Video - N.Y.-Based Egyptian-American Activist Ayat Oraby Calls for Economic Boycott of Copts: The Crescent Must Always Be on Top of the Cross

N.Y.-Based Egyptian-American Activist Ayat Oraby Calls for Economic Boycott of Copts: The Crescent Must Always Be on Top of the Cross. (Memri).

In a video posted on her Facebook page on September 21, New York-based Egyptian-American activist Ayat Oraby called the Coptic church "a gang, striving to establish a Coptic mini-state," and "a full-fledged mafia," and described Pope Tawadros as "a criminal." Oraby called upon Muslims to participate in an economic boycott of Copts, saying that: "They must be made to understand that the crescent must be on top of the cross."

Related: I seem to recall her name, and a quick search revealed her 'Muslim Brotherhood hatred' for the Copts.

Are Americans ready to elect a Muslim president? New poll suggests maybe

More info on the US Muslim Brotherhood can be read here.

Are Americans ready to elect a Muslim president? New poll suggests maybe. (religionnews).

A recently released Gallup poll found “tidal shifts” over the past 60 years in Americans’ willingness to support a well-qualified black, female, Catholic or Jewish candidate for president.

But the study also found that 60 percent of Americans would be willing to vote for a president who was a “generally well-qualified person who happened to be Muslim.”

Throughout the month of Ramadan, which concludes Thursday (July 16), American Muslims have been serving their communities — including raising more than $80,000 for black churches burned across the South and serving 1,000 homeless on Skid Row in Los Angeles — public service that they are called by their faith to do. But as they look forward to Eid al-Fitr, the three-day celebration beginning Friday, they are also wondering whether Americans are more willing to accept their service.

“If the 60 percent is to be used as a proxy of acceptance of Muslims, I am encouraged by an upward trajectory,” wrote Saud Anwar, the mayor of South Windsor, Conn., and that state’s first Muslim mayor.

Anwar said he believes that “religious labels are less critical” at the local level, where “people have a better opportunity to know a candidate and thus vote based on capacity to do the job and performance.”

In national elections, he said, “the labels may become more important for people.”

But Amaney Jamal, a professor of politics at Princeton University who’s done significant research on the civic engagement of Muslims and Arabs in the U.S., said the poll also shows how much worse Muslims are doing than other religious and racial groups.

“Sixty percent isn’t a bad number on average,” she said, but when compared with American support for Catholics, blacks, Jews and Mormons — where there’s a 20- to 30-point difference — it’s “troubling.”

Americans haven’t embraced the idea “that a Muslim can be a loyal person to the United States, a Muslim can be a very good president, a dedicated president,” said Jamal. “There’s a lot of Islamophobia.”

The good news is that young people are more willing to vote for a Muslim presidential candidate — 76 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds would, as would 67 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds, according to the poll.

The higher youth numbers she attributes to the likelihood they have had direct daily interactions with a Muslim at work or school.

Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said he was struck that Protestants, according to the poll, would be much less likely to support a Muslim candidate (44 percent) than U.S. adults overall.

“The narrative that we are in a religious war with the Middle East I think has an impact on evangelical communities’ views of Muslims,” said Al-Marayati.

Tlaib, Al-Marayati said people have sometimes asked if he’s really Muslim.

“Just because we’re Americans doesn’t mean we’re less Muslim,” he said. “In fact, we say the opposite: Being a good American citizen makes me a more devout Muslim. And being a devout Muslim makes me a better American citizen.”

In 2008, former Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized elements of his party for allowing comments that “President Obama is a Muslim” to be answered only with “He is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been Christian.”

“The really right answer,” said Powell, “is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?”

But could there be a Muslim president in our lifetime?

“Why not?” said Tlaib, noting that we now have a biracial president.

“If somebody told me 10 years ago … I’d say, ‘Nah, it’s never going to happen.’ So I’m a true believer.”

Al-Maryati said that more important is having a president who demonstrates a commitment to pluralism and who includes Muslims as equal citizens in this country.

“I think if we achieve that, that’s a great achievement for America. That will make America stronger and will make the American Muslim community more secure.” Hmmmm....I thought they already did, i'm still waiting to see the Baptismal certificate of Hussein Obama. Read the full story here.