Glenn Beck spoke of ‘good Muslims’ with Imam Rauf in ’06
THE UPSHOT
Date: 8/23/2010
By Michael Calderone
[Update: Beck addressed the 2006 interview on his radio show Monday.]
Lately, conservative host Glenn Beck has sounded off against the proposed Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero and made allegations against one of its organizers: Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. On Fox News and the radio, Beck has tried to link Rauf to radical Islamic organizations, including Hamas.
But Beck didn't always speak so harshly about Rauf, who's been a prayer leader at a mosque 12 blocks from the World Trade Center site for decades and is widely considered a moderate Muslim. In fact, Rauf worked with the FBI on counterterrorism during the Bush years and is currently on a State Department–sponsored trip speaking out against extremism in the Muslim world.
Beck and Rauf aren't strangers. In 2006, they sat down for an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America." Liberal watchdog group Media Matters – which frequently targets Beck and other conservative hosts – unearthed the 7–plus–minute sit–down and blasted it out on Monday.
At the time, Beck spoke out strongly against Islamic terrorism while also praising "good Muslims." It appears that he gestures toward Rauf when making that comment.
The discussion is worth watching as reminder that civil debate is possible over issues of Islamic radicalism and religious tolerance. It also serves as a stark contrast to some of the overheated cable debates regarding the Park51 project over the past few months. You can watch Beck and Rauf below.
Beck is entitled to change his mind about someone he met four years ago. A Beck spokesman did not offer comment to The Upshot as to what specifically led to his current view of Rauf.
But Beck is not the only conservative talker who's had a positive on–air exchange with one of the Park51 organizers in the past, only to raise questions about the project near Ground Zero in recent weeks.
Salon's Justin Elliott reported last week that radio host Laura Ingraham interviewed Daisy Khan, the imam's wife, in December while filling in for Bill O'Reilly on Fox News. The Khan interview – apparently the first media mention of a "Ground Zero mosque" – was similarly civil. Ingraham asked some tough questions but concluded the interview by telling Khan, "I like what you're trying to do."
That comment led some to believe that Ingraham was a supporter who's now turning against the project. On Monday, Ingraham pushed back against New York Times columnist Frank Rich, who wrote in his Sunday column that she "gave the plans her blessing." Ingraham now says there are "legitimate questions" for Rauf and Khan, some which have surfaced since the December interview.
Update: Beck, on the radio Monday, said he didn't recall meeting Rauf. After playing the tape, Beck said that just he said "sure" a few times following Sawyer's questions, he didn't explicitly call Rauf a "good Muslim." Beck and his crew laughed off the coverage of this clip, including a Huffington Post headline stating that he praised Rauf as a "good Muslim." He said its "unbelievable" that people are citing that appearance "as my endorsement of this guy."
(Photo of Rauf speaking to worshippers in Bahrain on Friday: AP/Hasan Jamali)
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