An American Muslim Journal

Dick Durbin holds Muslim rights hearings - Scott Wong - POLITICO.com

Durbin noted that King previously stated there are too many mosques in the country. And he pointed to comments by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a possible GOP presidential candidate, that the country is “experiencing an Islamist cultural-political offensive designed to undermine and destroy our civilization.”

“Some have even questioned the premise of today’s hearing: that we should protect the civil rights of American Muslims,” Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said in his opening remarks. “Such inflammatory speech from prominent public figures creates a fertile climate for discrimination. So it’s not surprising that the Anti-Defamation League says we face an intensified level of anti-Muslim bigotry.’”

via www.politico.com

Of course the right-wing nuts are going nuts over this hearing.  They hear "Muslims" and they can't help but freak out (hat tip for that Pavlovian conditioning to Faux News).

Here's a shot of some comments on Politico.com:

Wow!  The anger and hate is so strong!  And wrong.

The fact is that this was a civil rights hearing.  The American community it was focusing on today was the American Muslim community.  And fighting to secure the civil rights of each and every segment of our community helps to strengthen the civil rights of every citizen.

As such, I'm not so keen on POLITICO.com's headline about "Muslim rights hearings".  These were civil rights hearings focused on the rising bigotry against American Muslims.

Sen. Durbin deserves a lot of credit for taking the lead.  I also want to acknowledge Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for co-chairing this hearing.

 

King Hearing Falls Short, As Predicted says Investors Business Daily

Sheesh!  Even the Investors Business Daily is piling on Rep. Peter King for his pathetic hearings.  Make no mistake, I don't think too kindly of some of the IBD editorials (they sometimes like to slum in the gutter by promoting bogus charges against legitimate American Muslim organizations).  I'm pointing them out, however, because EVEN THEY berated Rep. King for the way he failed to conduct a meaningful hearing.

IBD wrote:

Reviews of Rep. Pete King’s opening round of hearings into “Muslim radicalization” are lousy...  King, the Republican head of the House Homeland Security Committee, deserves thrashing...  King didn't even come close to delivering what he advertised with his investigation, titled "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response"...  He said FBI agents and other cops working terrorism cases constantly complain about the lack of cooperation from the Muslim community. Mosque officials and other Muslim leaders actually encourage such resistance, he said...  Yet the seven witnesses King called to testify included no national law enforcement officials to back him up. Nor did he subpoena any of the offending Muslim leaders to address these allegations under oath.

Huh!  Imagine that!  And why, IBD, do you think that is?  Is it that Rep. King's staff lost the notebook with the names and numbers of all the many law enforcement folks that supposedly told Rep. King about the alleged lack of cooperation of American Muslims?  Hmmm?  No, I don't think that's it.  I think it's because that was a wild claim that Rep. King can't back up.

Orange County GOP Leaders Scott Baugh, Adam Probolsky not bothered by Deborah Pauly's Incitement to Murder

 
The response by Orange County's party leadership to Pauly's comments has been muted, even a bit disjointed. In an interview with a reporter, OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh defended Pauly's right to speak out, but was clearly uncomfortable doing it.

"We don't referee the content of what people say out at rallies," Baugh said. He added later: "In Democracy -- in a country with free speech -- at rallies a lot of things are said. I wouldn't read too much into it."

Adam Probolsky, a Republican pollster, activist and central committee member said it's simply not the role of the party to be regulating what its members -- or even its leaders -- say at public events. "The news of the day is not what makes up the activity of the day of the Republican Party," Probolsky said.

via www.voiceofoc.org

Oh really Scott Baugh!?  So it doesn't bother you that one of your fellow OC GOP leaders incited the crowd to murder innocent men, women and children?  Quite a spine you've got sir!

I have a question for Adam Probolsky - what, sir, does make up the activity of the day at the Republican Party in Orange County?  Cutting eye holes in white bedsheets, perhaps?  Churning out a fresh litany of lame explanations for the outrageous behavior of your leadership?  Or perhaps just gearing up to tear down American workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively?  Your mama must be so proud.

We American Muslims go through a ritual of apologizing every time a kook who professes to share the same faith as we do goes and does something dumb, violent or illegal.  We do it because we want to set the record straight that these folks are acting contrary to what our faith teaches us.  We do it because we want our fellow Americans to know that we abhor terrorism.  We do it because, by and large, Americans ask us to do so.

So why is it Deborah Pauly's colleagues in the GOP can't muster up an ounce of decency and just say "Yeah, Deborah's an idiot, a bigot and probably a criminal if that dopey OC DA did his job" and be done with it?

Come on Scotty Baugh!  I gave you the line.  All you need to do is put it on your letterhead.  I give you permission to use that line as your own - no attribution needed!

Maybe good, decent people in Orange County - especially the Republicans - should head out to the next OC GOP meeting on Monday, March 21, 2011 from 7pm to 9pm at the Hyatt Regency Irvine.  That might be a good place to dish out a little protest against Pauly's hate and bigotry (albeit with a lot more civility than Pauly showed when she scared the heck out of little children).

Scotty Baugh - would it be okay if folks came and expressed their displeasure with the way your colleague conducted herself and with the lack of spine you've shown in addressing it adequately?  I'm advocating a civil and peaceful presence.  Are you cool with that?  Write a comment here and let us know.

I can't help but wonder if the GOP of the early part of the 21st century is going to go down in history as the party of the new KKK.  Is that how you want to be remembered?  Ugh!  I wouldn't.

 

Southwest apologizes to Muslim booted off plane - good for Southwest

 

(Reuters) - A Muslim woman who was booted from a Southwest Airlines plane because flight attendants found her behavior suspicious received a public apology from the airline on Wednesday.

