The New Know-Nothings

Truly, the anti-mosque hysteria sweeping the country bears an uncanny resemblance to the know-nothing movement of the 19th century. From Wikipedia:

The Know-Nothing movement was a nativist American political movement of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon values and controlled by the Pope in Rome.

I’m not finding it now, but I recall reading that mobs of know-nothings would occasionally burn down Catholic churches, because somehow Catholicism was seen as a threat to American liberty. If Catholics took over, they would run the country under orders from the Vatican. (This sentiment still existed when John Kennedy was running for president in 1960; I remember some of the old folks saying that if Kennedy were elected, he’d be taking orders from the Pope, and the Pope would be running America.) The know-nothings tried to stop immigration, especially from Germany and Ireland, because, um, they were German and Irish. Whatever.

Fast forward to 2010:

In all of the recent conflicts, opponents have said their problem is Islam itself. They quote passages from the Koran and argue that even the most Americanized Muslim secretly wants to replace the Constitution with Islamic Shariah law.

These local skirmishes make clear that there is now widespread debate about whether the best way to uphold America’s democratic values is to allow Muslims the same religious freedom enjoyed by other Americans, or to pull away the welcome mat from a faith seen as a singular threat.

“What’s different is the heat, the volume, the level of hostility,” said Ihsan Bagby, associate professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky. “It’s one thing to oppose a mosque because traffic might increase, but it’s different when you say these mosques are going to be nurturing terrorist bombers, that Islam is invading, that civilization is being undermined by Muslims.”

I like this part —

Recently, a small group of activists became alarmed about the mosque. Diana Serafin, a grandmother who lost her job in tech support this year, said she reached out to others she knew from attending Tea Party events and anti-immigration rallies….“As a mother and a grandmother, I worry,” Ms. Serafin said. “I learned that in 20 years with the rate of the birth population, we will be overtaken by Islam, and their goal is to get people in Congress and the Supreme Court to see that Shariah is implemented. My children and grandchildren will have to live under that.”

Really, if you replace “Islam” with “Catholicism” and “sharia law” with “papal authority,” you’d be right at home with the know nothings. Same stuff.

The fear that somehow a Muslim majority — the most recent Pew survey says Muslims make up .6 percent of the U.S. population — could exist in 20 years and could implement sharia law for everyone reveals a gross ignorance of both human biology and how the government thing works. And it seems contemporary stupid Americans are no less ignorant than 19th century stupid Americans.

35 thoughts on “The New Know-Nothings

  1. Barbara, I am wondering where all this fear of Shariah law started from. Even Elena Kagan was said to be supporting it. Who is ultimately behind this idiotic obsession?
    The Moslems I know don’t seem to desire this, although it’s hard to get them to speak up nowdays, understandably, I guess.

  2. Repeating a comment I posted on Steve Benen’s blog:

    I learned that in 20 years with the rate of the birth population, we will be overtaken by Islam, and their goal is to get people in Congress and the Supreme Court to see that Shariah is implemented.

    Oh NO. Let’s see, by my reckoning, based on current populations of American muslims and christians (I’m assuming that’s what she means by “us”), that means for the next 20 years the christians’ birth rate is going to drop to zero while every single muslim woman including the elderly ones will give birth to octuplets once a year!

    Of course, if the men decide to start giving birth too, then quadruplets would suffice. And I certainly wouldn’t put it past those radical Sharia terrorist bastards, would you?

    Oh, wait, I forgot to account for population growth. Can muslim babies start having babies as soon as they’re born, like tribbles? If so, my God, they’d only need to have one baby at a time! They could even have a year or so to rest between babies, and STILL outnumber us in 20 years! And then we’ll have hundreds of millions of muslims, living right here in America, nearly all of them below voting age! It’s TERRIFYING!

    Do you suppose Ms. Serafin’s inability to do math had anything to do with her losing her tech support job?

  3. As I was driving yesterday, a woman(all by herself) drove by wearing a head scarf, big smile, happily talking on her cell phone.
    The first thing that poped into my head is she wants Sharia law implemented!
    (yeah, right!)

  4. I think the analogy with the original Know Nothings (thanks for all the info on this) is a bit stretched in that 1) there is militant Islam that is bent on doing us serious harm, and 2) we’re in more or less a hot war with the same, in the Middle East. Neither of these has an analog, to my knowledge with conditions in the 19th century. But otherwise, it’s the same fear and ignorance projected onto new actors.

    Those who fear Sharia law gaining the upper hand here by the birthrate argument, are really reacting to what has happened in Europe over the last few generations. It hasn’t been an entirely peaceful accomodation, but there’s no discounting the inroads Islam has made demographically into the continent. That this has happened concurrent with Europe going “post-Christian”, has alarmed our Christians all the more.

