Democrat Partisans Behind Quran Attack Ad?

Hat Tip to Mike @ http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2007/11/democrat-partisans-behind-quran-attack.html


The signers of a half-page ad attacking state lawmakers for declining copies of the Quran are largely partisan Democrats, State Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, said today.

"Virtually every person involved in this attack ad is a Democrat or Democratic campaign contributor," said Reynolds, who monitors political dollars with an intensity few can match.

Headed "A Letter to Oklahomans," the advertisement is signed by more than 100 individuals, including
Attorney General Drew Edmondson and his wife Linda,
and
Secretary of State Susan Savage, a former Tulsa mayor.

Others signing the letter include
former Treasurer Robert Butkin, now a University of Tulsa law professor;
Energy Secretary David Fleischaker;
former Senate President Pro Tem Cal Hobson;
Pulitzer Prize-winning author N. Scott Momaday;
Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal;
Secretary of Environment Miles Tolbert;
former Attorney General Mike Turpen; and
former Tulsa lawmaker Penny Williams.

A spokesman said those signing the letter belong to no formal organization, although many of them met through the Oklahoma Symposium, a three-day event held every year at Quartz Mountain State Park.

"It's clear this group is simply throwing up a smokescreen to divert attention from Governor Brad Henry's sponsorship of Muslim activists in state government."

The Governor's Ethnic American Advisory Council, which consists of Muslim activists, recently received national attention for its efforts to provide "Centennial edition" copies of the Quran (the holy book of Islam) to Oklahoma state lawmakers. Several legislators did not accept copies of the book.

The council's official efforts have included "outreach" programs targeting Oklahoma school children and efforts to introduce Muslim content into school textbooks endorsed by state regulators, Reynolds said.

On Sunday, a half-page ad signed by 147 individuals ran in the state's two largest newspapers attacking lawmakers who did not cave in to the demands of council members, Reynolds said. Of the 147 signers, 123 are registered Democrats, seven are registered independents and seven are Republicans according to voter registration records, Reynolds said.

He said 10 individuals could not be found in state voter registration records. Records show that four of the 14 signers registered as Republicans or independents have contributed money exclusively to Democratic candidates, Reynolds said. Over half of those 14 individuals also share an address with one of the registered Democrat signatories.

"This ad is nothing more than a partisan attack funded by Democrats to benefit Governor Henry. If they don't have the backbone to criticize the militant strain of Islam that resulted in the murder of thousands of our fellow citizens on American soil, that's their right, but I think it's sad that they have allowed political considerations to cloud their judgment," Reynolds said.

He noted that campaign records indicate Ethnic American Advisory Council member Mohammad Farzaneh and members of his family have donated more than $100,000 to Oklahoma candidates, including Henry.

Reynolds renewed his call for Henry to disband or at least reform the council so its membership will include a "truly diverse group of people of Middle Eastern heritage who represent all faiths in that region, not just one."