Black Lives Matter.
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • Programs
    • Ecumenical Immigration Alliance
      • Ideas for Action
      • Sign Our Statement
      • The NC Sanctuary Coalition
      • Immigration Bible Study
      • Contact
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Public Education
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
    • NC No Torture
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Trump’s Anti-Muslim Bluster

Steve Ford, Volunteer Program Associate · December 14, 2015 · 1 Comment

Click here to sign up to receive the Raleigh Report in your inbox

In the game of bridge, when a trump card is played to win a trick, that’s known as a ruff.

In the game of politics, when Donald Trump uses tricks to try to win votes, he plays rough.

Pursuing the Republican nomination for president, the bumptious Trump has been on a roll. His tough-guy rhetoric – topped recently by his outlandish call to bar Muslims from entering the country – has excited his corps of supporters while leaving even many of his fellow Republicans shaking their heads.

Perhaps Trump actually believes that an embargo on Muslim entry would be practical and effective as a way of reducing the risks of terror attacks on U.S. soil. Or perhaps more likely, he’s using the cynical tactics of demagogues down through history who have boosted themselves by stoking voters’ anxieties and fears.

Either way, to have a candidate who’s in the running to be his party’s nominee for the White House advocating such an ill-conceived policy is a troubling sign of troubled times.

Surely Americans have good reason to consider what further measures could and should be taken to prevent more tragedies such as the massacre in San Bernardino, committed by a Muslim husband and wife as an act of terrorism in support of the murderous Islamic State now ravaging Syria and spawning havoc in Europe.

A reflexive response might be to say that all Muslims in this country should get the heave-ho. Or be locked up. Or something equally unworkable and unfair.

But that’s where good leaders must meet the test. A sense of urgency is fine. What’s not fine is a pell-mell rush to trash principles that are fundamental to the American way of life – and also are bound not to make us safer but to make matters worse.

Trump’s no-more-Muslims call also runs smack up against ecumenical ideals of religious tolerance. The N.C. Council of Churches is among the groups that seek to build bridges of understanding among people of different faiths, in the belief that good will and a respect for other traditions are essential in the search for peace. Treating all Muslims as proto-terrorists goes utterly in the wrong direction.

Sorry, wrong profile

Practically speaking, a bar to Muslim entry could not be enforced with any semblance of logic or order. There is no feasible way to screen someone on the basis of religious belief. The screening would boil down to a form of ethnic profiling. Someone from the Middle East with an Arab name would be excluded.

The broad-brush offensiveness of such a tactic would send a message to Muslims everywhere: The United States regards you as a threat based not on something you personally may have said or done, but because of the actions of others in the cultural group to which you belong.

You may abhor those actions. No matter – you’re guilty by association and thus must be barred from the Land of the Free. All that does is fertilize the ground on which grievances and animosities can flourish and grow into full-fledged hatreds – the kind of hatreds that inspire mass shooters, suicide bombers, perhaps even terrorism on par with 9/11.

Of course there have to be careful procedures designed to weed out people from abroad who would come to this country to maim and kill. The United States, working with its allies, has a vast intelligence and law enforcement apparatus that seems to have been up to the task ever since the 9/11 attacks awakened us to the extent of the Islamic terrorist threat.

The San Bernardino shootings could have been an exception, although it’s not clear when the couple’s radical views convinced them to strike. Still, this would be an exception illustrating by contrast the overall effectiveness of U.S. entry screening.

Trump has conceded that his approach would have to be flexible enough to allow entry of Muslim foreign leaders, for example, or athletes. But as a day-to-day process, would someone have to prove he or she was not a Muslim to be allowed entry? And how would that proof be made? Such a system could be gamed up one side and down the other.

Different faiths, one country

From the standpoint of a progressive Christian organization such as the Council, the larger points have to do with vilifying people because they follow another religious creed – one that has many millions of peaceful adherents even if it’s been perverted by a minority of violent radicals.

We are humble enough to acknowledge that horrible acts of violence – domestic terrorism if one wants to call it that – have been committed by Americans with no Muslim ties whatsoever who perhaps even have had Christian backgrounds. Keeping us safe from the Dylann Roofs and Adam Lanzas and James Holmses is by all indications a more vexing problem than protecting us from Muslims so alienated and radicalized that they’d come here to make mayhem. In any case, tighter laws regarding access to guns and ammunition are surely in order.

The spirit of religious pluralism has been central to the American democratic experience from the country’s founding. Yes, there have been threats to that spirit from time to time, led by the intolerant, the fearful, those lusting for power and influence. But we stand by our principles that people should be free to practice the religion of their choosing and that there should be no religious tests for those who would hold public office.

To deny entry into this country to people who were otherwise qualified, simply on the basis of their religious affiliation, would devalue the religion in question and implicitly devalue the citizenship of every American practitioner of that faith.

Donald Trump may make some political hay with his anti-Muslim proposal, at least among the impressionable and anxious voters to whom he appeals. But wiser leaders or would-be leaders realize the dangers in demonizing Muslims in this fashion. And churches can be in the forefront of extending hands of friendship across this religious divide.

