From CNN:
A fire at the future site of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is under investigation but "you can reasonably make the assumption" that it was arson, an FBI spokesman told CNN Sunday.
"The evidence is being analyzed to see what the origin of the fire was," Keith Moses, an assistant special agent with the FBI in Nashville, told CNN Sunday. "We have to follow the facts."
The fire, which struck early Saturday morning at the future site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, is under investigation by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office.
The fire consumed an earth mover and damaged three other vehicles, according to Camie Ayash, a spokesperson for the mosque. Ayash said that the Mufreesboro Fire Department told her that the vehicles had been doused with an accelerant.
In July, several hundred opponents of the mosque staged a march against the project. Some objected to Islam itself, carrying signs like "MOSQUE LEADERS SUPPORT KILLING CONVERTS," while others opposed the project for environmental reasons.
Last month, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey publicly criticized the project. "You could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, a cult, whatever you want to call it," Ramsey, then a candidate for Tennessee governor, said at a rally.
It is really not surprising that the hateful rhetoric of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrtich, Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News have found a receptive audience eager to act out to protect their religion from what they perceive as an attack by "Islamofascists."
How much longer before they find a Muslim hanging from a tree, or flaming crosses in Islamic family yards, or bombs going off in mosques killing THEIR little children? We have seen this movie before and we know how sadly it ends.
The only way to successfully deal with this growing problem would be for local Christian leaders to stand up to this hate speech and tell their congregations to embrace the people of Islam and to resist the urge to engage in religious warfare. But really what chance is their of THAT happening in places like Tennessee and other parts of the Bible Belt?
Sadly there is little our President can do at this point to interfere on the American Muslim's behalf because Fox News has managed to successfully paint him as either a Muslim himself, or an Islamic terrorist sympathizer. If President Obama were ever forced to federalize the National Guard, as Eisenhower did to protect the Little Rock 9, it would be seen as an act of war and a call to arms for every racist, every teabagger, and every Fox News watcher in the bible belt to start a religious/race war all across this country.
I am sad to say that I predict that this is only the beginning, and that we are going to see a lot more incidences just like this one in the next two years before the 2012 elections. I cannot even begin to predict what happens afterward, but I guess that has a lot to do with which party emerges victorious.
Gryphen, There is never a wrong time to speak out against hate and violence. (Of course you know that because you do it all the time.)
ReplyDeleteSo thanks to . . . . .
Pamela Geller & Sarah Palin for ginning up the hate.
I hope history books not written in Texas paint them as the evil nut cases they are. These two would thrive in Dante's eighth circle of hell--frauds.
And a big h/t to cowardly Dems like David Patterson, Harry Reid and to people I thought were more progressive like Howard Dean for being complete cowards and tools. Dante's ninth for them--betrayers.
Politics and punditry is a dirty game. And that's why all the aforementioned are wallowing in filth up to their mouths and have helped to set this stage of hate towards Muslims.
Park 51, the perfect recruitment tool for Talibans of all stripes
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/8/30/897439/-Park-51,-the-perfect-recruitment-tool-for-Talibans-of-all-stripes
No surprise. Gotta love those True Patriots.
ReplyDeleteActually I think President Obama would have no problem with confronting religious fueled hate crimes head on. He comes through every time in issues of conscience.
ReplyDeleteI realize he backpedaled a bit on the NY mosque, or rather parsed words so he could keep both sides calm. Still, if it involved violence I know he would stand up and speak out.
I am one of those Democrats who doesn't insist that everyone and everything be perfect in order to give things my support. We don't live in an ideal world and we never will. The far left needs to grow up in this regard. They are also responsible for negativity which is not helping but instead hurting the progressive cause. It can't be a matter of all or nothing all the time.
This video made me cry -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DImb7jvSbaw
ReplyDeletelila
I just found this link to a rally September 11th at Ground Zero. The site states -
ReplyDelete"We say NO to Racism and anti-Islamic Bigotry
Stand for Unity and Solidarity on Saturday, September 11
On September 11 the Tea Party and its racist and right wing allies plan to again demonstrate at the World Trade Center site. For months these bigots have attempted to whip up hysteria against a proposed Islamic masjid (mosque) and community center several blocks from the WTC.
