I’d like to complain that this National Public Radio story — headlined “Deepening Anti-Islamic Mood In Texas Rivals Post-Sept. 11 Climate” — paints an unfair portrait of North Texas. But seeing its cataloging of incidents and public statements by local leaders, that’s hard to argue.
They trot out all the greatest hits of local Islamophobia:
Last month a group of protesters showed up on the sidewalk in front of the mosque, shouldering loaded rifles and holding a sign that said “Stop the Islamization of America.” Their spokesman is a man who identifies himself as David Wright and carries a tactical 12-guage shotgun to demonstrations.
“I can show up and protest unarmed and be a sitting duck for the next pair of ISIS members that decide to come along and blow our heads off like they did in California — or I can show up there prepared to defend myself,” Wright says in a telephone interview.
Then Ahmed Mohamed’s clock , the Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, and the Rev. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas:
“Make no mistake about it,” he said from the pulpit in downtown Dallas, “Islam is just not another way to approach God. Islam is a false religion and it is inspired by Satan himself.”
At the end of the sermon, Jeffress received a standing ovation.
Special attention is given to the actions of the Irving City Council. If you think Mayor Beth Van Duyne is solely responsible for those, listen to this former Irving mayor:
Marvin Randle says he doesn’t think his community is out of the main.
“We don’t think just because Muslims are here they’re terrorists,” he says from his office in his countertop company. “But what we read in the paper about the Muslims over in Paris and all these things makes you a little bit jittery. You still have a little question mark about it.”
So when Alia Salem, director of the DFW chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says this — “2015 was a banner year for hatred in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex” — yeah, she seems pretty well justified.
The people of our area are better than this, of course. The story doesn’t mention Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, who should be commended for welcoming Syrian refugees while the governor and presidential candidates grandstand on the issue.
And it does end on a note of hope:
Salem, director of the local CAIR chapter, says when klansmen of the Texas Rebel Knights announced they were coming to Irving, that was the tipping point. She says in the past week, dozens of churches, synagogues, and other sympathizers have contacted her to stand in solidarity with Muslims in north Texas.
But our region’s brand is no doubt at least somewhat tarnished.
