Over at PJ Media, I explore what’s behind the growing hysteria to get the Chapel Hill murders of three Muslims labeled a “hate crime”:
Muslims are under siege in the U.S. — don’t you know that? Roving bands of Islamophobes routinely harass and threaten innocent Muslims, and a well-heeled Islamophobia Network spends millions to demonize and vilify Muslims in the American public discourse. Things have gotten so bad that pious Muslim women fear to wear their hijabs in public – and when they do, they’re spat upon and worse. The climate of fear and hatred that the Islamophobes have so assiduously whipped up culminated in the horrific murder last Tuesday of three Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by a psychopath seething with hatred for Muslims.
That’s the way numerous leftists and Muslims see life in Barack Obama’s America, but in reality, that scenario is almost wholly false. A psychopath really did murder three Muslims in Chapel Hill last Tuesday, but the rest is pure leftist mythmaking, providing an illustrative example of how the Left and the mainstream media ignore inconvenient facts and bend others in order to further their chosen narrative.
Who is Craig Hicks?
The problems with this narrative are many. From the looks of his Facebook page, Hicks is hardly the right-wing, anti-Muslim Islamophobic redneck of their hysterical fantasies; instead, he is a hardcore leftist and fan of the Huffington Post and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Those two are among his huge and revealing list of “Likes,” which shows him much more preoccupied with Christianity than with Islam. He likes the atheists Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Bill Maher, all of whom have criticized Islam, but his page includes none of their statements about Islam. He likes many anti-Christian groups but no groups that are critical of Islam, and he even likes a group called “Obama Backs Mosque Near Ground Zero: ‘This is America,’” praising Obama for supporting the Ground Zero Mosque.
Other “Likes” from Hicks’ Facebook page include Bill Nye The Science Guy; Sarah Silverman; Penn & Teller: Bullshit!; Stop the World, the Teabaggers Want Off; LGBT / Atheist Alliance; Scary Bible Quote of the Day; World Atheists: Lets Kick Islam and Christianity out of Africa; Merry christmyth; Pass The 28th Amendment – Complete Removal Of The Church From The State; The Rachel Maddow Fan Page; Pissing Off The Religious Right; Keep your Bible out of our Vaginas; Mitt Romney Sucks; Separation of Church and State; Still here? Silly Christians; Jesus McChrist; Denying Evolution Won’t Make Your God Any More Real; Dogs Against Romney; The Atheist’s Bible Commentary; Organization for Educating Misinformed Tea Party Patriots; GOPHypocrisy; Liberals Against Conservative Propaganda; Arrest the Pope and Tax Religion; Not wasting my Sundays at church; Network for Church Monitoring; Dominionism is destroying America; Christians vs. Atheists; Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Stop The Westboro Baptist Church!; and many, many more. Oh, and Gun Toting Liberal.
He likes no anti-Islam groups, and his Facebook page contains no criticism of Islam other than one comparison of “Radical Christians” and “Radical Muslims.” From the looks of all this at least, if Craig Hicks had been planning to commit a hate crime, it seems much more likely that he would have targeted “right-wingers,” Republicans, evangelical Christians, etc., than that he would have targeted Muslims because they were Muslims.
What’s more, Hicks’ wife has said:
I can say with absolute belief that this incident had nothing to do with religion of the victims’ faith, but it was related to a longstanding parking dispute that my husband had with the neighbors.
These killings were over parking, not Islam
The Chapel Hill Police said the same thing: these killings were over parking, not Islam. Karen Hicks added that her husband “often champions on his Facebook page for the rights of individuals. … He believes everyone is equal – doesn’t matter what you look like or who you are or what you believe.” U.S. Attorney Ripley Rand stated Wednesday:
“The events of yesterday are not part of a targeting campaign against Muslims in North Carolina,” and that there was “no information this is part of an organized event against Muslims.”
