Monday, May 04, 2015

Texas Police Kill Gunmen at Exhibit Featuring Cartoons of Muhammad

Garland, TX: Two gunmen were killed as they opened fire at a "draw Muhammad" gallery show. They shot a security guard. The police returned fire and killed the two assailants. As of this time, the suspects are not identified. There has been no motive announced for the attack. More here.

Just because drawing a caricature of Muhammed is not illegal, doesn't mean you have to do it.

In the background piece for the NY Times "Pamela Geller, the incendiary organizer of Texas ‘prophet Muhammad cartoon contest,’" writer Lindsey Bevers adds that hate-speech has been Ms. Geller's forte since at least 2010, when she lead the fight against what was known was the "ground zero mosque."

The Southern Poverty Law Center has added her name its list of "hate groups leaders," denouncing her actions as head of her own American Freedom Defense Initiative, and Stop Islamization of America. "She’s relentlessly shrill and coarse in her broad-brush denunciations of Islam and makes preposterous claims," the Center said to the Times.

In the news story about the gunmen, Ms. Geller was quoted as saying

“The media is self-enforcing a Shariah. Under the Shariah you cannot criticize or offend Islam.”

The "draw Muhammad" contest in Texas was a hate-baiting exercise. 

NBC News has extensive background on the event here

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The way I see this is there's a lot of blame to go around on this sort of thing...

If one's intention is to instigate trouble by provoking someone - not good.

At the same time, anyone or group who wants to kill someone for drawing a cartoon has stepped WAY over the edge.

Both sides are wrong.