god" are unacceptable and that people in our communities who believe that violent actions taken "in the same of god" are acceptable are a risk to our safety and security and it has been that way for hundreds of years.

The Salem witch trials were in the 1600's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials

You beat me to it

Edited November 16, 2015 by Expat1

[JohnR! 5,495]

Absolutely no dispute there. The last thing we need in this country is any vestige of a theocracy. We need to eliminate religion from our government as the founding fathers intended.

Just pointing out that the Salem Witch trials predated the constitution by a considerable period of time, 100 years or so

With that said, thank you for validating my position that actions taken "in the name of god" are unacceptable and that people in our communities who believe that violent actions taken "in the same of god" are acceptable are a risk to our safety and security and it has been that way for hundreds of years.

You beat me to it

True. Mea culpa completely. People have been lovingly killed, lovingly burned, and lovingly tortured for thousands of years.

The Salem witch trials were in the 1600's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials

Edited November 16, 2015 by JohnR!

[GandD 5,966]

Religion is removed from our government. Just not the people in our government. And I don't think the founders intended for all politicians to be atheist. As long as people are religious, that religion is going to weigh in on their positions and decisions. Unavoidable.

[JohnR! 5,495]

You're mixing god and religion. The Founding Fathers enshrined freedom of/from religion in the Constitution. They never discussed god, other than a vague allusion to a creator, which can be interpreted in thousands of manners; possibly to pander to the several mythologies available for consumption in the country.

Edited November 16, 2015 by JohnR!

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

The Salem witch trials were in the 1600's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials

And a great example of what can happen when religious wing nuts have too much power. All the more reason to declare war on Isis