THE OFFENSE OF THE CROSS!
Away with Crucifixes, Crosses, and Christmas As the Muslim presence in the West grows, so do the calls to do away with long-standing insignia that retain their Christian origins. This weblog entry keeps tab on some of the more colorful demands.
A Muslim traffic warden, M'Hammed Azzaoui, resigned from London's Metropolitan Police Authority and threatened a racial discrimination case. He complained that the St. Edward's crown on a police badge — a symbol of the monarchy's authority since the eleventh century and the constitutional symbol of the political independence of the police — contains a tiny cross and, as a Muslim, he could not wear the symbol of another faith. In response, Deputy Commissioner Ian Blair proposed an alternative badge for Muslim officers and those of other religions. But Commissioner Sir John Stevens abandoned this plan after it got him an earful of protests. (Aug. 14, 2002)
A Muslim provocateur, Adel Smith, a resident of Ofena, Italy, sued his son's public school to remove the crucifix in his classroom because it "bothered him." A district judge handed down a decision agreeing with Smith. "Public schools must be impartial regarding religious phenomena," he said. Italians responded with outrage. President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi called the crucifix "a symbol of the values that are at the base of our identity." (Oct. 30, 2003)
Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers forbade British prison officers from wearing a St. George's Cross tie-pin, although it is the national flag of England, due to its connection to the Crusades. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding, approved of the step, noting that "A lot of Muslims and Arabs view the Crusades as a bloody episode in our history," Doyle added that it was now time for England to find a new flag and a patron saint who is "not associated with our bloody past and one we can all identify with." (Oct. 4, 2005)
An Islamic group in Australia, the Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations wants to do away with the word Christmas, holding that the term excludes too many people in a multicultural society. Its director, Kuranda Seyit, says it's time for Australia to fall in line with the UK, where councils renamed Christmas as Winterval and refer to it adjectively as festive and winter. (Dec. 4, 2005)
Muslims in Russia are demanding that the cross and other Orthodox Christian symbols be removed from the Russian coat of arms. Damir Mukhetdinov, deputy head of the Spiritual Board of the Nizhny Novgorod region's Muslims, said his people's feelings are insulted because "this violates the secular nature of the state and doesn't contribute to the unity of Russia's peoples." Ali Visam Bardvil, head of the Spiritual Board of Karelia's Muslims, noted that "The cross is not a Muslim symbol. We respect the religious feeling of Christians but do not recognize the crucifixion of Christ. Therefore, in my opinion Orthodox symbols should be removed from the coat of arms to make it acceptable to all religions." Nafigulla Ashirov, chairman of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Asian Russia, went further. "This is not only a question of the Russian coat of arms. We can say that icons are all but put up on the walls of state offices," plus a host of other problems. (Dec. 6, 2005)
Principal crosses out hot buns
Suffolk - A
school has banned hot cross buns - in case they offend pupils from religious
minorities.
Head teacher Tina Jackson asked for the crosses to be removed from all buns
supplied by caterers in case it upset some of her pupils who are Jehovah's
Witnesses.
Parents have accused her of "political correctness gone mad" reports The Sun.
But Miss Jackson, of The Oaks primary school in Ipswich, said: "For our students
who are Jehovah's Witnesses, hot cross buns are not part of their beliefs.
"We decided to have the cross removed in respect of their beliefs."
The local Vicar, Father Haley Dossor, said: "I'd be amazed if anyone was
offended by the cross on a bun. The school is wrong to act like this."
High School Valedictorian Has Speech Censored
June 21, 2006
Help AFA gather 100,000 signatures thanking Brittany McComb for her courageous stand against censorship of her free speech rights
Dear Lee,
Brittany McComb was the valedictorian at Foothill High School recently. She graduated with a 4.7 GPA. She earned the right to address the other graduates at Foothill, located in Henderson, Nevada.
She gave a copy of her graduating speech to the school administrators. It contained some Biblical references and even mentioned (one time) the name “Christ.” The school administrators censored some of the Biblical references. They also censored the single reference to Christ.
Then the school officials handed the speech over to the ACLU for approval and/or more censoring. After getting the OK from the ACLU, Brittany’s speech (minus the censored references to the Bible and Christ) was approved. Brittany was warned that if she deviated from the ACLU approved language, her mike would be cut off.
Then came the moment for the big decision. She would not bow down, she decided. She would go with her original version. She stepped to the mike and began her speech. But just before she could utter the name “Christ,” her mike went dead. School officials silenced her. The crowd of 400 jeered for several minutes, angry at the action of the school officials. The ACLU was happy. They had silenced another Christian.
“I went through four years of school at Foothill and they taught me logic and they taught me freedom of speech. God’s the biggest part of my life. Just like other valedictorians thank their parents, I wanted to thank my lord and savior,” Brittany said.
Because she refused to bow down to the ACLU’s idol of gold, she did not get her wish. She was censored.
This young heroine deserves praise and a thank you from those who believe in free speech.
By TROY ANDERSON
Los Angeles Daily News
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Cast into the heart of a nationwide controversy over the constitutionality of religious symbols in public areas, three members of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit challenging a decision to remove the cross from Los Angeles County's official seal.
The cross had been part of the county seal since 1957 but after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened a lawsuit, the Board of Supervisors voted in 2004 to change the seal.
The Thomas More Law Center filed a lawsuit against the county on behalf of county Department of Public Works employee Ernesto R. Vasquez, alleging that the decision violated the Constitution by conveying a state-sponsored message of disapproval of and hostility toward Christianity. The new seal features a mission and an American Indian, who replaced the goddess Pomona.
Robert Muise, an attorney with the law center, argued that a clause in the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing a state religion also forbids the government from taking actions that convey a message of hostility toward religion. He noted the history of the nation and the county are inseparable from the history of religion.
But Senior Deputy County Counsel Jennifer Lehman argued that Vasquez does not have the right to dictate through litigation what historical or cultural symbols the county places on its seal.
She said the county chose to redesign its seal to exclude a symbol that some courts have found to be unconstitutional.
Judge Richard R. Clifton said he doubted the notion that replacing the cross with a mission could be construed as an anti-Christian statement.
"I happen to be a Christian," Clifton said. "I'm not offended that they decided to put up a mission instead of a cross."
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame; who set their mind on earthly things. Philippians 3:18-19.