“Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.”
— Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese in The Terminator
It’s always something with the group Michelle Malkin calls the Religion of Perpetual Rage.
A Florida judge ruled last week—why this issue even came up is a question in and of itself—that Sharia law could be applied in a lawsuit over the governance of a Mosque (and, not inconsequentially, control over a significant sum in Mosque assets). Recent efforts in Michigan, Oklahoma, and elsewhere to ban the application of foreign law in local courts (where U.S. and State law have governed for over 200 years) have been met by cries of racism by Muslims; cries that only make sense if they perceive such measures as being aimed at preventing the application of Sharia, which of course presupposes that those making such accusations have an interest in actually applying Sharia.
Everywhere Islamist creep is in motion, seeking not just to peacefully coexist, but to impose itself on the rest of us. And where they can’t yet do it by the sword, they’re doing it by lawsuit. Consider the recent complaint lodged with the Office of Human Rights in D.C. by a group of Muslim students claiming that Catholic University is violating their human rights. The allegation is that these Muslim students are being discriminated against and repressed because they can’t find a room to pray in that doesn’t have a crucifix, a picture of Jesus or the Pope, or a view of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Crucifixes at a Catholic college. Who knew?
This goes beyond the simply silly. Let’s just start with the obvious: the institution is named “The Catholic University of America.” Let me say it again: the word Catholic is part of the name, and it’s been that way for nearly 125 years. And rather than simply having a Catholic heritage or nominal leanings, Catholic University was actually established by the Catholic Church under the imprimatur of Pope Leo XIII. It’s the real deal.
Lest there be any misunderstanding that “Catholic” is just a label here, the university's mission statement—a mission statement approved in 2006, undoubtedly well before the current complainants arrived on campus—published on its website leaves no doubt that it expressly exists to promote Catholic ideals:
“As the national university of the Catholic Church in the United State, founded and sponsored by the bishops of the country with the approval of the Holy See [that’s the Pope, for those who might be wondering] The Catholic University of America is committed to being a comprehensive Catholic and American institution of higher learning, faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ as handed on by the Church.”
The same link goes on to articulate the university’s statement of aims and goals in this vein:
“As a Catholic university, it desires to cultivate and impart an understanding of the Christian faith within the context of all forms of human inquiry and values. It seeks to ensure, in an institutional manner, the proper intellectual and academic witness to Christian inspiration in individuals and in the community, and to provide a place for continuing reflection, in the light of the Christian faith, upon treasure of human knowledge . . . Faithful to the Christian message as it comes through the Church and faithful to its own national traditions, The Catholic University of America has unique responsibilities to be of service to Christian thought and education in the Catholic community[.]”
This is a school that’s under censure by the American Association of University Professors for refusing to permit certain speakers on campus who are known to espouse ideas in conflict with fundamental teachings of the Catholic Church, such as the Church’s teachings regarding abortion.
One gets the distinct impression that this place might be, I don’t know, Catholic. Apparently the students agree—84% of undergraduates there self-identify as Catholic. It’s a funny thing about Catholics: we tend to have our crucifixes and pictures of Jesus and the Pope around. That’s not exactly a state secret (did these kids never see Rudy??). And are we really expected to believe that these Muslim students had no idea that the Basilica—only the tallest habitable building in the District—was on campus? One has to wonder what, exactly, they expected when they matriculated.
Now, all that said, for all its dripping with the trappings of Catholicism, Catholic University wasn’t trying to force these Muslim students to convert to Catholicism or even just to give up Islam. The school does admit non-Catholics, its dining halls serve Hallal-compliant meals, and not only does the university website provide listings for non-Catholic worship opportunities, but the very first listing is for Muahhad’s Mosque, about ¾ mile from campus—I had longer walks to get to some classes at Rice.
I’m pretty sure that Vito Corleone and Luca Brasi didn’t sit down for a chat with these students to, er, “recruit” them to attend Catholic University, and certainly no one is making them stay there. It’s not like it’s a low-cost in-state public school that represents the only affordable college alternative for them. Moreover, it’s not like there aren’t other good non-Catholic private school options reasonably nearby—American University, George Washington University, and Johns Hopkins University come to mind—where they are unlikely to encounter a crucifix or picture of the Pope. These people knew exactly what they were getting themselves into, and they chose to inflict these supposed religious impositions upon themselves. It really begs the question why.
Nobody’s making Muslim students attend Mass, or carry a rosary, or genuflect before the tabernacle. Yet somehow that’s not good enough. We have to make Catholic University stop being Catholic. And it would appear that that's exactly the point behind these students' insistence on attending a university so seemingly offensive to their faith.
By now it is clear that the Islamists do not want to assimilate, and they’re not interested in being tolerated or simply left alone to practice their faith. No amount of acceptance, apology, or accommodation will satisfy them. The only thing they want is for everyone else to change their practices to fit theirs, and they will pursue that goal by any means.
You’ve been warned.
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