Posted on 10/08/2005 4:03:10 AM PDT by LibertyRocks
Muslim communities fear association with bomber
The Norman Transcript
Invites public to mosque for Ramadan
By Carol Cole
Transcript Staff Writer
Distorted media stories have city and student Muslim communities on edge, after it was revealed that bomber Joel "Joe" Henry Hinrichs roomed with a Muslim student at the Parkview apartments near the University of Oklahoma campus.
However, the FBI has found no connection between the 21-year-old engineering major, who died from an explosion at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday about 100 yards outside OU's Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium packed with more than 84,000 fans, and the Muslim community, other than other than Hinrichs' rooming with OU finance major Fazal M. Cheema from Pakistan.
And Hinrichs apparently never visited the Masjid An-Nur Islamic mosque that has served the Muslim community at 1304 George Avenue since 1978.
"He had never been to our mosque and he's not associated with our mosque in any way, shape or form," said 44-year-old Mohamed Farid Elyazgi, who has lived in Norman with his family since 1985. "We had never seen him until we saw his picture in the media."
Elyazgi emphasized that Islam forbids suicide and Muslims condemn all acts of violence.
He said many area Muslims have become concerned about television stations filming stories about the bombing in front of the mosque and its sign, fearing it could fan fear and perhaps violence against Muslims or associate the incident with the Islamic Society of Norman.
The community is mindful of what happened after the 1995 Murrah Building bombing, when it was thought there could be Middle Eastern involvement, spurred on by some Oklahoma City stations.
"(There were) a lot of Muslims who got harassed and some hate crimes against them," Elyazgi said, remembering that Stillwater's mosque was shot at.
The Oklahoma City bomb- ers turned out to be homegrown in the form of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.
OU President David Boren warned against jumping to conclusions in an e-mail that went out to students, faculty and staff Thursday.
"To rush to judge others or make assumptions about them on that basis is nothing short of prejudice," wrote Boren, emphasizing the campus' low crime rate. "It has no place in America and it certainly has no place at the University of Oklahoma."
Elyazgi is especially concerned because two of his six children attend the University of Oklahoma.
"I think the concern right now is because some of the Muslim women, they wear their scarfs and they become a target for everyone to identify them," he said.
When he first heard the news about the bomb, it sent chills and a silent prayer through him.
"To be honest, when I heard about the bombing and that it was a suicide bomb, I just prayed to God that no one was hurt and I hoped that no Muslims were connected to that because we don't need that here," Elyazgi said.
After 9/11, emotions were high and Elyazgi kept his children at home for several days.
"Because you never know how people are going to react," he said. "We're just asking people to be understanding as usual. There was a big difference in how Oklahomans reacted to 9/11 than the way they reacted to the 1995 bombing.
"We are part of society here and we know that one of the things great about America is the diversity in America and the acceptance of different people from different places. They come together and they live in peace. We'd like to see our country prosper."
Elyazgi said they want to invite people to the mosque to see Muslim culture for themselves, with today being the third day of their holy month Ramadan.
"Anybody is welcome to come and eat with us and we welcome them to the mosque," he said.
There are special night prayers and dinners as Muslims break their all-day fast from dawn to sunset.
"So anybody who would like to see what we are all about and how we live and how we try to uplift our souls in this holy month of ours and try to share the hunger and the thirst of others," Elyazgi said. "It's just a beautiful atmosphere. I wish you would come and join us and how we are very peaceful and caring about each other."
Carol Cole 366-3538 ccole@normantranscript.com
"However, the FBI has found no connection between the 21-year-old engineering major....and the Muslim community, other than other than Hinrichs' rooming with OU finance major Fazal M. Cheema from Pakistan."
Seems to me they forgot to add the fact that his roommate conveniently ignored large quantities of explosive materials found in his apartment... I've also seen comments stating that Cheema was an "atheist", and that he never attended the mosque. So many conflicting stories coming out...
And, it's interesting that they bring up the Murrah bombing, but conveniently forget all the other ties to Norman, Oklahoma and past terrorist attacks - (Massoui(sp?), Atta, Nick Berg, et al...)
Also of interest regarding the mention of the Murrah bombing is the fact that many witnesses claim to have seen McVeigh in the company of middle easterners. This echoes one eyewitness claim in the OU/Norman Bombing... the fact that an Iranian (Persian) girl saw two middle-eastern type men running from the scene of the blast the night of Oct. 1, 2005.
New article posted re: the OU Bomber...
What a whitewash. Is every article published from now on about this event going to focus on the Muslim point of view, and interview only Muslims? Pure propaganda.
CYA propaganda
It's literally making me sick to my stomach listening to the spin on this... trying to relegate everything else to pure conspiracy theories. I really wish someone would get their butts in gear in the MSM and do some independant reporting if they don't believe the stuff coming out of some of the other local media outlets.
Did he say this with a straight face?
Yep, exactly... The FBI, IMHO really dropped the ball on the activities in Oklahoma and now they are trying to cover up for that fact. I don't think it's fair to hold accountable the local Norman PD for affairs that obviously extend worldwide...
Yeah, that's another quote in the article I wanted to remark on... perhaps the reporter left out the rest of the sentence? "...except during a Jihad and when trying to take infidels with you."
It seems like this one is getting swept under the rug for some reason.
"Hate crimes"???????
I would think that strapping a bomb to your body, going out and then blowing up a bunch of infidels would be a "Hate Crime".
Oh, wait - that's just religious expression protected under the first amendment.
Does this reporter think this article somehow qualifies as news? It is nothing but PC propaganda and a complete waste of time. She starts right off talking about distorted media stories. Obviously she is unaware that her story is one of them.
The msm also ignoring the coincidence of the same style odd looking beards Hinricks, Berg, and others tend to sport. His father and Berg's father are doing the same song and dance that their sons were victims.
Try reading through all the threads about this event before you come here and ask for facts. The facts are there, if you want to take the time and effort to find them. It's up to you.
Imagine the reaction of Catholics if some lunatic fringe terrorist group committed similar atrocities in the name of the Pope or Catholicism. Catholics worldwide would be denouncing the terrorists. All we hear from the Muslim community is silence if not tacit approval for these barbaric acts.
Cowards all.
Even worse, we hear a lot of whining as they try to turn things around and make themselves out to be the victims. Like the Left, they change the subject and try to obfuscate. If they remained silent, you might ascribe it to fear of the terrorists among them. But when they whine, you know they're just running interference for the terrorists among them.
Check this link for more facts:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1498628/posts?page=63#63
Right in the headline:
Muslim communities fear association with bomber
It should read:
Muslim communities fear association with bomber(s)
Oh, yes, of course, it was only ONE bomber, not a botched multiple bombing plot...
We all know it was only one shooter in the Kennedy assassination, don't we?
Quick, somebody call Sirhan Sirhan, too...
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