Foehammer’s Anvil

Let me ask you something. If I were to walk up to a mosque and toss a ham sandwich into the doorway, would that be a hate-crime?

If I walked up to a Muslim and flatly told him or her that Islam is a false cult and should be outlawed — is that a hate-crime?

If I call Islam the Enemy — is that a hate-crime?

There are stories circulating of some acts of defiance in the United States and unjust punishments — small reprisals against Islamic communities here and there. Pig heads in bags thrown at mosques, for instance. I have no evidence that such events have actually occurred, but this is the type of story that’s circulating.

While at the same time, other cases of clear hate-crimes are labeled as “possible”, but that’s only when Muslims aren’t the “victims”. We can’t get enough of double-standards in the USA can we?

Now, in a reasonable American mind, this brings up pictures of crosses being burnt on lawns, but at the same time, is it reasonable to call such events hate-crimes when these non-violent reprisals are against a cult that is at the heart of Global Terrorism? When some Americans are acting out of anger possibly at the loss of their loved-ones to Islamic jihadists in Iraq and Afghanistan, and quite possibly and unfortunately, right here at home on 9-11 and all they do is use a ham sandwich?

Is this fair?

LEWISTON - One student has been suspended and more disciplinary action could follow a possible hate crime at Lewiston Middle School, Superintendent Leon Levesque said Wednesday.

On April 11, a white student placed a ham steak in a bag on a lunch table where Somali students were eating. Muslims consider pork unclean and offensive.

The act reminded students of a man who threw a pig’s head into a Lewiston mosque last summer.

The school incident is being treated seriously as “a hate incident,” Levesque said. Lewiston police are investigating, and the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence is working with the school to create a response plan.

“We’ve got some work to do to turn this around and bring the school community back together again,” Levesque said.

Placing ham where Muslim students were eating was “an awful thing,” said Stephen Wessler, executive director of the Center for Prevention of Hate Violence. “It’s extraordinarily hurtful and degrading” to Muslims, whose religion prohibits them from being around ham. It’s important to respond swiftly, Wessler said.

“Incidents like this that involve degrading language or conduct are often said by the perpetrator as a joke. I know that conduct is never static,” he said. “It’s part of a process of escalation.”

If people think insulting Muslims with ham is OK, “More degrading acts will follow, until at some point we’ll end up having violence,” Wessler said.

Am I alone in thinking that the police response in this story is not only insanely overdone, but actually appeasement of our enemies? Oh, the poor, poor traumatized Muslims saw a ham sandwich! And strangely, the incidents in my own life when I’ve been the victim of real and violent and bordering-on violent hate-crimes go completely disregarded by police — because I’m perceived as part of the “majority”. Hmm.

That punishment is unjustified. That’s how I view it. In fact, I applaud that act of defiance, because if you want to know the truth, we aren’t nearly defiant enough in the United States with regard to Islam.

Would I even be asking these things if this was World War II and someone torched a Nazi propaganda house?

So, how far is too far? What constitutes a hate-crime against Muslims in the United States? Certainly violence against Muslims here as vigilantes is not something I condone. Certainly I prefer not to delve into slurs with racial overtones when I’m in an honest and intelligent debate online. But I think it’s fair to say that I believe that showing overt disgust with Islam is fair. If I want to wave my BLT sandwich in a Muslim’s face and smirk, that’s hardly a hate-crime, though it certainly will piss him off because I had the courage to show disdain for Islam. If I expect a Muslim teller at a store to scan my bacon at checkout, that’s also certainly not a hate-crime, because I expect to buy my groceries without interference from anyone.

We have to be careful how far we let Muslims in America take their lobbying and their consternation and lawsuits, because you see, they are already trying to stop us from defying them, condemning Islam or having open debates about the future of Islam in America. That’s part of the longterm goals of Islamists — to strip us of our will and our right to criticize Islam at all.

I was already prepared to start this topic this morning when I then came across some interesting comments over on a JW thread. Apparently there’s a new Islamist in town that calls himself Muslim Responses AKA Sami Zaatari. And Sami likes to harass people, especially “infidels” on Jihad Watch comments and at his websites. In fact, I’m going to warn my gentle readers that they should be very careful not to post comments on his sites. It seems Zaatari has a penchant for emailing company domains of those who might post from work.

But, as you may have already guessed, that doesn’t stop me from posting. I somehow doubt I’ll get through his queue, but if I do I’ll update this entry with a link. In the meantime, I’ve added Zaatari’s sites to my Crusadeworthy blogs category. I can’t think of anyone in recent days that deserves it more.

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Mr. Zaatari.