It Took Two Whole Days for a Random Muslim to Get Assaulted in Boston

[one_voice]

A Palestinian woman said she was assaulted while taking a late morning stroll with her baby daughter and friend by a man who accused her of being a terrorist. We thought someone would've been publicly attacked and berated for secretly planning the Boston Marathon bombings within hours of the explosions, but nope — racists managed to contain themselves for two days. Bravo.

Memo to the New York Post and other media outlets that told us to look out for "dark-skinned" suspects: baseless and racist claims prompt action, not just pageviews.

Heba Abolaban told Malden Patch that she and her friend, both wearing hijabs, were walking with their kids when a white male in his thirties punched her left shoulder and began shouting at them:

“He was screaming 'F___ you Muslims! You are terrorists! I hate you! You are involved in the Boston explosions! F___ you!'” Abolaban remembered. “Oh my lord, I was extremely shocked.”

Abolaban, a doctor who just completed an observership at Mass General Hospital, said the incident "saddened me a lot."

“I really do love the beautiful diversity of Boston (and its) people,” she said.

*snip*

http://jezebel.com/it-took-two-whole-days-for-a-random-muslim-to-get-assau-476156729

[el_bryanto]

1. So is that human nature? or American nature? or Bostonian nature? nt

[HappyMe]

3. I believe that is the

Assholian Bonehead nature.

[arthritisR_US]

18. +100! n/t

[Rex]

2. 2 days... I am amazed, I expected worse.

IE..2 hours.

[Dawson Leery]

4. Courtesy of right wing hate speech.

[get the red out]

6. Agree

Somebody was watching Hannity last night I would imagine where some "terrorist expert" wove some right wing fantasy that the Saudi student whose apartment was searched was the bomber, but to keep from embarrassing the Saudi's, he was being deported.

[clarice]

9. I saw that too. Have there been any updates? nt

[get the red out]

15. Just that the FBI will have a news conference at 5

I am wondering if the suspect(s) turn out to be non-Arabic/Muslim if the Fox addicts will even believe it? I think their waters have been thoroughly muddied.

[clarice]

17. red out

What I was wondering is if that crazy red haired guy
was just that...crazy ??!! Or is there any validity to the claim that he made last night? Hannity was like...WTF !!!?????

[get the red out]

20. I looked online multiple times

I have found nothing that even hints at the claim made on Hannity last night on any remotely trustworthy news site. Thankfully.

[clarice]

21. If crazy man made that story up, he should go to jail. nt

[octoberlib]

5. Thanks to the New York Post and

Fox News. They're the ones who started pointing their fingers at Muslims immediately after the attack. Assholes.

[dballance]

7. This is why I really hope it's a bunch of white guys

I know that's rude but I do hope so. It's already being called terrorism, so they'll have a hard time walking that back if it turns out to be white guys. Maybe, just maybe we can start to apply that term equally.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. I'm not really speculating on who the responsible parties are,

but I wondered last night if it could be some crazed second amendment advocates proving that you don't need a gun to cause carnage and death. I instantly hated myself for having that thought, but there it is.

[clarice]

14. ok, I've been dieing to ask this.......

But I was afraid of getting laughed at (or worse)
I understand that if Boston WAS an act by Non-U.S. terrorists
there would be the chance of military action. Nobody wants that ! But is that the only reason why most everyone here is hoping against hope that this will turn out to be domestic ?
Or am I missing something ?

[get the red out]

16. That's my main reasoning

All we will hear from the right is war talk, trying to fear-monger people into a frenzy. But for me, secondarily, if it isn't someone who is Arabic and/or Muslim, then maybe we can finally admit that focusing on brown skinned people as the go to for "public enemy #1" is both racist and dangerous.

[clarice]

19. Thnaks Red. nt

[dballance]

22. My thoughts are not about military action

I'd just like us to stop jumping to the immediate conclusion that it must be Muslims if it's terrorism. You know, those dark-skinned people. That's the sort of thinking that got the Sikhs shot by some idiot who didn't know the difference between Muslims and Sikhs but they look alike.

There seem to be far too many people who believe all Muslims are terrorists.

[clarice]

23. Dballance....thanks....the last...

thing anyone wants is to stereo type ANYONE, especially me.
But there does seem to be a bit of History involved.

