Congressman Allen West, Florida Republican, hosted a townhall meeting on Monday in Pompano Beach and was confronted by the executive director of the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Nezar Hamze. With a Koran in his hand, Mr. Hamze asked the Florida Congressman, "Can you show me one verse in this Koran where it says to attack America. attack Americans, or attack innocent people?” (h/t the shark tank).
Mr. West replied, "Well, of course it doesn't say to attack America or Americans. I mean, the book was written somewhere around the 8th or 9th century so America wasn't even around." Rep. West pointed out that the Koran has "talk about killing infidels."
At one point the congressman begins to list various dates when muslims attacked and killed non-muslims and the audience starts cheering. "Major Hassan was shouting 'Alluah Akbar.' The people who flew those planes into the buildings shouted 'Alluah Akbar.' I've been on the battlefield, my friend, ok? Don' try and blow sunshine up my butt."
"I am ashamed to be here with all of these people and you attack Islam," said Mr. Hamze. To which Mr. West strongly responded:"You attack us." He continued, "I went to Muslim countries to defend the freedom of Muslim people. Don't try to come up here and criticize me."
Rep. West faced pro-Islamic advocacy representatives in the past and defended his views on Islam. In early February he was accused of "insulting" and "demonizing" the religion. Prior that, he told a local Florida radio show that Minnesota Democratic Representative Keith Ellison, a Muslim, represents the “antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established, you’ve got to be able to defeat them intellectually in debate and discourse, and you to just have to be able to challenge each and every one of their assertions very wisely and very forthright.”
Mr. West recently met with terrorism expert Brigitte Gabriel, President of the organization ACT! for America.
