This latest installment of Real Racism comes to us from a politician in my own state of New Jersey – Hamilton Town Council member ed gore.
After muhammad youssef abdulazeez went on his murderous rampage in Chattanooga, Tennessee, gore posted on his face page “Murdering bastard. Rot in hell Muslim scum.”
If he had stopped at “Murdering bastard. Rot in hell”, he would have gotten no argument from me. But when “Muslim scum” is added in, it no longer refers to abdulazeez, it refers to Muslims in general. As in all Muslims. As in Muslims who had nothing to do with abdulazeez\’s actions.
It is the equivalent of telling bernard madoff to “Rot in hell, Jewish scum”. Would Jews be offended by that? Well, I\’m Jewish and I know damn well I would be.
How about attacking Tomothy McVeigh, who gave us the Oklahoma City bombing, by saying “Rot in hell, Christian Scum”? Would that be ok?
Yes, there are Muslims who are radicalized and sympathetic to terrorism. But, just as much yes, there are Muslims who have nothing to do with radical Islam and cringe when a Muslim like abdulazeez goes on a murder spree – not just in sympathy with the victims, but because they know the ed gores of the world will blame them for it as if they were the ones doing the killing.
Incidentally, Councilperson gore now says he meant no offense to Muslims. Yeah, ok, sure. Very sincere. How could anyone not take that at face value?
Real racism. It comes in all forms from all sources. No group is immune to it or from it. Certainly not a group which is blamed as a group, for the actions of individuals most members of that group have nothing to do with and want no part of.