[dballance]

25. You Mean History of White Guys Blowing Things up in the US?

You're right there is quite a history.

- 1995 - Tim McVeigh - Truck Bombing the Murrow Federal Building - 169 dead, 675 injured
- 1955 - United Airlines Flight 629 - Man angry with his mother gives her a Christmas present that turns out to be a bomb - all 44 passengers and crew died mid-air
- 1927 - Bath School Disaster - Person who lost election blew up a school and himself - 44 dead, 58 injured
- 1920 - Wall Street - Bomb blown up near JP Morgan - 30 dead, 300 injured
- 1916 - Preparedness Day Bombing - Labor leaders detonate a bomb at a parade in San Francisco - 10 dead, 40 injured
- 1910 - LA Times - Union workers angry about the times reporting on unions blew up dynamite in the ally next to the times building - 20 dead, 100 injured

Yep, there's plenty of history of white guys blowing things up in protest in the US. Muslims getting in on the act is relatively recent. It also happens to have become more of an issue as the US pursues its policies to bring democracy to countries in the Middle East - whether they want us to or not. Odd how the more we stick our nose in other countries' business that it causes blow-back.

As long as we're talking history. Perhaps we should examine the history of those mass-shooters. The sniper in the TX tower was a white guy, the Columbine shooters were white guys, the Aurora theatre shooter is a white guy, the Gabby Giffords shooter is a white guy, Adam Lanza (Newtown) was a white guy, the guy who shot the Sikhs was a white guy - should I go on? Yet we never hear the talking heads on TV jump immediately to describing these mass shooters in terms of their nationality or race before they are identified they way they jump to "bombers must be Muslim, Al Qaeda."

I hope by now you understand just how patently ignorant your reply really is. You say you don't want to stereotype people yet you do just that by adding that big "BUT there does seem to be a bit of History involved." I find that when people make statements like "The last thing anyone wants to do is stereotype anyone, especially me" and follows it with "BUT, xyz group does seem to have a history/habit/etc. of doing abc" that they're being very disingenuous. That really, they actually do believe the stereotype but they're trying really hard to appear to not be a bigot or a racist.

[October]

26. Plenty more anti-union violence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-union_violence

[dballance]

27. You're way off-topic now. Sorry, not taking the bait. /nt

[October]

28. Not trying to bait you.

Sorry for being off-topic.

Just trying to add balance to your post citing union workers. The Pinkertons were made up of white Americans who were used by corporations and often for violent purposes.

[HiPointDem]

30. hardly.

[clarice]

32. Sorry didn't mean to rattle you, and I DON'T have a "big but" nt

[HangOnKids]

33. Shucks clarice you are just too cute

[clarice]

34. Thanks HOK.......I really am !!!!! nt

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

8. Republicans are looking forward to it being a Moslem like kids waiting for Santa Claus and Christmas

If it turns out not to be an Arab, I just don't think I'll be able to take the look of grief and utter despair on Sean Hannity's face. I mean it.

[Joshua Pistachio]

11. The media has been awful

They have contributed to this attack on this innocent man.

[LanternWaste]

10. Well, we can rest assured that the non-existence of white privilege will result

Well, we can rest assured that the non-existence of white privilege will result in a dramatic increase in the number of assaults on Caucasians and predominately white churches should the perpetrator turn out to be white.


in case of any idiot readers...

[hfojvt]

12. and it probably took two whole seconds for somebody to jump on this bogus story

Mainly this - Boston has a violent crime rate, or did in 1999, of 1,300 per 100,000, and there are about 6 million people in the Boston metro area.

Therefore, there are about 78,000 violent crimes in Boston every year or about 210 per DAY.

So, again, this crime out of the 400 in the last two days in Boston, is really a huge example of how evil some people are?

Boston averages almost one homicide per day.

But THIS incident is the one we should focus on, because it allows us to hate large groups of people.

[LanternWaste]

24. Are these assaults usually, or even often, or even every now and then predicated

"There are about 78,000 violent crimes in Boston every year or about 210 per DAY."

Are these assaults you refer to usually, or even often, or even every now and then predicated with the statement, "You are involved in the Boston explosions!'”?

[smirkymonkey]

29. In all honesty, Boston has never been the most tolerent town.

This is my second stint here. There has always been a huge racism problem here. Much more so than New York.

[pinboy3niner]

31. All Muslims are evil!