“Authorities are investigating the alleged beating of [a Loxley, Alabama] preacher by funeral mourners who didn’t like his blunt eulogy,” The AP reports.
Glynis Bethel tells the Associated Press that her husband, Pastor Orlando Bethel, was attacked during a June 14 funeral and dragged out of the church. That’s because Bethel told mourners the deceased was in hell and that they were headed the same way.
The dead man was Mrs. Bethel’s uncle.
Pastor Bethel referred to him as a ‘drunkard and a fornicator.’ Mrs. Bethel, who’s also a preacher, says, ‘the fornicators didn’t like what he said so they got up and beat him.’
She says police didn’t make any arrests, so she and her husband, who may have a broken nose, are taking out warrants.
The alleged attack — coupled with the failure of Alabama police to seek arrests in the case — prompted The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) to issue a hastily composed but strongly worded press release condemning “the racist and hateful public scoldings of all Muslims.”
Informed that none of the participants appeared to be Muslim, CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper seemed surprised. “Really? Well then nevermind, fuck ’em.
“Guess I’ve got egg on my face, eh?”
Good story. Reminds me of Orson Scott Card’s “Speaker for the Dead”. I’d invite this Pastor to speak at MY funeral… anyway I’ve come out of the hole we failed bloggers crawl into to blog mine own reaction.
The mention of CAIR is a bit of a stretch though, don’t you think? Let’s try to keep things on topic…
“<i>The mention of CAIR is a bit of a stretch though, don’t you think? Let’s try to keep things on topic…</i>”
For me the post was about Ibriham Hooper and CAIR. I just used the funeral story as an introduction.