By Mahmoud El-Yousseph

He believes Muslims  are responsible for America’s moral decay, that Islam is ‘Anti Christ’, that the Holy Quran was revealed to prophet Mohammad from the demons and not from the true God, and that America "was founded in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed. Please meet Pastor Rod Parsely of Columbus ,Ohio.
 
In a sincere effort to educate Pastor Parsely, his congregation, and others holding similar opinion , a local Muslim group invited Pastor Parsely on June 1, 2008 to public debate on the validity of his views about Islam. Any time, any place.
 
Till now, the group have not recieved a response from Pastor Parsely. Interestingly, the book he wrote in which he made many defamatory statements about Islam is called "Silent No More". Yet, when he is challanged to be accountable for his views, he has become "silent."
 
According to local Attorney Fazeel Khan, who serves as Secretary of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Islamic Society, "clearly, Pastor Parsely has relied on biased and inaccurate sources in forming his views about Islam".
 
Senator John McCain has also recently rejected the endorsement of both fundamentalist preachers John Hagee and Rod Parsely due to their religious bigotry and attacks toward Jews, Catholics and Muslims.
 
We value religious freedom in America more than any other rights. This pastor’s ancestors came to the shores of America because of religious perscution and intolerance. Now he wants to  subject other groups to the same kind of the treatment.
 
Pastor Parsely is certainly entitled to his bigoted views. But when he refuses to accept the challange to defend his views and remarks, he is either a liar or ignorant.
 
Finally, these remarks uttered by this "God-fearing Christian" add insult, subtract pleasure, divide attention, and multiply ignorance.

– Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a retired USAF Veteran. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. Contact him at: elyousseph6@yahoo.com.