Part Deux

Chicago Tribune, 11/10/05
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0511100303nov10,1,1658818.story

“A Muslim civil rights group demanded an apology Wednesday from U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) for remarks he made condoning discrimination against some Arabs.”
…
“Kirk, a Navy Reserve intelligence officer, [said]… I'm not threatened by people from China. I'm not even threatened by people from Mexico. I just know where the threat is from. It's from a unique place, and I think it's OK to recognize that.”
…
In a letter faxed Wednesday to Kirk's office, Yaser Tabbara, director of the Muslim civil rights group, wrote that he was shocked by the comments.

’It's one thing for me to hear it from Joe Schmoe on the street and deal with it as an ignorant attitude and give that person the benefit of the doubt," Tabbara said. "It's another, and 100 times more disturbing and dangerous, to hear something like that spewed out of the mouth of a public figure, a political representative who represents a constituency of Americans. This, to me, is a manifestation of ... a classic, malicious, bigoted attitude.’”

First, why does Mr. Tabbara think that it’s rather common and acceptable for “Joe Schmoe” to be ignorant? Right off the bat, this strikes me as an insolent discriminatory comment. Second, while Mr. Tabbara throws around terms like, “ignorant” and “malicious, bigoted attitude” with authoritative insouciance (I learned this term at the peak of my education, at the 6th grade of parochial school); he fails to substantiate his views.
“…to hear something like that spewed…” Something like what?!! Kirk’s observation is based on hard facts. Mr. Tabbara’s dismay, on the other hand, is based on nothing more than… hm, nope, I guess it’s just on nothing.

And one more thing, why did it take months before there was a single fatwa issued against Bin Laden by any imams in the U.S.? I’d like to find out exactly what this enlightened Muslim civil rights group (isn’t it an oxymoron?) has done to aid the fight against terrorism. Or even, to simply further democracy in their neck of the woods.

In conclusion, I’d like to mention a Russian proverb that is rather fitting for this situation. “Don’t blame the mirror for the ugly face.”