Southern California Mosque Defaced

From Orange County Register



Early Thursday morning, someone spray painted anti-Muslim graffiti on an Islamic center in Cypress in Orange County, California. As yet, the perpetrators are unknown and the incident is being investigated by the police. (A report is also up on the website of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-CAIR). After some thought, I have decided to post my own comment on this incident since I received an anonymous and ugly comment on this blog in connection with the event.

I was not aware of the incident until yesterday morning when I received this comment (I am redacting part of it for obvious reasons. The comment was rejected though I did issue a reply which is contained in the comments section of the posting on the Anti-Defamation League letter to the Attorney General.)

"Mr Fouse;

Was it you who desecrated the Islamic Center of Cypress the other night?

Did you do this on behalf of.....Jewish.....(name redacted- In other words, did I do this on behalf of a Jewish individual whose name I have omitted-who, as far as I know, is not even Jewish.)

Allah Akbar"

(Anonymous)

As I think more about this message, I am at a loss as to who sent it. (Rest assured, I have referred this to the proper people.) Is it an actual anti-Semite? Is there any significance to the English transcription "Allah Akbar" instead of "Allahu Akbar"? In other words, is it possible that the person sending it was masquerading as a Muslim? At this point, who knows? If I accept it at face value, it indicates an anti-Semitic undertone which goes beyond mere "anti-Zionism" and which would be despicable. If it was written by someone trying to discredit Muslims, that would also be despicable. In this on-going controversy, which has spilled onto our shores from the Middle East conflict, any manufactured expression of hate is a disservice to all of us just as are actual expressions of hate.

As for what happened in Cypress, I can only hope that whoever committed the act will be identified and prosecuted. In the wake of the murder of late-term abortion doctor George Tiller in Kansas this past week, it should also serve as a reminder to us that in standing up to radical/militant Islam (whatever you want to call it) and pointing out anti-Semitic undertones when we see them, we have to insure that our words do not inflame or could lead to any action against innocent people. I have stated in a previous posting that the actions of the man accused of killing Tiller were indefensible but not to be blamed on the overwhelming majority of abortion foes. Similarly, I am comfortable that I have avoided painting all Muslims with the radical brush. I know what I have said, just as I know what I have not said. In standing up for what we feel is right, we need to appeal to the overall Muslim community to stand with us against terror. Spray painting mosques is not the way to accomplish that.