Basic Facts on Clothing and Murder for American Bigots

01 April 2012

By Juan Cole

Dear American bigots:

Basic Fact: Wearing a veil, as Iraqi-American Shaima al-Awady did before she was brutally murdered in her home as part of a hate crime, does not make a person a terrorist. You don't mind it when pious Roman Catholic women wear a nun's habit, and you recognize that dress as a sign of dedication to God. You don't blame all the violence ever committed by Roman Catholics, or events like the Inquisition, on a nun in your neighborhood. Be as tolerant to pious Muslim women.

Basic Fact: Wearing a hoodie is not an invitation to murder, as Geraldo Rivera suggested it was in the case of Trayvon Martin. In fact, if you think about it, St. Francis of Assisi wore a hood, as did many other saints and monks. In the United States, we don't kill people for how they dress, but how dressing like St. Francis is a crime is a special mystery.

Basic Fact: And, by the way, there is nothing worse than being both a bigot and a f*ck-up. So for God's sake leave the poor Sikhs alone. Few Muslim men wear turbans, so if you see someone with a turban and a beard, he is likely from Indian Punjab and not a Muslim. I mean, you shouldn't be bothering Muslims either, but your sad ass is definitely going to clown hell if you shoot down a Sikh because you mistook him for a Muslim.

Basic Fact: And by the way, all this emphasis on clothing as a motive for murder is just a smokescreen for sidestepping the real issue, which is that bigots shouldn't be allowed to have hand guns. In fact, since you can't hunt deer with a hand gun and most owners of a hand gun are not reservists in the National Guard of their state, it is unclear why the US tolerates so many hand guns. In countries like Britain, which do not, the murder rate by gun is vanishingly small compared to the annual carnage in the US.

Woman beaten and taunted as she wore hijab

A young Muslim student was punched in the face and racially taunted as she walked down a Dublin street wearing a head scarf.

A Dublin mother (23) has been convicted for assaulting the young Libyan, who was rescued by a passing motorist who stopped and helped her home.

Helen Doran's victim was wearing a traditional Muslim hijab or head scarf. Doran followed her across a road after assaulting her and continued to shout racist insults at her.

Doran, of Castlecurragh Vale in Mulhuddart, admitted before Blanchardstown District Court to assaulting a 20-year-old Libyan student on November 2 last year.

Judge Anthony Halpin sentenced Doran to three months in prison, suspended for one year.

Garda Sergeant Maria Callaghan said the victim was walking along Castlecurragh Road when two men and a woman approached her.

The victim had just attended a FAS course and was putting credit into her mobile phone.

The sergeant said the woman was wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf, and Doran and her accomplices started taunting her.

The court heard one of the men grabbed the woman's mobile phone and Doran punched her in the face.

Sgt Callaghan said Doran repeatedly shouted racist slurs at the woman, who crossed the road to get away from her attacker.

However, Doran followed her across the road and continued to shout racist insults at her.

Sgt Callaghan said a motorist stopped and helped the victim, who later reported the matter to gardai.

Ashamed

Defence solicitor John O'Doherty said Doran, a married mum of one, had been drinking heavily and was on tablets.

Mr O'Doherty said Doran was completely ashamed of her behaviour and had never been in this kind of trouble before. He said she was under the influence of one of her accomplices at the time, and he is also before the courts.

Judge Halpin said Doran frightened the young woman and made her feel like a lesser person. He gave her a three- month suspended sentence.

 

©  EsinIslam.Com

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