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Muslims aren’t the problem. Yet why are they the only “terrorists”?

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by Tina Lapsia

First came President Trump’s ‘Muslim’ travel ban, issued with a statement “We don’t want ‘em [Muslims] here.” Nine months later, a white man unleashed havoc in Las Vegas, Nevada, killing 58 innocent concert-goers and wounding hundreds of others, in what has been declared as the worst mass shooting in American history.

Stephen Paddock, the suspect in the Las Vegas shooting. (Source: Medium)

Since Trump took office, some of the worst attacks, including the one in Las Vegas, have occurred on American soil. These include:

  • August 2017: A 20-year-old white Nazi sympathizer from Ohio sped his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing a woman and injuring at least 19 others.
  • June 2017: A 66-year-old white man from Illinois shot at Republican Congress members during an early morning baseball practice, severely wounding several people including House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana.
  • June 2017: A 52-year-old white man from Kansas shot one Indian man and killed another as he told them to “get out of [his] country.”
  • March 2017: A 28-year-old white man from Baltimore traveled to New York City with the explicit aim of killing black men. He stabbed 66-year-old Timothy Caughman to death.
  • May 2017: A 35-year-old white man from Oregon began harassing Muslim teenagers on a train in Portland, telling them “We need Americans here!” Two men interceded; the perpetrator then stabbed and killed them both.

After the attacks of September 11, Muslims have been automatically associated with the radical Islamic terrorists responsible for that horrific tragedy. However, the bigger threat to Americans have been those who “blend right in” – those who are not affiliated with any specific religion or extremist group.

In fact, according to a new study by the think tank New America, more Americans were killed by “native” right-wing extremists between 2001-2015 than by Islamic terrorists.

Despite Trump’s travel ban to protect Americans from such terrorists, the country home to the biggest number of terrorists who have carried out successful attacks inside the US is the US itself.

But such individuals who commit acts of mass murders are, in many instances, not labeled as terrorists – such was the case with the suspect in the Las Vegas shooting, Stephen Paddock.

Why? Terrorism seems to be a label reserved for foreigners, for Muslims. Whites have the privilege of being the “lone wolf” shooters.

When the definition of terrorism cannot even be agreed upon by the FBI, US Department of Defense, Congress and the US Department of Homeland Security, terrorism becomes a term defined by society and the media.

When a white perpetrator carries out an act of terrorism, public discourse is confined to “thoughts and prayers,” while Congress and the public rally for policy change and legislation in the wake of an attack by a Muslim.

A Muslim attacker has never been referred to as an American, a local of the community he attacks. Rather, despite his country of citizenship, he (or she) is considered to be a foreigner or an external threat by the Western press.

It is no surprise that this worldview and perception has lead to anti-Muslim discrimination in America. It has lead to racial profiling, torturing Muslim suspects in Guantanamo Bay and instating a Muslim ban.

Terrorism has no race, no color, no gender and no religion. We must change this narrative that Muslims are the only face of it.

Anti-Immigrant Group Mistakes Bus Seats for Women

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by Aysha Qamar

“It looks really scary, should be banned. You can never know who is under there. Could be terrorists with weapons,” comments on a picture posted on a private Norwegian anti-immigrant Facebook page read.

The picture posted, with the comment ‘“What do people think of this?,” in the Facebook group ‘Fedrelandet viktigst’ translating to ‘Fatherland first’, sparked a debate amongst group members after some mistook six empty bus seats for six women wearing burqas.

The group consisting of over 13,000 members has thus been widely mocked.

Johan Slattavik, the user who posted the photograph, claims he posted the image as “a little practical joke,” to see how people would react to a picture of an empty bus.

“I laid out the photo to see what happened,” Slattavik told WorldViews. “I ended up having a good laugh.”

The picture quickly caught attention with a variety of comments, media agencies reported.

“Ghastly. This should never happen”

“Islam is and always will be a curse”

“Get them out of our country – frightening times we are living in”

“I thought it would be like this in the year 2050, but it is happening NOW.”

