Church...er...Mosque and State

At midday on Fridays, Muslims gather to pray in a basement room of the U.S. Capitol. Kneeling on sheets they've spread over the floor and facing east toward Mecca, they are members of the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, about two dozen congressional aides who are part of a small but growing minority in America and in the halls of government.

At first just a prayer group, later a Muslim support group, the association is now looking outward to change what many see as woeful ignorance about Islam on Capitol Hill and beyond, said Jameel Aalim-Johnson, a black Muslim and chief of staff for Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York.

This story fascinates me. I ask you to click the link and read the full story once. Then read it again, but substitute Muslim with Christian. Now, this story is not really making news, I found it buried on the Las Vegas Sun website. But imagine if this were a group of Christian congressional aids. Imagine the national outcry.

How many times would we hear the phrase ‘separation of church and state’?

Or ‘Don’t impose your religious beliefs on others’?

Or ‘Christians shouldn’t be influencing members of Congress’?

Or ‘vast right wing conspiracy’?

But, since these are Muslims it’s okay, and won’t generate so much as a whimper from the mainstream press.

Anyone want to offer a guess as to how long before we are all bowing down to Mecca on a daily basis?