NY Times sheds light on attacks against Imam Rauf
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From an August 21 New York Times piece addressing several of the “claims and counterclaims about Feisal Abdul Rauf”:
Mr. Abdul Rauf is often described as having refused to call Hamas -- the Palestinian group that pioneered suicide bombings in Israel, prevailed in Palestinian elections in 2006 and now controls the Gaza Strip -- a terrorist organization.
On 77 WABC radio on June 18, the talk radio host Aaron Klein asked him, “Do you believe that the State Department is correct in designating Hamas as a terrorist organization?”
There ensued a long conversation with many interruptions, in which Mr. Abdul Rauf said:
“Well, I'm not a politician. ... The issue of terrorism is a very complex question. ... I am a bridge builder. My work is ... I do not want to be placed nor will I accept a position where I am the target of one side or another. My attempt is to see a peace in Israel. ... Targeting of civilians is wrong. It's a sin in our religion, whoever does it. ... I am a supporter of the State of Israel.”
The Cordoba Initiative's Web site elaborates:
“Imam Feisal has always condemned terrorism (see his ... hundreds of speeches). Hamas is both a political movement and a terrorist organization. Hamas commits atrocious acts of terror. Imam Feisal has forcefully and consistently condemned all forms of terrorism, including those committed by Hamas, as un-Islamic.”