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How do you define a "hate crime" or "hate incident" in the first place?

Reader comment on item: CAIR's Hate Crimes Nonsense

Submitted by Pat (United States), Dec 4, 2007 at 14:23

It seems the first error is lumping "hate crimes" and "hate incidents" together and the second is how we define "hate incident."

Obviously any violence is bad - arson is wrong. The people who torch mosques are wrong. The people who vandalize mosques are wrong. The people who throw ham sandwiches into mosques are wrong.

But hate "incidents....." Yeah, after the teddy bear incident or after the latest suicide bombing, people wearing hijabs are going to be looked at funny on the train. That's what happens when you advertise that you belong to an ideological group whose key texts - Qur'an, Sira and Hadiths - all promote aggression against non-believers. You're going to get funny looks for the same reason that skinheads get funny looks.

Take a picture of a crucifix in a toilet, that's art - and worthy of public funding.... At some college it was reported that someone had left a copy of the Qur'an in a toilet - that's a hate crime???? What about what the Qur'an actually says about Jews, Christians and other believers - honestly, parts of it read like the Mein Kampf. If I put a copy of the Mein Kampf in the toilet, would that be a "hate incident" against neo-Nazis? If I sent letters to Aryan Nation telling them what a bunch of lying, hateful, bigoted f-ups I think they are (and that is what I think of them), would that be considered a "hate incident?" If Aryan Nation held meetings in my town and tried to hide what they were really about, and I left materials about what they were really about in train stations and other public places, would that be a "hate incident?"

There are a LOT of mosques in this country that have had ties to terror organizations - or where the imam gives a sermon condemning Jews or promoting violence or, with or without his flock's support, has funneled money to terror groups. Is that most of them? No. But many? Dozens? Yes, this is documented. CAIR itself is an unindicted co-conspirator in one of the larger federal cases.

Do you think that in response to that type of criminal and threatening activity, some people might send a few nasty letters to the mosque in question? Probably. Is that a "hate incident?" No, it's free speech and it probably serves a useful purpose. Is it something that we would consider in the same category as some jerk spraypainting a swastika on the wall of a temple? Of course not - but unfortunately it IS categorized in the same way. It's considered "intimidation" thus a hate-incident - in some jurisdictions it's even considered a "hate crime." That's ludicrous.

When you light candles on Friday night instead of Sunday morning and people single you out for intimidation because of who you are, because of things you do that are different but not threatening, that's unprovoked and it's a hate incident. When you distribute books that talk about Allah enabling rocks to cry out "Muslims, there is a Jew hiding behind me, kill him" and people react differently than you wanted them to, you brought it on yourself.

Isaiah Thomas probably receives nasty letters from women all the time...

Submitting....

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Reader comments (48) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Washington Post's twisted headline about the hate crime: "Palestinian" terror murderous spree 11.15.22 [226 words]JohnnyNov 15, 2022 16:45288678
1Reap what ye sew !!! [114 words]dfwhite19438Mar 24, 2008 02:53123447
What about hate crimes committed by Muslims? [48 words]Person of the BookDec 20, 2007 11:05116679
How do you define a "hate crime" or "hate incident" in the first place? [539 words]PatDec 4, 2007 14:23115721
fake claims of racism by muslims hurts real victims [180 words]Phil GreendJun 1, 2007 23:2795721
It's only a study [28 words]Nadeem GulamJun 4, 2005 18:3522557
1Hidden Motives [58 words]S.C.PandaMay 31, 2005 06:2122487
CAIR [151 words]YovenMay 27, 2005 17:1022454
A "Moderate" Deception [90 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Janet Ann SuzukiMay 25, 2005 13:1222415
2I Am a Muslim [1251 words]Ibrahim Abdul Mu'minMay 25, 2005 11:2622410
2can I ask you some questions? [105 words]julieOct 17, 2006 09:1922410
American muslim [68 words]freedomApr 3, 2008 14:5222410
CAIR's agenda [137 words]Ibrahim Abdul Mu'minMay 25, 2005 11:0022407
Incredible [137 words]Doug AndersonMay 23, 2005 17:1222349
Way to fight back [279 words]No dhimmiMay 22, 2005 02:2422309
1CAIR's Hate Crimes Nonesense [135 words]Romesh ChanderMay 21, 2005 04:0422260
Question for Mr Pipes [151 words]Jonathan PfefferMay 20, 2005 22:0122250
Conditioning the infidels [145 words]Darwin BarrettMay 20, 2005 20:4822245
Amazon & Intellectual Freedom [185 words]Simon WinslowMay 20, 2005 07:1622195
Shame on CAIR! [132 words]Seth CervantesMay 20, 2005 04:1322194
CAIR, hate-crimes and British multiculturalism [226 words]Octavio JohansonMay 20, 2005 02:1722192
Buyer Beware on AP "stories" [14 words]reelcobraMay 19, 2005 22:5422190
Question? [16 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Max YasMay 19, 2005 20:2622189
CAIR's Hate Crime Nonsense [91 words]Lorraine KenterMay 19, 2005 18:4422188
"Taqiyya" is the foundation of CAIR [235 words]Nazia K.May 19, 2005 18:3822187
Tip of Another Iceberg... [252 words]yonasonMay 19, 2005 18:0622186
Re. CAIR's Hate Crimes Nonsense [126 words]Info Tech GuyMay 19, 2005 17:1522185
CAIR & journalism [146 words]Sydney H. PfeifferMay 19, 2005 14:4022183
CAIR's Hate Crimes Nonsense and Mainstream Media Bias [101 words]Jacob SlabiakMay 19, 2005 12:4022180
Part of the Plan [141 words]JimMay 19, 2005 11:0622179
Fear of the Old media [109 words]Arvind MadhavanMay 19, 2005 04:4022174
Great article [9 words]Herbert StoneMay 19, 2005 03:5922172
Always the Victim [137 words]David GuyMay 18, 2005 23:1422169
Islam a religion? [189 words]WernerMay 18, 2005 23:1222168
Lobbyists for Hatred [315 words]Arlinda DeAngelisMay 18, 2005 22:0922167
CAIR's deliberate misinformation is called "taqiyya" [325 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
A.AMay 18, 2005 19:5522161
Maybe Swedish too? [91 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Elisabet McGaheyMay 18, 2005 18:3922158
The problem with hate crimes [269 words]Octavio JohansonMay 18, 2005 18:2722157
How do you know somebody is a Muslim? [187 words]Romesh ChanderMay 18, 2005 18:1922156
Responce to Romesh Chandler [192 words]BarbaraOct 8, 2006 04:0522156
Time to wake up the non muslim world [284 words]StaffordMay 18, 2005 17:4622155
Good work! [149 words]John W. McginleyMay 18, 2005 17:2522154
1CAIR is well Known to us [33 words]W. ArmeniousMay 18, 2005 17:1522152
I'm shocked, SHOCKED I say... [33 words]Genghis GandhiMay 18, 2005 17:0022151
How do we let everyone know? [103 words]Simon WeinfeldMay 18, 2005 15:4822150
HOW DO WE LET EVERYONE KNOW [22 words]L. MCCOYOct 22, 2007 19:0722150
The case of the pot calling the.... [33 words]Janet Ann SuzukiMay 18, 2005 15:4222149
Who Cares for the Truth [71 words]JaladhiMay 18, 2005 13:2622146

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