It is demonic madness to murder people over a parking space, but it is not the seismic event that the cold-blooded murder of three Muslims solely because they were Muslims would be. And so many decided to go with the old adage from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
The father of one of the victims insisted: “This was not a dispute over a parking space; this was a hate crime. This man had picked on my daughter and her husband a couple of times before, and he talked with them with his gun in his belt. And they were uncomfortable with him, but they did not know he would go this far.” He said his daughter told him: “Honest to God, he hates us for what we are and how we look.”
Is the sky falling on accusations of Islamophobia?
Curious that Craig Hicks would seethe with such hatred for Muslims that it would move him to murder, and yet never mention this hatred to his wife of seven years or give a hint of it on his Facebook page, where so many of his hates were on abundant display. Nonetheless, it was time to turn the legend into fact: Nihad Awad of the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) thundered:
Based on the brutal nature of this crime, the past anti-religion statements of the alleged perpetrator, the religious attire of two of the victims, and the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in American society, we urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to quickly address speculation of a possible bias motive in this case.
Duke professor Omid Safi (who is so nakedly dishonest that he once claimed that I had threatened to kill him) assumed that speculation was fact as he lamented:
There is a tendency to say, “This is a nice place, these eruptions of violence don’t belong here.” And yet here we are. This is, in all of the heartbreak and violence and sadness, where we are.
Islamic supremacist activist Linda Sarsour said the murder “sends a message to other young people in the Muslim community that the fear is valid.” Abed Ayoub of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) linked the killings to the film American Sniper (which Craig Hicks actually probably hates):
It may not be directly linked to the film, but the overall way that Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment are moving in this country is portrayed in the words of those who watched American Sniper. The film gave us a look into how these individuals were feeling and for the first time we were getting raw, real messages – and they were frightening.
Read the rest here.
timothius says
I can’t remember the last time that I killed someone over parking. If folks can believe that then brain washed is very very real.
vlparker says
I remember several years back reading about a murder over 25 cents. People kill each other in road rage incidents over trivial stuff. While it is not the norm It is not that unusual.
All of the evidence points to a dispute over parking. None of the evidence shows any animosity towards muslims, quite the opposite, in fact. Stop indulging in your wishes and look at reality. The evidence is clear.
Angemon says
timothius posted:
“I can’t remember the last time that I killed someone over parking. If folks can believe that then brain washed is very very real.”
http://newsone.com/814495/off-duty-baltimore-cop-killed-over-parking-space/
That guy was black – was the motive racial prejudice?
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/03/14/israel-killed-over-parking-spot/
Another person killed in a discussion over a parking space?
http://nypost.com/2006/12/02/killed-over-parking-spot/
And another one?
http://www.ibtimes.com/man-dies-after-woman-squeezes-his-testicles-fight-over-parking-spot-693561
More?
http://www.reviewjournal.com/trending/feed/mom-killed-front-her-children-over-parking-spot
MOAR?
Clearly, there’s never been a case where people were killed over a parking space dispute and Hicks is undoubtedly an islamophobe and committed the murders out of religious prejudice. sarc.off/
Angemon says
Just to add to what I said (on a comment that is still waiting for moderation because it includes several links to news articles about people being killed over parking space disputes):
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5338118-sister-of-muslims-killed-in-us-insulting-to-call-clash-a-parking-issue/
“There were 135 anti-Muslim hate incidents in the U.S. in 2013, according to FBI figures. That’s more than against any religious group except for one. The agency reports 625 anti-Jewish crimes that year.
Chapel Hill police say they understand the concerns about the possibility that the crime was hate-motivated. However, a preliminary investigation indicated that it was motivated by an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking, they insist.
Different neighbours have also described being harassed by the alleged killer, Craig Stephen Hicks, about the parking spot outside the building, accusing him of flashing a weapon to intimidate them into letting him claim it for his wife.
