Thats not Islamabad, Its LONDON.
Posted on 02/08/2006 7:29:25 AM PST by kinghorse
Muslims say sign left near mosque was hate crime Police note the message was found on public property, making it hard to classify
By ROSANNA RUIZ Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Islamic leaders are outraged that a sign with anti-Muslim sentiments left near a southeast Houston mosque will not likely be pursued by authorities as a hate crime.
The large plywood sign, written in black crayon, labeled Muslims as the enemy and included a bearded character representing the Prophet Muhammad.
It was discovered Monday evening near the mosque in the 8800 block of Old Galveston Road.
The sign had been placed against a fence considered public property by Houston investigators. If the sign had been left on the mosque's property, authorities said, it would be more likely considered a hate crime.
"The suspect would have been on public property when the sign was placed and did not cross onto (the mosque's) property as far as we can tell. It's currently under investigation to determine whether it should be classified as a hate crime," said Nat McDuell, a Houston Police Department spokesman.
"Right now, investigators are having trouble finding the crime," McDuell said. "They may have the hate, but they don't have the crime."
Imam Zoubir Bouchikhi, the mosque's leader and the one who made the discovery, questioned why authorities are not taking action.
"What are they waiting for? A major crime (before) they take action?" he asked. "This, to me, is absurd. ... In light of what's going on in the world, I think they should take very strict action against the people who did this."
Kaleem Siddiqui, spokesman for the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, was also troubled by HPD's investigation.
He speculated that the sign may have been prompted by the uproar, including riots in the Muslim world, over the publication of some Danish political cartoons satirizing Muhammad.
"It's unfortunate that a technicality could change the classification of the intent," Siddiqui said. "It's the same intent whether it was on the property or right next to the property."
Siddiqui called on the FBI to investigate the incident as a hate crime.
FBI not involved yet The FBI has thus far not initiated an investigation, said Shauna Dunlap, FBI spokeswoman in Houston. Dunlap said no one from HPD or CAIR has contacted the FBI.
She agreed with HPD's assessment, saying that legally proving a hate crime would be more difficult given the sign's placement.
"It does make it more difficult," she said. "It's a lot more difficult to show who was the intended victim."
The Texas Hate Crime Act defines hate crimes as crimes motivated by prejudice and hatred.
The federal law defines hate crimes as crimes committed based upon prejudice, race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or diversity.
"I'm actually surprised to see something like this here. Houston is a very diverse city and we tend not to have too many issues," Siddiqui said.
"We would like to basically call upon all Americans to recognize the existence of other faiths and we hope we can all be respectful and get along."
Gee, I wonder if their threats to behead cartoonists and to effect anothr 9-11 type attack could be construed as hate speech.
"What are they waiting for? A major crime (before) they take action?" he asked.
This has become the modern mentality -- actually having committed a crime is considered a "technicality." It's not only used for PC issues like this, but for dealing with "sex offenders,", etc.
LOL! I would love to see this prosecuted.
2 things here that they can not touch, they would go to court and the koran could be used against islam to show how islam is the enemy and the sign was truthful and secondly we either have freedom of speech or we do not.... when the kkk marches and hold up nasty hateful signs they are not thrown in jail for those signs because no crime was committed, now if the guy had firebombed the mosque and left his sign then it would have been a hate crime.
the infowarrior
It might not be polite, but it's still free speech.
Next to the mosque a sign
With stated message not too sublime
You are the enemy
But hey, we have empathy
So maybe it’s not a hate crime
Yes they did.
Last thursday.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1570104/posts
MAybe we should be handing out Bibles in front of the Mosques? (on public territory).
Post signs with verses from the New testament?
I challenge them to attack me as committing a hate crime. I would be committing an act of love. Their souls are already doomed to hell and I would be fulfilling my religious duties to help them find Christ.
On the ground it is a hate crime, once they pick it up it becomes propaganda, set it back down and it becomes a hate crime again. See how that works.
Oh stop!
Now you're just being 'insensitive'! /sarc
Yeah really.
If it was Mohammed, he'd either be burning in Hell if depicted now or, if depicted while alive, he'd be killing innocent people or raping little girls.
A bearded guy could be anyone.
As JJ would say: IN-Sens-I-TIVE!
Muslims around the world can rape and pillage willy-nilly, but leaving a sign near a mosque is a "hate crime".
We are truly through the looking glass, here.
I'm outraged by the overuse of the word "outrage."
;)
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