“It’s just an empty bus”

“Imagine that empty buses can create so many hate comments”

Sindre Beyer, a former Norwegian politician, said he joined the group out of curiosity.

Beyer shared the original post and published 23 pages of the group’s comments.

“What happens when a photo of some empty bus seats is posted to a disgusting Facebook group, and nearly everyone thinks they see a bunch of burqas?” he asked, in a post that has gone viral.

Hva skjer når det legges ut et bilde av noen tomme busseter på en brungrumsete gruppe på Facebook og nesten alle tror de ser en gjeng med burka ?😳

Posted by Sindre Beyer on Friday, July 28, 2017

Beyer said, he shared the image to expose prejudice within the far-right group and was shocked to see so much hatred against bus seats.

“After following the group for a while I felt the need to find the best possible post to share with the public,” Beyer told CBS News. “When I came across this post I found it tragicomic and with a obvious symbolic value. It frightens me if such groups grow without being contradicted.”

Rune Berglund Steen, head of Norway’s Antiracist Centre, told reporters that people “see what they want to see – and what these people want to see are dangerous Muslims.”

Norway recently became the latest European country to propose restrictions on the wearing of burqas and niqabs in public places. Belgium, Bulgaria, France, the German State of Bavaria and the Netherlands all restrict full-face veils in some public places. This summer, Norway’s government announced a plan to ban burqas in kindergartens, schools and universities.

During a press conference in June, then acting immigration and integration minister, Per Sanderberg said that face-covering garments such as the niqab or burqa “do not belong in Norwegian schools.”

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17 Year old Nabra Hassanen’s Death Shakes the American Muslim Community to the Core

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by Aysha Qamar

Another tragic death stuns the Muslim community as a body found in a pond is identified as 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen, of Reston- Northern Virginia.

Hassanen was kidnapped and beaten to death this past weekend in Sterling, Virginia.

Reported missing between 3-4 A.M. after last being seen walking home after prayers at a mosque near Washington, police identified the teen’s body in a local pond.

“While searching, one officer saw a car driving suspiciously in the area and stopped it,” the police said. “The driver, later identified as Martinez Torres, was taken into custody as a suspect.”

A baseball bat was discovered nearby and detectives later obtained a murder warrant against Martinez Torres.

Police have charged 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres with her murder. The crime has not yet been charged as a hate crime, as motives are currently under investigation.

“I think it had to do with the way she was dressed and the fact that she’s Muslim,” Hassanen’s mother, Sawsan Gazzar told the Washington Post. “Why would you kill a kid? What did my daughter do to deserve this?” she added.

According to reports, Hassanen was headed to Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center with her friends around 3:30 A.M. They had taken a break from their prayers to go eat after which were returning to the Center, however before arriving two men with baseball bats emerged from a car and began attacking them. The group then fled believing that everyone was able to reach safety. When the friends reassembled, they realized was Hassanen unaccounted for.

“They all dispersed after the incident, and when they met back up they realized she was missing,” ADAMS board member Rizwan Jaka told Buzzfeed News.

The ADAMS mosque in Sterling, the biggest in northern Virginia, holds late-night prayers during the last 10 days of Ramadan. Hassanen was reported 1 of 5 teenagers who had left the mosque in the early hours of Sunday. The area which is normally considered safe, commonly has worshippers walk at this time of prayer.

An investigation determined she was walking outside with a group of friends when they got into a dispute with a man in a car. It appears the suspect, Darwin A Martinez Torres, 22, of Sterling, got out of his car and assaulted the victim. Her friends could not find her and police were called to help, Fairfax County Police said in a statement.

Various people were still present at the mosque at the time Hassanen went missing causing her death to further shock and terrify the community.

“People are petrified, especially people who have young Muslim daughters,” Arsalan Iftikhar, a human rights lawyer and author, told the Washington Post

The ADAMS community has released  a statement regarding Hassanen’s death reading, “We are devastated and heartbroken as our community undergoes and processes this traumatic event. It is a time for us to come together to pray and care for our youth. Adams has licensed counselors on site to assist anyone in need of counseling during these difficult times.”

Various fundraising pages have been set up to support Hassanen’s family. Over $250,000 has currently been raised by supporters on LaunchGood.