One told North Carolina’s News & Observer newspaper that neighbours held a community meeting to discuss his tirades because they had made many people feel unsafe: “He had equal opportunity anger toward a lot of the residents here,” Samantha Maness told the newspaper.“
quotha raven says
WELL SAID, Angemon! – People shoot each other over parking spaces all the time. I remember one in Queens, I think, where an off-duty cop shot someone over a parking spot. Any effort to capitalize on this story as one of Islamophoia or hate crime is sheer lying and cheapest, sleasiest opportunism. qr
Timothius says
Wow! Did I ever take a whipping over this one. Quotha Raven basically said what I wanted to. Anyway, I livw in the middle on nowhere in New Mexico, and we have plenty of parking. Thanks aall for setting me straight. Now I’m going to the mountains! (Grin)
Lee says
“If folks can believe that then brain washed is very very real.” No, you’d have to be brainwashed to pretend you’ve never heard of road-rage/parking-rage, just so you can use an attack on people who *incidentally* happen to Muslim as a bargaining chip.
People of all religions and no religion are victims of crime every day. To only use victims of crime who happen to be Muslim as a bargaining chip to further promote their death-cult shows how morally-degraded Islamofascists and their collaborators are.
Not only do they *never* use the religion or atheism of NON-Muslim victims to call for special rights for these people, they actually *cover up* for Islam where Islam is *explicitly cited by the criminal* as the inspiring ideology in their crimes.
Mike C says
Actually i know a guy who slashes peoples tires for parking in front of his house. So yes, some selfish and somewhat crazy people do take parking spots very seriously.
Western Canadian says
Gee, just what we all needed……. another idiot muslim troll.
MV says
Lots of parking related disputes end in physical fights or even fatalities. A few examples
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2707718/Delhi-businessman-57-dies-neighbours-beat-row-parking.html
http://abcnews.go.com/US/attacked-parking-space-parking-lot-disputes-turn-violent/story?id=23440714
http://www.worldwideweirdnews.com/2014/12/24-n35319.html
Lurene Gisee says
Most Americans — people around the world — have seen trivial parking disputes turn into near-riots or assault/murder crimes. I just a few months ago was entering a vehicle which was legally, normally parked. I was a passenger. A guy jumped out toward us and began screaming about our vehicle being in what should have been his parking place near the restaurant there. I mean, he was screaming like we’d just run over his grandmother or something. The crazed man then began to threaten to have us in police custody within 20 minutes and began to call the police. The driver I was with calmly said, “You go right ahead and do that, sir, and have a nice day.” We left the man, who was showing us his middle finger as we pulled out of the lot. Fact is, the driver I was with was a bus driver and knew full-well he was legally parked. He knew the angry man was irrational and dangerous. We just calmly left the fanatic to himself. You do not debate with fanatics. You get away from them as quickly as possible. So, the victims we’re discussing today of the parking crime, their families, need to get some rest, recover from the stress, before making all these impulsive statements.
Timothius says
Thank god you’re still alive. After all he didn’t kill you. Your assumption about arguing with fanatics is well taken. Now, before you jumped on the band wagon here, you could have or at should have at least read my post that said my original post was not well put. So, I admit that I made a terrible mistake and promise not to pull such a boner again. Now sir, what is your fucking problem?
Jack HOLAN says
Timothius
I will quote a couple of comments already posted; you’re a Muslim troll and an idiot.
Lesley says
The thing that blows my mind the most is that on the yahoo.com news, I saw an article on yahoo.com, ‘Muslim world asks: Were Chapel Hill shootings an act of terrorism?’ The ‘Muslim world’ is silent when Islamist gunmen shouting, ‘we have avenged the prophet’ massacre a bunch of artists at a French newspaper (plus over 25,000 acts of terror in the name of Islam only since 9/11), but are jumping to cry terrorism when three Muslims are killed in a dispute over parking with a man who seemingly has less against Muslims than Christians?
I know it’s going to sound like I’m a paranoid chump in a tin-foil hat by saying this, but it’s looking more and more like there is some kind of conspiratorial Islamist agenda that our government is either humoring or actively in collusion with. Given the data about the shooter, and (by contrast) the rather hateful data put forth by the victims, I have to consider that anyone in our government who is goose-stepping along with this ‘Islamaphobia’ nonsense is actively against non-Muslims and our way of life.
