The Garland Shooting: What We Can Say Now

-Gates of Vienna


The scene at the Curtis Culwell Event Center in Garland, Texas has not even been cleared yet. The bodies of two shooters are still on the ground, and a robot is about to check their car for bombs.We don't know the identities of the shooters as yet. The security guard who was shot is in the hospital.

As yet, we can't say with certainty whether we are dealing with two angry men or if they are part of a larger conspiracy. In other words, the smoke hasn't settled.

What we can say now is this: Charlie Hebdo came to America today. This was an attempt to go in and kill some very prominent counter jihadists, who, in response to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, were holding a "Draw Mohammad" event to make a strong statement in support of freedom of expression. Geert Wilders was there. Pam Geller was there. Robert Spencer was there. This was a much publicized event, and they were prepared for trouble.

Now comes the debate about blasphemy and offending Muslims who are prepared to kill those who mock their prophet vs. freedom of expression and speech. No doubt the liberals in the media will blame the organizers of this event for provoking Muslims.

But here is the point: While mocking or even portraying images of the Prophet Mohammad is, indeed, offensive to all Muslims, it cannot be a justification for murder-no matter what any Islamic texts may dictate. Militant Islam is the issue of our day. It is perfectly legitimate to discuss to which extent Islamic doctrine and the life and teachings of the Prophet are contributing to the horrific violence we are witnessing today worldwide. In America, this is all protected by the First Amendment. We can never compromise on that.

Without trying to assign blame to the wider American Muslim community (which we should never do), we must assume that there are some people walking among us that are prepared to emulate the Paris attacks in America.