As I write this, we are still waiting for the police investigation to play out in the murder of three young Muslim college students near the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill campus. There is apparently no doubt as to the identity of the killer. What we awaiting now is his motive, and it matters to all of us. Was it a dispute over a parking space? Did the religion of the victims play a part in the motive? The killer is apparently a professional atheist who has a problem with several religions in general.
Already, the Islamic activists are rolling into high gear with the narrative that this must involve "Islamophobia". Below is a message that the Western Regional Chapter of the Muslim Student Association has put out. Their minds are made up.
http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=30d739eaae2442c8d20aad278&id=e85dc9e769&e=3b1781f0b9
In addition, CAIR is calling on the authorities to investigate this as a possible hate crime. Also, this morning, Islamic activist and Obama adviser Linda Sarsour was on CNN stating that in her opinion, anti-Muslim hate must have played a role. Already, she has become an adviser to one of the families of the victims. Not even Al Sharpton is that quick.
However, for those of us who report on the Islamic persecution of religious minorities in other countries, this must be a time that all sides engage in some intellectual honesty. Personally, I don't want to see any false narratives here. Whatever the truth is behind the killer's thinking, that must come out. If it turns out that the only motive was his rage over a parking space, then we can and should expose any efforts to turn this tragic event into something it is not.
On the other hand, if it turns out that hate played even a partial role in the murders, then that is something we must deal with and condemn. At any rate, these were young, innocent people who were murdered for no good reason. As it appears now, a first degree charge of murder is appropriate.
Not to make light of this, but parking spaces are at quite a premium in some places (NYC comes to mind, maybe particularly Manhattan??).
ReplyDeleteIn the aftermath of the recent monster snows in the NE, although I disremember all the details, I seem to recall that some dude shoveled out two spaces, which some people immediately parked in, and about as immediately got shot for doing so. Don't recall if they died or not.
It will play out, but it could be, and for that matter probably is, as simple as a nutso job, and the people who got caught up in this tragic confluence of events just happened to be Muslim. Or maybe he just hated students of any kind. I believe the original post on this, which I can't get to any more, may have indicated some prior/ongoing dispute??
In any event, it is sad that the bodies are scarcely cold before the MSA is "strategizing" about how to make some hay off of this.