As we all know, it's harder to have discriminatory feelings toward individuals you know than toward abstract groups -- that accounts for much of the movement in American public opinion on gay rights in the last few years. And this fact may be helping Herman Cain see the light on Muslims. As you may have heard, every time Cain has opened his mouth on the topic of Islam recently, he has made himself appear to be more and more of a bigot, saying, among other things, that he wouldn't be comfortable with a Muslim in his cabinet, that he would demand a special loyalty oath of Muslims who work for the government, and that communities should be able to ban mosques, because the First Amendment apparently doesn't apply to your religion if a majority of your neighbors don't like it.
But yesterday, Cain had what may well have been his first opportunity to sit down and talk to some real live Muslims. And he came out a changed man:
"While I stand by my opposition to the interference of sharia law into the American legal system, I remain humble and contrite for any statements I have made that might have caused offense to Muslim Americans and their friends," he said in the statement. "I am truly sorry for any comments that may have betrayed my commitment to the U.S. Constitution and the freedom of religion guaranteed by it."Cain's meeting came at the ADAMS Center, a Northern Virginia mosque complex that recently hosted deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough. At ADAMS, Cain met with Imam Mohamed Magid, the executive director of the center, as well as several other top officials. In the statement, Cain said he found common ground with the Muslims he met with Wednesday from his own past.
"As I expected, we discovered we have much more in common in our values and virtues," Cain said. "In my own life as a black youth growing up in the segregated South, I understand their frustration with stereotypes. Those in attendance, like most Muslim Americans, are peaceful Muslims and patriotic Americans whose good will is often drowned out by the reprehensible actions of jihadists."
The fact that Cain now acknowledges that most Muslims are peaceful and patriotic is a big step forward for him. Previously, when he was asked why he wouldn't want a Muslim in his cabinet, he explained that when he answered the question, he didn't actually mean that he wouldn't be comfortable with a Muslim in his cabinet, only that "I would not be comfortable with a terrorist in my cabinet." Because when someone asks you if you'd appoint any Muslims, the natural way to interpret that is whether you'd appoint any terrorists. Because in his mind at that point, Muslims = terrorists.
But not anymore, if he's to be believed. Now maybe he's not being completely sincere, or maybe this is just the first step on a long journey of tolerance and understanding Cain is beginning to walk. But we should give him credit for admitting he was wrong.
