'Allahu Akbar' can be hate speech
We read:
"In his Nov. 25 letter ["Warning constitutes 'hate speech'"], Tom Panarese chastised the editors for publishing a Nov. 20 letter titled "Everyone, take cover at these words." This earlier letter's author stated, "I have instructed my family and friends to take cover when they hear the phrase, 'Allahu Akbar.'"
Mr. Panarese, a journalism educator, accused The Free Lance-Star of irresponsibly printing "hate speech" by publishing the earlier letter.
Sir, wake up. For tens of thousands of innocent people, "Allahu Akbar" have been the last words in the air prior to their violent, sudden, and senseless deaths. That isn't hateful; it is a fact. Recently, 13 of our brave and dedicated soldier-citizens died and dozens more were injured in a hail of gunfire as these words were shouted out by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.
While the phrase can be used in peaceful settings, Islamist terrorists have appropriated the words to deliberately strike fear in the hearts of the "infidel non-believers," this according to written directions provided to the 9/11 hijackers.
Through his critique of the FLS and the earlier letter, Mr. Panarese identifies himself as a poster child for passively complicit, misdirected PC behavior. Hopefully none of his journalism students is part of the Fort Hood massacre investigation team.
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4 comments:
Well, fair is fair, isn't it?
If the Left can interpret words and phrases to mean whatever they want, then surely the Right has the right to interpret a phrase such as "Allahu Akbar" as being hateful, especially if it is typically uttered in hate.
Like it or not, the truth is that in the Western culture, "Allahu Akbar" is now associated with terrorism and extremism, so classifying it as hate speech is certainly within the realm of possibility. The meaning of words, phrases, and symbols throughout history consistently get changed based on circumstance, so this should not come as any surprise.
Consider a symbol like the swastika. Once an innocuous religious symbol in India and a symbol of strength in ancient Rome, has, because of Hitler, taken on a far more cruel and menacing.
Consider something like the hangman's noose. Once a feared yet respected symbol of swift justice has become a symbol of racism and bigotry.
So a phrase such as "Allahu Akbar", when uttered in hate by terrorists and radical extremists does nothing more than define it in our culture as yet another symbol of hate, regardless of its original and intended meaning.
So if you hear "Allahu Akbar", ducking for cover is probably the prudent thing to do.
A fact can not be hate speech. Nor can it be racist or anti-semitic. A fact is simply the truth, as unpleasant, uncomfortable, or inconvenient that may be to the so-called "enlightened" ones of the Left.
Allahu akbar is probably in the top ten of most commonly used phrases in the world. More than a billion Muslims use it every day, many of them over and over again. You cannot have a conversation in the Middle East without hearing Allahu akbar at least ten times. And that's a short conversation. To call it hate speech is just stupid. Not insulting, not racist, not phobic. Just stupid.
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