  5. As Evan explains, the Islamophobes’ math is spectacularly wrong. It scares me that one of them worked in “tech support.” I wonder why she lost her job?

  6. I suspect that – let’s see if I can explain this without sounding paranoid – this rather sudden ‘fear’ of Muslims did not rise of its own accord in some of the population, it was planted, nurtured and is now in full bloom.

    It’s a rather old ploy that to divert the anger which should rightly be directed at one entity in a society, another entity in the society is pinpointed as the culprit – blacks, unions, illegals, liberals, the Irish, Italians, Catholics…the reason why your life isn’t working, why you can’t find a job, why you’re losing your home… is, fore instance ala Arizona, because we’re being over run with illegals.

    It’s subtle, insidious even viral and unfortunately easily finds ‘hosts’ (Serafin) to spread it. In the mean time, the real culprit who planted the seed in the first place is off the hook.

  7. OMFG! Now it’s the rabid islamophobes afraid of rabbit muslims out breeding ‘real Americans.’ Presumably with serial ‘Irish twins’. One can go on and on with worse and worse ethnic insults. This has to stop. Now. The muslims of my acquaintance are good family people who either see this as their country, or are on the way, being recent immigrants. I am a grandson of immigrants and when I was young I was mortified at the kitschy plaques and such on the kitchen walls proclaiming my grandfolks’ pride in becoming American. Now I know better, and am very proud of them.

  8. I was on the Jersey Shore this weekend at a friends house, when I was suddenly reminded of the incidious menace that is Islam.
    Friday morning, we had bagels, and when I cut mine in half, do you know what I had? Two crescents!! And when I sliced them in half the other way, FOUR crescents!!!! THIS is how quickly they multiply in Islam. One Jewish bagel yielded FOUR MUSLIM crescents!!!!
    Yestereday, we had fresh Jersey tomato’s (nothing like them in the world – my favorite sandwith is good bread, good cheese, good mayo, salt, pepper and a HUGE slice of TOMATO!) and some croissants from the local bakery. Crossaints, as I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, are also known as CRESCENT rolls! Cut one in half, and you get TWO Muslim CRESCENTS!!
    We went to the ocean, and what did I find on the beach? STARfish! Coincidence? I think not!
    All of this dawned on me this morning.
    I tremble to think that tonight, after the sun sets, I’ll not see a whole or no moon, but a CRESCENT moon. And while we have one full, and one no, moon, we get TWO CRESCENT MOONS! And STARS! Every night, unless Jesus gives us cloud cover.
    It seems as if, even the STARS are against us.
    Soon, they’ll be selling us cloned Halal meats, falafel’s, and hummus in every supermarket. And we’ll be eating it served on pita bread, which if you cut in half, and take out the middle is, of course, a CRESCENT! CUt in in half the other way, and it multiplies to TWO CRESCENTS!!
    In all of these signs, I see nothing in our future but SHARIA LAW!
    All I need now is for someone to explain how this will differ than American Taliban Christianist Law. I mean, besides the Jesus v. the Guy you can’t draw (can I even write his name? Better not…).

  9. cundgulag – If, tomorrow night, you see a crescent moon with a star inside its arc, we’re really in deep shit because it would mean some wandering star has located itself closer to our planet than the MOON and is more than likely to keep on coming wiping everyone out, with the exception of Muslims of course.

    I suspect, suspending the entire science of astronomy, that if such an event occurs it’s too late – Islam has taken over the world. (I really enjoy your posts.)

  10. I am a 64 year old American Indian woman, who grew up on big band music, folk songs, hootenannies, rock and roll, clasiscal music, and then 70’s rock and roll through about the 90s. After that I don’t get the music any more. Most of the singers can’t sing and when you have heard one rap song, you’ve heard them all. However, amid all that I saw the McCarthy Hearings on TV, several Moon shots and other space travel, lived through the threat of nucelar war most of my young life; and, then, there was Woodstock. There was bra-burning for the women, draft card burning for the men. Women broke records fighting sex discrimination in the work places. We did good, too. Young women now have it easier because of what my generation did to break the barriers regarding sex discrimination. I for one would never accept having to live under Sharia a law–EVER, not even at 95. Thus, those scaremongers are really sad, sad people because they do not know, let alone understand the American Woman or American Womanhood. We fought hard to get what we want. I am not giving up my life of freedom. Are you?

  11. It’s subtle, insidious even viral and unfortunately easily finds ‘hosts’ (Serafin) to spread it.

    I agree..I was reading Newt Gingrich’s statement in opposition to the Islamic center and he referred to the Taliban as “the Islamists that we are fighting in Afghanistan”. It’s true that the Taliban are Islamic and that they refer to us a infidels, but the reason they are fighting us is not because of Islam..it’s because we are invaders to their land and they are fighting for their right of self determination. We’ve conflated all their motivations and actions toward us with their religion… to the detriment of understanding.

