Falwell Brands Mohammed A 'Terrorist'
Oct. 4, 2002
cbsnews.com
The Rev. Jerry Falwell has called Islam's founder and most sacred figure, Mohammed, "a terrorist."
In a 60 Minutes interview with CBS News Correspondent Bob Simon, Falwell also
affirms the Christian Right's steadfast support for the state of Israel against its Islamic
enemies and hints that right-wing religious groups are influencing U.S. government policy
toward Israel. Right-wing Christians believe the turmoil in the Middle East is
a harbinger of the second coming of Christ.
The interview with Falwell will be broadcast on 60 Minutes Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
"I think Mohammed was a terrorist. I read enough…by both Muslims
and non-Muslims, [to decide] that he was a violent man, a man of war,"
Falwell tells Simon. "In my opinion…Jesus set the
example for love, as did Moses, and I think Mohammed set an opposite example."
When President Bush urged Israel to remove its forces from Palestinian
towns earlier this year, Falwell sent him a personal protest and the
White House received 100,000 e-mail protests from
Christians.
Falwell say he believes Bush is well aware of the Christian constituency.
"There are 70 million of us…[and] there's nothing that would bring the wrath
of the Christian public in this country down
on this government like abandoning or opposing Israel on a critical matter," he says.
Falwell and conservative Christians support the Israelis and condemn
their enemies because they believe the triumph of Israel is God's will.
The Jews' return to their ancient homeland - and sole
ownership of the territories Arabs and Israelis both lay claim to - is a
precondition for the second coming of Christ, according to the Fundamentalist
Evangelical Christians' interpretation of the
Bible.
The Biblical scenario is not a savory one for many Jews, however
"God save us from these people," says Israeli political analyst Yossi Alpher.
"When you see what these people are
encouraging Israel and the U.S. to do…ignore the Palestinians,
kick them out…they are leading us into a scenario of out-and-out disaster," he tells Simon.
But disaster is part of the scenario. Many Fundamentalist Evangelicals
believe there will be catastrophic events on earth, some occurring already,
including the turmoil in the Middle East, culminating in the Battle of Armageddon
in which Christ will triumph and begin ruling the earth. At this point,
they believe, non-believers will be destroyed, good Christians saved and any
remaining Jews converted to Christianity.
Says Ed McAteer, a founder of the Moral Majority and known as the godfather
of the Christian Right, "I believe that we are seeing prophecy unfold so rapidly
and dramatically and wonderfully,
and, without exaggeration, [it] makes me breathless."
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