I just can’t believe that any person who is smart enough to pass a written exam to hold a driver’s license would look at the data and come to the conclusion that it is a hate crime. On the contrary: Islam brings the West no end of trouble. Rape gangs in the UK, anti-Semitism, mass casualty acts of violence, imposing their dietary restrictions on others, terror threat levels, extra security, blah blah blah blah blah.
There are perfectly lovely countries ruled by Sharia law that Westerners don’t bother by immigrating to. There are even ‘secular’ nations where Sharia and Islam are warmly embraced (Turkey). I don’t believe that Muslims in the West really feel so threatened or oppressed. If they did, they would be fleeing the West in the way the Jews are fleeing France and the UK now. Instead, they are coming in droves, many of them draining national welfare resources and demanding special meals.
I’m so sick of the mess that Islam has brought to our world and our way of life, that if they were fleeing in droves, I’d be all right with that. The ‘Muslim world’ needs to reform itself and remove the element of stone age barbarism before it can play nicely with the more civilized and enlightened West. I would wish them well and safe travels on their way out of our western nations. Converts would be welcome to leave, also. They would be welcome to go fulfill their dreams of being a school teacher in the Islamic State or something… “See class, Barbara was raped. We’re going to stone her to death. Now, for proper technique, hold the rock like this…”
jihad3tracker says
Hello Lesley —
Your post is very much about what Robert Spencer works for : ACCURATE UNDERSTANDING OF ISLAM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
For you and other visitors new to Jihadwatch, let me again mention superb FACTUAL RESOURCES — NO WISHFUL THINKING :
http://www.inquiryintoislam.com / http://www.thereligionofpeace.com / www. pamelageller.com / http://www.politicalislam.com / http://www.answeringmuslims.com / http://www.barenakedislam.com.
PLEASE PASS ALONG THESE LINKS TO FAMILY, FRIENDS, MINISTER, RABBI, COUNTY AND STATE OFFICIALS . . . Everyone who might still be clueless about Islam’s ultimate agenda : submission of all persons to its Caliphate.
WESTERN FREEDOM + DEMOCRACY + CULTURE ??? GONE WITH THE WIND.
Andrew GB says
@Lesley,
Thank you for eloquently putting into words my thoughts and sentiments on this matter.
When islam condems terrorists such as Hamas and atrocities such as Charlie Hebdo then I might just care what happens to the followers of islam.
Western Canadian says
Most of your post is fine, but this paragraph beggers belief:
“There are perfectly lovely countries ruled by Sharia law”
No such thing. Period.
“that Westerners don’t bother by immigrating to. There are even ‘secular’ nations where Sharia and Islam are warmly embraced (Turkey).”
Again, utter rubbish. Turkey WAS secular, but is reverting to its stone age roots at an appalling rate.
“I don’t believe that Muslims in the West really feel so threatened or oppressed.”
They don’t. It is a scam, as is most of the immigration.
“If they did, they would be fleeing the West in the way the Jews are fleeing France and the UK now. Instead, they are coming in droves, many of them draining national welfare resources and demanding special meals.”
Make up your mind.
Bezelel says
Sooner or later Hicks psych eval. will surface and until I hear factually different, I suspect antidepressants SSRI’s or MOAI’s are part of the picture.
http://ssristories.org/ 5,000 stories or nightmares that have nothing to do with islam
Mirren10 says
This is nothing more or less than the determination of CAIR to find an ‘islamophobic hate crime’ to run with, and feed their fantasies.
It is clear, from all the evidence so far, that Hicks was an arsehole who snapped over a parking dispute. If the three victims had been **Jews**, or **Christians**, or **white atheists**, would we be hearing anything from CAIR, or, God help us, your own **president** ??!!
Nope. The silence would have been deafening. Dear God, what have we come to ?
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch!
When the chain used to tow a tractor out of the mud snaps, the tremendous energy in it causes it to fly, sometimes ripping apart a nearby person, vehicle, or even tree.
And so it is with the cognitive dissonance surrounding Moslem victimhood. The dead Moslima’s sister blames her murder on the open season declared on Moslems in America by the movie American Sniper. But the victimhood is cast in the milieu of heads being sawed off in Missouri, a person at a free speech discussion group shot to death, 13 mass murdered at a political cartoon newspaper, and on and on and on.
