# Two lawmakers spurn Muslim's prayer **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 5, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170 "2003-03-05T03:46:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170/21 "2003-03-05T15:16:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JDeMobray \* > \*\*Neither is his you braindead moron. Sheeesh. Depressingly typical of the political opinions of Gig Harbor, I’m sorry to report. \*\* (re: “My god is not Mohammed,” McMahan added.) Yeah I was going to make this comment if no one else did. What an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170/22 "2003-03-05T19:35:03Z")
**Dangerosa** ’s got it right, I’d say. We’ve all, at one point or another, been exposed to a ceremony or prayer from a religion other than our own. And what do we do? We sit quietly and respectfully so as not to screw up someone else’s moment. We bow our heads like everyone else, and we try to name all the “Planet of the Apes” movies to ourselves or something. “Not participating” does not mean “making a public show of disagreeing.” Unless of course we want to get some publicity and we are somehow stupid enough to think that walking out on a Muslim prayer is what everyone _really_ wants to do, but we’re the only ones with “courage” enough to do it. I suspect that McMahan, at least, saw herself as standing up for something good in this case. Condatta is just a weasel, for not even admitting his reason. “Let’s just say” indeed. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170/23 "2003-03-05T20:11:16Z")
I may wind up as a constituent of this moron. Pray for me in the denomination (or lack thereof) of your choice. ---
**Author:** ![Rug\_Burn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@Rug\_Burn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rug_Burn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170/24 "2003-03-05T20:16:41Z")
I propose they have all the holding hands and prayers they want between 2am and 9am (or whenever they normally start) every day they choose. Then when each denomination of each religion is finished, maybe they could get some fucking work done. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170/25 "2003-03-06T07:01:15Z")
A non-Coulterite chiming in here. I think that all praying before opening any US government body should be banned. The reason is simple. This country was founded upon, among other things, the idea that religon is a private issue, not a governmental issue. I don’t care whether the prayer is Christian or Muslim, it just shouldn’t happen at official government events. Before or after the event, well that is great. But during the event it should not happen. Slee ::An atheist and damned proud of it:: If the parties involved want to pray before a session of Congress, state or federal, more power to them. But if they want to put religon into a ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170/26 "2003-03-06T10:15:48Z")
_lightning bolt strikes **sleestak** _ ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170/27 "2003-03-06T10:16:42Z")
Sheesh, can’t believe that joke was begging to be made for over 3 hours. What is wrong with you people? ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170/28 "2003-03-06T10:18:31Z")
**Sleestak** , I agree with what you’ve said wholeheartedly (though I am curious about the apparently truncated remainder of your post). I think “under God” should be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance. But, as **Miller** pointed out above, the issue here is clearly not theology; neither said they were bowing out because of separation of church and state. One asshole said it was about “patriotism” (I thought the Constitution said something about freedom of religion?) and the other asshole weaseled around the issue by smirking, “let’s just say I wasn’t particularly interested.” Personally, I’m an atheist also, but I’m not “damned proud of it.” I don’t feel the need to fuck with other people’s sincere beliefs by making a big show of my own. (Heck, I’ve got good friends who are _Steelers fans_!) And, as I said above, if it’s prayer time, I bow my head and generally try not to be an asshole about it, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the World Series or something _really_ important. That’s called courtesy, and I believe it’s both harmless and necessary to a functioning society. I’d rather not have prayers read at government functions, but since they’re going to be, I strongly wish that prayers from religions other than Christianity would be respected. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-lawmakers-spurn-muslims-prayer/159170.md?page=1)