A Republican official in Bonneville County, Idaho, sent out a
dire warning for fellow Idaho Republicans in a recent newsletter.
In the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee newsletter, obtained by the [Post Register, via the Idaho Statesman], readers were told the Muslims were "ready to rise up and kill” non-Muslims. The newsletter article, entitled "Islam in Idaho," reportedly also said Muslims were "two-faced" and sought to create the illusion that they had good intentions.
Bonneville GOP executive director Becky Prestwich admitted to the Statesman that she'd written the unsigned newsletter, which encouraged citizens of the eastern Idaho county to "demand that our lawmakers and law enforcers pay attention and ascertain whether or not there is a potential threat." The article also carried a foreboding warning: "Please, don't wait until something bad happens."
The good news is that the paper that broke the news, the
Post Register,
talked to Muslim members of the community, and also pointed out that this predominantly Mormon community might not be receptive to the kind of religious bigotry and hate spewed by Prestwich, given their own experience.
Scientific polling does not support the notion that American Muslims are hostile toward other religions. In fact, it is the exact opposite: Among American religious groups that were polled, Muslims and Mormons had the most positive views of other religions.
Among the groups surveyed, Gallup found Mormons and Muslims had the highest percentage of religiously “integrated” members, at about 45 percent. That compares to about 35 percent of Protestants, Catholics and Jews rated as religiously integrated. […]
[Idaho State University professor Daniel Hummel, a practicing Muslim who teaches political science] said there was a long history of constructive relations between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and American Muslims. Mormons often are very supportive of the right of Muslim communities to build places of worship, Hummel said, because they have experienced attempts to block construction of Mormon places of worship.
The paper also spoke with local philanthropist and practicing Muslim Dr. Fahim Rahim, who said "[w]e Idahoans are building bridges of love and understanding so our next generations can thrive and love each other regardless of our culture, religion and identity. […] Please don't spoil it for your political gains." (Diarist Steppechild has
Rahim's full response here.)
Idaho successfully battled the Aryan Nations, with a big assist from the Southern Poverty Law Center, but Idaho's reputation as a haven for hate lingers. That persisting association of Idaho with hate is troubling for the majority of Idahoans, particularly when evidence like this of it lingering here makes the national news. That it's coming not from some fringe group, but from the majority, ruling party of the state makes it even worse.