cewoodford wrote on Sep 28, 2008 11:22 AM:
" Sooo...what the posters are telling me here is that I have NO business asking for tougher questions to be asked of Winona's muslim community unless done so in person...Media pursuits of these same questions( which would CERTAINLY help foster a better understanding in our community) are off limits..it would just be too offensive to the "peaceful" religion..again...wow...who are the close minde thinkers here? All these posts lead me to one basic question... What are you hiding? "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 28, 2008 11:09 AM:
" First, my appologies to any Muslims for possibly offending them on Ramadan. Second, it IS a sore subject quite obviously, and to say I "JUST don't get it" and I dont wan any "contact" is a fools arguement. Why cant the US media ask tougher questions and let the US public disseminate the answers? Why is the Onus on me to go to my local Mosque? AGAIN, I am inferred to as close minded and that I "JUST don't get it". Who are the close minded thinkers here? What are you so guarded about? I have friends overseas that are fighting a faction of their religion...they've both got wives andf kids here..but theyre in Afghanistan fighting Muslim extremists while their kids grow up wondering why their Dads are gone again( 2nd tour)...and I'm an ass for daring to question the foundatins of our local Muslim communities beliefs... "
dumfounded wrote on Sep 28, 2008 9:26 AM:
" CE, no, you didn't touch any sore nerves. You JUST don;t get it! You seem to want no contact, in any context, between the Muslim and the Non-Muslim community; and you want to understand? "
BookHound wrote on Sep 27, 2008 3:47 PM:
" Mr. Woodford--I don't think anyone is saying that it's inappropriate to ask the questions, just that this particular dinner wasn't the appropriate forum. The Muslim community was gracious enough to invite people in to one of their holy holiday traditions. To jump in with questions about Muslim extremists in this context would be a lot like someone interrupting Christmas Eve services to demand that the pastor renounce the KKK. Good statement, wrong context. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 27, 2008 2:29 PM:
" and AGAIN with the backhanded comments....I've obviously touched a sore nerve here huh? You have a nice day as well, wherever it is you are... "
dumfounded wrote on Sep 27, 2008 1:17 PM:
" CE seems to have a lot of time on his hand.... Just think of how many times he has repeated himself! So, to what end would the "tough questions" he wants the WDN to ask lead? Would he ever be satisfied with the answers he will hear? Or, is his mind made up? Has he has any contact with Muslims in order to find out for himself how they feel? Or is he simply throwing pellets in the air hoping to hit something, or someone? I am sure that the Muslim community members in Winona and elsewhere would be more than happy to answer the "tough questions". Have a good day, wherever you are. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 27, 2008 8:41 AM:
" Sooo....I guess,judging by the posted responses here, it IS NOT okay for journalists to ask tough questions of our Muslim neighbors for fear that the answers may offend the community....which is kinda par for the course with the so called "peaceful" religion. These are the EXACT responses I expected....and unfortunatley recieved... "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 26, 2008 9:53 AM:
" And btw, Chickn4...alomost EVERY sermon I've been to at my church in Winona( Central Luthern) over the past 2 decades has been chastising and warning of the ways of sinning Christians..yes, my church speaks out against it's thousands of Christians with no morals...priests, rabbi's, pastors..whomever. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 26, 2008 9:47 AM:
" not to mention that the scope of our small town paper is not to create friction within our community. " You know chikn4, that statement alone speaks volumes. First, the "scope" of the WDN is certainly not to glad hand, and that has been proven time and time again for the 30+yrs I've been reading the WDN. And WHY ONE EARTH would asking somne tougher questions create friction? Honesty and truth are the fondations of any relationship..are you saying that the WDN has no place askig any local Muslims any tough questions regarding their beliefs and faith? It almost sounds as if you're infering it may casue friction if they spoke their mind to the media...see...this is the exact b.s. I'm talking about...I sincerely dont understand.. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 26, 2008 9:41 AM:
" Hey, I'm not trying to start an arguement or a heated discussion. That was NEVER the point of any of these posts. I wasn't trying to knock the main message or intent of this dinner. I want to know why it's not acceptable or okay(and VERY apparently so from the responses I've recieved here) for a journalist to ask some members of the local Muslim community some tougher questions. It would go miles to foster better understanding and harmony. Instead, I'm ridiculed,called ignorant, told I should go myself to the local Mosque....I DARED to question...my fault...stooopid arrogant American... "
chickn4 wrote on Sep 25, 2008 7:18 PM:
" Also, cewoodford,
I see nothing wrong with the article, if you are bold enough to ask these questions, please do it in person at the next gathering in your area (yes, I bet Chicago can show you a little diversity). You know that we can not go back in time and ask these questions, not to mention that the scope of our small town paper is not to create friction within our community. "
chickn4 wrote on Sep 25, 2008 7:16 PM:
" cewoodford, I was present at the dinner and can assure you that everyone was welcome (the image on the front page of the paper, as well as the main page of the WDN site today pictures NO muslims..the girls and the woman are not muslim whatsoever....the one with the women and the food, however, is a different story). Everyone was welcome, and everyone showed. It was meant to share and show others how a certain religious ceremony goes.
