Jersey City Slaying Spurs New Wave Of Anti-Islam Bias

[truthpusher]

http://www.wnbc.com/news/4113911/detail.html

Jersey City Slaying Spurs New Wave Of Anti-Islam Bias

POSTED: 8:51 pm EST January 20, 2005

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The dirty looks and shouted slurs started in 1993 after Muslims living here helped plan the bombing of the World Trade Center. They intensified on Sept. 11, 2001, when Muslim hijackers brought down the twin towers just across the Hudson River.

Now a third wave of anti-Muslim sentiment is washing over New Jersey's second-largest city, sparked this time by reports that the murders of an Egyptian Christian man, his wife and two young daughters might have been carried out by Muslims angered over postings the man made in an Internet chat room.

(snip)

"We Muslims living in America are getting sick of this crap," he said. "Why should we have to apologize for or make a defense of something we had nothing to do with? There is no proof at all that Muslims had anything to do with this, yet we are taking the blame again. Is Islam on trial, or is a killer on trial?"

more:

http://www.wnbc.com/news/4113911/detail.html

[Ian David]

1. I have mixed feelings about this

"We Muslims living in America are getting sick of this crap," he said. "Why should we have to apologize for or make a defense of something we had nothing to do with? There is no proof at all that Muslims had anything to do with this, yet we are taking the blame again. Is Islam on trial, or is a killer on trial?"

-----

On the other hand, the Muslim leadership in America has come out unanimously against gay rights.

Hey, Imams... you listening?

You can't have what you won't give.

The individuals concerned have my sympathy, but if anyone from The Islamic Society starts to whine about this, they should shut the hell up.

[Bono71]

2. Well...I don't think they should have to apologize if they didn't

have anything to do with the murder.

From a PR standpoint, however, it might be a good move to publicly denounce such acts.

[ck4829]

3. It's times like this I wish I could be a Muslim leader

I support gay rights to the point of equality, which includes things like marriage, and I am also a Muslim.

It would be great if people of all faiths could just put aside their bigotry for a second and see how much danger our world is in right now.

[ixion]

4. indeed... wouldn't that be nice?

And so simple.

What are the chances of it happening? Well, you can't say zero, but the odds are astronomical. :-(

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

6. Assalam o alaikum, ck4829

I am also a Muslim who supports gay rights. I couldn't agree with your post more.

[umtalal]

8. Hear, hear. I am a muslim hetro., married woman. I am for gay rights .

Eid Mubarak.

In San Gabriel, a subarb of Los Angeles my dear coptic friend Adel was shot a month after 9/11. At his funeral, I over heard a polite Christian coptic who lost her control and during her grief, and said how much she hated american ignornace.
God help us all.

[DulceDecorum]

5. And if anyone from the Southern Baptist Convention

(which is just about the ONLY religious body
that approves of the torture of Iraqi men,
the slaughter of Iraqi women
and the sodomizing of their children)
sees fit to once again point out that
September 11 happened BECAUSE of homosexuals,
then how should we respond?

The way I see it, Falwell's message to gays is:
Jesus hates you, this I know
for my Zondervan tells me so.

Listen,
when they finish killing off the Muslims,
let me assure you,
you will be next.

[DoNotRefill]

13. And we all know what happens when they "get sick of this crap"...

somebody ends up with their throats slit.

Mainstream Islam MUST put a leash on their fundamentalists, lest they provoke a very real pogrom against all muslims.

[gottaB]

7. Cf New York Times article

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/21/nyregion/21rift.html?pagewanted=1

[UL_Approved]

9. Some questions?

Where did the rumor about the cross on the girl's hand being mutilated come from? Where did that start?

This is a case of generalization and guilt by association. Even if it was some radical Muslim,

THAT DOES NOT MEAN EVERY MUSLIM IN AMERICA BELIEVES THE SAME THING.

That would be like saying that since radical religious groups bombed abortion clinics, that ALL CHRISTIANS believe in that. I guess that would suit some people in the world, but not me.

[Scurrilous]

10. Freeper sites are pushing...

...any number of wild rumors about this case. As for cross mutilation:

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1106117460288930.xml

Authorities reveal details in killing of Jersey City family

<snip>

"Authorities yesterday provided their most detailed description of what they found in the Jersey City home where an Egyptian immigrant family of four was murdered last week.

In response to widespread speculation that the crime stemmed from religious fanaticism, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office noted that the killers left behind no hate messages, nor did they desecrate Coptic Christian artifacts that belonged to the family.

In fact, authorities disclosed that the Coptic Cross tattoos which all four family members had on their inside right wrists "were not defaced."

[Ian David]

11. OK, I should apologize and clarify

I understand and appreciate that not all Muslims hate gay people.

In fact, there are even groups on the Internet for gay Muslims.

HOWEVER...

I can not find (and I HAVE looked) a single Muslim Imam or Cleric of any kind who supports gay marriage.

NOT ONE!

There are Baptist and even Catholic clergy and churches that are "welcoming" and "inclusive." There are clergy of every faith who have been willing to speak-out in favor of gay rights and gay marriage.

Yet I have not been able to find EVEN ONE Muslim cleric to do the same.

And groups like The Islamic Society of North America and their sister organizations are actively campaigning against gay marriage and gay rights here in America. They have allied themselves with Dobson and Focus on The Family.

When organizations like The Islamic Society call for tolerance and understanding, I want to spit in their faces and tell them to go fuck themselves.

When the individual Muslim-Americans who have been personally victimized by hatred and bigotry and intolerance call for compassion and understanding, my heart goes out to them.

The Religious Right in America HATES them. Even Dobson himself says that if gay marriage is legalized then America will collapse into an Islamic state and "our grandchildren will hear the call to prayer from minarets."

The RIGHT WING HATES THEM, and yet this is who they align with!

We on the left WANT to be their friends. We on the left WANT to offer them compassion and tolerance.

But what do they do?

They assail us with intolerance, bigotry and compassionless hatred of their own.

So, to our Muslim friends, I say you have my sympathy and understanding. But to The Islamic Society and associated organizations, I say, "go assume a position on the ash heap of history. The 16th century is calling and they want their assholes back."

American Muslims need to tell their leadership that by alienating their only friends here in America-- the liberals on the left-- they are NOT doing them any favors. When The Islamic Society calls for tolerance, I call "Bullshit."

Gay Muslims and Muslims of conscience have my respect and my apology. But it is your leadership that owes you the biggest apology of all. They have betrayed you.

[Igel]

14. This is true, but people generalize.

Not every evangelical or fundie Xian in the US likes * or is stupid.

Not every Muslim is a terrorist.

I'll repeat an example of hypocrisy I've posted before.

When McVeigh was described as a Xian, stupid-Xian jokes and anti-fundie comments (painting them all with a single brush) were rampant at the university I was at. Some loon kills an abortion provider? More anti-fundie/Xian rhetoric.

1993 WTC bombing? Not a single anti-Muslim comment. 2001 WTC attack? Faculty and students defended Muslims.

[noonwitch]

12. It wouldn't surprise me if some lunatic killed them in the name of Islam

But that doesn't make all muslims responsible. We don't hold all anti-abortion fundamentalists responsible for Eric Rudolph's bombing spree. The same applies to mulsims.

[Igel]

15. Huh?

"We don't hold all anti-abortion fundamentalists responsible for Eric Rudolph's bombing spree."

If you're saying that none of us hold all of them responsible, I think you're overgeneralizing. I think many people do. I don't, you don't. I don't know what percentage of DUers do or don't, but some loud ones do.