General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSometimes an act of religious extremism is an act of religious extremism.
When a white kid shot up a black church, right wingers on sites like the Free Republican shout "Disturbed loner" and adequately deny that racism in America had nothing to do with it. On the other side, when the news came out that the shooters had Arabic names, people here on DU shouted "Disturbed loner" and tried to steer everyone away from the notion that religious extremism was their motive.
Sometimes a crime of racial hated is a crime of racial hatred. And sometimes an act of religious extremism is an act of religious extremism. We have to accept facts as they present themselves or we become no better than the freepers.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)If a guy can shoot up a planned parenthood clinic because his preachers and his magic book told him to do so, and ends up a "lone wolf," a "disturbed individual," and the act has no implications or involvement whatsoever with other whtie people, other christians, etc.. .then why can't that same standard be applied hwen it's an Arab Muslim killing people for religious fuckwit reasons?
You argue that they shouldn't be handwaved like that. That's okay, that's a position that an certainly be had. But hte fact is, this shit is getting such handwaves.. .when it's white people, or christians, or other "normal" people perpetrating these acts. As soon as they're some sort of minority though - brown-skinned, or immigrant, or muslim - then boom, no more "deranged lone worlf,' we're into terrorism territory with a full and thorough investigation into everyone htye know within seven degrees of removal.
There's also the problem that when a christian guns down a clenic, presidential candidates don't talk about christian registries and murdering their families in retaliation. Nobody firebombs the local baptist church. peopel with light skin aren't shoved in front of subways.
RandySF
(58,900 posts)But that doesn't give us a green light to do the same.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Nobody seems to be "calling it out." When an attempt is made, it's shouted down, berated, and kicked under the rug. White christians just can't be labeled 'terrorists" in this country. Oh they can be terrorists, of course, but the label will never stick. So that being the case, why not apply the standard evenly?
So long as only dark-skinned Muslims can be considered 'terrorists" in this country, they will remain an alienated, targeted minority. and since the most prevalent form of terrorism in the US - protestant christian white men on a zeal for Jesus - can't actually be called terrorism to spread the burden around, the apparent fix is to go the other way and just say "hey, they're all lone wolves with a dire need of lithium prescriptions."
Kurska
(5,739 posts)That applies to both sides.
Whats new?
Politicizing tragedies is done by both the left and right; to say otherwise is lying.
CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)The media and politicians don't help because they present two false choices: either for Islam or against Islam.
But the problem is a specific version of Islam called Salafism, which used to be the minority, but is now expanding exponentially due to massive funding and social media campaigns.