{"id":1636,"date":"2018-03-29T22:50:14","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T03:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=1636"},"modified":"2018-03-29T22:50:15","modified_gmt":"2018-03-30T03:50:15","slug":"austin-terrorist-double-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/austin-terrorist-double-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Terrorist: “It’s A Double Standard, And It Must Be Called Out Every Time.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Exceedingly and Eternally Loving and Caring<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

I had submitted the comment on the NY Times web page calling for comments on the coverage of the Austin terrorist. They wanted to know what I felt about the coverage, and this is what I submitted:<\/p>\n

The coverage is ABSOLUTELY different for White Christian attackers. Had the Austin terrorist been Muslim, there would have been national hysteria. It\u2019s a double standard and must be called out every time.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And, my comment appeared on the NY times article<\/a> discussing reader responses to the coverage of the Austin terror spree. I am very humbled and grateful that my voice was added to the national conversation.<\/p>\n

The point, however, remains salient: had the terrorist in Austin been a Muslim – with all the same rationales as Mark Conditt – he would have immediately been labeled a terrorist. Period.<\/p>\n

In fact, I knew that the Austin terrorist was not a Muslim or person of color, because had he been one, there would have been national hysteria. And multiple tweets from the President about banning Muslims or building that wall. And backlash against innocent Muslims who have nothing to do with the criminal acts of Muslim savages.<\/p>\n

The quiet coverage tipped me off to the fact that the Austin terrorist was probably a White male. And it is so interesting: when the attacker is a White male, then everyone becomes technical about the definition of terrorism, including the NY Times:<\/p>\n

Under the law, terrorism is a violent, criminal act intended to intimidate civilians and governments for an ideological, political or religious purpose. In this case, we have yet to see evidence that the attacks in Texas were politically motivated, though certainly there has been suspicion that there was racial animus because the first two victims were African-American.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Yet, just as the Times article points out<\/a>, such nuance and thoughtful analysis does not apply when the criminals are Muslim:<\/p>\n

\n

The Times typically follows the lead of law enforcement for when to label a particular crime as terrorism, given that it has a specific legal definition.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

As we\u2019ve seen<\/a>, law enforcement does not always apply the formal term terrorism to acts of mass violence.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

In the San Bernardino, Calif., shooting that killed 14 people, law enforcement officials called Tashfeen Malik and Syed Rizwan Farook terrorists. The same was true in Orlando, Fla., where Omar Mateen killed 49 people at a nightclub.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

But in Charleston, S.C., where Dylann Roof murdered nine African-Americans at a historically black church, law enforcement did not label him a terrorist. The same was true in Las Vegas, where Stephen Paddock killed 58 people at a concert.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

How can this not be seen as a double standard? It is exactly that, and this double standard must be called out every single time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Exceedingly and Eternally Loving and Caring I had submitted the comment on the NY Times web page calling for comments on the coverage of the Austin terrorist. They wanted to know what I felt about the coverage, and this is what I submitted: The coverage is ABSOLUTELY different for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[886,889,13,887,584,888,103],"class_list":["post-1636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-terrorism","tag-austin","tag-coverage","tag-hesham-hassaballa","tag-mark-conditt","tag-news","tag-ny-times","tag-terror"],"yoast_head":"\nAustin Bombings: The "Terrorist" Double Standard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The media, citing the technical definition, are hesitant to call Mark Conditt a terrorist. 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Hassaballa","description":"Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow\" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, \u201cWhy I Love the Ten Commandments,\u201d was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition. In 2007, his blog \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is \u201cthe most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.\u201d \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" has also received an award for being one of the \"Top Muslim Blogs for 2010\" by Awarding The Web. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. 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