Franklin and Billy Graham, in Cleveland Stadium, in Cleveland Ohio, in June 1994
The Army recently rescinded its invitation to Evangelist Franklin Graham for the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer service on May 6 amid complaints from Muslim members of the military about previous comments Graham made about the Islam religion.
Sarah Palin, who visited the Graham family in November during her highly publicized book tour, spoke out on Friday morning on her Facebook page.
“It’s truly a sad day when such a fine patriotic man, whose son is serving on his fourth deployment in Afghanistan to protect our freedom of speech and religion, is dis-invited from speaking at the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer service,” Palin said.
After the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Graham said Islam “is a very evil and wicked religion.” In a later op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal, Graham wrote that he did not believe Muslims were evil because of their faith, but “as a minister … I believe it is my responsibility to speak out against the terrible deeds that are committed as a result of Islamic teaching.”
Army spokesman Gary Tallman told Fox News on Wednesday that Graham’s “presence at the event may be taken by some as inappropriate for a government agency.”
Palin questioned, “Are we really so hyper-politically correct that we can’t abide a Christian minister who expresses his views on matters of faith? What a shame.”
Palin recalled having Rev. Franklin Graham speak at her Governor’s Prayer Breakfasts and said she was honored.
“His good work in Alaska’s Native villages and his charitable efforts all over the world stem from his servant’s heart,” Palin added. “In my years of knowing him, I’ve never found his tempered and biblically-based comments to be offensive – in fact his words have been encouraging and full of real hope.”
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