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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 2016)
June 29, 2016 Page 7 O PINION Your Carpet Best Cleaning Choice Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Trafic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Trafic Area (Hallway Extra) Urging his Followers to Reach for Their Guns: ISIS must love Trump P eter C erto As the sun set over New York on June 12, hun- dreds of Muslims gathered in Hud- son River Park to break their Ramadan fast to- gether. Iftar, the evening Ramadan meal, is often a joyous celebration of faith and family. But the mood that Sunday was solemn: That morning, news had broken of the ghastly massacre of LGBTQ rev- elers at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. A lone Muslim had allegedly perpetrated the attack. Here by the Hudson, over 200 knelt in prayer. “We’re praying for those who were lost,” one woman explained in a video circulated by the Hufington Post, her voice breaking. “As Mus- lims, we’re united in our outrage over this senseless act of violence.” Meanwhile, an Orlando imam condemned terrorism as un-Islam- ic and afirmed his belief that “Is- lam teaches peace.” The Florida chapter of a national Muslim group by called on members to donate blood for the victims. And statements of sympathy tumbled forth from American Muslims in what CBS News called “an avalanche.” “Today, we stand in solidar- ity with the LGBTQ communi- ty,” said the group Muslim Ad- vocates. “Your grief is our grief. Your outrage is our outrage.” Unfortunately, none of those touching gestures deterred Don- ald Trump from warning darkly that “radical Islam is coming to our shores.” In a falsehood-riddled speech following the Orlando massacre, the presumptive GOP nominee blamed the shooting on immigra- tion and “political correctness.” As Muslims all over America sent their sympathies to Orlando, Trump mocked his Democratic rival’s insistence that “Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people.” He accused Muslims of causing “death and destruction” by cov- ering up terrorism in their midst (though it was later revealed that a Muslim member of Mateen’s community had reported him as suspicious). Then, in perhaps the most om- inous part of the address, Trump claimed that Democrats will “take away Americans’ guns and then admit the very people who want to slaughter us.” Muslim immigrants are the problem, he seems to be saying. And guns are the solution. If you ask me, I’d feel much safer with the crowd at Hudson River Park than anywhere near a rally of armed Trump supporters. But here’s the creepier part: For all his blathering that “we have to get smart” about “radical Islam,” Trump is stupidly playing right into ISIS’s hands. Like Trump himself, the group beneits immensely from anything that drives a wedge between Mus- lims and the societies they live in. ISIS said as much itself — in plain English — in a publication detailing its plan to “destroy the gray zone” between inidels and believers. Since most Muslims seem to like living in the liber- al societies of Europe and North America, ISIS propagandists have written, the only way to drive up recruitment is to make Muslims feel unwelcome there. No wonder ISIS recruiters are now featuring Donald Trump in advertisements. It’s not because they’re afraid of him — it’s because few peo- ple are working harder to make Muslims feel unwelcome than he is. Civil rights groups report that Trump’s rise has paralleled a shocking increase in hate crimes against Muslims in this country. That’s an outrage. And it’s thor- oughly self-defeating. In fact, the United States has arguably the most prosperous, well-integrated Muslim popula- tion in the western world. Even as ISIS has scored a few recruiting successes among the much more marginalized Muslim communities of Europe — though even there the group falls way outside the main- stream — it’s lat-lined here. Scenes like the iftar gather- ing in New York, in other words, are the rule, not the exception. They’re a touching rejoinder to the toxic politics of division, and a far more accurate relection of our Muslim neighbors than anything peddled by Trump. And, not least, they’re a much better asset in the ight against ter- rorism than any bullet or bomb — or any demagogue who urges his followers to reach for their guns at the irst sign of trouble. OtherWords.org editor Peter Certo writes about foreign policy for the Institute for Policy Studies. Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) : $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner: $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949