According to a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) anti-Muslim hate crime incidents rose sharply in 2015 and have increased a further 44%, from 180 to 260, in 2016.

 

White privilege and racism in American ‘justice’ laid bare

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Khan_Sebastian Ledwick CROPPED

By Sameed Khan

TMO Contributing Writer

White privilege is a secret idea: a subtle, quiet thing that steals into many important aspects of our lives and the American situation. Whites routinely have an easier time finding jobs, are more likely to find adequate housing and are more likely to get accepted into institutions of higher education. However, the most stark contrast is when it comes to our criminal justice system—just look at the three examples below.

 

POSSESSION OF WEAPONS

Yuvette Henderson

Yuvette Henderson

Yuvette Henderson

Yuvette Henderson was gunned down by police in Emeryville, California, after leaving a Home Depot. Officers allege that she was armed and carrying a gun, shoplifted and was engaging in carjacking at the time. Witnesses claim differently, stating that she was simply “waving down a bus”. Whether she may or may not have been committing these crimes, the fact remains that Yuvette was gunned down by officers with a military-grade AR-15 automatic rifle. Police claim that she was armed, while multiple eyewitnesses have refuted this accusation.

Sebastian Ledwick

Sebastian Ledwick

Sebastian Ledwick

Two weeks before Yuvette’s tragic death, police officers were investigating a warehouse half a block away from the Home Depot where Yuvette was shot. They found Sebastian Ledwick there, or rather, he found them. Ledwick actually chased the cops and fired a handgun into the detectives’ car while the latter retreated. Eventually, they circled around and apprehended him—alive, even though he was armed and very dangerous.

 

STAND YOUR GROUND LAWS

Marissa Alexander

Marissa Alexander

Marissa Alexander

One highly controversial issue and pillar of white privilege is Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws—but who gets to use them? Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot when her abusive husband tried to assault her. Her legal defense cited the “Stand Your Ground” law, claiming that Marissa was obviously trying to defend herself—but it didn’t work.

George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman is infamous for the killing of Trayvon Martin, a case which has been historic in demonstrating the prevalence of racism in America. Zimmerman also relied on the “Stand Your Ground” law in defense of his killing of Martin—except it worked, thus proving that certain parts of our legal code are only reserved for use by white individuals.

 

POSSESSION OF DRUGS 

Telisha Watkins

 

Telisha Watkins

Telisha Watkins

Telisha is one of 46 inmates whose sentences Obama shortened. Her original sentence was 20 years, with 8 years of supervised release for simply the possession of cocaine and “cocaine base” (crack). Growing up in a poor community, Tanisha had problems with drugs beginning in her high school years.

Clifford Clark

Clifford Clark

Clifford Clark

Clifford Clark, from Montgomery, Alabama (a state with a long history of segregation and racism) was sentenced for the exact same crime as Telisha (possession of cocaine), but Mr. Clark was only sentenced to a mere 10 years.

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White privilege is still alive and strong within this country, and the racism inherent within the criminal justice system is still a long way from its demise—just look at the stats:

  • According to the Department of Justice, 80 percent of cocaine users are white, and that “the typical cocaine user is a middle-class, white suburbanite.” But black people are 12.5 percent more likely to be pulled over for drug investigations.
  • Sentences for black criminals are 15 percent longer than they are for white criminals
  • Black people are 18 percent more likely to be in jail while they wait for trial.
  • In a North Carolina study, black jurors were twice as likely to be struck from juries when compared to white jurors.
  • In Iowa’s Sixth Judicial District, black people were 15 percent more likely to have their probation revoked.

What all this adds up to is an institution of racism that gives whites a different justice than it does blacks (white privilege). Even if segregation is dead by law, it still lives on in the biases of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges and other officials at every stage of the criminal justice system. It creates a self-fulfilling prophecy—black people are targeted more because of a negative stereotype, resulting in more convictions and arrests. This shows in the statistics and further perpetuates the same stereotype, creating a vicious cycle that entrenches people of color within the tangles of an absurdly unjust “justice” system.