Quote of the Day: Mark Williams

Tea Party talk radio host and blogger Mark Williams apologized for offending Hindus, when he, trying to offend Muslims, called Allah a "monkey god." His apology, in part:

In the course of the article I described the “god” worshiped by terrorists as “a monkey god”. I was wrong and that was offensive. I owe an apology to millions of Hindus who worship Lord Hanuman, an actual Monkey God.

Moreover, Hanuman is worshiped as a symbol of perseverance, strength and devotion. He is known as a destroyer of evil and to inspire and liberate. Those are hardly the traits of whatever the Hell (literally) it is that terrorists worship and worthy of my respect and admiration not ridicule.

So, again, to my Hindu friends I offer my sincerest apologies for my horrible lapse and my insensitivity. It was unintentional, inexplicably ignorant and I am ashamed at my offense toward you.

As comical as Williams sudden contrition is, he inadvertantly brings up some theological questions. First, does he (or anyone) think that Muslim terrorists worship a different god than peaceful Muslims do? And by refering to "Allah," are Christians knowlingly distancing themselves from Muslims, who come from the same tradition (and who actually recognize Jesus Christ as important, if not divine)? And does Williams really have any Hindu friends to offend?

The blog post he apologized for? It's now password-protected. To get the password, you have to read his book, "Mark Williams Taking Back America One Tea Party at a Time." But if you read the book, you can also learn "How the author cured his own liberalism."

But seriously, Williams' blog post was about the Islamic cultural center that's proposed near Ground Zero. A Muslim group bought a building that used to house a Burlington Coat Factory -- a building that was damaged by a chunk of landing gear that smashed through its roof on September 11, 2001. By most accounts, the man who wants to open the center, Imam Feisal -- a Sufi -- genuinely works for peace and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims: the FBI says he's acted as a go-between for federal investigators and has the blessing and support of some Christian groups.