As Americans paying attention—that would include American Thinker readers—know, the media has cherished narratives it defends with mama bear fierceness. Among those narratives is the existence of wide-spread islamophobia. When Islamists attack Jews and others on college campuses, the media wails about the dangers of islamophobia. And when people with Muslim names are attacked, the same wailing rises to mosque tops. Such a horrific hate crime recently took place in Minneapolis, where a Muslim was murdered—oh, the humanity!–outside an Eid service. Eid ul Fitr is celebrated as the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of prayer and fasting. Scholar of Islam Robert Spenser reports at PJ Media:
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Graphic: X Post
A Muslim was murdered outside an Eid service in Minneapolis last week, and initially, it was a story made to order for the left’s victimhood industry. It even seemed to be a genuine example of “Islamophobia,” which is as rare in real life as Nancy Pelosi stock losses. The far left’s propaganda arm, also known as the mainstream media, swung into action, and leftist politicians chimed in with the requisite displays of outrage and sorrow.
All the usual suspects, including Sen. Amy Kolbuchar who is running for Minnesota Governor jumped on the story before anything was known other than the murder.
CBS Minnesota published a story on May 28 that ran hard with the “Islamophobia” angle. In its lead paragraph, CBS highlighted the identity of the victim and the setting of the crime: “A suspect is in custody in connection to Wednesday morning’s shooting outside of a Twin Cities Eid al-Adha prayer service, which killed 26-year-old union leader Khalid Ibrahim Abdi.”
In that story, CBS interviewed Suleiman Adan, the deputy executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an Islamist front group. Adan didn’t invoke Islamophobia, but as Spenser reports, his mere presence strongly suggested the death was due to Islamophobia. So did CBS giving time to Yusuf Abdulle, the executive director of the Islamic Association of North America.
It was another perfect media narrative about reactionary Americans—surely a white guy and probably a Jew!—killing an innocent Muslim, and on a Muslim holy day to boot! Is there no end to the Islamophobia of evil Americans? As it turns out, there is:
Graphic: X Post (some people, allegedly, just look the part)
And then the whole house of cards came crashing down. On Monday, CBS had to report the truth: “A Shakopee, Minnesota, man is accused of shooting and killing 26-year-old Khalid Ibrahim Abdi outside of a Twin Cities Eid al-Adha prayer service on Wednesday. Mohamed Rage, 28, is facing one count of second-degree murder as well as an illegal weapons charge, according to the criminal complaint filed in Scott County on Monday.”
Oh man, talk about an irony alert with all red lights flashing and sirens wailing: “Mohamed Rage?” No Hollywood screenwriter would ever think that one up, nor would any producer allow it.
Any murder is an outrage and tragedy, but media misdirection and lies damage us all and do nothing to end discrimination, particularly when there is none.
The Minnesota media, exemplified by the Minnesota Star Tribune—formerly the Minneapolis Star Tribune—is as leftist as it gets, but even they apparently couldn’t bring themselves to claim Islamophobia for this one. Even people like them, incapable of shame, obviously couldn’t get past “Mohamed Rage.” The media immediately dropped the story, but without issuing any corrections for falsely implying Islamophobia had anything to do with the murder. That way, people who initially heard about the murder won’t have any reason to think that wasn’t the cause, and the narrative will be, at least partly, maintained.
Of course, anyone who knows the nature of Islam has reason to be afraid and eternally wary, not only of Islamists, but of our media.
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer, and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.
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