Graduate student Irum Abassi was wearing a head scarf when she was ordered to leave a flight on Sunday before it took off from San Diego International Airport.

via www.reuters.com

Good for Southwest Airlines for apologizing in a timely fashion! It does them absolutely no good to have bigoted or ill-trained personnel on their flights.

It's amazing what narrow-minded (perhaps even bigoted) comments Ms. Abassi's experience and the subsequent apology are stirring up on the internet.  These people should be ashamed of themselves!

Here's a sampling:

Big deal. Southwest was trying to protect its passengers and I say good for them. I am sick of the crocodile tears and all of the rest from any member of a protected class in this country. And Muslims are the latest protected class, thank you misguided media/leftists.) Ms. Abassi’s fellow Muslims murder Christians every day all over the world. Jews are not allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia or to many other countries. Homosexuals are routinely jailed, tortured and murdered. I think Ms. Abassi should be grateful for the free travel coupon and that this is America. Tens of thousands of Japanese died a sudden and horrific death a few days ago. That was a tragedy. Ms. Abassi’s “trauma” was not.  via www.reuters.com

I say to Fing bad!! Muslims are the reason for the growing anti Muslim movement..Deal with it or leave via www.sigonsandiego.com

What a bunch of jerks!  This is the United States of America people!  We have laws and those laws prohibit the kind of discrimination that Southwest Airlines engaged in when it kicked Ms. Abassi off her flight.

We aren't going anywhere.  American Muslims are here to stay.  Period.  So deal with it.  We'll certain fight for our civil rights and liberties.  We can either live up to the ideals of America or become like the nations we abhor.

 

 

So, is it okay to profile young black men so long was we're nice to them? What would Asra Nomani say?

If I understand Asra Nomani right, she thinks its okay to profile Muslims because, in her view, a lot of terrorists are Muslims.

Here is Ms. Nomani in her own words:

Profiling doesn’t have to be about discrimination, persecution, or harassment. As my debating partner, conservative columnist Deroy Murdock put it: “We are not arguing that the TSA should send anyone named Mohammad to be waterboarded somewhere between the first-class lounge and the Pizza Hut.”

And let me make sure I understand this correctly - it's okay to profile someone on the basis of his race or religion so long as he isn't tortured?  Okay, so maybe that was hyperbole by Ms. Nomani but what she's saying is that Muslims should accept profiling as long as they aren't physically harmed.  Is that right?  Or is she saying that folks can't eat Pizza Hut food in the first-class lounge?  I don't get it.

If profiling is lawful, then why don't we allow our police departments to use it when fighting all sorts of crimes?  

Would Ms. Nomani also argue in favor of profiling all young black men - politely of course and without waterboarding them - as they enter public spaces like a movie theater or a public park to check for weapons?  What about random frisks of all young black male pedestrians in inner-city neighborhoods? Again, it would be without rendition or torture so is it kosher?

Umm, I don't think so.  I don't think even my man Juan Williams would go here and we know how nervous he gets when he sees Muslims on airplanes.

I don't think Ms. Nomani is the "Uncle Tom" she's portrayed as in some parts of the American Muslim community, but I do think that this was a particularly weak argument.  I wish Ms. Nomani would use her talents and the public stage she's given to articulate more thoughtful ideas.  This one failed miserably.

 

Flustered in Phoenix: Mosque or Church?! Aw hell, let's just protest it just in case!

I have a simple message for some residents of Phoenix, Arizona: 

Dear Vigilant (but not-so-bright) citizens of Phoenix,

You must be stupid, stupid, stupid!  Don't you think it might be a good idea to at least confirm that the target of your protest is what you think it is?  Idiots.

Why such harsh words?  What else can you say to folks who compound their vices by heaping stupidity on top of their bigotry?

I'm fine with residents objecting to the building of a religious facility based on land use laws and zoning issues.  Protesting the house worship because you don't like the faith tradition, on the other hand, is simply wrong.

I hope these people have some reasonable friends and family who will chastise these silly people for their idiotic actions.  I refuse to believe that the majority of my fellow Americans condone the actions of those who oppose mosques (or any other house of worship) on the basis their dislike of the faith tradition it represents, but I also know that these are issues that most of us would rather not raise a ruckus over.

That has to change.  If you see something (stupid, bigoted, hateful, racist or simply ignorant), say something.

Thanks to The Atlantic for sharing this incident!

Suing Fas Mart convenient store is unproductive

It sounds like the Richmond, VA based convenient store chain Fas Mart responded quickly and appropriately to an unfortunate and unacceptable instance of religious discrimination in one of its Fredericksburg, VA stores.  In response to a complaint of a Muslim woman who was denied service because of her headscarf (which she wore for religious reasons) the company has suspended the employee who denied the service, issued a personal apology by the store manager to the woman and said it was investigating the incident and said it regretted the incident.

The Muslim woman apparently is not satisfied and is considering a lawsuit against the company.  Unless there's more to this story I can't see what merit such a suit has given the response of the company.

Beyond the legal issues - whether there is a basis for bringing suit or not - there is the question of whether a lawsuit in this case is helpful to the cause of Muslims.  I don't think it is, because this company seemed to respond quickly and reasonably in redressing the actions of one of its employees.  This is what we as Muslims want.  Mistakes happen.  Sometimes employees may even act maliciously.  But if the company responds and tries to make reasonable and appropriate amends, then slapping them with a lawsuit seems excessive.

Furthermore, it sends the wrong message.  If Muslims feel compelled to file suit even when such companies try to correct the mistakes they or their employees made, then it may become a disincentive to act proactively in the future.  And given the costs and time involved in litigation, it is better to quickly resolve discrimination cases.

So, unless there is more to this case, I think a law suit against Fas Mart will be unproductive.