They were Muslim terrorists. To identify them as such is simply to tell the truth, not to “disparage” an “ethnic group.” What ethnicity are Muslims again? Would a plaque reading “murdered by Nazis” on a soldier’s grave in 1943 be opposed on the grounds that it would be offensive to Germans? This gingerly political correctness in dealing with the identity of the Islamic jihadists is the single greatest obstacle standing in the way of our defeating them.
“Father of 9/11 Victim Fights to Have ‘Murdered by Muslim Terrorists’ Inscribed on Son’s Memorial,” by Douglas Kennedy for FoxNews, October 27 (thanks to Anne Crockett):
KENT, Conn. — Peter Gadiel wants everyone to remember his son, James, who was killed during the September 11 terrorist attacks.
And he also wants people to remember how he died: “Murdered by Muslim terrorists.”
For Gadiel, any tribute to his son would be woefully incomplete without those words.
“I think it’s important, because I think there’s a nationwide effort to suppress the identity of the people who were involved in the attacks,” Gadiel told Fox News.
Eight years ago, 23-year-old James Gadiel worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center. He died when a hijacked plane crashed into the North Tower.
For years, Gadiel’s hometown of Kent, Conn., has wanted to honor the young man with a memorial plaque next to its town hall. But the tribute has hit a snag because James’ father wants to include the phrase, “Murdered by Muslim terrorists,” under his son’s name.
For Peter Gadiel, it is a central fact of the Sept. 11 attacks that is often left out.
“It isn’t just overlooked, it’s suppressed,” Gadiel said. “It’s simply wrong to imply that people just died. The buildings didn’t just collapse, they didn’t just fall down — they were attacked by people with a specific identity, a specific purpose.”
Town officials call the phrase too controversial for a small town memorial, and they recently voted against erecting the plaque if Gadiel insists on the language.
“We perceive ourselves as a very warm, loving town,” said Ruth Epstein, a Kent selectman and one of two town leaders to vote the plaque down. “To disparage any one ethnic group is just against everything that we stand for here.”…
But for Gadiel, it’s an important message that he insists be present on any tribute to his son.
“Muslims have to acknowledge that it was their co-religionists who committed this act in their name,” he said. “I am offended that unlike so many others, they refuse to acknowledge that it was their people who did this.”