Q: How can it be both?
A: The existence of a tiny minority of extremists balanced against 99.99% Unicorns
When that fictive reality finally snaps, and it will, there will be a recoil that will unleash violent forces that the ruling elites can no longer control. The elites in Dar Al-Islam are fast becoming former dictators. The elites in Dar Al-Harb, what will they become? Will it be police state rulers, or something different, a new order they don’t envision?
Lurene Gisee says
Perhaps I am misunderstanding the comment by reader who, essentially, is writing/theorizing that the Islamic elites may become the world’s next pak of dictators if things do not take a new course. I am not sure I am interpreting the comment correctly. If the reader is trying to send a mild warning to us, though, that today’s Islamic elite could turn into dictators for the countries of Islam in 2015, he is not up on his history. Today’s Islamic populations in Africa — the Mideast generally — have always been under the boots of their own dictators. You’ve had less authoritarian states within the Islamic world sometimes for limited terms, but Islamic populations within Africa and Asia have never been shining examples of liberalism or free speech or religious liberty, i.e., the right to make his/her own choices when it comes to religion. You’ve sometimes had movements of populations within those nations who want those liberties, but they’ve seen little success and the individuals in such movements often have ended up in prison or tortured or murdered or all three. So, yes, there have always been Moslems who genuinely want reforms and want to ensure domestic tranquility, but if they come out into the light of day in their own states, they are risking their lives.
Anushirvan says
He’ll probably be labeled right-wing by the media, anyway. Interesting irony, of sorts, particularly because he was so eager to avoid all that in the first place. Plus, if you can’t be Zen enough to restrain from perpetrating deadly violence because of a mere parking dispute, then you’re not really qualified to sermonize on purported (secular) tolerance towards people in general or towards Muslims specifically, either. Take the mask off, and you’ll meet the psychopath underneath. They don’t do nice, whatever they claim about themselves on Facebook. Two ironies in one go. Serves the shit right, I’d say. Of course, if he would’ve killed just any white (non-Muslim) guy, he wouldn’t have reached the media stage with the spotlight burning on his only mug, either. He acted out without thinking twice, and that’s what he got.
Funny how things can turn out in the end, really. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
LOL
Jack Holan says
The Qur’an says the Muslim may lye in his war with the infidel (this is the war of disinformation to get laws passed to some how limit our freedom of expression possibly with govt control of the Internet)
Leith Wood says
Dear Mr. Spencer, Thank you for all your courage and efforts to keep us informed of the truth! I just read interesting information from Adina Kutnicki about the background of the father of the girls, who were shot by their neighbor in North Carolina. Written on 14th or 15th. It ties in with his explanation of why his daughters were shot. Our sick media won’t report it. Thank you.
Lawrence johnson says
The case for Islamophobia is strong.
It is a good thing for people to be “Islamophobic”.
It means that you are aware of the depravity that is Islam and that you are willing to witness and act against it.
Praise be to “Islamophobia” !
Infidel : wear that badge PROUDLY !
Robaby1984 says
If the tables were turned, and a muslim had killed 3 atheists over a parking space and had anti-atheist postings in his facebook, no one on Jihadwatch would be saying that Islam had nothing to do with it, LET’S CALL A SPADE A SPADE AND BE HONEST ABOUT IT! Remember the muslim man beheading the woman at Oklahoma meat factory that police called workplace violence, yet no one on Jihad watch called it that even though the woman he killed had just fired him.
Robert Spencer says
Problem is, he didn’t have anti-Muslim postings on his Facebook. He supported the Ground Zero Mosque — that was on his Facebook. He said he preferred Muslims to Christians. He had one FB post comparing “Radical Christians” to “Radical Muslims.” That was it — and that was meant as a criticism of Christianity. The Oklahoma beheader, by contrast, had on his Facebook page a photo of a beheading captioned with a Qur’an verse. Let’s call a spade a spade and be honest about it, indeed.