http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1087236A terrorism expert is pleased that a controversial Muslim group has canceled its annual U.S. conference after a suburban Chicago hotel backed out of hosting the event.
American members of Hizb ut-Tahrir had planned to hold the event Sunday (July 11) at a Marriott hotel in Oak Brook. A conference organizer says about 1,000 people were expected, but that the hotel sent a cancellation notice and refund without explanation about two weeks ago. The daylong event has drawn protesters in the past.
The group advocates establishing a worldwide Islamic state, and its members reportedly do not openly advocate violence. But according to Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch, that is beside the point.
"They don't do terrorist acts themselves and they don't advocate them," he acknowledges. "On the other hand, they do teach hatred of Jews and Christians and the necessity to wage war against them and to subjugate them."
Robert SpencerThat said, Spencer continues, the idea that the group should be welcome in the West and be permitted to stage gatherings at a Marriot hotel "would sort of be like allowing the Nazi Party to have meetings in New York City during the height of World War Two."
But the Jihad Watch spokesman is concerned that the Islamic group might take action against the Marriot. "It will be interesting to see what happens now in terms of whether Marriot will cave in to the inevitable cries and charges of discrimination and hate mongering and so on," he remarks.
Spencer says he would not be surprised if the radical Council on American-Islamic Relations came to the aid of its fellow pro-Muslim group.
Topic: Hotel pulls plug on Muslim gathering (Read 2142 times)