Judge Roy Moore: Hummus-Sexual or Hummus Hater? #HummusHaters
With all the anti-Arab bashing we see in the news every week, Arab America is determined to expose those who discriminate against our community. We will recognize those who vilify the positive influence and contributions Arabs have made to the fabric of American society. And we will use hummus as our weapon. By naming those who vilify the Arab American community as #HummusHaters, we can express our culture positively while showing intolerance to bigotry.
By: J. Michael Springmann/Arab America Contributing Writer
Twice elected to the Alabama Supreme Court (and twice removed for cause), Roy Moore (R) is running for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, now U.S. Attorney General. Describing himself on his website, Moore states he is “…a life-long Alabamian and a committed constitutional conservative that has stood up for liberty and religious freedom his entire career….From 2003 until 2012, Judge Moore served as President of the Foundation for Moral Law in Montgomery, lecturing throughout the Country…”
However, Roy Moore is operating in the eye of a hurricane. Swirling around him are strong winds, blowing fearsomely. There was the controversy over his refusal to remove the monument to the 10 Commandments (which he had commissioned) from the Alabama Judicial Building. His disobeying a federal court order to do so got him taken off the bench. Moore lost his seat the second time for directing probate judges to enforce the State’s ban on same-sex marriages, U.S Supreme Court decisions to the contrary. Sex also got him into still more blustery weather, with numerous, as-yet unsubstantiated complaints about sexual misconduct churning around him.
But it’s his statements about Islam that have received little notice in the “lame-stream” media. According to Business Insider (Sept. 27, 2017), “Moore called Islam a ‘false religion‘…in response to…[a] question about how he would deal with alleged Muslim influence on US law.” The former judge also offered some wild statements about Sharia law being practiced in the U.S. “Sharia law is influencing the rule of law in some American communities…. There are communities under Sharia law right now in our country, Moore told a Vox reporter in August. Up in Illinois. Christian communities; I don’t know if they may be Muslim communities.” According to the Washington Post‘s September 17, 2017 edition, the Hummus Hater “called Islam a ‘false religion’ while campaigning…” Continuing, Moore “…said Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) should not have been allowed in Congress, because of his Muslim faith.” Furthermore, the one-time judge noted:
“Islamic law is simply incompatible with our law.”[2006]…In 1943, we would never have allowed a member of Congress to take their oath on ‘Mein Kampf,’ or someone in the 1950s to swear allegiance to the ‘Communist Manifesto.’ Congress has the authority and should act to prohibit Ellison from taking the congressional oath today!” [Presumably, Ellison wanted to take his oath of office with his hand on the Holy Qur’an.]
Adding to the tempest, CNN picked up on another of his statements: “…Roy Moore said in a 2009 speech that the only thing that Muslims had done in the United States was the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks… He has also warned that Muslims shouldn’t serve in the military.
Mr. Moore is not well-liked even in the fringe press. The September 27, 2017 TheStar.com commented: “The preferred media euphemism for Moore is ‘evangelical firebrand.’ Extremist, bigot and theocrat are more accurate.” As the somewhat questionable Daily Beast noted on September 25, 2017, Moore has also been critical of Islam saying that it goes against America’s way of life. “[Islam is] a faith that conflicts with the First Amendment of the Constitution,” Moore said during a 2007 radio interview with Michelangelo Signorile, “The Constitution and Declaration of Independence has a direct reference to the Holy Scriptures.” He called Islam a “false religion” during an event with the Jefferson County [Alabama] Republican Club. “False religions like Islam, who teach that ‘you must worship this way,’ are completely opposite with what our First Amendment stands for,” Moore said.
Despite his wild, intemperate statements on Islam, Roy Moore’s election appears to depend largely on how strongly Alabama voters believe the sexual harassment charges now being flung around. Moreover, his remarks about homosexuals seem to have struck a chord in diversity-obsessed America. (In 2005, he asserted in a C-SPAN interview that he “…believes ‘homosexual conduct’ should be illegal.” On September 22, 2017, Time wrote “He [Moore] then made a remark likening homosexuality to having sex with animals.”) But whether this translates into support by straight people in his home state is problematical.
However, as the Pew Research Center remarked, less than 1% of people professing a religious faith in Alabama identified as Muslims. It’s clear that Moore can easily write off the Islamic vote. The judge can effortlessly ignore the lesbian/homosexual/transgender community, too. They form about 2.8% of Alabamians. Moore’s biggest problem looks like the dwindling support by the Republican establishment.
What’s less clear is what can be done with the judge’s attitude. Is he one of the 38% of Americans who claim they know a Muslim (Pew Research)? If yes, if no, would sitting him down with a plate of warm hummus, fresh pita bread, and Palestinian olive oil help or hurt?
Would talking with a real, live, card-carrying Muslim be of assistance? Or would that would confuse him further with genuine facts because his mind (if he has one) is already made up?
This writer knows people, educated, traveled ones who hate Arabs and Muslims and love Zionists. Despite probing questions, they are unable to articulate why. It’s apparently raw prejudice against the unknown and, to them, the unknowable.
The author attempted to contact Moore’s campaign headquarters for comment but found no telephone number. Organizations connected to Moore claimed they had no way of reaching his operation. The Republican National Committee did not answer its phone and the offices of Alabama Senators Luther Strange (R-temporary appointment) and Richard Shelby (R) alleged no knowledge of how to speak to the Hummus-Hater.
J. Michael Springmann is an attorney, author, and political commentator. He has written Visas for Al Qaeda: CIA Handouts That Rocked The World, and Goodbye, Europe? Hello, Chaos? Merkel’s Migrant Bomb. Both books are available from Amazon. The books’ website is: www.michaelspringmann.com
