"Let me be as blunt and direct as I can be. Western civilization is in a war. We should frankly test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in Sharia, they should be deported,


Newt Gingrich: Test every Muslim in U.S. to see if they believe in Sharia

Washington (CNN)Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday called for the U.S. to test every person with a Muslim background to see if they believe in Sharia law, and deport those who do.

"Let me be as blunt and direct as I can be. Western civilization is in a war. We should frankly test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in Sharia, they should be deported," Gingrich said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity. "Sharia is incompatible with Western civilization. Modern Muslims who have given up Sharia, glad to have them as citizens. Perfectly happy to have them next door."

His remarks came in light of a terror attack in Nice, France, where a large truck plowed through a crowd, killing as many as 80 people.

"How do we ascertain -- how do you possibly ascertain whether or not that person really wants assimilation, really wants a new life, or whether or not they want to expand that caliphate, which is what we're at war against?" Hannity asked.

"The first step is you have to ask them the questions," Gingrich responded. "The second step is you have to monitor what they're doing on the Internet. The third step is, let me be very clear, you have to monitor the mosques. I mean, if you're not prepared to monitor the mosques, this whole thing is a joke. Where do you think the primary source of recruitment is? Where do you think the primary place of indoctrination is? You've got to look at the madrassas -- if you're a school which is teaching Sharia, you want to expel it from the country."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/15/politics/newt-gingrich-hannity-interview/index.html




I think that we can add this to the Lexicon of really stupid ideas.
Look, I get it. We are all appalled, angry, frustrated, and apprehensive about these continued attacks.
I'm angry. 
So, tough sounding talk is emotionally satisfying.
I get it.
But, don't let your anger and fear drive you towards tough sounding talk that is just nonsense.
The truth is, Newt doesn't have a clue.

* First of all, if you interview people and they know that certain answers would get them deported, what would stop them from simply lying?

* Secondly, understand the problem.  If you don't understand the problem you have little hope of solving it. "Sharia" is not synonymous with terrorism. They are two seperate things.

Sharia is the religious legal system governing the members of the Islamic faith. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam, particularly the Quran and the Hadith.  Sharia is a body of moral and religious law derived from religious prophecy, as opposed to human legislation.

Sharia deals with many topics, including crime, politics, marriage contracts, trade regulations, religious prescriptions, and economics, as well as personal matters such as sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer, everyday etiquette and fasting. 

Terrorism, on the other hand, is the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.

* Third, look around you. Do you see any groups in the US, or France for that matter lobbying for Sharia law to replace the law? It's just a scary sounding word, and Newt is using it to pander to fear.

I could go on. But, the point is, beware of people spouting tough sounding things that, while they may be emotionally satisfying, really don't address our problems.

Last edited by Goose (7/15/2016 5:56 am)