Blaming a local news report on a suspicious Muslim compound for the vandalism of a mosque, Nashville Somalis otherwise seem confused about stuff:
“Muslims Go Home” and a Crusade-style cross were scrawled across the front of Al-Farooq Islamic Center on Nolensville Road, says Salaad Nur, a spokesman. (…)
“It’s unexpected,” he adds. “The only thing I can think of is the sensationalized reporting [by Channel 5] over Sunday and Monday. That’s the only thing I can think of. Even after 9/11 we have never had any vandalism.” (…)
In an email to the media, Elias Feghali of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition says:
“This event is particularly troubling as it comes on the heels of a sensationalist report by News Channel 5 this past weekend about a long-time Muslim community in Dover, TN, who they initially insinuated as having links to terrorists (link). The Muslim community in TN has faced what seems like an onslaught of hatred and violence since 9/11, from individuals and groups determined to enforce their rigid worldviews on a peaceful Muslim Americans.
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Note that the alt-weekly type website that carried this story is heavily pushing the “shoot the messenger” meme, but their crack journalism team didn’t pick up on the rather obvious contradiction, above.
Because Muslims are poor helpless brown people and we can’t possibly criticize them in any way!
Fake hate crimes? Never heard of ’em!
And the non-Muslim locals? Yeah, it was totally the TV news’s fault that somebody lost their shit…