  12. We Buddhists should breed more. It might lead to few Muslim, Christian, AND Judaic excesses.

    “It’s a rather old ploy that to divert the anger which should rightly be directed at one entity in a society, another entity in the society is pinpointed as the culprit – blacks, unions, illegals, liberals, the Irish, Italians, Catholics…[and Communists]”–Felicity

    The Tea Party “looks” populists (well, populist Caucasian, anyway), but we all know the strings are pulled by fat cat oil men, mine bosses, defense contractors, bankers. THEY are the real disturbers of the peace.

  13. Wanted to add a P.S. to my statement above. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is still the second best NBA player ever. Bill Russell is the best; but Kareem is next best. Please note that the entire NBA did not become Muslim during Abdul Jabbar’s tenure.

  14. Felicity,
    It may be a diversion from their favorite target for their own inadequacies – the Hispanic immigrant issue. They can see the immigration issue may not be in their favor politically, in the long term. So, until they can figure out what to do about that, they can do some short term focus on hating Muslims, figuring that after 9/11, a lot of Americans will agree with them.
    Too cynical? Maybe. It’s just that I have determined that I will never underestimate the degree’s to which they will go to win. Win what, you may ask? It doesn’t matter. If they stand atop a smoking, ruined nation/planet, sure to die out in a matter of weeks, that’s fine as long as they’re on top – THEY WON!!!

    PS: Thank you so much. It’s kind of you to say…
    And I enjoy yours!

    PPS: I was on the Jersey Shore for 3 days, and suffered from ‘Maha-and-fellow-commenters-withdrawal.’
    Phew, it was tough. And now that I’m back, after reading what I’d missed, I feel whole again. Jesus, I’ve got this blogging-bug bad!!!

  15. But, the Catholics and Jews have taken over, just as the No-Nothings warned us! Look at the religious balance of the Supreme Court: 6 Catholics, 3 Jews, and NO REAL AMERICANS.

  16. It’s very easy to understand…

    You see, the New Know-Nothings know that once a Real American has Lebanese cooking[*], they’ll all instantly convert to Islam. Because Lebanese cooking can be really That Good.

    [*] What? You mean that Lebanon is among the most pluralistic countries in the world, including many Christians? Hrmph. It’s still great food.

  17. “The fear that somehow a Muslim majority — the most recent Pew survey says Muslims make up .6 percent of the U.S. population — could exist in 20 years and could implement sharia law for everyone reveals a gross ignorance of both human biology and how the government thing works”

    Yeah you know does it ever dawn on these knuckleheads that American Jews comprise around 2 percent of this countries population but they make up over 10 percent of congressional office holders. But I guess that’s OK its not like the state of Israel has any real control over US domestic and or foreign policy!

  18. Not only are these nativists chronically bad at math and chronically gullible to the stupidest ideas that come from the Internet, they also completely fail to understand the power of America. It NEVER occurs to them that maybe Muslims in the United States are here because they LIKE living in a place WITHOUT sharia law?

    Of course, to realize that they’d have to think of Muslims as humans with feelings and understandable similarities and things, not evil automatons with the power of exponential replication.

    It’s so much easier for them to imagine monsters than care about strangers as human beings.

  19. I can’t speak to the Shariah, but when I see the Catholic church withholding the host from people who vote for Kerry, telling us that abortion and gays should be illegal and sending their pedophiles to Rome for protection I think maybe the Know-Nothings might have been right about the Catholics.

  20. If Muslims did, in fact, populate like Tribbles and were able to elect radical Muslims to the House and Senate and the Presidency, and then were able to get a majority on the SCOTUS, they could then Constitutionally pass whatever legislation they wanted, legally. That’s kind of how the system works, you win the elections, you make the rules, unless you’re in the Senate, at which case….. oh, never mind.

  21. Well, Cundgulag you’ve done it again. From bagels and croisants you’ve constructed an absolutely airtight case. I am convinced.

    I think the original “Know Nothings” used the phrase in a threatening ironic sense with the goal of planting the idea that they were party to a powerful, secret plot about to be sprung on an unsuspecting USA. The Teabaggers display weapons and spout allusion to the second amendment, etc. to suggest the same. It’s the same goal, slightly different tactics.

    Adam Curtis has a documentary called “Century of the Self” (available on youtube) there is an episode about how the founder of the current radical movement (Qtub) was inspired to do so upon hearing the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. Talk about a butterfly flapping its wings.

