The anti-Muslim hysteria on the right got especially venomous this year in large part because some politicians appear to believe they have more to gain by demonizing and attacking Muslims than in standing up for the fundamental American and constitutional principle of religious freedom. And, of course, right-wingers almost couldn’t help themselves in linking their hatred of Muslims to hatred of President Obama. Click here for previous posts on what we heard from the right in 2015.
“Go home and take Obama with you.”
– A sign held by a protester upset that a Muslim group was holding a conference in the North Texas city of Garland.
“I did leave an Israeli flag on the reception desk in my office with instructions to staff to ask representatives from the Muslim community to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws. We will see how long they stay in my office.”
– Texas state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, explaining in a Facebook post how she wanted her staff to treat any Muslims who visited her office on Texas Muslim Capitol Day in January.
“Islam will never dominate the United States and by the grace of God, it will never dominate Texas.”
– An anti-Muslim activist who forcefully grabbed the microphone at a Texas Muslim Capitol Day outdoor event in Austin in January.
“Our motto is ‘One Nation Under One God.’ If you’re Muslim, or whatever, then you’re not going to agree with us. The border’s that way.”
– John Jarnecke, president of the separatist group Republic of Texas, which claims that Texas and the U.S. didn’t legally join.
“These are private stores and they’re free to do what they wish. And if they don’t want to sell to the enemy, then good for them. Why would we want to sell guns to people who, when they go to hear a sermon on Friday, are told to go shoot everybody else?”
– Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, voicing his support for a Florida gun shop that refused to sell to Muslims.
“Japan has been at peace with the U.S. since August 9, 1945. It’s time we made peace with the Muslim world”
– Language from a Facebook meme – which included an image of a mushroom cloud – posted by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
“There is no meaningful risk of Christians committing acts of terror. If there were a group of radical Christians pledging to murder anyone who had a different religious view than they, we would have a different national security situation.”
– Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, stating his preference that only Christian, and not Muslim, refugees from Syria be allowed into the United States.
“What I have said is that I would be in favor of monitoring a mosque or any church or any organization or any school or any press corps where there was a lot of radicalization and things that were anti-American.”
– Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, expanding on his proposeal to increase surveillance of American Muslims and other groups.
“…a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what’s going on.”
– Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, announcing his plan to bar all Muslims from entering the United States.
“If Obama entertains the MB [Muslim Brotherhood, presumably], arms terrorist, ignores terroristic attacks on American soil, appoints Muslims to serve on Homeland security positions, releases terrorists from Gitmo… Shouldn’t he be arrested and tried for treason against the US? Makes sense to me.”
– Texas state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, in a post on her Facebook page.
“Islam is a Satanic cult of murder not a ‘religion’”
– A tweet from the Travis County Republican Party (Texas). The tweet linked to a post on a right-wing blog that viciously attacked Islam and called former President George W. Bush a “coward and traitor” for allegedly arming Islamic terrorists. The Travis County GOP later removed the tweet.
