'This Week' with Christiane Amanpour

"The link between politics and the pulpit has always been strong. And one no one has been a spiritual adviser to more presidents than the Reverend Billy Graham. Unfortunately, Billy Graham is a very old man and was unable to join us this Easter Sunday. Still, we thought it would be appropriate to have some politically connected religious figure on our show today, and since we had Graham on our mind anyway, we've invited his son Franklin. As well as being a prominent Islamophobe, Franklin is well know for introducing the theory that President Obama is a Muslim Apostate. I'm Christiane Amanpour, ABC News. Reverend Graham, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us." "Thank you, Christiane. You're right about one thing - My dad is a very old man. Sometimes it's like he's sticking around just so I won't be able to carry on his legacy."   "Reverend Graham, what's the idea that you most dearly associate with Easter?"   "Ham, Christiane, a big old Smithfield ham. But beyond that, it's the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for me."   "You have also said that we live in the time of the anti-Christ."   "Well sure, Christiane. I mean, he's in the White House right now as we speak. At least metaphorically. I suppose that since it is Easter, he could be making a token appearance in church."   "You have said that so many of these earth-shattering events that we're experiencing over the last few years, whether it's natural disasters, wars, or whatever it is, it's almost like the labor pains for the second coming."   "I would call that a no-brainer, Christiane. We're definitely in the latter days, whether that means a few months or few thousand years, I don't know. I guess a lot will depend on how the anti-Christ does in next years election."   "It's quite a leap you've made, Reverend Graham, from calling the president a Muslim Apostate to calling him the anti-Christ."   "Actually, the part about the anti-Christ is pure speculation on my part. It may be that that's only true metaphorically."   "You have traveled to Haiti with Sarah Palin."   "What about it?"   "Is she the kind of candidate you would like to see run for election? Would she be your candidate of choice?"   "Bwahahahaha... Good one, Christiane. We might be better off with the anti-Christ. Metaphorically, I mean."   "Well, there are people in right now. Would you support Mitt Romney, would you support..."   "I've met Mitt Romney. No question he is a... he's a very capable person. For a Mormon. Let's talk about Donald Trump. When I first saw that he was getting in, I thought, well, this has got to be a joke. But the more you listen to him, the more you say to yourself, you know? Maybe the guy's right."   "Are you crazy? He might be your candidate of choice?"   "Yes to both questions, Christiane. I don't agree with the philosophy that says you're better off with the devil you know than the devil you don't know. At least metaphorically."   "We've been talking to Franklin Graham, man of many metaphors. Reverend, thanks for joining us this Easter Sunday."   "Thank you, Christiane. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a big old Smithfield ham calling me home."

Pat lashes out

Pat Robertson lashed out at the media this morning on the '700 Club' for what he called "gross negligence in the reporting of incendiary statements by America's religious leaders". Calling it a 'come to Jesus moment', he gave the media until Friday to apologize or face the prospect of being lashed again. "I'm talking about the entire media, left, right, middle, broadcast, print, and social," Robertson told co-host Terry Ann Meeuwsen. "They've all been atwitter - even on Twitter, I understand - about some rather innocuous comments made by my lesser competitor Franklin Graham on Islam last Friday. Now in one sense, I understand this. Franklin did bring the President into the conversation, so I suppose that makes it news. But it is rather small potatoes in the larger scheme of things. I've been defaming Islam for years, unlike Reverend Johnny-come-lately Graham." "On Thursday I explained right here on the '700 Club' the planned Muslim takeover of America, one city at a time. I gave as an example the small town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where they're going to be bringing in thousands and thousands of Muslims, taking over the city counsel, and creating ordinances mandating prayer five times a day and foot washing facilities in all public restrooms. Just imagine taking your family out for a meal at a nice restaurant, and when you go to wash your hands there's a strange bearded man with his feet in a tub. Unthinkable. I then went on to explain how resistance was practically futile, because of the Muslim plan to bring in thousands of dollars of Saudi money intended to bribe local politicians to sell out their citizens." "And what was the reaction to my warning, Terry Ann? That's right, there was no reaction. None at all. Rush didn't mention me. Beck didn't mention me. Hannity didn't mention me, and quite frankly, you would have thought that would have been a gimme. I wasn't interviewed by any of the FOX shows, and I wasn't even mocked by any of the MSNBC shows. Did you see Olbermann's 'Worst People in the World' on Friday? You didn't see me, then. Not even a couple of words from the Daily Kos." "That, my friends, is a media blackout. Franklin Graham made his bland comments on the Larry King show, which has an audience of what? Thirty thousand? Everybody heard about it, but when I revealed the truth to our seven million viewers, it was like that tree that falls in the forest. You know, the one that nobody hears. I'm starting to believe that perhaps the local politicians aren't the only ones on the receiving end of those Saudi bribes. I pray that I'm wrong, Terry Ann, but if I don't get some pretty heavy coverage from the news cycle by Friday, I'm going to lash out big time."

