The problem with hate crimes
Reader comment on item: CAIR's Hate Crimes Nonsense

Submitted by Octavio Johanson (Italy), May 18, 2005 at 18:27

The concept of hate crimes has been introduced in many countries. CAIR is trying to introduce the concept of "anti-Muslim hate crimes". As Steven Robinson has rightly pointed out, "a large proportion of the complaints have been found to be fabricated, manufactured, distorted or outside standard definitions of hate crimes". And this is the bulk of the problem.

Hate crimes are by definition treated differently than standard crimes. In my world, murder should be punished as murder; assault is assault; and intimidation is intimidation.

If "we" introduce the concept of hate crimes, then the whole scenario is going to change, because the system is open to manipulation.

I have lived in Britain for 8 years. In Britain, the Race Relations legislation has introduced concepts which are similar, albeit not identical, to the concept of hate crime.

Britain is a country where you can get into trouble for a racist statement, and that includes saying that Osama Bin Laden is an evil man.

In my opinion, and I would like to know what Daniel Pipes thinks about this, CAIR is trying to bring the United States to British levels.

There are very good reasons to believe that CAIR is distorting the concept of hate crimes. As the above article reports, most of CAIR's reported hate crimes were not based on reality.

Hate crimes could soon become a "weapon" used to intimidate law-enforcement officials.

In my view, the law should be color-blind. If I do something wrong, I should be punished regardless of the color or creed of my victim.

The concept of hate crimes is ideological and open to abuse.

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