Update on San Bernardino shooting; praying intelligently, acting locally.
The investigation of the shooting of 30+ people(14 dead) on the 2nd of December in San Bernardino can be followed on line in texts or tweets. Would love to have an update from those in the LA basin, but the fires of hatred and fear currently burn more brightly in other areas of the country
The reactions of various groups is huge!! Muslims, especially those in large conspicuous communities around our nation, are literally in fear of their lives. Imagine living in the ‘Land of the Free’ and checking in with your mate and kids many times a day to insure they haven’t been hurt or harassed. Brothers and Sisters, this is an area where the compassion and courage of Christ can be extended to those who really, really need it in your local area. Would you risk your time, reputation or more to step up in defense of some one of another faith? Time to start asking yourself and your Lord that question.
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Jan 2016 Aftermath of San Bernardino Mass Shooting.
I spent a lot of prayer time on this one so what's happened in the past month? The Internet is not much help since most commentary and coverage ceased within about a week. The best site which summarizes both the event and aftermath is wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_San_Bernardino_attack ) and its easy to check their references.
There were some big gestures on the parts of both Christians and Muslims to heal, clean-up and celebrate the lives of the 14 dead. Would still love to hear some stories from CCAS folks who live in the San Bernardino area.
References: The Coachella Mosque Valley arson, http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/12/12/56195/coachella-valley-islamic-... was posted on the KPCC (Southern Cal Radio station) site and verified by their reporters. An update verifies that it was a hate crime and Riverside Police have a suspect in custody; this is verified by mainline news outlets http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-authorities-investigate... The LA Times article also runs down a short list of other incidents which are under in investigation by the police or FBI.
Thanks Brien. I have time and I like to research. That is wonderful you are sharing the love of Christ to the Muslims around you. I don't know about the local situation but I can address those sources you cited.
I used to be a news reporter and know that they get their sources from just a few places- some are not so reliable. I read all of the links you sent me and here is something for your consideration.
The Breitbart article was written from a professor's viewpoint who happens to be the grandson of the founder of The Muslim Brotherhood. You can google their atrocities if you want. They are not a friend of Christianity.
The second article's source is from the Southern Poverty Law Center. That sounds like a very credible organization and mainstream media loves to quote from it. Here is some evidence of their bias however if you ever want to read about them.
http://westernrevival.org/?p=127
If you distrust the writer, all you have to do is look up the individual cases on their own. They group has been caught in fabrications constantly but don't take my word for it.
The next article is the best source you have in the Washington Post. It records some incidents of a few Americans saying things that made Muslims uncomfortable. However, it also states at the same time the great efforts of making Muslims feel comfortable and safe by many other groups. Example: The police using extra security measures at the places of worship and the president saying more about Muslim protection in the US than the actual shootings the day after it occurred. Maryland is my home state. Trust me, nobody there is going to go out of their way to be politically incorrect. That Muslim lady has nothing to fear from them except higher taxes on rainwater.
Their reporting of the Coachella situation is very shoddy journalism. Muslims said a firebomb, a guy said plumes of smoke, and the videos showed neither. Strange.
The guardian article is nine months old.
The PBS article referred to Irving Texas. The mayor received death threats from the Mosque there simply because she said they follow the constitution and not sharia law. That is what the protests were really about. PBS "conveniently" left that nugget of information out.
PBS also said that a Facebook list was made. It was not a hit list. It was a list of those law makers that decided to try to implement sharia law like in Paris where Muslims have their own law and no-go zones. Look up sharia law and see if it matches our constitution. So then the Huffington Post (very bias news) complained to Facebook and got the guy banned. Is that american? Our constitution protects speech( offensive or inoffensive) and so he protested about it. Protesting censorship of speech is american- sharia law is not.
ABC 11 source: Somebody random said something to girls, "why don't you dress more american" as they were walking. Oh my. We have an emergency! A guy said something rude to a girl!?
The act of vandalism was an air conditioner line chipped? I couldn't even see in the video if it was busted. However, even if it was, that is hardly a "backlash" for the shootings. Local news loves it when an incident in their area corresponds with a big "money maker" feature like the California shooting. They will clamor for it, and will often exaggerate or outright lie about things.
Last source: Just because a group says it does not makes it so. The Council of American Islamic Relations says there is a problem. Doesn't prove much.
On the other hand, there are plenty of videos about Islamic murders, be-headings and stonings under the Islam faith. As Christians we should know that what your world-view is, ultimately reflects your behavior. Love your enemies, yes, but be as clever as a serpent. Jesus even had to slip away from a crowd that was going to throw him off a cliff. You might have to do the same when you spread your faith in Jesus to followers of Islam.
Thanks for the sources.
Several of my high school students are Muslim; my son tutors an additional Muslim student. Here are additional sources I drew from:
San Bernardino: Interview with Muslim Professor by Breitbart states that area Muslims are afraid: http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/12/11/exclusive-muslim-professor-san-bernardino-speaks/
Coachella Valley Mosque Firebombed: http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/12/11/56195/coachella-valley-islamic-center-scene-of-blaze/
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/after-paris-and-california-attacks-us-muslims-feel-intense-backlash/2015/12/03/bcf8e480-9a09-11e5-94f0-9eeaff906ef3_story.html
And: http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-muslims-feel-backlash-after-paris-and-california-attacks-20151204-glg5ui.html
PBS overview: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/american-muslims-feel-singled-out-amid-a-climate-of-fear/
Texas: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/09/dallas-iraqi-man-shot-dead-texas
Irving Texas home of the largest center of Islam in the Southwest: http://irvingblog.dallasnews.com/2015/11/group-that-brought-guns-to-irving-mosque-publishes-muslims-home-addresses.html/
North Carolina: http://abc11.com/news/local-muslims-fear-backlash-following-terror-attacks/1089937/
Minnesota: http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200109/13_druleyl_muslim-m/
Please point to me examples where Muslims are fearing for their lives.
Yes! Great post! We live in a climate where a culture of fear is encouraged! And while it's also true that the media likes to point out the bad or goofy-acting "christians", I think that generally a lot of Christians understand how to be good ambassadors to people in need.
Thank you for having the courage to say these things Brien. Seeing a lot of folks on the internet using Christianity to justify their unfocused hatred towards Muslims nowadays. I am afraid of my blindness to those areas in my life where I try to 'Christianize' my sin nature to justify it, rather than to repent of it.