Over the last few weeks, Franklin Graham, the son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham has been at the centre of religious controversy. A week ago, Graham was disinvited from a Pentagon prayer event because Muslim and other interest groups complained over his inclusion due to inflammatory statements he has repeatedly made regarding Islam.
After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Graham called Islam a “very evil and wicked religion.” He also made withering remarks about the Muslim faith in a CNN interview in 2009.
Now, groups are trying to get Graham removed from the speaking panel at the National Day of Prayer event on Capitol Hill as well. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group that is widely accused of having ties to terrorists, has denounced Graham as an “anti-Islam preacher” who promotes messages of “religious intolerance.”
“Franklin Graham has the right to be an Islamophobe, but he does not have the right to a taxpayer-funded public platform,” said Corey Saylor, CAIR national legislative director, in a statement.
So far the members of Congress involved in organizing the national prayer day have resisted all pressure to remove Graham. Franklin Graham has thus far served the American military on four combat tours.
Graham has retaliated by bringing the Pentagon prayer situation to President Obama’s notice. During a visit with Billy Graham in his home on Sunday, Franklin voiced his concern to Obama that activists were trying to remove all religion from the military. Obama promised to look into the matter, says the Christian Post.
(For the full article, please go to www.christianpost.com).