With so much ASCII being spilled about the controversy over the proposed building of an “Islamic center” near the site of Ground Zero in NYC, a recurring theme is being used by those in the liberal media – namely, that people can’t possibly cite acts of violence done in the name of Islam without first recognizing the acts of violence done in the name of Christianity.  To cite one and not the other makes one a hypocrite.

Dennis Prager, in this article at National Review talks about this “moral equivalence” argument.  He cites three recent examples of its use occurring on PBS, ABC, and NPR.  Tavis Smiley of PBS argues with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (an ex-Muslim Somali writer particularly concerned with women’s rights under Islamic law) that Christians commit horrible acts of violence every day in America and that there is no difference between those acts and the ones perpetrated by Islamic extremists in the name of God (never mind  that these violent individuals rarely, if ever, claim they are acting under the influence of said religion).  On NPR, Michael Martin invoked the left’s favorite fanatic Timothy McVeigh asking:

Did anybody move a Christian church after Timothy McVeigh, who adhered to a cultic white supremacist cultic version of Christianity, bombed [the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City]?”(Again, let’s ignore the fact that McVeigh self-identified as an agnostic stating “Science is my religion.”)

And finally, Chris Cuomo on ABC tweeted the following message to his 1 million followers:

“To all my christian brothers and sisters, especially catholics – before u condemn muslims for violence, remember the crusades . . . . study them.”

You just knew the Crusades would be brought up!  Guess what, Mr. Cuomo, some people have actually studied them – a lot.  People like Thomas Madden and Johnathan Riley-Smith.  And despite what Mr. Cuomo may think he knows about the Crusades, he is most likely parroting the long-accepted progressive talking points.  Dennis Prager does a good job of dismantling the comparison in his brief article, but I suggest if you don’t know much about the Crusades, find out more.  It is fascinating reading and I have a feeling we’ll be dealing with the issue more in the coming days.