What if Jared Loughner were a Muslim?

[azurnoir]

When the news first broke that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had been shot at a political event, all Americans were united in our response of shock and outrage.

Shortly afterward, the media reported that a 22-year-old male had been arrested in the shooting. His name had not yet been released. I believe your reaction to that piece of news depended greatly on your status in American society -- namely, whether you're a Muslim.

If you are a typical white person, I would imagine your initial response was relief the suspect was caught, and an attempt to make sense of why he committed this horrible crime.

But if you are Muslim or of Arab heritage, your reaction to the news of the arrest was likely: "Please don't let him be Arab ... please don't let him be Muslim." Believe me, that was my reaction.

This reaction in not unique to American Arabs and Muslims -- most minorities in America have a similar response when a horrific crime has been committed and the identity of the suspect is still unknown.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/13/obeidallah.loughner.muslims/index.html

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. If he was Muslim they wouldn't paint him as being mentally ill

[cali]

4. Dr. Nidal Hassan was widely portrayed as mentally ill.

[Violet_Crumble]

8. He was widely portrayed as a Muslim terrorist...

He was NOT widely portrayed as mentally ill...

[cali]

14. oh he absolutely was portrayed as mentally ill

quite widely, though he was also portrayed as a terrorist by some.

[Violet_Crumble]

15. Yr wrong. He was widely portrayed as a Muslim terrorist...

Far, far more widely than any portrayal of him as being mentally ill. Headline after headline focused on him being a Muslim and his motives being that of a terrorist, so I'm not sure how it's even possible to argue otherwise or to recall events in a way where only 'some' focused on him being a Muslim terrorist type...

on edit: a quick search of google news from back at that time confirms what I've said. The focus on him being a Muslim and speculation that it was being terrorism was very strong. Which is not at all surprising, given that the US media plays to the lowest common denominator, and the fear and hatred of Muslims is pretty strong in the US...

[oberliner]

21. Absolutely no idea what you are talking about

You see what you look for apparently.

[malaise]

17. He was portrayed as a terrorist by a wide majority n/t

[Johonny]

16. Doesn't the right paint all Muslims as mentally ill?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

20. nope

[arbusto_baboso]

2. If he were Muslim, he would never survive long rnough to stand trial.

Or he'd be in Gitmo right now.

[cali]

5. Is Dr. Hassan in Gitmo? Is he dead?

[arbusto_baboso]

6. Has he stood trial yet?

Until he does, I think you must acknowledge that I could still be correct about this.

[azurnoir]

11. actually there is no conclusion yet as to Hasan's mental state

Mental evaluation of suspected Fort Hood shooter to continue

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-08/justice/texas.fort.hood.hasan_1_hasan-case-nidal-hasan-mental-evaluation?_s=PM:CRIME

there is some difficulty because first Hasan was himself a military psychiatrist and he was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down during the shoot out, so separating his mental state now from what it was then is in question

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

3. A whole lotta bad

[Cali_Democrat]

7. "most minorities in America have a similar response when a horrific crime has been committed"

Very true.

Whites don't have to experience this because of something called white privilege. However, most minorities hope and pray that the perpetrator is not of their race or religion. Whites don't have to worry about this in America.

Can you imagine if he was a Mexican? Anti-immigrant xenophobia would be huge right now.

[azurnoir]

9. The day of the shootings I looked at

FreeRepublic's yahoo page and there were claims that the shooter was yelling either La Raza or Allahu Akbar they weren't sure which

[Cali_Democrat]

10. ...and, like the characters in South Park, they would have tried to organize a lynch mob

against Hispanics or Muslims had the killer turned out to be Hispanic or Muslim.



And you can be sure the media would have played along.

[azurnoir]

12. No doubt n/t

[Number23]

13. Rec'd. This cannot be said enough. The double standards need to stop

[The Straight Story]

18. Well the right would blame Muslims, and the left would blame guns - and no one would blame

The person.

[treestar]

19. Yep, the right doesn't want Palin or Beck blamed

But had it been a Muslim, the right would be all over blaming every member of the religion for his actions.

[piratefish08]

22. if he were Muslim, it would have been "Terror in Tucson" not

Tragedy in Tucson.

[WinkyDink]

23. "What if?" is not ever a strong premise. "What if" Palin were a Democrat?

[Rebubula]

24. Strong UNREC for silliness

Why must people constantly play the 'what if' game?? What if he were Scottish??

The fact is he IS mentally ill and the fact is he is a loner.

Fear not young people - there will be plenty of right wing terrorists as we go forward - no need to try and create one out of madness.