I read this on DemBones and of initially thought it must be parody. But then I clicked on the link and discovered that, yes indeed, Virgil Goode really WILL be speaking to the So, I'm scratching my head right now, trying to recall any evidence of "radical Islam's creeping influence on America." I used "The Google" and, aside from the rantings of right-wingnuts like "Jihad Watch," about the only serious story I found was by the Christian Science Monitor, entitled "Radical Islam finds US 'sterile ground'." Let me repeat and emphasize: RADICAL ISLAM FIND US STERILE GROUND. (later, the article also mentions "a lack of public evidence pointing to extensive Islamist extremism in the US")
The CSM article further explains, "In a nation where mosques have sprung up alongside churches and synagogues, where Muslim women are free to wear the hijab (or not), and where education and job opportunities range from decent to good, the resentments that can breed extremism do not seem very evident in the Muslim community." Ironically, according to the same article, the one thing that might - just MIGHT - "help [Islamic] radicalism to grow" in this country is Muslim-Americans "becoming targets of bias and suspicion - by law enforcement as well as fellow citizens."
That's right, Virgil and Liberty, according to the Christian Science Monitor, it's talks like yours raising suspicions and potentially bias against law-abiding Muslim-Americans that could, in the end, create your self-fulfilling prophecy. The question is, why do you WANT this to be a self-fulfilling prophecy? What need does it serve for you guys? Perhaps you might want to invite an expert on THAT subject to come speak to your group? Just a friendly suggestion from someone who believes America is the world's greatest example of successful integration and assimiliation of people from all over the world into the American way of life.
