Police in El Cajon, outside San Diego are investigating the beating death of an Iraqi woman, a mother of five, who was discovered this week by her 17-year-old daughter in the family home. A note was left next to the victim telling her "to get out of the country, terrorist". The family immigrated to the US from Iraq. They are Muslims, and it appears to be a hate crime. There are no suspects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrnMYg62boM&feature=related
If this truly was an attack directed toward Muslims, this is terrible news, not just for the family, not just for Muslims in the US, but for all of us including those who are active in the movement against Islamic extremists in this country. This is not the way to fight the Islamist threat. No matter what happens in places like Toulouse or Mumbai or anywhere else, this must not occur in the US. Innocent Muslims in our country should not be subjected to this. They are as deserving of protection as the next person. It is for all of us to draw a clear line between those Muslims who are trying to undermine our freedoms, conducting a stealth jihad, if you will, or plotting a terrorist attack and those millions who are just trying to live quietly and make a better life in America.
I pray the killer(s) will be caught and this will not not happen again.
"This is not the way to fight the Islamist threat."
ReplyDeleteMy comment on that is not an argument, because your post has said what needs to be said very well.
But the REASON this is "not the way to fight the Islamist threat" is, first and foremost, that it targets people who ARE NOT the Islamist threat. Chances are this family fled FROM an Islamist threat, and came here.
There is an Islamist threat, as distinct from the delusion of an "Islamic threat." Indiscriminate killing based on religion does not even reach the threat, whether it is a proper method to do so, or not.
Gary, you said it perfectly. We all need to remember that Muslims are not our enemy, but Jihadists, Islamic extremists are the enemy. To assume otherwise is ignorant and evil. Samira
ReplyDeleteSamira,
ReplyDeleteThank you. The bottom line is that we are not the haters. We are the ones fighting hate and intolerance.