Controversy Over Lewiston Mayor's Remarks (Lisbon, Norway: home, school district, universities)

[I_Love_LI_but]

What do you think of this dispute?

Maine mayor: Somalis should leave culture at door - Yahoo! News

Ten years after a Lewiston mayor set off a firestorm by saying the city's Somali population was growing too fast, a new mayor's remarks about the immigrant community is sparking another wave of anger and calls for his resignation.

Does anyone live in this area and have personal experience with the immigrant group causing problems? How do you think this can be resolved? Should the mayor resign over this?

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

What do you think of this dispute?

Maine mayor: Somalis should leave culture at door - Yahoo! News



Does anyone live in this area and have personal experience with the immigrant group causing problems? How do you think this can be resolved? Should the mayor resign over this?

the city of lewiston has made many concessions, the city has drained its resources for the somalis,,,

leave culture at the door?? this may sound harsh,,,but,,,after years of liberals taking away our own traditions....such as christmas in schools. and cant say GOD in schools.....BUT then allowing prayer blankets for muslims..... because of thier religion....
so, our culture can be trashed and abolished, but we have to bend for any other culture??

let me give you another thought...and this came right from the area....

because woman are treated like second class citizens in many countries, is it fair for muslim boys and men to mistreat and disrespect american woman ????

[deerislesmile]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

the city of lewiston has made many concessions, the city has drained its resources for the somalis,,,

leave culture at the door?? this may sound harsh,,,but,,,after years of liberals taking away our own traditions....such as christmas in schools. and cant say GOD in schools.....BUT then allowing prayer blankets for muslims..... because of thier religion....
so, our culture can be trashed and abolished, but we have to bend for any other culture??

let me give you another thought...and this came right from the area....

because woman are treated like second class citizens in many countries, is it fair for muslim boys and men to mistreat and disrespect american woman ????

But kids CAN speak the name of their higher power in school and they can wear symbols of their chosen faith, whatever that higher power or faith may be. It is just not the job (nor should it be) of the schools to ENDORSE any one religion over another. Schools don't provide prayer blankets, yarmulkes OR bibles, but children could certainly bring/wear such items to school in order to practice their own faith, as long as they are not trying to force others to practice it as well. If you want Christianity taught/favored in school by the school itself.. you need to send your kids to a (private) Christian school.

And to the other.. no. Everyone in the US should held to the LAWS (not opinions) that exist here, regardless of their religion. If I wanted to go to Saudi Arabia and try to drive a car, I should be prepared to suffer the consequences of breaking the law in that country, even if I personally don't agree with that law. The same sentiment applies to others who come to the US- they have to comply with the laws of the US, even if they don't agree with them.

[mainebrokerman]

I dont disagree with much of what you said, however,

kids have been sent home from schools when wearing an american flag on a t-shirt. it's a slippery slope- (the whole "not to offend" mandate has often gone too far.

read below

As more and more Christian values are taken out of public schools, this school district has approved a day off for a Muslim holiday. Bet you would never have guessed something like that getting past the ACLU… with that whole “separation of church and state” they use so well against anything that has to do with Christianity. The school will either close for Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, depending on which holiday falls within the school year. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone like the word “Christmas” does.

This article spins it by giving an example of one Muslim girl living in the school district and how unfair life is for her. I think it goes well beyond that. Last month we told our readers about a public school taking a class trip to a mosque (so happens to be the same State). These students were on video praying to Allah, and once the prayer was over the little girls were asked to leave. Don’t you love a public school system that teaches young girls how inferior they are at a young age? The school apologized a few days later after the video was discovered.

Texas just voted to get rid of textbooks that were said to be promoting the religion of Islam over Christianity. One textbook used in Texas high schools from 1999 to 2003 devoted 120 lines to Christian beliefs, practices and holy writings, compared to 248 devoted to those of Islam. In another textbook approved for Texas high schools, 82 lines were devoted to Christianity and 159 to Islam. Hopefully people will start paying more attention to what is happening in the name of “political correctness.” Remember last month when city council meetings in Hartford CT were to be opened with a Muslim prayer before every meeting? Then the city decided not to do it and started receiving threats from Muslims. Scary stuff!!