On September 11 right wing, Christian fundamentalist plan a “Burn the Quran” day at a Florida Masjid. These same forces targeting masjids around the country are waging a national hate campaign against all people of color and immigrants.
We need to stand up to these racist forces. Together our voices are strong
In New York City the ugly demonstration of racism and bigotry against Muslims on September 11 at the World Trade Center must be countered with mass show of solidarity and unity"
http://www.iacenter.org/actions/sept11demo082010/
lila
I'm not even sure it matters which party wins.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans win they will feel justified in pushing their hatred even further.
Republicans loose they will be even more angry than with Obama's win and will feel justified in pushing their hatred even further.
And killing three little girls in the basement of a bombed mosque will not have the impact on the conservative Christians since of decency as the same thing happening in a Christian church did during the 50's trough mid 70's.
Anon at 1:56
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree that Obama would speak out after and act of extreme violence.
The problem is, where are the leaders who will speak out before any more acts of violence occur, who will stand up to Murdoch, and Beck, and Limbaugh, and Sarah and and, and...
In short who will be the national leader against hate and intolerance and bear the anger and danger and yet continue to speak for truth and decency?
There is no one.
LBJ, for all that I hate him, was willing to trade his political stature and a second term as POTUS to do the right thing. MLK was willing to give his life. Dr. Tiller in his quiet way was willing to risk his life and shoulder the hatred of the anti abortion forces.
America's "leaders" these days spend all their spare time reading the polls and playing it safe and playing word games that allow them to wiggle out of any responsible leadership.
Texas has many church fires this year. Here's some info from Christian Science Monitor as to motive:
ReplyDeleteChurch arson motives vary widely
But perpetrators of church arson, when finally apprehended, often don’t fit the expected profiles, as shown by more than 1,000 church arson investigations conducted nationally since 1996, when the National Church Arson Task Force was established.
“We’ve had situations where the motivation was covering up burglaries and theft, ... where it was acting out against people in revenge, and we’ve had cases where it had to do with the occult, and cases where people are just making poor judgments,” says Mr. Paulk, the Alabama fire marshal.
Racism, religious hatred, insurance fraud, and thrill-seeking are less common reasons for church arson, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Whatever the motive, church burnings affect Americans deeply. “Our nation was built around religious freedom and any time someone damages a building relating to the faith of any group it tears at the fabric of our society,” says Paulk.
That's all America needs is for a worldwide broadcast that we are attacking a specific religion. This will not end well.
ReplyDeleteThank Sarah Palin for this bullshit.If she hadn't stirred up a controversy with that stupid"refudiate"crap this never would have been that big a deal.I blame a lot of the media too.If they hadn't fallen all over themselves trying to make her look stupid by repeating this crap over and over.Now every redneck and bigot in the country is fired up and no good way to get the cat back in the bag,congratulations you lamos,you played right into Palins hands.
ReplyDeleteThe unmistakable implication from haters like Limbaugh, Palin, Beck, and others is that being American and Muslim are mutually exclusive.
ReplyDeleteIt's absolutely sickening that dimwits like Palin go from state to state, sticking her nose in issues that don't concern her, and now stirring up hatred with this phony outrage about the mosque that will not even be at Ground Zero.
Have they forgotten that many Muslims also died, along with other people from all religious and racial groups on 9-11? Some of those same Muslims were responders who gave their lives to save other lives. The hijackers did not care who they murdered in the name of their twisted world view.
Now, there have been anti-Muslim incidents across this country, and if anyone dies as a result, Palin and other haters will have blood on their hands. And these same haters who claim to honor our troops don't seem to make the connection between the anti-Muslim hatred they foment here and the inevitable hardening of anti-American attitudes in countries like Iraq, Pakistan, or Afghanistan. The people who have to bear the brunt of anti-American hatred in these countries will, inevitably, be servicemen and servicewomen, or even diplomats.