Last Sunday, more than a dozen white men, some wearing masks and armed with AK-15 assault rifles, stood outside a mosque in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Their proclaimed purpose was to protest the "Islamization of America, Syrian refugees, and Islam in general."
The group's organizer David Wright, wearing a mask and toting his AK-15, acknowledged that they wanted to intimidate Muslim members: "I'm not going to lie. We do want to show force. It would be ridiculous to protest Islam without defending ourselves."
Local authorities knew about the planned protest and notified Mosque leaders, who in turn advised their members to stay away. Police were also on hand to ensure members' safety. So nobody was hurt . . . physically.
But such bigotry continues to hurt all of us. Just imagine the reaction if the affiliations had been reversed, and a gang of masked, armed Muslim men had gathered outside a Christian church to intimidate its members.
Every time a Republican presidential candidate, or a Republican governor, or Fox News or right-wing, talk radio bigots blast out anti-Muslim fear and hatred -- this is what results. Someone is going to get hurt -- and they will all bear some of the responsibility for revving up the fear and vigilante mentality.
Ralph
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