Prayer request in Jacksonville, FL sends gasps through crowd.

[FLyellowdog]

Hatred and bigotry are alive and well in this area. And these people are supposed to be leaders in our community. Glad I spend as little time as possible there. :nuke:


http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=155339&catid=3

[LisaM]

1. I don't think you should be asking anyone to lead a prayer at a city council meeting

it's a bit out of place. And it clearly overshadowed the real issue, his appointment.

[FLyellowdog]

9. The good doctor wasn't being asked to lead the group in prayer.

He was being challenged to pray to "his" god as opposed to a "Christian" god. This had nothing to do with religion...clearly an attempt to bolster support for not appointing him to the committee.

[LisaM]

10. The article was very unclear

I couldn't really tell what was going on. I thought he'd been appointed, then they asked him to pray and everyone erupted!

I think you kind of cleared it up for me.

[Nikki Stone1]

2. Councilman Don Redman asked Ahmed, who is a Muslim, to say a prayer to his God.

I hate when the OPs give no information.

Councilmember Redman's Controversial Question Sends Shock Waves Through Meeting

ACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Dr. Parvez Ahmed took the podium in front of the city's council members on Tuesday night. That is where Councilman Don Redman asked Ahmed, who is a Muslim, to say a prayer to his God.

That question sent shock waves through the packed city council meeting.

The disruption caused by Redman's question forced city council to take a short break. As Council President Richard Clark called for a break during the meeting, an unidentified man towards the front of the room shouted that the council should have asked for the public's opinion on Ahmed before voting.

Clark asked security to escort the man away. At the same time, hundreds of people were exiting the council chambers. Many of those people laughed and clapped when Clark made the request.

During that intermission, Ahmed was surrounded by a crush of people, many waiting to shake his hand and congratulate him on his appointment by the council to the Human Rights Commission.

"It has been a difficult process and the rhetorical heat has made matters more difficult than they needed to be," said Ahmed to the media in the lobby of city hall as he read from a single sheet of folded paper.

Weeks of controversy followed Ahmed as the council considered his nomination to the commission.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=155339&catid=3

[vi5]

3. I must be an idiot....

I have read and re-read this several times and have not a damn clue as to what happened.

"Dr. Parvez Ahmed took the podium in front of the city's council members on Tuesday night. That is where Councilman Don Redman asked Ahmed, who is a Muslim, to say a prayer to his God.

That question sent shock waves through the packed city council meeting."


Huh? What was the question? Asking someone to say a prayer is a request, not a question, is it not? What was offensive about the request? There is no set up to the story. For all we know Ahmed could have been at the podium for the express purpose of a prayer.

The rest of the article doesn't make it any clearer.

[Dappleganger]

6. It wasn't a request, it was a dare.

The poser wanted Dr. Ahmed to pray in order to try to embarrass him in front of the council and everyone else. The poser failed.

Dr. Ahmed is a very intelligent and kind person, he does not deserve any of this bigotry and snark from these stupid people. He's highly respected in his field, came highly recommended by well-regarded people and deserves to have this appointment.

[FLyellowdog]

8. You got it right.

[Nikki Stone1]

15. The article was poorly written and the OP explains nothing

Typical post and run crap. Don't feel bad. That's why I posted the article.

[FLyellowdog]

19. How kind of you to do the work for others so they don't have to go to the link.

[csziggy]

4. Gee, I guess the Christian imaginary sky being is not strong enough

To hold off one prayer to a Muslim imaginary sky being? Or the Christian imaginary sky being believers don't have enough faith in their deity to be secure in that faith. :nuke:

[watrwefitinfor]

12. One and same imaginary sky being.

Therein lies a huge part of the stupid.

Jews, Christians, Muslims - all pray to same diety.

[csziggy]

16. Heck, the Baptists don't believe the Methodists pray to the same imaginary sky being

And they absolutely would not accept that the Jews or Muslims pray to the same one they do. As far as the Southern Baptists are concerned every other religion is a lie and everybody who does not accept their version is going to hell. I know this because my racist asshole of a Baptist minister told me from when I was a small child - he claimed he was worried our entire family was going to hell since my mother (his sister) and our family were Presbyterians. All he managed to do was convince me all religions are a crock of lies.

Maybe from an outsider's perspective its the same imaginary sky being, but they are likely to want to burn you at the stake if you try to tell them that.

[Dappleganger]

5. There were many citizens who thought that was idiotic...

and got up and left.

Yes, we have plenty of bigots here but there are just as many if not more who speak out against them and want this city to progress.

Dr. Ahmed was approved so now we can move on. I hope that this is a lesson to all those bigots that Jax will not be taken captive by them any longer.

If you want to see how the republican party can completely ruin a city, look no further than here. We had everything opening up when the SuperBowl came but the mayor and his cronies have failed, miserably. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the owner packed his team up and left (and quite frankly, I wish he would).

Thankfully we live just outside of the city although dh works in it and we do shop there, but their political atmosphere is just toxic. If there weren't some very decent liberals in the area it would definitely seem hopeless. We tend to hang out with the crowd from Riverside and Springfield.

[FLyellowdog]

7. Then you know of what the article speaks.

This was clearly an attempt to cause derision within the group of council members as well as in the audience. I think Dr. Ahmed handled the whole thing quite well.

Riverside and Springfield people are great. My daughter used to live in that area years ago.

[Dappleganger]

11. Yes, he did but then again he's a classy person with integrity.

I'm STILL reeling from the fact that mayoral candidate and council member Glorious Johnson voted against him, too. I really am very upset by her choice to succumb to bigotry.

Riverside is awesome...there's been some setbacks in its development but hopefully it will pull through. Our oldest daughter is hoping to move somewhere in that area (5 Points, of course!) in the next year or so just to be near her friends.

[FLyellowdog]

17. My daughter said the same about Johnson.

She actually knows her pretty well and has always supported her, but now she's having doubts. Maybe Johnson is just pandering to the politics of the whole thing. Who knows?

Love the Five Points!!!

[Dappleganger]

21. Glorious Johnson

She is a great communicator and I intend to email her and ask her why she voted against Dr. Ahmed. IMO what she did was very, very cowardly and not in line with how she usually votes but if there's a character flaw there I want to know about it.

[FLyellowdog]

23. Daugher says she is going to ask as well. nt

[RagAss]

13. Jacksonville?...You have more than "plenty" of bigots there !

And it shows.

[FLyellowdog]

18. Yes, and its outlying areas.

I saw it first hand knocking on doors for Obama during the campaign.There are some scary and stupid people out there.

[Dappleganger]

22. Oh Lord, yes. nt

[retread]

14. Jax has always been a right-wing sewer. I grew up in the area in the early '60's. The

difference I see now is back then if you even dared voice an opposite opinion you were fortunate to escape with your life.

On the other hand, Stetson Kennedy was born and lives there.

[Dappleganger]

20. The word is that Redman has been catching shit all day long from the people...

and an apology of some kind will be given. Of course the damage is already done and I've no doubt it will be insincere, but it's good he's experiencing a lot of heat.

[FLyellowdog]

24. I'm so tired of people trying to unring the bell

everytime they say something inappropriate. Redman made the point he wanted to make and no apology will undo that.

[Dappleganger]

25. He should resign but we all know that's not gonna happen. nt