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured, Raleigh Report Tagged With: Civil Discourse, Civil Liberties, Equality & Reconciliation, Good Government, Immigration, Interfaith, Peace, Prophetic Voice, Race/Ethnicity, Religion & Society

Steve Ford, Volunteer Program Associate

About Steve Ford, Volunteer Program Associate

Much goes on in North Carolina's state capital that's important to the Council of Churches. I'm glad to have a chance to help follow the action, transitioning from my career with The News & Observer of Raleigh, where I retired in 2012 as editorial page editor. I'm originally from Virginia but have lived in Cary so long I remember the Kildaire Farm barn.

Read more of my commentary here.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Raleigh Report: Sidetrack for photo voter ID
Raleigh Report: Flawed deal to resurrect Silent Sam
Path to Fairer Maps, Better Government

Comments

  1. AvatarRobert Kennel says

    December 14, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    Steve,
    Once again you have captured complex truth in an understandable fashion.
    Thank you for communicating Trump’s (and other sympathizers’) foolhardy and anti-patriotic rant.
    As a Christian, I want no part of this kind of hatred.
    We had a great interdenominational prayer service at the Islamic Center in West Raleigh last Friday which lived the truth of what makes this country and our common God so great !!
    Bob K

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Trump’s Anti-Muslim Bluster

Latest Tweets

It's a beautiful day in the Triangle. Are you getting ready for that spring weather? 🌿🌺🍀 We are too!! Go to our store and check out our amazing tank tops quoting our motto: "Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice." ncchurches.org/store… pic.twitter.com/oAZr…

About 15 hours ago

TOMORROW! Join us with Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman on Faith Communities Supporting Democracy. There is still time to register. Follow the link >>> ncchurches.org/event… pic.twitter.com/RO2O…

Yesterday

Tomorrow! Make sure to register and join this important conversation on Climate and Health. bit.ly/LancetRSVP twitter.com/The_SEAP…

Yesterday

Action Alert!! The pro-LGBTQ Equality Act has been reintroduced into the new Congress, and the House is poised to vote later this week. Follow the link to sign the petition and tell your representative: Pass the Equality Act now >> act.faithfulamerica.…

About 2 days ago

Join us and @NCIPL this Friday for "The Faithful Work of Environmental Justice." We will discuss the importance of the environmental justice movement in NC, the realities of environmental racism, and more. Follow the link to register! ncchurches.org/event…

About 3 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

Dr. Julian's work was instrumental to the public health community. We carry his passion as we continue reckoning with our past so that we may continue building the beloved community. Learn more about Dr. Julian's legacy at pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ju…. #BlackHistoryMonth @novapbs pic.twitter.com/JJsm…

About 11 hours ago

Join Faith in Harm Reduction TODAY at 4 p.m. for the launch of their virtual Roundtable series! The first roundtable centers on the Black church and needs, opportunities, and challenges for harm reduction in that context. Register below: secure.everyaction.c… #MindfulTogether

About 14 hours ago

Do you still need access to health insurance coverage this year? Open enrollment through the health insurance marketplace began on Feb. 15 and ends on May 15. Visit @HealthCareGov to learn more about what this means and how to enroll: healthcare.gov/cover…

About 2 days ago

Pauli Murray's work was rooted in building community that affirms individuals through true equality and justice for all. Learn more about Pauli Murray by visiting the @PauliMurrayCntr Twitter page or website at paulimurraycenter.co…. #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/klug…

About 3 days ago

Although Henrietta Lacks' cells revolutionized medical research, their use was done so without her consent. Her story highlights the racial inequities that have and continue to exist in our healthcare systems. Read more here: nature.com/articles/… #BlackHistoryMonth @nature pic.twitter.com/rJAt…

About 6 days ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @EPA EPA is proud to join our agency partners as we tackle the climate crisis and build a healthier, cleaner, more equitable future for all. Let’s do this! whitehouse.gov/brief…

About 2 days ago

RT @EPA Proud to be back! @EPA will be there every step of the way, as we tackle the climate crisis, advance climate justice, and create a healthier future for all Americans. twitter.com/WhiteHou…

About 2 days ago

RT @greenthechurch Tune into Environmental Defense Fund’s Instagram Live on Broadening & Growing the Environmental & Climate Justice Movement in celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth tonight at 6pmEST #EJ #Environmentalist #Environmental #ClimateChange #ClimateJustice #CleanEnergy #ClimateActionNow pic.twitter.com/hBfn…

About 2 days ago

RT @greenthechurch If you’re passionate about what we do and can bring something unique to the team, get in touch! Email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample(s) to jennifer@greenthechurch.org. pic.twitter.com/CE44…

About 2 days ago

RT @interfaithpower .@RepDebHaaland: "I can promise you that if I am confirmed as Secretary we will be guided by science." The Senate act quickly to #ConfirmHaaland to ensure @Interior has a leader to fulfill its mission to follow science & protect our #PublicLands for future generations.

About 2 days ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2021 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine