HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Hundreds of leaflets containing threats and disparaging remarks toward Muslims were found in the yard of an Islamic center in Honolulu, authorities said.

The leaflets were thrown into the fenced yard of the mosque of the Muslim Association of Hawaii on Monday morning, said Daniel Dzwilewski, special agent in charge at the FBI's Honolulu division. He said officials were investigating the act as a hate crime.

We believe the small minority of bigots in our society are being encouraged to take such actions by the anti-Muslim rhetoric coming from right-wing and evangelical leaders.
-- Statement from Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations






The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic civil rights group, said the leaflets included vulgar references about Muslims and warned that patriotic residents of Hawaii will be keeping a watch on them.

"Every curry fund-raiser will be checked to ensure that funds are not being funneled to support terrorist groups," the council quoted the leaflets as saying. "Anyone found in violation will be strapped with explosives and shipped to Iraq."

There are about 3,000 Muslims in Hawaii, the council said.

Nihad Awad, the council's executive director, said comments over the past year by conservative religious leaders are evidence of a rise in anti-Islamic hate speech that contributes to such incidents.

"We believe the small minority of bigots in our society are being encouraged to take such actions by the anti-Muslim rhetoric coming from right-wing and evangelical leaders," Awad said in a news release.

Dzwilewski said the leaflets were the first such anti-Muslim act in Hawaii.

"We're looking into it right now," he said. "We do not tolerate acts of religious discrimination or violence or hate crimes like this."

www.cnn.com

typical asshats doing what asshats do best.. being an asshat

So were these actual threats or just interpreted threats?

Newsflash Mr. Muslim if, you don't want to be hated then leave, and don't let door kick you in the ass on the way out.

"Newsflash Mr. Muslim if, you don't want to be hated then leave, and don't let door kick you in the ass on the way out."

--This is exactly the sort of thing that Nazis said to jews during the 1930s in Germany. Many Americans sacrificed their lives not long ago to put an end to this sort of thing.

Nothing builds unity among people like hate crimes.

I seriously think that the next big terrorist threat to the US is going to come from American born Muslims that are rightly pissed off at being stereotyped by "patriotic" Americans.

Nothing makes a person into an adversary like treating them like one.

Justin

Originally posted by knave
"Newsflash Mr. Muslim if, you don't want to be hated then leave, and don't let door kick you in the ass on the way out."

--This is exactly the sort of thing that Nazis said to jews during the 1930s in Germany. Many Americans sacrificed their lives not long ago to put an end to this sort of thing.

There is an internet discussion law, cannot remember the name, but it basically states that at some point every discussion will predictably deteriorate into a comparison to the 3rd Reich.

Newsflash, nobody here is rounding up Arabs, starving them or making them wear armbands. Hell no, the government trips over itself as not to offend them.

As for Americans dying to stop this sort of thing, check your history. Jewish persecution was largely rumor, the horrors of which were not fully apparent until the end of the war. Find a veteran, any verteran and ask him he fought for the jews and he will either laugh at you or smack you across the face.

To be more clear let me say that in these times everyone is looking for a threat. Many things are preceived as a threat when they most certainly are not. Perhaps this was the case here maybe not, as I have not seen the letter. If the letter was threatening then fine, prosecute. Nevertheless, federal hate crime law is about as stupid a law as ever enacted. For example: Lets say that their is some stupid ass Muslim across the street is selling goats or autographed 9-11 WTC postcards. Suppose I illegally cross the street (jaywalk) to tell him how much I hate his guts for doing so. Wouldn't I then, technically, be subject to federal prosecution under the hate crime law?

As for Muslims, I don't particularly like them, but I don't hate them either. I mostly dislike their inferior culture. They are free to stay as far as I am concerned as long as they act like Americans. There is no room in that tolerance for women who refuse to remove their mask of shame for drivers license photos etc. Do not expect us to teach our children Quran filth because it is politically correct to do so. Do not expect us to brainwash future generations of school children about the glories of Islamic culture for the sake of multiculturalism. Do not expect NOT to be offended
when the only thing on the breakfast menu at Denny's is pork.

Excellent post 86Dude.

86Dude, Although I agree with alot of what you said, you mentioned that wouldn't your actions be considered a hate crime?

IIRC, a hate crime is a crime committed with the pretense of racial or religous hate. (As determined by the media it seems...) In other words yelling at the Muslim Vendor is not a hate crime. But if you threw a rock at him it would be.

Boiling this down even further I feel that Granularizing the law isn't always the way to go. While politicians think they have covered more problems with recent new laws (past 2 yrs) they have actually created exponentially more gray areas. Example, what exactly is the difference between 86Dude throwing a rock at the hypothetical Muslim vendor, or throwing it at me? It was easier when that was just called assult.

Anyways I feel that distributing those fliers was a pretty sad and disgusting thing. Hopefully the person(s) responsible will be apprehended.

Its too bad the contents of the flyer wasn't posted, but from the comments it doesn't sound like anything more than someoene expressing an opinion.

"There is an internet discussion law, cannot remember the name, but it basically states that at some point every discussion will predictably deteriorate into a comparison to the 3rd Reich."

I don't know or care about "internet discussion laws," but when you say, about a ethnic or religious group, "if you don't want to be hated, leave," you are obviously inviting comparisons with Nazi genocide. I could also compare it to Israel's treatment of Palestinians, but so far, that genocide has not reached quite the same level as the Holocaust.

"Newsflash, nobody here is rounding up Arabs, starving them or making them wear armbands. Hell no, the government trips over itself as not to offend them."

--That's true, but if those in charge had your attitude ("if you don't want to be hated, leave"), what you suggest would probably be a reality. Thankfully, people like you are not in charge.....yet.

"As for Americans dying to stop this sort of thing, check your history. Jewish persecution was largely rumor, the horrors of which were not fully apparent until the end of the war."

--Well then, I guess it turned out to be more than a "rumor" didn't it? That being the case, why bother to say it was "largely rumor" in the first place? AMericans -- including my great uncle -- died fighting Nazi imperialism, aggression and persecution of people based on religious/ethnic affiliation. That attitude you express is contrary to everything American fought and died for in WWII.

"To be more clear let me say that in these times everyone is looking for a threat. Many things are preceived as a threat when they most certainly are not. "

--This should be discouraged, not encouraged, right? If so, why do you side with the deluded cowards who imagine threats where they don't exist? Why advocate collective punishment and bigotry? Don't you want to be smarter than the fearful irrational paranoid fringe?

"As for Muslims, I don't particularly like them, but I don't hate them either. I mostly dislike their inferior culture."

--This is sheer ignorance, and that's putting it mildly.

"They are free to stay as far as I am concerned as long as they act like Americans."

--As I said, good thing you're not in charge. Because, thank God, the US Constitution does not require us to "act like" anything in particular, so long as we obey the law and respect others. By the way, what does it mean to "act like Americans"? More importantly, why do you care how someone acts, as long as that person respects the way you choose to act? Do you have the slightest comprehension of the concept of "freedom"? ARe you even American?

The rest of this mindless post is not even worth responding to.

KNAVE

"--That's true, but if those in charge had your attitude ("if you don't want to be hated, leave"), what you suggest would probably be a reality. Thankfully, people like you are not in charge.....yet. "

I don't think this will ever be a problem, so why bring it up? 86 dude is obviously just a tad "outside" the norm.

""As for Muslims, I don't particularly like them, but I don't hate them either. I mostly dislike their inferior culture."

--This is sheer ignorance, and that's putting it mildly."

Tell me all about the good points of their society then. And use an example that we all know about. Say - Saudi Arabia. It's hard to find a successful muslim nation that has any laws of the Sharia, and where they don't, they prosper (Turkey for example). What would you consider the "good points" of a muslim society?

Just FYI, here is what the very respected Ralph Peters says are the "7 signs of non-competitive nations" (http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/parameters/98spring/peters.htm)

1.Restrictions on the free flow of information.
2.The subjugation of women.
3.Inability to accept responsibility for individual or collective failure.
4.The extended family or clan as the basic unit of social organization.
5.Domination by a restrictive religion.
6.A low valuation of education.
7.Low prestige assigned to work.

Does number 1 sound like any muslim nations to you? It should. Like only having state run media outlets?
Does number 2 sound like Sahria law?
Does number 3 sound like a Muslim nation striking out instead of looking within for problems there? Striking out is always easier.
Does number 4 sound like any of our Muslim buddies (tribes?)?
Does number 5 sound like Islam?
Does number 6 sound like muslim nations where the Q'ran is studied harder than anything else?
What about number 7? Ever see a muslim person actually working in his or her home country?

Now, before you brow beat me with Saudi Arabia, you need to keep in mind that all that technology, all the infrastructure there is supported by AMERICAN dollars from oil, and from workers from the west. Even if you drop number 7 (which can be argued away - I've got no first hand experience there any more than you), you've got 6 of them RIGHT THERE.


Don't even bother replying until you've read the Ralph Peters link. It makes sense.

-Gomtuu

Originally posted by knave
I don't know or care about "internet discussion laws," but when you say, about a ethnic or religious group, "if you don't want to be hated, leave," you are obviously inviting comparisons with Nazi genocide. I could also compare it to Israel's treatment of Palestinians, but so far, that genocide has not reached quite the same level as the Holocaust.

What I am saying is that nobody, nobody has some inherent right not to be offended, hated, and if they cannot get over that then leave. Nobody is special, and I am sick of everyone thinking that they are a victim all the time just because of a stupid racial slur, stereotype or whatever. Like I said, if violence was inferred then prosecute them. If not they won't be the first or last to be hated in this world. Your reading far too much into this if you believe any of what I said has anything to do with genocide.

Originally posted by knave
--That's true, but if those in charge had your attitude ("if you don't want to be hated, leave"), what you suggest would probably be a reality. Thankfully, people like you are not in charge.....yet.

Wrong. I never advocated, nor will I ever advocate forcing anyone to leave, although I wish some of them would. Once again you associate my attitude with Nazi genocide. Ad nauseum, straw man, plain predictable.

I don't have enough money to be in charge so you don't have to worry.

Originally posted by knave
--Well then, I guess it turned out to be more than a "rumor" didn't it? That being the case, why bother to say it was "largely rumor" in the first place? AMericans -- including my great uncle -- died fighting Nazi imperialism, aggression and persecution of people based on religious/ethnic affiliation. That attitude you express is contrary to everything American fought and died for in WWII.

It was largely rumor at the beginning of the war and as such was hardly a motivating factor to fight Axis imperialism. Pearl precipitated that nicely. Your attempt to negatively taint my opinion by suggesting that it is some kind of blasphemy to fallen veterans is weak, plain wrong, and in extremely poor taste.

Originally posted by knave
--This should be discouraged, not encouraged, right? If so, why do you side with the deluded cowards who imagine threats where they don't exist? Why advocate collective punishment and bigotry? Don't you want to be smarter than the fearful irrational paranoid fringe?

I never advocated collective punishment or bigotry, much less sided with the deluded cowards. Had the shoe been on the other foot, I would have said the same to the christians. Just because some redneck dumps hate leaflets in your yard is not some reason to call the feds in. Once again I say this only if no threat was given. If it said, for example: "go to hell ragheads, you suck, I hope you all die" then I wouldn't personally perceive that as a threat. However, in this day in age such language could easily interpreted as a threat for political purposes or otherwise.


Originally posted by knave
--As I said, good thing you're not in charge. Because, thank God, the US Constitution does not require us to "act like" anything in particular, so long as we obey the law and respect others. By the way, what does it mean to "act like Americans"? More importantly, why do you care how someone acts, as long as that person respects the way you choose to act? Do you have the slightest comprehension of the concept of "freedom"? ARe you even American?


Temper, temper Mr. Knave, yet more rhetorical questions.

I stand by the opinion that Islamic culture IS inferior. I mean, where would you like for me to begin ? Perhaps womens rights? There are none. Crime and punishment? Such as the lady sentenced to death by stoning. Why is the Islamic world living in the dark ages? Slavery? Saudi didn't end that until the 60's. Morarchies? Just what are the great accomplishments of the Islamic culture?

In a nutshell Mr. Knave, muslims can be muslims in this country for all I care up until the point that their culture, opinions, influence, what have you, begin to tear this country apart. The same can be said about multiculturalism in general.

86 for Senator!