Cab driver stabbed for calling himself Muslim

[Machjo]

One stabbing in a city of 8 million and people are more than willing to question whether or not this is a sign of some kind of "precipitating factor/"result of the protests or a sign of increasing anti-Muslim sentiment, yet when anyone dared to tie in the Fort Hood shooting with anti-western feelings, they were told it had nothing to do with Islam, it was a single act, etc., and the fact that he was a Muslim had nothing to do with anything. They guy simply snapped.

There is a difference here. When the stabber was arrested, he was found in possession of his diary which contained explicitly Homophobic content. He'd also asked the cab driver just before stabbing him what his religion was. There was very clear proof that this had to do with Islamophobia. Was there similar proof at the Fort Hood shootings? I don't know.

Once again, such different reactions depending on who is responsible for the act of violence.

It has nothing to do with who is responsible. It has to do with the evidence at hand. It's not like the guy stabbed a Muslim and the police just decided to charge him with a hate-motivated crime. FYI, US police still need evidence, and evidence was aplenty in this case.

Having said that:

Michael Enright, who had spent time embedded with the U.S. military in Afghanistan as part of a filmmaking project, yelled the taxi had arrived at a "checkpoint" and it was his "duty" to "put ... down" the driver, Ahmed Sharif recalled.

Sounds as if the guy had a screw loose, and that's the precipitating factor behind the stabbing. It hardly sounds as ominous as growing anti-Muslim sentiment as a result of the protests. Again, this is one stabbing in a city of 8 million, and it's not as if hate crimes never occurred before. On both side. Worldwide.

Of course he had a screw loose. It's still reasonable though to speculate, based on the evidence that Geller has managed to turn supporters of the mosque into opponents by putting on the right spin, on whether the stabber may have been influenced by the anti-mosque protests too.

[Machjo]

Islam has been Americanized...years before you were born.

So what's the issue then if Muslims are fully integrated into US society. If Americans continue to distinguish between Muslim Americans and other Americans, then clearly they are not fully Americanised yet in the minds of Americans.

[bush_cheney2004]

So what's the issue then if Muslims are fully integrated into US society. If Americans continue to distinguish between Muslim Americans and other Americans, then clearly they are not fully Americanised yet in the minds of Americans.

You have invented your own vision of what fully "Americanised" means....that's OK...lots of people do that. There are many hyphenated Americans, but they are still Americans. For one example, see "Nation of Islam":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Islam

[Machjo]

You have invented your own vision of what fully "Americanised" means....that's OK...lots of people do that. There are many hyphenated Americans, but they are still Americans. For one example, see "Nation of Islam":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Islam

Nation of Islam is a Muslim version of the KKK of sorts.

[bush_cheney2004]

Nation of Islam is a Muslim version of the KKK of sorts.

No matter....the Klan was indeed very very American....and Canadian.

[Machjo]

No matter....the Klan was indeed very very American....and Canadian.

Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way too I suppose. So then the concern should not be with Americanizing Islam, but more specifically have Muslims live up to the spiritual teachings of their religion, just as Christians should live up to the teachings of their religion, etc.

[bloodyminded]

Do you mean it's not significantly unmentioned without the US "turnaround" and lack of US media coverage?

Nope.

[kimmy]

Of course he had a screw loose. It's still reasonable though to speculate, based on the evidence that Geller has managed to turn supporters of the mosque into opponents by putting on the right spin, on whether the stabber may have been influenced by the anti-mosque protests too.

Based on the contents of his diary, it sounds like he hated Muslims before this controversy. He probably hated the idea of Park 51 as soon as he heard about it. He was probably provoked by the very fact of Park 51's existence.

(see how easy this game is?)

-k

[bush_cheney2004]

Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way too I suppose. So then the concern should not be with Americanizing Islam, but more specifically have Muslims live up to the spiritual teachings of their religion, just as Christians should live up to the teachings of their religion, etc.

Most can never fully measure up to such "spiritual teachings", but they do manage to avoid arrest and conviction for violations of criminal code.

[Guest American Woman]

Re NYC: "I feel like I belong here. This is the city actually [for] all colors, races, religion, everyone. We live here side by side peacefully."

Omg! Sounds horrible ... I'm sure glad I don't live in that city of bigots!

[Guest American Woman]

There is a difference here. When the stabber was arrested, he was found in possession of his diary which contained explicitly Homophobic content. He'd also asked the cab driver just before stabbing him what his religion was. There was very clear proof that this had to do with Islamophobia. Was there similar proof at the Fort Hood shootings? I don't know.

Yes, there was. There were many red flags that should have been cause for concern/questioning, but there was fear of crossing the PC line, and so he went along unchecked.

It has nothing to do with who is responsible. It has to do with the evidence at hand. It's not like the guy stabbed a Muslim and the police just decided to charge him with a hate-motivated crime. FYI, US police still need evidence, and evidence was aplenty in this case.

I didn't question this guy being charged with a hate crime; I questioned the Fort Hood shooter with not being charged with a hate crime. I questioned why "hate" apparently applies to one but not the other.

Of course he had a screw loose. It's still reasonable though to speculate, based on the evidence that Geller has managed to turn supporters of the mosque into opponents by putting on the right spin, on whether the stabber may have been influenced by the anti-mosque protests too.

It's ludicrous to use the occurrence of one incident in a city of 8 million as cause for speculation as to whether or not the protests against the mosque are leading to increased hate crimes. Again. It's one hate crime, in a city of 8 million. And as I pointed out, hate crimes have been occurring in NYC and worldwide, on all sides, well before this mosque became an issue. So why should one crime suddenly raise this type of speculation? The mosque wasn't even brought up, according to the cab driver,

By the same token, I don't recall this same scrutiny into why the Fort Hood shooter went on his spree. "He had a screw loose" or more like "he snapped" seemed to be good enough evidence, and it sure wasn't portrayed as possible evidence of increased Islamic anti-American sentiment. I don't remember such speculation as a result.

Edited August 28, 2010 by American Woman

[betsy]

Well of course it's got to be "the liberals" fault, Betsy. What else is new?

Conservatives aren't responsible for any contemporary problems.

Who rammed this fantasy called multi-culturalism? Resulting in a climate siwnging like a pendulum....from one extreme to the other!

The never-ending kowtowing of politicians towards some "flavor-of-the-month or pet-of-the hour" by the liberals ...(some of these politicians are forced to do some politicking in order to survive)..demonstrating a double standard that condones offensive insensitivity by one group towards another....what do you think? How long do you think this will go on without any repercussions?

You may justify the building of this mosque and invoke constitutional rights.....nevertheless, it is a provocation. It is utterly offensive and insensitive!

You think only the Muslims have citizens with misguided sense of martyrdom? "Heroism?"

You think only the Muslims have looney tunes?

[bloodyminded]

You think only the Muslims have citizens with misguided sense of martyrdom? "Heroism?"

You think only the Muslims have looney tunes?

Fuck, no! Obviously not.