You guessed it: her primary concern, like everyone else's, is guarding against that ever-threatening phantom, an "anti-Muslim backlash."
An Islamic jihadist murders thirteen Americans, and American officials rush to declare that they will do everything in their power to protect...Muslims. What's wrong with this picture?
"Fort Hood killer 'does not represent Muslims': American security chief," by Daniel Bardsley for The National, November 9 (thanks to all who sent this in):
ABU DHABI // The killing of 13 people by a Muslim psychiatrist at an American army base must not lead to the victimisation of Muslim Americans, the US secretary of homeland security has said.On a visit to the capital, Janet Napolitano said grassroots efforts were vital to preserving relations between Muslim Americans and the wider community after Friday's shootings at Fort Hood in Texas.
"We object to, and do not believe, that anti-Muslim sentiment should emanate from this," she said. "This was an individual who does not represent the Muslim faith."
I wonder how Napolitano would answer Anwar al-Awlaki.
Describing the killings as "a terrible tragedy", Ms Napolitano said a civil rights and civil liberties directorate in her department aimed to "prevent everybody being painted with a broad brush".
She could have said something like this: "Describing the killings as 'a terrible massacre', Ms Napolitano said she aimed to "prevent such jihad attacks from ever happening again on American soil'".
"That work is ongoing and is part and parcel of how we view security," she said. "One of the things we'll do is make sure that we're reaching out to the state and local authorities within the US, because they often have better outreach to members of the Muslim community than we do." Ms Napolitano was speaking to female students at Zayed University, and took part in a private question-and-answer session with them.She said her visit to the UAE was part of the "outreach" programme to the Muslim community by the US administration, one that included the June speech in Cairo by the US president, Barack Obama....
Good for you, Robert, for calling it like it is. There are a few folks outside of the mainstream media that are saying the same thing. We should be demanding that muslims confront the jihadist mentality in their midst, and develop the theological arguments against their view of Islam.
This year's dhimmi awards will be very interesting - there are so many good candidates in the Obama administration!
"That work is ongoing and is part and parcel of how we view security," she said. "One of the things we'll do is make sure that we're reaching out to the state and local authorities within the US, because they often have better outreach to members of the Muslim community than we do." (my bold)
This "better outreach" may be code word for "better surveillance"? Am I being naive here? Let's see what happens, but after so many media denials of the real cause of jihad attacks against us, what else can they do? Get close, get close, and get the truth.
I find it absolutely appalling that the Islamic attacks that have plagued numerous nations over the past 3 decades are still being treated as if they are isolated incidents that have absolutely nothing to do with Islam. While "moderate" Muslims keep on serving up excuses for the barbarism, this latest attack is an excellent example..Hasan felt picked on because of his Islamic beliefs, because he had his "Allah is love" sticker ripped off his car...Please..
I believe that Hasan was a sleeper placed within the armed forces..People saw the problems with him and they ignored them out of nothing more than political correctness, not to mention the backlash of being called racist, bigot, etc for daring to question this officers religious motivations.
When are our armed forces going to understand that Muslims are not our ally?
When is the U.S. going to figure it out that they are letting the foxes right into the henhouse?
When is the U.S. going to figure it out that they are letting the foxes right into the henhouse?
We are being lead by morons that are going to get many more people killed.
All of her comments on Islam make clear she is not waving but drowning. She's not up to the job. Nor, of course, are others, including the current -- in this respect just like the previous -- President.
Environmental policy run a muck. Re-cycling Rubbish expecting us to eat it.
ROBERT: "...her primary concern, like everyone else's, is guarding against that ever-threatening phantom, an "anti-Muslim backlash." "
Robert,
I agree with the entirety of your approach to this story. The emphasis of the media's reporting and of Homeland Security's response is disgustingly convoluted, with all concern expressed for the perpetrator (and his community), and little or none for the victims (and THEIR community, i.e., 'us').
But please do be careful. In the unlikely event that there IS a violent backlash incident in the days to come, your use of the word "phantom" above could provide juicy fodder for your detractors who are so anxious to discredit you as a hate-monger.
Please accept the input in the spirit for which it is intended and of course disregard as you see fit. I'm just a loyal foot-soldier trying to watch your back.
"We object to, and do not believe, that anti-Muslim sentiment should emanate from this..." -- Janet Napolitano
If Janet doesn't have the ability to form a proper sentence any better than this, how can she be expected to understand the issues at stake here? How did this woman every rise to the rank she has? Apparently Equal Opportunity isn't exempt from the Peter Principle.
Why is the head of Homeland Security making the rounds in the Persian Gulf? Why would someone with her responsibilities need to go abroad on what, on the surface, is a diplomatic tour? She should be concerned with homeland issues first. What is the trip's purpose? Has anyone heard an explanation?
Tragedy
They keep using this word. I do not think it means what they think it means.
Say it with me ~ c'mon, you know you want to:
Janet's a... knucklehead?
Hugh, W was bad. This one's complicit.
And she got to the root problem, namely, the Quran, and called for it to be banned like they did peyote and the Indian Ghost Dance religion and Mormon polygamy? :)
http://go.to/islamhistory
Cornelius,
Don't worry, we'll just say that it was done by a "tiny minority" of islamophobes and that they in no way represent the actions of a whole "community" of islamophobes writ large, and that they've twisted the whole islamophobe message.
It works. I've seen it happen.
Cornelius,
Don't worry, we'll just say that it was done by a "tiny minority" of islamophobes and that they in no way represent the actions of a whole "community" of islamophobes writ large, and that they've twisted the whole islamophobe message.
It works. I've seen it happen.
Winoceros,
I get you loud and clear. But my little caution was not about a sociological phenom like dhimmitude as expressed in the absurd, catch-alls of "RoP" and "tiny minority of extremists". It was about our fearless leader...and protecting him from slander.
Let's just hope and pray that no idiot goes out and tries to exact his pound of flesh for revenge. Morally, it would be an expression of evil on a par with that of Hasan's. Politically, it would garner nothing but sympathy for Muslims among politicians and pundits, distract law-enforcement from their focus on Islamic extremists, and undo at least some of the educational inroads the anti-Jihad is making among the uninitiated as a result of this tragedy.