Franklin Graham was booked as a terrorism-fighting expert on The O’Reilly Factor tonight. Apparently, his knee-jerk hatred for President Obama was all the credential needed.
“Why do you think the world will not unite to stop ISIS?” Bill O’Reilly asked.
Graham said that first, he wanted Muslims to know that God loves them. He meant, Jesus, of course, not the God Muslims worship – and probably believe loves them. “We love them and pray for them… He sent his son from heaven to this earth, Jesus Christ, for them,” Graham said piously. Right before he rolled out the prejudice.
Graham continued, “One of the problems that we have in the west is that our governments, especially in Washington, have been infiltrated by Muslims who are advising the White House, who I think are part of the problem. And we see this also in Western Europe.”
To his credit, O’Reilly challenged that statement. “Give me some names. …I don’t know any Muslim advisors to President Obama. Do you have any names?”
No, Graham didn’t. There was a pause and finally, he said, “I can get those for you, Bill.” He added, “But I do know that they are there. And I’ve been told this by a number of people that they influence – I’m not saying they’re sitting next to the president, whispering in his ear, but they are in the halls, they are speaking to the staffers.”
O’Reilly interrupted to say that there are Muslim lobbyists and suggested that there was nothing wrong with that.
But you have to question why Graham was considered a credible voice on the subject in the first place. He has no credentials in national security, terrorism, Middle East policy or even Islam. He does, however, have a hatred for President Obama that goes beyond policy. Graham has announced that Obama was re-elected because “we’ve turned our back on God” and he has promoted birther attacks on Obama. Graham has also previously suggested that Obama is “too Muslim.”
So clearly, Fox News producers were looking for more of the same when they booked him in the first place.
Watch it below, via Media Matters.
So it’s not only “problem” Muslims (as per Graham) who are getting their voices heard. Our President and the White House are being quite fair & balanced with regards to listening to many religious viewpoints and even those who eschew religion.
“Christian leaders from across the nation met with President Obama Wednesday to ask for a “Circle of Protection” surrounding programs that serve the poor and vulnerable in the face of the ongoing budget crisis.”
Christian leaders who advise President Obama: Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World; Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals; Rev. Sèkinah Hamlin, director of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative; Rev. Carlos Malavè, executive director of Christian Churches Together; Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA; and Rev. Jim Wallis, president and founder of Sojourners.
http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/2011/07/christian-leaders-call-circle-protection-budget-talks
and
“Eight Eastern Christian leaders spent 40 minutes talking to President Barack Obama about the situation of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.
“…the Christian leaders spoke of the threat to Christians and other minorities posed by Islamic State militants, particularly in Iraq and Syria. Several said they were advocating religious freedom, an inherent right.”
Cardinal Rai; Catholicos Aram of Cilicia, patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan; Melkite Catholic Patriarch Gregoire III Laham; Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II; Bishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria; retired Chaldean Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim of St. Thomas the Apostle of Detroit; and Antiochian Orthodox Metropolitan Joseph of New York and All North America.
http://ncronline.org/news/global/christian-leaders-meet-obama-discuss-concerns-mideast-minorities
and
“Obama met with the Executive Committee of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents 45,000 churches from 40 denominations across the United States…”
NAE leaders that attended the unprecedented meeting included Pastor Joel C. Hunter of Northland, A Church Distributed near Orlando, who was a member of the White House’s faith-based initiative advisory committee; Williams Roberts, national commander of The Salvation Army; and Leith Anderson, president of the NAE; among others.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelical-leaders-meet-president-barack-obama-at-white-house-58071/
and
“A group of rabbis and leaders from the Conservative movement of Judaism are commending President Barack Obama after a White House meeting on Tuesday, when they questioned him on issues ranging from the environment and immigration to the Israel-Palestine conflict and sanctions against Iran.
Rabbi Steven Wernick, chief executive officer from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), and 19 associated leaders met with Obama and White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/jewish-leaders-praise-obama_n_1556130.html
and
“In a visit to the White House today organized by American Jewish World Service (AJWS), 30 Jewish leaders and rabbis from across the nation met with White House officials to learn about the administration’s strategy to end violence against women, girls and LGBT people.
AJWS is the leading Jewish international development and human rights organization working to end poverty and realize human rights in the developing world."
The long list of 30 names is available at the below link.
http://ajws.org/who_we_are/news/archives/press_releases/thirty_jewish_leaders_and_rabbis_visit_white_house.html
and
“American Atheists will be among the non-believer groups led by the Secular Coalition for America for an historic briefing with the Obama Administration in Washington, DC, on Friday, 26 February 2010.
The American Atheists delegation will include Dr. Buckner; AA Vice President and National Spokesperson Dave Silverman; Vice President and Military Director Kathleen Johnson; Indra Zuno, AA general member, translator, and writer; Ellen Birch, Chair of the American Atheists Life Membership Committee and systems engineer; and Camille A. Brewer, AA general member, political/freethought activist and art expert.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/obama-to-meet-with-atheist-groups-on-friday
Mohammed Elibiary – Former Homeland Security Adviser
Rashad Hussain – Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Salam al-Marayati – Obama Adviser and founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and is its current executive director
Imam Mohamed Magid – Obama’s Sharia Czar from the Islamic Society of North America
Eboo Patel – Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships
source: “4 Star Admiral Blasts Obama Administration over Muslim Brotherhood Infiltration” February 6, 2015 Freedom Outpost. com
Governments everywhere are never free from religious influence. But in America people enjoy “freedoms” others do not enjoy. And religious influence on American government today includes influence from Christians, Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Atheists, Pagans and Witches!
John 3:17
…God did not send his Son (Jesus) into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [English Standard Version]
’Nuff said.
What’s even more hysterical is that Graham claimed that the WH has been infiltrated by Muslims yet he arrived for the interview without having even a single name of these Islamic infiltrators? Geez.
I really don’t understand why BOR would have Graham on to discuss such issues. Even BOR would surely realize that Graham has no expertise on these matters. My best guess is that BOR is looking to further hype his idea that we need to have a “Holy War”. He’s been taking some heat for his remark online and on some of the talking head shows. He’s probably thinking that there’s no better way to reinforce his call for a “Holy War” and get the FOX “news” Christian base fired up than to have on Graham so he can fear-monger about Muslims (and, by extension, the bogus talking point of Obama’s supposed Muslimness).