How many times have we heard, after a Muslim commits an act of violence in the United States, the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) instruct us to be very careful and not rush to judgment. We’re not to lump all Muslims in with a crazed lunatic who may have preceded his or her carnage with that customary “God is great” shoutout.
Fair enough.
But when Muslims are killed by someone who’s passed off as a “white supremacist” (thanks to the media), the demands of restraint disappear and judgments are hurled.
CAIR, the largest Muslim advocacy organization in the U.S., warned against blaming any one person for the shooter’s actions, but pointed to research showing a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment since Trump was elected. CAIR National Executive Director Nihad said Trump needs to assure Muslims that they are protected and that he will not tolerate violence against their community.
“Mr. Trump, your words matter. Your policies matter. They impact the lives of innocent people at home and globally,” Awad said at a news conference Friday.
— PBS NewsHour, 3/15/19
Actually, anti-Muslim sentiment has been growing since September 11, 2001 and the rise of terror attacks that have occured since haven’t helped Nihad Awad’s case. Coincidently, on the same day as the New Zealand massacre, there were other horrific attacks in the world; attacks Mr. Awad declined to mention because it was too inconvenient.
At least 13 civilians have died in fresh attacks in Mozambique’s volatile northern Cabo Delgado province where Islamists have terrorized villagers in remote communities for more than a year, local sources said Saturday.
— Manila Bulletin, 3/16/18
Three suicide attackers in women’s clothing killed six people leaving the last Islamic State enclave in eastern Syria on Friday in simultaneous blasts, the US-backed forces besieging the area said.
— South China Morning Post, 3/16/18
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that earlier today, around 6:00 a.m., Boko Haram insurgents launched an attack on Ngurhlavu village of Lassa in Askira-Uba local council area of southern Borno State. Most of the villagers were able to flee into the bush, but the insurgents burned down six homes, destroyed the EYN Church (Church of the Brethren), killed one person, and abducted two sisters, Stella Ibrahim and Plungwa Ibrahim.
— International Christian Concern, 3/14/19
If we’re playing the numbers game, the 50 killed in Christchurch, New Zealand by a white guy is larger than the 20 killed by Muslims in other parts of the world on the same day, but the fact our media has amplified CAIR’s claim of anti-Muslim sentiment blamed on President Trump while being allowed to ignore the actions of his murderous brethren should be pointed out.
While many have quickly rushed to judgment and made this political against President Trump, remember how these are the same people who demand WE not rush to judgment when one of their own kills en masse.
Fort Hood shooting: 13 dead, 30 injured
Council for American-Islamic Relations national communications director Ibrahim Hooper said Sunday that the U.S. still isn’t clear if the shootings at Fort Hood were an act of terrorism. “To call it an act of terror is to jump to conclusions, to rush to judgment,” Hooper said in an appearance on TV One’s “Washington Watch.”
— Politico, 11/15/09
Boston Marathon bombing: 3 dead, 183 injured
CAIR spokesman Dawud Walid told WWJ Newsradio 950 it’s unfortunate that Muslims are often instantly considered suspects in such attacks. “We shouldn’t rush to judgment in regards to this horrific attack – we don’t know who did it, irrespective of who did it, there is not religion that sanctions wanton violence against innocent people,” he said.
— CBS Detroit, 4/06/13
San Bernardino shooting: 14 dead, 22 injured
Attorneys representing Syed Farook’s family urged the public and media to wait for specific evidence before jumping to conclusions. They said none of his relatives had any indication either Farook or his wife held extremist views.
— Associated Press, 12/5/15
Florida nightclub shooting: 49 dead, 53 injured
The ex-wife of the gunman who opened fire in a Florida gay nightclub has urged people not to quickly assign motive to the attack that left 49 dead. Sitora Yusufiy said in an interview Tuesday night on CNN that former husband Omar Mateen was unstable and prone to emotional outbursts while they were together but she never heard him express any radicalism.
— Associated Press, 6/15/16
These are just the higher profile incidents in the United States. The thousands of deaths at the hands of Muslim terrorists including incidents in Paris, Ankara, Nigeria, Koulfoua, Brussels, Lahore, Istanbul, Baghdad, Nice, Quetta, Sehwan, Zliten, Beslan, Bataclan, London, Manchester are just some of the other two-or-so day stories our media moved on from because once we found out who the murderers were, it was time again to not rush to judgment and paint others with that proverbial broad brush.
Consistency used to hold people accountable for their actions but when the activists and the media choose sides, things get ignored when inconvenient and amplified to suit a political end. Imagine the pointed accusations of unfounded hysteria if Americans took additional security measures after an Islamic terror attack and what would be said about them. But for others, such measures suddenly become justified and promoted.
For a community that has feared for its reputation in America since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and has watched hate crimes against Muslims mount over the past three years, Friday’s violence ratcheted up anxiety levels that were already high. Mosques across the country swiftly implemented new security precautions, just hours before their communities gathered for the weekly jum’a prayer. Police in cities across the country sent officers to mosques. Faithful attendees debated whether it would be safe to go pray.
— Washington Post, 3/15/19
It’s great to be the victim. You can gain lots of that valuable sympathy and you can dictate the terms of how narratives are presented.
Then again, if you can’t be consistent and practice what you preach, we have no obligation to listen to demands.
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