Minneapolis Hate Crime Hotline- Perspective From The Left and Right

Last year Minneapolis, Minnesota- home to many Somali Muslims one of which is newly elected Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar- created a hate-crime/harassment hotline.

"Since the general election, many of us have experienced, witnessed firsthand or heard of actions of: racism, xenophobia, sexism and bigotry directed at people here and in cities across the United States," Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Director Velma Korbel wrote in a statement posted on the city's website. "In no uncertain terms, hate-motivated speech and actions have no place in Minneapolis nor will they be tolerated."

Not surprisingly, the left and the right have diametrically opposing opinions on what amounts to a snitch hotline for the overly sensitive, accessible through the city's 311 hot line  service. We all know that the only people who become super offended by any criticism of their religion are the Muslims, and it was no doubt created with them in mind, probably spurred on by Council On American Islamic Relations (CAIR).  But the only people who appear to be concerned are those of us who realize that this kind of action will eventually lead to the further erosion of free speech. We are already being censored and censured on social media outlets for even mentioning the word "Shariah". I'm not talking about speech that incites physical violence against anyone, that is an abomination, but criticism is not a hate crime, though it seems to be headed that way if the lefties have their way.

So, if you google, you will find a slew of the usual conservative voices opining about the "Shariah hot line", and then you have the alternative weekly left-leaning rag Minneapolis City Pages calling Shariah Law a "myth", and excoriating those of us who think it's not a myth and potentially the beginning of something dangerous.

Pete Kotz of City Pages wrote in response to Jihad Watch claiming that“This is a helpline for Muslims to report incidents of Islamophobia, including, no doubt, rude remarks that are not criminal, and accurate analysis of the motivating ideology behind jihad terror activity.”:

The hotline, of course, does nothing of the sort. People can still speak freely from the depths of their anal cavity, peddling all the theological nuttery they can slobber. It just can’t rise to the level of a crime. Hence the name “hate crime hotline.” The myth has already been debunked by Snopes and Politifact. But the righteous are not easily deterred by accuracy or cognitive limitations.

It might not now, but no matter how much he mocks those who believe, we don't know for sure what will happen when we lose the ability to freely criticize.

I remember

The Aftermath Of Ben Carson's Muslim For President Comment

Ben Carson's comment last week about not supporting a Muslim president elicited the usual response from liberals and Muslim activists alike. Some have called for Dr. Carson to drop out of the upcoming presidential race including- not surprisingly- the Council On Islamic American Relations (CAIR). According to CAIR he is unfit to lead. But criticism was not only being levied against Dr. Carson from the left, fellow Republican would-be-president Ted Cruz (Tx) called the comment unconstitutional.

After the firestorm, Dr Carson took time to clarify what he exactly meant by saying he would not advocate putting a Muslim in charge of the nation.

"We don't put people at the head of our country whose faith might interfere with them carrying out the duties of the Constitution," the retired neurosurgeon told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "If you're a Christian and you're running for president and you want to make this [country] into a theocracy, I'm not going to support you. I'm not going to advocate you being the president."

"Now, if someone has a Muslim background, and they’re willing to reject those tenets and to accept
the way of life that we have, and clearly will swear to place our Constitution above their religion, then of course they will be considered infidels and heretics, but at least I would then be quite willing to support them," Carson added.

and

"Those Republicans that take issue with my position are amazing," the Facebook statement said. "Under Islamic Law, homosexuals – men and women alike – must be killed. Women must be subservient. And people following other religions must be killed. I know that there are many peaceful Muslims who do not adhere to these beliefs. But until these tenants are fully renounced ... I cannot advocate any Muslim candidate for President."

He's absolutely right. Even some Muslims agree with him. Secular Muslim Asra Q Nomani wrote an enlightening article for The Daily Beast in support of Carson explaining that there are far too many Muslims looking to mix "mosque and state."

Ben Carson’s blunt remarks about a Muslim president triggered much outrage, even after he partially walked them back. But secular Muslims like me, who reject political Islam, understood what he meant: He doesn’t want a Muslim as president who doesn’t believe in the strict secular separation of mosque and state, so that the laws of the state aren’t at all touched by sharia, or Islamic law derived from the Quran and hadith, the sayings and traditions of prophet Muhammad. Neither do we. We really don’t want a first lady—or a president—in a burka, or face veil.

