GUINNESS BOOK, TAKE NOTE - AT 9:25 A.M. ET:  In light of all that's happening this morning, I nominate the following for the worst timing of the year:

As many as 50,000 American Muslims are expected to gather on Capitol Hill Friday for the religion's first-ever national prayer rally, organizers of the event say.

Maybe a postponement is in order.  Considering the news, most Americans won't be hugging a Muslim this afternoon.  It's unfair, but it's the reality.

The rally is intended to be all about prayer, and no political speeches or signs will be allowed, said the event's organizer, Hassen Abdellah, president of the Dar-ul-Islam mosque in Elizabeth, N.J.

If it isn't about politics, why is it being held on Capitol Hill?  And then there are the complications:

But at least one of the prominent speakers who will read from the Koran has drawn criticism in the past for statements he's made about the Sept. 11 terror attacks, as well as for saying that the American media are largely under "Zionist control."

In 2005, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, Sheik Ahmed Dewidar said the "suspicion towards anything Islamic" remained a burden on Muslim Americans and that "the media — most of which is under Zionist control — has helped to spread this perception.

And...

During another interview by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Web site, Dewidar hinted at an American government conspiracy in relation to the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Just another nice chap, as American as apple pie.  Great choice of a speaker for the Capitol. 

September 25, 2009