Feisal's Scapegoat

Who's responsible for Americans' "fear" of Islam? Imam Rauf is pretty sure he knows who's at fault. No, not Islam itself, its "sword verses," laws and the violence they inspire: they're not to blame. Nor is 1,400 years of jihad that touched down in America nine years ago. The person Rauf holds responsible for the "fear" is...a Tina Fey lookalike from Wasilla, Alaska (who cannot see Mecca from her house).

That's right. Rauf says but for Sarah Palin and those like her, people would not have objected to the locale of his "interfaith" structure. And the current uproar (whipped up entirely by Palin et al, he says) has come as a complete shock:

Imam Rauf said he would not have proposed his Islamic centre had he anticipated the furor that has resulted. "I would never have done it."

How considerate of him. In that case, can we expect him to move it to a less contentious site? Well, no--again only because he's thinking about what's best for da'wa in America:

But he was reluctant to consider a different site because of how this would be interpreted by Islamic extremists. "My major concern with moving it is that the headline in the Muslim world will be Islam is under attack in America," he said.

"This will strengthen the radicals in the Muslim world, help their recruitment. This will put our people -- our soldiers, our troops, our embassies, our citizens -- under attack in the Muslim world."

That Feisal--always putting America first. Keep it up and you just might get a medal from an appreciative White House "outreacher."

Update: A "stunned" Imam Rauf sings:

How unlucky can one guy be
To foment this controversy?
Like the fella once said,
"Ain't that a kick in the head?"
Their "phobia" came as a shock.
I never thought they would balk.
Like the Prophet said, "Hey,
Jihad is really the way."
My mouth keeps spinning;
They send me on trips so I'm grinning.
I know that I will be winning.
My mosque is gonna be bee-yoo-tee-ful.
I've da'wa enough to spread
I know how to feather my bed.
I'm so slick and kafirs are thick
In the head...

Update: Imam Rauf, "interfaith" huckster