Her commentary is well worth the read.

Unfortunately, there are far too few secular Muslims. In fact, the trend seems to be going in the opposite direction, as evidenced in the following story shared by Nomani regarding a New Jersey school board meeting where Muslims were demanding a last minute school cancellation for the Muslim holy day Eid al-Adha:

At the meeting, the local NBC news segment showed an older woman yelling in Arabic that the holiday was her “right,” followed by a young Muslim woman, wearing a headscarf and smiling eerily as she said, “We’re no longer the minority. That’s clear from tonight. We’re going to be the majority soon.”

The thinly veiled threat was as disturbing to me as it might be to other Americans. Unspoken is the sharia ruling that Muslims engage in no work or school on the day of Eid-ul Adha, but, instead, as the prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying in a hadith, “O people of Islam, these are days of eating and drinking.”

If a Muslim thinks we have troubles, then we most definitely do, and thankfully Ben Carson has the courage to voice that.

Gatestone Article On The Islamization Of France

At the end of last year, Soeren Kern of the Gatestone Institute wrote an article about the Islamization of France. It's a long and disturbing look at what's happening in France today- a country that now has the largest Muslim population in Europe.

According to a confidential French intelligence document leaked to Le Figaro, a form of Muslim ghettoization is gaining ground within the French school system. The report says that Muslim students are effectively establishing an Islamic parallel society completely cut off from non-Muslim students.

More than 1000 French supermarkets, including major chains such as Carrefour, have been selling Islamic books that openly call for jihad and the killing of non-Muslims.

A report estimates that 60% of the prison population in France, or 40,000 prisoners, are "culturally or originally" Muslim.

The Fresnes Penitentiary near Paris launched an experiment that involves isolating radical Muslim prisoners in a separate unit to prevent the radicalization of other prisoners. Muslim prisoners clashed with prison guards to protest the new measure.

An Ipsos survey found that 66% of French people believe there are too many foreigners in France, and 59% believe "immigrants do not try hard enough to integrate. According to the poll, 63% of French people think that Islam "is not compatible with French values."

Around 6.5 million Muslims are currently living in France. That's about 10% of the total population.

Kern lists the slew of Muslim-related headlines that occurred in 2014 starting with an annual event that happens on New Year's eve:

On January 1, Interior Minister Manuel Valls announced the most anticipated statistic of the year: a total of 1,067 cars and trucks were torched across France on New Year's Eve, a "significant reduction" from the 1,193 vehicles that were burned during the annual ritual on the same holiday in 2013.

Car burnings, commonplace across France, are often attributed to rival Muslim gangs that compete with each other for the media spotlight over who can cause the most destruction. An estimated 40,000 cars are burned in France every year.

The long list includes news about the flow of French jihadists to Syria and Iraq, some as young as 13, including a young 14-year-old female, and entire families. Around 800 or so have traveled to fight with ISIS. Burqa-clad women trying to buck the face veil ban. Charlie Hebdo was sued by Islamists for blasphemy. The thwarting of numerous terrorist attacks. Threats of terrorist attacks and  assassinating President Francois Hollande. Muslim gang rapists. Renaming a historic theatre in the Fontainebleau Palace- the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Theatre. The 400-seat theatre dates back to 1857 and Napoleon III.  It was named after the ruler of Abu Dhabi who spent millions restoring the space. A French jihadist killed three at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. A non-Muslim man is attacked for eating a ham sandwich on a train. Three police were stabbed by an ISIS supporter. Attempts to get halal meals for Muslim inmates. Over 1,000 French supermarkets were selling books that promoted jihad and the killing of infidels. Mother sues government for letting her son leave France to join ISIS. The Pearl of Hope, a pro-Palestinian Islamic charity is shut down for raising funds for jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria. 10 or more other charitable organizations are being monitored. "Lone wolf Muslim injured 11 people after he rammed his car into a crowd of people shouting "Allahu Akbar." There are more.

And this:

In August, a poll found that a staggering 15% of people in France support the Islamic State [IS]. Among those between the ages of 18 and 24, 27% said they had a positive view of the IS, while 22% of those between the ages of 25 and 34, and 20% of those between 35 and 44 supported the jihadist group. The largest share of IS opponents was composed of people aged 45 to 54.

For more detail, and other news headlines, read the full article here.