Muslims were not, of course, the victims of the Orlando jihad massacre, but to Leftists, Muslims are always the victims of every jihad terror attack that other Muslims perpetrate. Idit Klein doesn’t worry that more gays will be the targets of Islamic jihadists; instead, she is worried that “vilification of the Muslim community will certainly be in part a result of this tragedy.” This is a constant refrain after every jihad attack, but that vilification never actually materializes. Trump’s proposal for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration is not “vicious rhetoric,” but an attempt to prevent more jihadis from entering the country. Does Klein have an alternative proposal for how to accomplish that?
No innocent persons should be subjected to “vilification.” The problem is that people such as this Idit and so many others like her classify as “vilification of the Muslim community” any honest examination of the motives and goals of jihad terrorists. And so nothing effective is done to frame the jihad threat realistically, as no one in power wants to be accused of this “vilification.”
“Head of Jewish LGBTQ group fears for Muslims after attack,” by Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel, June 13, 2016:
The first calls and emails Idit Klein received after hearing the news of the horrific attack that killed at least 50 at an Orlando gay bar on June 12 were from Muslim leaders expressing their sorrow and solidarity.
“Within a very short time of news breaking about the attack colleagues in the Muslim community reached out to say, ‘Our hearts are with you, our prayers are with you. What can we do to express our solidarity?’” said Klein.
Since 2001, Klein has served as executive director of Keshet, a Boston-based national non-profit organization with a $2m. annual budget that works in some 200 communities for LGBTQ equality and inclusion in Jewish life….
For Klein, the immediate condemnation by American Muslim leaders is “historically important.”
Among the many Muslim voices, the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Florida) released a statement shortly after the attack condemning the killings.
“We condemn this monstrous attack and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those killed or injured,” said CAIR-Florida’s Orlando Regional Coordinator Rasha Mubarak. “The Muslim community joins our fellow Americans in repudiating anyone or any group that would claim to justify or excuse such an appalling act of violence.”
Klein said that although some “courageous leaders” have pushed their community, Islam is not known to be progressive on LGBTQ issues. The widespread condemnation of the massive attack which targeted the gay community is “a reason to feel some hope even in this time of sadness….
Klein is equally troubled by the prospect of a backlash against the American Muslim community — those who reached out first upon hearing the news Sunday morning.
This is an election year which has seen a December 2015 call from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for a “total and complete shutdown” on Muslim immigration. The attack, fears Klein, “will inflame the very vicious rhetoric we’ve been hearing regarding Muslims and the Muslim community.
“Vilification of the Muslim community will certainly be in part a result of this tragedy,” she said.