Two days late, but still important.
Burned Qurans Left at Va. Muslim Center (link)I don't really care whether it's classified as a "hate crime" or not---I in no way support so-called "hate crimes legislation" of any sort---it's a bunch of one-sided junk in most cases.
Thu Jun 16, 7:35 PM ET
BLACKSBURG, Va. - A bag stuffed with burned Qurans was left in front of an Islamic center, shocking members when they arrived for prayers.
The torched copies of the Muslim holy book were inside a plastic shopping bag, members of the Islamic Center of Blacksburg said. They said the bag had been placed at the center's front door sometime before Saturday prayers.
"It is a shame that people are so ignorant," member Idris Adjerid said.
Kevin Foust, the agent in charge of the Roanoke FBI office, said Thursday his office is helping local police investigate. He declined to speculate whether the incident would be classified as a hate crime under state or federal law.
An incident can only be deemed a hate crime if it was meant to intimidate or harass, police said. Laila Al-Qatami, a spokeswoman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Washington, D.C., said the Quran burning fits that definition.
"If pages from the Bible were burned and put in a bag outside a church, I think the reaction of the police would be that it would be a hate crime," she said.
However, I in no way whatsoever condone such actions as were perpetrated against the members of the Islamic Center of Blacksburg.
I would like to think this kind of hateful nonsense would be beneath most rational Americans. Unfortunately, it seems like the Rusty Schackleford gang is gaining new recruits.
Posted by Kyer at June 18, 2005 04:39 PMI agree. It's a terribly childish thing to do, which serves only to show the mentality of the perpetrators.
I wouldn't necessarily consider this an outrage of the first water, however. There are stupid people everywhere and no matter how insensitive the act, the victims are not in prison awaiting a death sentence as christians are in certain muslim countries.
If burning a few korans offends their god so much, perhaps they ought to shop around for a thicker-skinned cult.
As it is, A large number of muslim groups in this nation sit and wait for various deus ex machina to manifest themselves so that they may decry the imaginary erosion of their rights. And I'm frankly tiring of hearing of it.
Posted by: RedFalcon at June 18, 2005 08:59 PMAmen.
I've about had it with the ACLU protecting the "rights" of the Gitmo detainees.
And you're right, we don't behead Muslims in our country for belonging to their death-cult, rather we give them the constitutional right to belong to one. Meanwhile, indigenous Christians in Islamic nations, (especially ex-Muslims who've converted) are tortured and beheaded (with the same fate being applied to their families) if they don't convert "back to Allah."
It's like being in the Mob. Once you're in, there's no getting out.
Posted by: kyer at June 19, 2005 12:26 AM