Daily Gut: A Muslim on Muslim … Hate Crime?

So earlier this week, a mosque was set on fire in Georgia – yet more evidence of the anti-Muslim backlash that’s sweeping the country.

Tamsir Lucien Mendy

At least, if you listened to The Council on American-Islamic Relations. Upon hearing the news of the crime, they reacted the way you’d expect. Says, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper…

“Given the recent wave of incidents targeting American mosques, a possible bias motive for this apparent arson attack must be considered… Unfortunately, there is a vocal minority in our society promoting anti-Muslim bigotry, and that minority is experiencing little or no pushback from mainstream religious and political leaders.”

Uh yeah, I wish he’d expand on all these incidents, but maybe he’ll be too busy removing egg from his face. That’s because fire investigators have pretty much figured out who set fire to the mosque, and it’s a dude named Tamsir Lucien Mendy. Investigators said Mendy belongs to the congregation.

Now, if you were to ask me, I’d say it’s really hard to be an anti-Muslim bigot, when you’re a Muslim. But knowing CAIR, I doubt they’ll let that silly detail clog up their angry ideology: its only goal is not to bridge differences, but to foment conflict throughtthe idea of backlash – especially since no such phenomenon exists.

Which is why, they will still claim backlash, even when it’s Muslim on Muslim crime. And they’re right! Perhaps the stress of potential backlash wore Mendy down, and he had no choice but to beat the backlashers to the punch, by torching the mosque first.

In a way, it was an act of defiant solidarity – and we, the west, are all to blame for this act of intolerance. And if you don’t see that, you’re probably a racist homophobe who torches mosques on weekends.

TONIGHT:

Mike Baker!

Remi Spencer!

Andrew Wilco!