I would not ask any of them to speak of Muslim extremists. Would you go to a Christian Church and expect them to speak of the thousands of Christians with no morals? Obviously no extremists decided to show their evil ways at this gathering, Muslim or others.
The food was wonderful, the gathering was great. Everyone learned something. What more can you ask for? "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 6:20 PM:
" But again, ask someone to share their views and explain some percieved differences usually ends up with the same exact posts such as yours, no answers, backhanded insults, and inferences of being closeminded...that being said, I revert you back to my first and original post. Have a good day. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 6:17 PM:
" Wow...I am impressed..amazing amount of spin...Sooo...Muslim Extremists are related to Islam on the same level that the KKK is related to Christianity...hmmm...Why is it then that we hear nary a word form CAIR completely renouncing Muslim extremism? Why is it so hard for Muslim leaders to do that? How about Sharia law? Certainly an issue in world politics...another item, we dont see Muslim leaders decrying...To compare Organized Christianitys realtionship top the KKK to Islams relationship to Muslim extremism is a far far stretch...no comparison..Plus...I dont know, I guess the two groups hate Jews the same...that would be their obvious correlation... "
Pilgrim wrote on Sep 25, 2008 5:00 PM:
" Ignorant redneck xenophobe ... CE, if the shoe fits ... "
ezzee wrote on Sep 25, 2008 3:38 PM:
" cewoodford, you are taking the word ignorance to be a bad thing, which it is not. In fact, to paraphrase Socrates, any man who admits his ignorance is an extremely wise man. I myself know that I am ignorant in many areas, such as brain surgery, nuclear science, car repair, and many other sciences.
As far as them renouncing a "faction" of their religion, fine, so be it. But then it would also be appropriate for Christians to renounce the KKK as it is as much a "faction" of Christianity os Al Qaeda is a "faction" of Islam.
If you would like to have the newspaper or other media outlets to ask tough questions, fine. However, there also has to be some personal responsibility as well to further educate oneself instead of blaming ones ignorance on a newspaper. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 3:06 PM:
" But the Onus is completely on us stoopid ignorant Americans to find out the true feelings our Muslim neighbors have right Ezzee? I mean seriously, a faction of their religion decalres a Holy War on our country. Thousands of innocents Americans are killed on 9/11..We send our children to fight them in the mideast..and the Onus is on ME to find out how they truly feel? When we want the media to ask them some tougher questions we're ignorant? I'm all for fostering a better relations from ALL people, however, why are us stoopid Americans the ignorant ones? Or we're all of a sudden a bunch of redneck xenophobes? "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 3:00 PM:
" Hmmm ezzee..I guess that's my problem, I'm ignorant( according to your backhanded comment at the end of your post) because I dare to ask the newspaper to do an indepth look at Muslim-Americans relations with Non-Muslim Americans. This dinner and article was about fostering better communication and understanding of The Muslim population. Wouldnt the Daily News doing an actual article asking some of the tough questions that a very good majority of Americans harbor in the back and front of their minds every day... "
Jack Sparrow wrote on Sep 25, 2008 1:50 PM:
" I didn't say anything was incorrect about your statement El Uno, simply that you seem to think the majority of us get our information from one source, which I sincerely hope is incorrect about most of the posters on here. While you may get all of your information from liberal media sources, I (and hopefully the rest of the posters) get information not only from the liberal media, but also the conservative media, and even the international media. It's really quite astonishing at the difference in the way each reports the same story. Most of the time, it's pretty simple to use the facts from various media sources, and piece them together into the actual story. "
ezzee wrote on Sep 25, 2008 12:57 PM:
" cewoodford, I would suggest because it isn't news. This is about a holy event. It would be the equivalent of asking a Catholic Priest about abortion clinic bombings during Christmas.
