“Go Home & Take Obama”: Rival Crowds at Anti-Islamophobia Event in Texas

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Crowds of people showed up to demonstrate outside a Muslim event in Garland TX. Critics of the event accused organisers of trying to stifle freedom of speech, whilst supporters insisted that Americans have misperceptions of Islam. NBC DFW reported that thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the Curtis Culwell Center, operated by Garland Independent School District. The crowd started assembling hours before the conference began. According to organisers, they entitled the event, Stand with the Prophet against Terror and Hate; it aimed to disprove negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims in the USA. Probably, the crowd waving American flags and holding placards, some of them referring to resent terrorist attacks in Paris, are amongst those they aimed this message at. One of the protesters, Greg McKinley from Fort Worth TX, said, “We’re here to stand up for the American way of life from a faction of people who are trying to destroy it. If they want to live their life like in the Middle East, they can go back to the Middle East”. Organisers of the event, including Sound Vision, an Illinois-based website about Islam, blame media portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks for the sharp increase of negative attitude towards them in the USA. The website stated, announcing the conference, “Hate groups in the USA invested at least 160 million USD (10.45 billion Roubles. 994 million Renminbi. 9.86 billion INR. 192 million CAD. 195 million AUD. 139 million Euros. 106 million UK Pounds) to attack our Prophet and Islam. Isn’t it time we invested in defending our faith? Otherwise, groups like ISIS and Boko Haram will only continue to increase the media’s ammunition to incriminate Muslims”. The conference was not only an awareness-raising endeavour, but also a fundraiser for a communication centre, which would “defend Prophet Muhammad, his person, and his message”.

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However, the protesters see the agenda in a sinister way, believing that it’s actually about silencing any criticism of Islam. National security reporter Patrick Poole told the conservative website Washington Free Beacon, “This is a yet another manifestation of ‘Islamophobia’-phobia. The conference organisers invoke an ‘Islamophobia hate machine’ based in the USA that’s responsible for defaming Muslims worldwide, but the events of the past week and other recent attacks have done more to damage the image of Islam than any other factor”. One particular irritant for the protesters was the inclusion of Siraj Wahhaj, imam of Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn NY, amongst the key speakers at the conference. Wahhaj is a controversial figure due to a link to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Opponents of the conference call him an “unindicted co-conspirator” of the attack, because he was one of some 170 people closely investigated for possible involvement, but never charged with any crime. He was also a vocal critic of the FBI and CIA back then, calling them “real terrorists” in the bombing plot. Attendees at the conference deflected the accusations. A Muslim woman wearing a headscarf told NBC DFW, “They want for people to see that we are kind peaceful people. We’re not here to fight; we’re not here to argue. We’re just here to show that we’re Americans too”. Even though several verbal clashes erupted between the two demonstrating camps, Saturday went peacefully, and the heavy police presence proved to be an unnecessary precaution. Garland Independent School District distanced itself from the controversy, when opponents of the conference accused them of endorsing the event by providing the venue. The authorities said they just rented the facility, neither promoting nor discouraging the event.

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The tense if non-violent standoff over Islam in Garland comes days after US President Barack Obama urged European governments to do more to assimilate their Muslim minority populations, saying, “Our biggest advantage, major, is that our Muslim populations feel themselves to be Americans and there is this incredible process of immigration and assimilation that’s part of our tradition. There are parts of Europe in which that’s not the case… it’s important for Europe not to simply respond with a hammer and law enforcement and military approaches to these problems”. The comments came as Europeans are coping with the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Paris, where a group of Islamist gunmen went on a rampage killing 17 people, most of them during the initial massacre at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The attacks prompted a massive security response across Europe, resulting arrests in several countries and a reported thwarting of a jihadi attack on Belgian police officers.

18 January 2015

RT

http://rt.com/usa/223787-texas-islam-conference-protest/

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Editor:

It’s interesting how the sectarian Know Nothings want the “furriners” to leave Tejas, when THEY’RE the aggressors and interlopers! Don’t forget how the Anglos took power in Tejas and why they took power. They became incensed when the Mexican government insisted that they free their slaves. The Mexicans had been there for centuries… but the Anglos wanted it, so they stole it, and embellished a solid lie to stake their claim to it. Ergo, the protestors are chock fulla shit.

Russian Orthodox people… the Church has GOOD relations with Muslims… look at the above image. If you hear otherwise from loudmouth pro-Republican sources, well, a picture IS worth a thousand words. One last thing… the Church has NOTHING in common with Know Nothing sectarians… that’s why we don’t count them as Christians (unlike RCs, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodist, Reformation Baptists, Mennonites, and Reformed… who ARE Christians). Do suspect all those who pal about with them.

BMD

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