In an April 22 letter to the editor of the Brainerd Dispatch, conservative activist Daryl Bahma invites readers to another Jeffrey Bauman "Sharia 101" talk on May 16 at Brainerd's Yesterday's Gone bar.
Bahma prefaces the invite with this paranoid notion of immigrant and refugee resettlement:
Liberal opinions continue to promote importation of eastern immigrants. Our society is in danger of collapse from this excessive infiltration. This has become one of the largest drains on our national economy. We must stop this excessive giveaway of our tax money to these refugees.
They must be screened at the highest level to keep out the unwanted who do not want to work or become a productive part of our society. Their intent is to overwhelm us and then out vote us to establish their society governed by Sharia law.
We looked at Bauman's beliefs and his influence on some conservative Republican lawmakers back in January's post, St. Cloud disunity: where'd those MN lawmakers get that wild & crazy anti-Sharia bill anyway?
The upcoming talk has not been been universally welcome. In the Morrison County Record, Ft. Ripley resident Larry Fisk writes in Area Tea Party promotes misinformation, intolerance:
Though sincere, the Tea Party’s guest columnist in the May 1 issue of the Record and Islamaphobe speaker Ron Brantsner promote intolerance and misinformation. . . .
. . .Anti-Muslim fear, prejudice and rumor are now a part of Central Minnesota life. Another Islamaphobe will speak in Brainerd this month.
A vigil was held in opposition to Brantsner’s speech in Little Falls and to show support for our Muslim neighbors. The positive reaction we received from many (not all) passersby and the spontaneous participation by some showed that many in our area are upset by the ignorance and prejudiced thinking exemplified by such events.
Many of us welcome Muslims to our area and feel that diversity enriches the community. Muslims cannot and will not “take over America,” but they will, with the great diversity within Islam of race, national origin and culture, be a part of the fabric of American life.
Tom West and the Morrison County Record deserve credit for supporting tolerance, reason and fact over fear and rumor.
Photo: Jeffrey Bauman stirring the pot.
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