Now I'm not saying your questions don't have merit. What I am saying is that it is not the newspapers responsibility to answer your questions. I'm sure there is an Islamic Temple where you live. If you have questions about Islam, then go talk to them. I'm sure they would be more then willing to answer them for you. But the newspaper itself is not in the business of answering for each individual ignorance. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 12:29 PM:
" How about the WDN step up to the plate and take a shot at some real journalism? Ask some tough questions( not offensive) of our Muslim neighbors.. If you want to foster harmony and better understanding between the avg US citizen and the Muslim community lets start by answering real questions and doubts/concerns that exist regarding the Muslim faith? "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 12:25 PM:
" I just love some of the reactions you get when you dare to question someone about their religious beliefs..especially a religion with a sect we, as a country, happen to be at war with..You question them and automatically your defending yourself from being called a bigot..meanwhile our friends and neighbors are being sent overseas, not to mention our hard earned dollars, fighting a sect of a religion most of us have little understanding of, but we're expected to love and take them in as our brothers....just dont ask any questions that may offend... "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 12:13 PM:
" For my little buddy El Uno, I FULLY AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY DENOUNCE "Christian extremist in the US who buy ranches and rape 13 year old girls because that's what their Bible tells them" and any sect of Christianity that uses fear and misinformation to spread the faith of Christianity. Furthermore, Jack Sparrow is dead on in his characterization of you. Keep posting and you'll prove it to us in more depth as always. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 12:08 PM:
" Hey, I never asked any of these questions shouting, or in a manner meant to be offensive or instigating. Second, I am in Chicago and have no time to come back to Winona to question the local Imam(hence me suggesting the WDN do more than a puff piece and ask some real questions that Americans honestly and sincerely would like to have answered). Thirdly, there is no anonimity in my posts( unlike 99.5% of the other braintrusts here)c.e. woodford is my real government name. Now, lets start addressing some of these questions instead of belittling us for actually asking them. "
El Uno wrote on Sep 25, 2008 10:31 AM:
" Ok Jack, please enlighten me then as to which part of my comment was incorrect. Apparently, I am not informed enough about the dealing around the world. "
ezzee wrote on Sep 25, 2008 10:12 AM:
" I'm sure, as my understanding of Islam and Islamic fundamentalists go, you would've gotten an answer similar to the fact that Islamic fundamentalists are to Islam as the Ku Klux Klan is to Christianity.
But instead of going down to the Islamic Center and asking these questions for yourself, it's easier to anonymously talk about them on a newspaper blog.
I would challenge cewoodford and rawhide as well as other who have questions to go down to the Islamic Center. Talk to Ahmed El-Afandi who is an Imam and ask him these questions. They are located right downtown, so you should be able to find it fairly easily. "
dumfounded wrote on Sep 25, 2008 9:58 AM:
" Some people never hear or listen. Thus there is no need to shout. For those, there is no comment. For those who were seriously wondering, yes, there were people of the Jewish faith, as well as those of the Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, as well as others who attended the gathering. Perhaps you should've been there. You'd have been welcome. Maybe you and members of the Muslim community would've engaged in a constructive dialog rather than a shouting match. "
The Ultimate Hustler wrote on Sep 25, 2008 9:36 AM:
" There is only one God and Muhammad is his Prophet. "
Jack Sparrow wrote on Sep 25, 2008 9:31 AM:
" El Uno...do you really think anyone here is stupid enough to strictly watch one single news station? Besides you apparently, the rest of us (I hope this is true anyway) know enough to balance our "news-watching" between the major networks, mostly Fox, CNN, and NBC. By doing this, we can make inferences of what the truth actually is, since all of the stations are one-sided beyond belief. So perhaps you should take a lesson El Uno, watch more than CNN or NBC, and maybe you'll learn something. "
El Uno wrote on Sep 25, 2008 8:48 AM:
" cewoodford - what are your thoughts on Christian extremist in the US who buy ranches and rape 13 year old girls because that's what their Bible tells them? I have a feeling it would be the same answer as the one you would get from our local Muslims when you ask them about Iraq. By the way, we aren't in Israel so I'm sure all were welcome. Now I know FoxNews told you otherwise but they have been known to be wrong once or twice.... "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 8:21 AM:
" Would Jews have been openly welcome at this feast? I'd like to see a WDN reporter ask some tough questions.... "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 8:20 AM:
" And that would be another great question Rawhide, What ecaly are your feelings about non-belivers? Is there a place in the world for Jews and Christians? Seriously, these questions we have aren't bigoted hate filled questions. They are real questions a whole lot of Americans have on their minds. If a Muslim community wants to assimilate to modern America these are questions I think we validly have a right to ask. I'd sincerely like to see the WDN do a real story about how some of our local Muslims feel. "
Rawhide wrote on Sep 25, 2008 7:11 AM:
" Here's a suggestion for a new title: Christianity and Judeism stink; more tolerance for Muslims needed. "
cewoodford wrote on Sep 25, 2008 1:41 AM:
" How about an article in the WDN on our friendly local good Muslims denouncing Muslim extremists and Sharia Law? Have we seen an article with any local Muslim outcry over their extermist bretheren? Seriously, I've got friends (and THANK the LORD I have no family currently serving) in the mideast risking their lives fighting Muslim extremism..I would REALLY like to hear their opinions and views on the war and Muslim extremists...How about it WDN? How about putting a little meat in a story? This story is nothing but fluff for us Americans fighting a war against Muslim followers who have bastardized their religion..How about a real story from them on how they feel about this war? "
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