    My fundamentalist neighbors all seem to want Old Testament law to be implemented. If you look into the prescribed penalties, (e.g. dishonoring your parents,–death) they seem quite similar to Sharia Law.

    If some sort of Christianist revolt ever happened, I would be dead in a few hours.

    There go my Ex-Pat dreams again.

  22. Lynne:

    Barbara, I am wondering where all this fear of Shariah law started from. Even Elena Kagan was said to be supporting it. Who is ultimately behind this idiotic obsession?

    The fear came from people who sensed a political advantage in promoting that fear. Liberals aren’t going to demonize Muslims, and are going to stand up and defend minorities (including religious minorities) when they’re attacked. So it’s a *great* wedge issue. Sure, you’re throwing away the Muslim vote – so what? You’re getting some angry, hateful people excited and determined to go to the polls because they understand the danger and need to defend themselves because those liberals either don’t care, or worse, will actively support those who’d impose sharia.

    If the Republican party had good leaders who cared about the nation as a whole, they’d shut this kind of thing down. But they don’t.

  23. “Thanks for reminding us of the real danger: Jews”

    Well you missed the point didn’t you? I am merely pointing out that we already have a religious minority imposing the will of a foreign state on this countries policies, but I forgot its OK to bash Muslims, the state of Israel, not so much, please forgive me, please.

  24. @uncledad :

    Many American Jews do not support Israel’s contain-and-oppress policies. Don’t assume that a few lockstep members of Congress represent the group well. Indeed, the most vocal supporters of aggressive military action by Israel and the U.S. against Iran and others in the region are often of the Protestant persuasion. One has to wonder whether they believe the Israelis will be sacrificial lambs for the Second Coming.

  25. “Many American Jews do not support Israel’s contain-and-oppress policies. Don’t assume that a few lockstep members of Congress represent the group well”

    Where in either of my posts do I say all Jews support Israel’s policies? I never said that and I don’t believe it, I am pointing out the fucking hypocrisy of “Christian fundamentalists” who are so god dam afraid of shariah law growing from a tiny religious minority. Everyone in this country should be weary of all religions creeping into official state policy not just shariah law.

  26. uncledad – 8/9 @ 11:32 am – Your post reminded me of what I recently read in an article by Naomi Klein: Israel’s legal system has different laws and even roads for Israelis and Palestinians living in the West Bank. She also grants and denies citizen rights based largely on religious affiliation. Most Americans deplore these practices by the Israeli government while at the same time seem unable to recognize these practices by their own government. What’s that thing about a mote in the eye of the other…?

    And 8/9 @ 12:48 pm – “Everyone in this country should be weary of all religions creeping into official state policy not just shariah law.” I submit that this is the substantive issue we should be dealing with around the Cordoba controversy.

  27. LongHairedWeirdo – Whether you know it or not, you’ve picked up a Rovian principle, call it the ‘meat’ of Republican campaigning. There are ‘wedge’ issues – patriotism, race, flag, religion, gun control…. The whole thing boils down to wedges and magnets. What pulls people apart or what attracts people. Drive wedges and find magnets. Find ways to bring people to you and ways to divide people who are against you.

    I try to keep these principles in the fore front of my mind as I listen to the spiels of Republican politicians – irregardless of the nausea I experience in doing so.

  28. Why aren’t we talking more about how the Amish will impose their technology-shunning ways on us all?!

    Because they aren’t real Amish..they’re just using that name for a marketing ploy to make people think they are getting a wholesome and honest deal. No self respecting Luddite would ever step foot in NYC.

  29. First of all, it ain’t the Jews we should worry about, it’s those gul durned Canadians!
    My mom was a Canadian, and she dropped an anchor baby (me) so she could stay here. Besides those Canadians are socialists, hockey players, baby seal clubbers, and they say “Eh?” like its a bloody tick.
    I have “South Park, The Movie”, so I understand a little about our neighbors to the north. Cartman is ALWAYS picking on the Jews, but Kyle is smarter, and he dislikes Canadians.(except for his little brother Ike). We need to be VERY careful about electing Americans with dual citizenship (Canadian) to office, or we may wake up dead one day from being seal- clubbed.

    Swami, good point about the Amish fraud, there are a bunch of Amish restaurants in Sarasota with owners that have names like Pappadakis and Niccodopoulis.
    I’ve never heard of no damned Greek Amish………

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  31. @uncledad :

    The particular statement “religious minority imposing the will of a foreign state on this countries policies” is what drew my attention. I read this as implying that Jewish (whether religiously or culturally) members of Congress were doing the work of Jews generally. I don’t think that’s the case. Rather, the hardline pro-Israel stance actually seems to bait for drawing the support of radical Protestants, the military-industrial complex, and groups prejudiced against Islam or Arabs.

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