FGAQ: Helping Pat to reach the masses.

Apostasy

I am currently obsessed with the Franklin Graham story (see below). I am hoping that the good Reverend's words are widely picked up on, and seen in the subversively evil political sense they were intended. It's not a leap of right-wing logic to move from the Obama as Muslim dog whistles to Obama as Muslim Apostate. The beauty of that conceptualization is that it is something politicians (i.e. Graham) of a certain ilk can say out loud in a reasonable tone and still sound sane. "Yes, he was born a Muslim, but at least he says that he renounced Mohammed years ago." And then you wait for your followers to gleefully make the next move. I looked around for the origin of the Obama as Apostate meme, and it seems to have originated in a piece by Defense consultant Edward Luttwak titled 'President Apostate?' which was printed in the NYT in May 2008. Here are a couple excerpts. "As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother’s Christian background is irrelevant." "His conversion, however, was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is “irtidad” or “ridda,” usually translated from the Arabic as “apostasy,” but with connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim’s family may choose to forgive). With few exceptions, the jurists of all Sunni and Shiite schools prescribe execution for all adults who leave the faith not under duress; the recommended punishment is beheading at the hands of a cleric, although in recent years there have been both stonings and hangings." "Because no government is likely to allow the prosecution of a President Obama — not even those of Iran and Saudi Arabia, the only two countries where Islamic religious courts dominate over secular law — another provision of Muslim law is perhaps more relevant: it prohibits punishment for any Muslim who kills any apostate, and effectively prohibits interference with such a killing." The Luttwak piece has been having a healthy revival over the past couple of days. No doubt. On topic: Tengrain at the excellent Mock, Paper, Scissors.

Franklin Graham clarifies

Hello, brothers and sisters, may the Lord's grace shine down upon you. I'm sure you all recognize me, don't you? Well, I understand. I tend to forget a face now and then, but I always remember a name. I'm Franklin Graham... Reverend Franklin Graham... Reverend Franklin Graham, son of the Reverend Billy Graham. There, that should be good enough for everyone but the heathens amongst you. Actually, a lot of you heathens probably know me too - you've probably got my picture on your dartboards. No? You've got my dad's? Heh, heh, I'll tell him. He's sure to get a kick out of that. The reason I wanted to speak to you is to correct some recent remarks of mine that seem to have been misinterpreted by the media. They're like that, you know. Even FOX News and all of the conservative talkers have misrepresented me, they just spin it in a different direction. It's enough to make me bite my lip. What the media wants you to believe is that I said President Obama is a Muslim. And I did, I'll admit it, although I said it in a very nuanced way which I'm afraid was not very well understood. What I said, and I'll quote myself, is that the President was born a Muslim, and that his father was a Muslim. The seed of Islam is passed through the father like the seed of Judaism is passed through the mother. Normal people, by which I mean Christians, aren't born from seeds. They are born from the union of a sperm and ovum given up by two married adults. I hope I'm not getting too technical for you, but you can find out more about this on the internet. Except for the part about the seed of Islam. That's something I once heard from an Imam, and if anyone should know, it would be him. Anyway, my point was that the President was born a Muslim, and he was give a Muslim name. That's what's known as prima facie evidence. But I also said that I believed Obama was now a Christian. You know, a few months back, he was in North Carolina, and he came to visit my dad, and we all prayed together. Of course, Dad is getting up there in age, and he always has liked to pray with presidents. But like I said, it's obvious that the president has renounced the prophet Mohammed, and he has renounced Islam, and he has accepted Jesus Christ. That's what he says he has done. So instead of condemning the President, I think we should praise him, and more importantly, pray for him. Because he's a very brave man. As a Muslim renouncing Islam, he's committed apostasy, which is a very serious offense, one that calls for the death penalty. Just saying. Luckily for him, that's Sharia law, not American law, so unless some fanatic gets it into his head that he needs to defend Islam, the President should be just fine. Well, I hope that this clears everything up, and the media doesn't try to put some crazy spin on it this time.