As reported by boston.com


By Oren Dorell, USA TODAY
Some public schools and universities are granting Muslim requests for prayer times, prayer rooms and ritual foot baths, prompting a debate on whether Islam is being given preferential treatment over other religions.
The University of Michigan at Dearborn is planning to build foot baths for Muslim students who wash their feet before prayer. An elementary school in San Diego created an extra recess period for Muslim pupils to pray. At George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Muslim students using a "meditation space" laid out Muslim prayer rugs and separated men and women in accordance with their Islamic beliefs.

Critics see a double standard and an organized attempt to push public conformance with Islamic law.

"What (school officials) are doing … is to give Muslim students religious benefits that they do not give any other religion right now," says Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel at the Thomas More Law Center, an advocacy group for Christians.

[ElGreco]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

t

because woman are treated like second class citizens in many countries, is it fair for muslim boys and men to mistreat and disrespect american woman ????

Where is Mr. William Todd Akin from?

[todd00]

Basically they are afraid of terrorist attacks if they don't cave in to all that is asked for. That's what is scary. Foot baths, how ridiculous for the school to spend money on that. We have more to fear within our country from extremists than from those outside our borders.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Todd Aiken is from some place in the Midwest.

-break-

When my grandparents came here from Norway in the 1800s and saw the harbor at New York they told their little daughters to throw their Norwegian flags over the side because "We are going to be Americans now." They spoke no English, but they learned fast and contributed to their community. They expected nothing from the community and got nothing. At Ellis Island they provided all their data as to birthplace, occupations and religion. Their sons both served in WWII and our family has always produced responsible citizens. We have five generations in America now. When we describe ourselves we don't refer to ourselves as another nation with a hyphen before American. We are Americans and proud of it.

[deerislesmile]

Well, I do have to say that for the mayor of Lewiston, a city that celebrates it's Franco-American culture, to say that the Somali's should not celebrate their OWN culture is highly hypocritical. And apparently I am not the only one that has that sentiment. This from the director of the Franco American Heritage Center in Lewiston:

“We recognize the need to accept the basic tenets of life in a new country and to abide by its laws,” says the Franco Center’s new Executive Director, Louis Morin, “but it’s just as important that you not forget who you are and where you came from, and it’s especially important to retain elements of one’s native culture as a means of maintaining one’s heritage.

“The irony of such remarks coming from the mayor of a city literally built by French-Canadian and Irish immigrants is not lost on us,” he added.

Morin said it’s important to respond to such comments forcefully and promptly, given that Lewiston’s French-Canadian immigrants faced similarly strong pressure to assimilate decades ago when tens of thousands of them emigrated from Canada to provide the workers in Lewiston’s mills at a time when Americans didn’t want those jobs, which paid little.

“It’s not just Lewiston. America itself was built by immigrants, and we are the stronger for it,” says Morin. “Lewiston’s Somali community has demonstrated a willingness to adapt and to open businesses on Lisbon Street and we should be encouraging them to continue doing so.

“Lewiston’s dominant architectural feature is the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, built stone by stone and paid for by the area’s French Canadian immigrants,” says Morin, who then offered a question for Mayor Macdonald to ponder.

“Who’s to say what amazing future contributions to Lewiston our Somali neighbors might one day make?”

Franco American Heritage Center Saddened by Lewiston Mayor

[halfabuck]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

the city of lewiston has made many concessions, the city has drained its resources for the somalis,,,

leave culture at the door?? this may sound harsh,,,but,,,after years of liberals taking away our own traditions....such as christmas in schools. and cant say GOD in schools.....BUT then allowing prayer blankets for muslims..... because of thier religion....
so, our culture can be trashed and abolished, but we have to bend for any other culture??

let me give you another thought...and this came right from the area....

because woman are treated like second class citizens in many countries, is it fair for muslim boys and men to mistreat and disrespect american woman ????

You are absolutely correct. I have seen this and that treatment of women is commonplace in other parts of the world. No room for it here anywhere in the USA.

[lawmom]

Between our "esteemed" Governor and this guy, Maine sure gets some bad press. It's too bad.