Intolerance Frames Oklahoma Centennial Year

(Are progressives making a big move in Oklahoma right now? Read DocHoc’s commentary this week in the Oklahoma Gazette, the state's best alternative publication. Also, read the counterpoint article by Ron Black, who says the progressive mission here is definitely not accomplished.)

Oklahoma’s centennial year continues to be marred by intolerance and bigotry, which has brought the state embarrassing national publicity in recent weeks.

The legislature this year passed one of the strictest anti-illegal immigrations bills in the nation, a bill the local Catholic archbishop calls “immoral.” Now several legislators have refused to accept special centennial copies of the Quran from the state’s Muslim community in a marked gesture of intolerance.

All this is a major failure of the Oklahoma leadership across the board (corporate, political, religious, education and media leaders), who have sat by idly or, in some cases, sanctioned scapegoat ideologies that continue to keep the state from moving forward. Do the state’s Muslims and Hispanics feel their neighbors have turned on them? Who wants to live in a place of hatred? It is seriously time for a change of direction here.

The latest fiasco began when special Qurans, the main text of Islam, were offered as gifts to state legislators by the Governor’s Ethnic Advisory Council. The Qurans, which were apparently printed with the state seal and a centennial emblem, were meant as a gesture of inclusiveness. An estimated 30,000 to 50,000 Muslims live here.

But state Rep. Rex Duncan, pictured right, (R-Sands Springs) refused to accept his gift, paid by the state’s Muslim community, saying “. . . most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology." Of course, Islam is a religion, not an ideology, and it does not sanction violence anymore than the Bible does. But that type of information is for the state’s declining number of basic realists who are appalled by Duncan’s outburst.

Duncan was joined by at least 23 other lawmakers, virtually all Republicans. One Democrat has also joined in the protest. The Associated Press and other media outlets picked up the story, and Oklahoma again made national news for all the wrong reasons. To call this an Oklahoma spectacle is almost an understatement. It brought a great deal of embarrassment to the state. This type of publicity does incalculable damage to the state’s economic development.

The obvious: There are certainly extremist Islamic terrorists who distort their religion to validate their actions just like extremist Christian fanatics have done throughout history. We need to go after these terrorists with all our resources. But this is a minuscule number of people when compared to all Muslims. The religion itself does not promote violence anymore than Christianity. Do not forget The Crusades or those Christian leaders who supported Hitler.

The fact a state leader, such as Duncan, can get away with such an outrageous gesture of intolerance and downright religious bigotry has frightening implications for Oklahoma. One can hope it is one of the last gasps of the right-wing juggernaut here that has so harmed the state’s national reputation, but that, of course, is only wishful thinking. Duncan’s ideas are probably supported by a majority of Oklahomans, who have also supported the state’s new anti-illegal immigration bill as well. It seems truly like there is a concerted effort to target Hispanics and Muslims. A couple years ago or so, the right-wingers were after gay people. What minority group is next?

A state interfaith alliance condemned Duncan’s remarks and some legislators and Gov. Brad Henry said the gifts were welcomed, but the damage was done. All the remarks condemning the intolerance had no real bite. I did not read about or see any major state education leader denouncing it and calling for increased awareness of world religions and cultures in our educational curriculum.

The only thing that can stop this type of bigotry and misinformation is education. The state’s colleges need to work even harder to promote the understanding and knowledge of different religions, ethnicities and languages. Those in the trenches who try to do so need more support from the leadership, which controls the purse strings and the educational agenda. Intelligent people can see through Duncan’s rhetoric; others see it as a validation of their own limited worldview.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s Catholic Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran and other priests have announced they will not support the state’s new anti-illegal immigration law, which is one of the strictest in the nation. It has also made national news. A pledge put together by the Catholic Church and others here says: "With the advent of this new law, we are standing together in opposition and defiance of this unjust and immoral law.”

The Rev. Lance Schmitz of Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene, and Rex Friend, a local Quaker leader and attorney, were also involved in creating the pledge.

Also, the Oklahoma Gazette published an article this week showing how a group tied to Oklahoma’s anti-illegal immigration effort, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), apparently had financial connections with the Pioneer Group, an organization listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

This is another excellent piece of reporting by Ben Fenwick, one of the best journalists in the state.