Big Government's Thor rewrites history to claim the Founders “did not intend the First Amendment to protect” Islamic center

Big Government's Thor claims "[w]e went to war with Islam, with the Barbary Pirates ... the founding fathers did not intend for the First Amendment to protect" the Islamic center. On the April 4 edition of Fox & Friends, after congressional candidate Reshma Saujani stated her support for the Islamic center by noting that "[w]e are a country of respect and religious freedom," Thor claimed: “The first war we fought outside the United States? We went to war with Islam, with the Barbary pirates. Thomas Jefferson sent the Marines to the shores of Tripoli. The Founding Fathers did not intend for the First Amendment to protect a political ideology that wants to rip apart what the First Amendment stands for. Absolutely not.”

Administrations of four Founding Father presidents made clear the U.S. was not at war with Islam during conflicts with Barbary pirates

The treaty to end the First Barbary War, signed and ratified under Jefferson, specifically states the U.S. has “no character of enmity” against Muslims. The Treaty of Peace and Amity with Tripoli, which ended the war “with the Barbary pirates” to which Thor referred, was signed and ratified during Thomas Jefferson's presidency. Article 14 of that treaty made clear that “no pretext arising from Religious Opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the Harmony existing between the two Nations” because the United States “has in itself no character of enmity against the Laws, Religion or Tranquility of [Muslims],” and has “never have entered into any voluntary war or act of hostility against any [Muslim] Nation, except in the defence of their just rights to freely navigate the High Seas”:

As the Government of the United States of America, has in itself no character of enmity against the Laws, Religion or Tranquility of Musselmen, and as the said States never have entered into any voluntary war or act of hostility against any Mahometan Nation, except in the defence of their just rights to freely navigate the High Seas: It is declared by the contracting parties that no pretext arising from Religious Opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the Harmony existing between the two Nations; And the Consuls and Agents of both Nations respectively, shall have liberty to exercise his Religion in his own house; all slaves of the same Religion shall not be Impeded in going to said Consuls house at hours of Prayer. The Consuls shall have liberty and personal security given them to travel within the Territories of each other, both by land and sea, and shall not be prevented from going on board any Vessel that they may think proper to visit; they shall have likewise the liberty to appoint their own Drogoman and Brokers.

The Treaty of Tripoli, signed under Washington and ratified under Adams, similarly declares no “character of enmity” against Muslims. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Tripoli was signed in 1796 during George Washington's administration, and ratified by the Senate in 1797 during John Adams' presidency. Article 11 of the treaty similarly stated that “no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries” because the United States “has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of [Muslims],” and has never “entered into any war or act of hostility against any [Muslim] nation”:

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

Second Barbary War concluded with treaty signed and ratified under Madison declaring that U.S. has no “character of enmity the laws, religion, or tranquility of any nation.” The Treaty of Peace of 1815, with Algiers, was signed and ratified during James Madison's presidency and concluded the Second Barbary War. The treaty states:

As the Government of the United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity of any Nation, and as the said states have never entered into any voluntary War or act of hostility, except in defence of their just rights on the high seas, it is declared by the contracting parties, that no pretext arising from Religious Opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the Harmony between the two Nations; and the Consuls and Agents of both Nations shall have liberty to celebrate the rites of their respective religions in their Own houses.