USA-MISSOURI: REV. DAVID CLIPPARD SAYS "ISLAM HAS A STRATEGIC PLAN TO DEFEAT & OCCUPY AMERICA"

Islam is threat to U.S., Baptist group is told
By TIM TOWNSEND
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention told the group's annual meeting here that Islam is the greatest threat facing America.

In his opening remarks Monday night, the Rev. David Clippard told the crowd of 1,200 delegates, pastors and laymen that "Today, Islam has a strategic plan to defeat and occupy America."

The Missouri Baptist Convention is a fellowship of 2,000 congregations that cooperate with the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. Baptist churches that are members of the Southern Baptist Convention operate autonomously but cooperate on many issues.

Ibrahim Hooper, a national spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he was not surprised about the content of Clippard's message, but he said he was worried about its effects.

"This kind of hate-filled, ignorant rhetoric shouldn't be coming from religious leaders in our country who should instead be repudiating this kind of bigotry," Hooper said. "He may be comfortable saying these things behind closed doors, but the real impact is on everyday Muslims who have to live with the consequences of this kind of talk."

Clippard said the Saudi Arabian government and royal family had funded teaching positions and 138 Muslim student centers on university campuses across the U.S., including three in the University of Missouri system in Columbia, Rolla and St. Louis. "What they are after is your sons and daughters," Clippard said. "They are coming to this country in the guise of students, and the Saudi government is paying their expenses."

Bob Sample, a spokesman for the University of Missouri at St. Louis said the school did have a Muslim Student Association but that it was one of 150 student associations on campus and one of six considered "faith-based." He said that neither the university nor any of its student associations were receiving subsidies from the Saudi government.

Andrew Careaga, a spokesman for the University of Missouri, Rolla, said his school also had a Muslim Student Association, one of 14 religious student associations. He said he was not aware of any complaints from other students that Muslim students had been recruiting them.

Clippard said Muslims were hoping to take over the U.S. government one city at a time, and that they were starting with Detroit, where there is already a large Muslim population.

In an interview Tuesday, Clippard said he believed the Islamic "strategy for taking over America" was to wait until there was a Muslim majority here and then "eradicate those who don't conform to their religion."

Usama Dakdok, an Egyptian Christian and founder of Straight Way Ministry who calls himself a "Muslim evangelism specialist," said Tuesday that "every word [Clippard] said is true. It's time for us to wake up. They are not here to be in our welfare system, they are here to take over our country."

Clippard said Tuesday that his message was really about love.

"I don't hate Islamic people," he said. "We need to love these folks, go after them and love them, one at a time. We need to crucify them with Christ."

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1) Islam is threat to U.S., Baptist group is told