“Six Flags over Texas,” for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to the six national flags that have flown over present-day Texas (France, Spain, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederacy, and the U.S.). Hence the name of the Arlington, TX amusement park that is about to host a “Muslim Family Day” event sponsored by the Islamic Circle of North America, which has sponsored similar events in the past.
The article below details a planned protest by Joe Kaufman’s Americans Against Hate against this event, on the basis of ICNA’s ties to groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. The reporter offers two negative reactions to AAH’s allegations, which would suggest to the uninitiated reader that AAH is off the mark. But he evidently did no research on his own to follow up on the ICNA’s connections, rendering the report an example of how agenda-based reporting does not serve the public interest, having wasted an opportunity to ask them where they stand with respect to the global jihadist drive that would plant a seventh flag over Texas — one of an Islamic state. In fact, it most likely never occurred to the reporter to pose the question.
“Florida group to protest Muslim day at Six Flags,” by Scott Farwell for the Dallas Morning News:
A Florida-based group called Americans Against Hate plans to protest a Muslim Family Day at Six Flags Over Texas later this month because it says the Islamic organization sponsoring the event supports terrorism.
Local Muslims called the accusation a lie.
“They have an agenda and they have a focus, and that is to absolutely tear down
any Muslim organization that has any level of promise in America,” said Khalil Meek of Plano, president of the Muslim Legal Fund of America. “I’m not surprised they’re doing it, and I don’t even want to talk about them because the more hype they get, the more voice they get. I’d rather just ignore them and pray they grow up and learn how to become responsible people.”
The demonstration may be easy to ignore — and miss. Fewer than 50 people have
turned out for other protests, according to the group’s chairman, Joe Kaufman.
He said education, not turnout, is what’s important.
“We believe this organization is a threat to the city and a threat to the United States because of its ties to overseas terrorism, because of their financing of overseas terrorism,” he said.
Mr. Kaufman says the Islamic Circle of North America was founded three decades
ago as an American arm of the terrorist group Muslim Brotherhood of Pakistan and funnels money to Hamas.
Mohammad Barney, president of the Dallas chapter of ICNA, said the accusations are troubling and untrue. According to its Web site, ICNA supports Islamic culture and education while promoting justice and understanding.
“It’s disturbing that they are writing false statements like that,” said Mr. Barney. “People have the right to say whatever they want, but that doesn’t make it true.”
That works both ways.
The Anti-Defamation League — a pro-Jewish group — seems to agree. ICNA is not listed as a threat on its Web site.
“We don’t involve ourselves in that kind of activity,” said Mark Briskman, regional director of the league, who said his group would not participate in the protest. “He made a lot of claims … without clear documentation of those claims. His statements are problematic.”
A spokesman for the Dallas FBI office would not comment, but the former director of the local office said agents weigh accusations carefully.
“Anybody in today’s world can make any kind of allegation; they can throw anything out there and hope it sticks,” said Danny Defenbaugh, who led the Dallas office from 1998 to 2002. “But if somebody makes allegations and can’t provide any substantive evidence, the FBI is not going to waste its time. Why should they?”
However, Mr. Kaufman, the man organizing the Oct. 14 protest said the goal of the placard-carrying demonstration is to wake up the public and the government. He said his group attempts to target radical Muslims, not all Muslims.
“I’m not somebody who revels in holding protests everywhere,” he said, “but I feel this is an effective way of notifying the public to what they have in their backyard as well as put pressure on the government to shut down these groups.”
[…]
Sharon Parker, public relations manager for the park, said that Muslim Family Day will go on and that the park will also be open to the public that day.
“We don’t discriminate based on race, religion, sexual orientation, political persuasion or any other factor,” Ms. Parker said. “Our ultimate goal is to provide a day of fun for all of our guests.”