Posted on 02/15/2007 11:28:06 AM PST by Mobile Vulgus
I have been watching the "reportage" on the regrettable incident of a teenaged killer's rampage in a Utah shopping mall with mounting interest. In nearly every story of this crime the fact that this youngster is from a Muslim background is either muted or ignored altogether.
The AP, for instance, avoids identifying the boy as a Muslim in all their stories that I saw. In one, they merely identify the region in Bosnia in which he lived as the "northeastern enclave where up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered in 1995" but do not even speculate as to the boy or his family being Muslims. It is all rather dutifully avoided. In another story, the AP doesn't even use the word Muslim at all.
Even in the local press, like the Utah Desert News, the issue of his background is ignored or made entirely incidental. The Desert News, in fact, makes just one mention that the "family are Muslims from Bosnia who had lived in the vicinity of Sarajevo" in a rather lengthy and otherwise complete story of the incident.
Worse, the New York Times is making the wild assumption that it is "Bosnian immigrants", not the rest of America, that should be afraid for their lives in theirs titled "Anti-Bosnian Backlash Feared in Utah".
In the Times' story the Muslin issue is given scant notice and the focus is put on how we ignorant Americans are sure to start beating up "Bosnians" right and left. The word Muslim seems to have been replaced rather ridiculously with "Bosnian", as if Americans will seek out "Bosnians" upon which to take out their anger instead of Muslims. The fact is, though, "Bosnians" do not loom as the enemy in the minds of Americans, but Muslims do. How many Americans would instantly become wary if someone were to tell them they are "Bosnian"?
In the Times' story the word Muslim is used exactly once:
The number of Bosnian refugees in the Salt Lake City area has been estimated to be 3,000 to 7,000, most of them Muslims fleeing violence by Serbs in the early 1990s.So, the Times seems to feel regular Americans are the threat not rampaging Muslims. And, even if this boy was not a practicing Muslim, something we do not know as a factor because of the current deficient state of reporting, the fact that he is from a Muslim family is quite germane to the story.
I would find it perfectly reasonable to include in these stories language that could benignly bring up the issue without fanning the flames of anti-Muslim sentiment. It would not be beyond reasonability to say something such as "It is not known if the boy's Muslim background is a factor in his rampage", or some such rhetoric.
But to wholly ignore the issue seems rather un-journalistic, wouldn't you say? It would also seem to be out of character for the MSM in the normal scheme of things.
The 18 year-old killer, Sulejmen Talovic, was driven from his home with his Mother at four, he lived in the aforementioned refugee camp until he was about 9 and then he moved to the USA with his family in 1998. He was thought to be a "loner" with no friends, but wasn't thought of as a trouble maker, being generally a quiet youngster.
That all ended this week with his murderous trip to the mall.
Of course, it isn't possible with what is known to say that his Muslim background directly led to this rampage, or that it was a result of religious extremism. It is wholly possible that this kid was so mentally traumatized by his young life in a war zone that he snapped.
But, here are some interesting facts. The USA is the good guy in the story of Bosnia's Muslims. In fact, Bosnian Muslims today are one of the few Muslim communities who have thus far violently opposed the kind of religious hatred funded by the Saudis with their exportation of Wahhabism and one of the few that are vehemently pro-American because of the advocacy the US offered them in the efforts to stop Slabodon Milosevic's campaigns of ethnic cleansing.
So, it seems somewhat unlikely that he learned any hatred of the USA from his familial traditions.
But the boy is still a Muslim and he wouldn't be the only one to stray from his family's traditions and ideals to take on a radical ideology.
So we are left with at least two possibilities as to the boy's motives.
The question is, why is his Muslim background being completely ignored?
Is it just a question of not knowing the facts and the MSM doesn't want to speculate? This would be a hard thing to believe since speculation is one of their favorite games. Remember how Timothy McVeigh was immediately called a Christian, a White Separatist, or that he was part of a militia, etc.? There was little waiting for facts to emerge with McVeigh. Another incident that showed the MSM's willingness to run with any point no matter if it is proven or not was the Richard Jewel bombing story. That poor guy was so hounded by the MSM that it ruined his life as he was convicted in the press before anything was ascertained.
So, are we to believe that the MSM suddenly got a conscience and decided to go cautious on this boy's Muslim background?
It's doubtful!
But as to the MSM's real motive on this one... well, I'll leave that to each of you.
Even if you just scan the original article (which is definitely worth reading), please read post #10 (click here) in the context of the article.
Nicely summarized and very important info, in my humble opinion.
Correction, only one hit on a government only search, that is.
But, because of that I went directly to what could be a trove in the TERRORISM 2006, Special Bibliography.
And in the case of presidential politics, its the evil Mormons! Matter of fact, possibly a few of the Porter Rockwell (google it) crowd should pay a visit to a couple of the local mosques.
Savage did so the first day.
Has there been any mention of police doing further investigation of this 18 year old? Did he have, or have access to a computer? Did he have a cell phone? Have any of the press spoken to kids that know of him when he was in school? Where the heck did he store his weapons?
It's what I would call a "Chia beard."
Ping to post #10
In September joined a Monday night mixed bowling league as a "walk in" to be put on any team that needed a female bowler. I was placed with 2 young men, who I thought might be Italian or Greek by the complexions, but whose names I didn't recognize.
They are very nice, very young, 18 and 20 and very tolerant of my inconsistent scores. I couldn't recognize the language they sometimes spoke to each other. Since they were originally bowling with lane balls I suggested they asked for custom bowling balls for their birthdays or what ever holiday comes first.
When they said their holiday was about to end I realized it was Ramadan. I asked them about fasting during the day and whether it was a gift-giving holiday like Christmas or Hanakkah. They are very nice young men, one is a high school student, one is an apprentice plumber. The language they are speaking is "Yugoslavian". I guess they're either Serbian or Coatian or Bosnian, since I'm pretty sure there is no more Yugoslavia and am totally confused about what is left there.
They are very nice young men. I'm know there are psycho Muslims out there, just like there are of any other ethninity. Isn't it possible that this 18 year old mall shooter was just a disturbed teenager, not unlike the Columbine shooters? Perhaps the media isn't reporting a "terrorist" connection because there isn't?
Don't you think the media would have jumped all over the "terrorists among us" theme if there was any truth to that?
Well if the AP is 'fessing up to the PTSD story, it means the Radical Islam angle is much more likely, and the AP is looking to bury it under another explaination.
Of course, the MSM still doesn't admit that Muhammad and Malvo had any racial or religious motivation.
Mike Savage was all over it for the last couple of days.......
Are you saying that's what happened or ar you just speculating?
Of course there is zero evidence that religion had anything to do with this, or even that the boy or his family were practicing Muslims, and as the article notes Bosnian Muslims are not associated with the jihadist crap, and as far as I've ever heard, there is no radical Muslim activity in Salt Lake City or Utah. I've heard lots of other states and cities associated with investigations of radical mosques wannabe terrorist young male Muslims, but never a peep from Utah/SLC.
All the evidence points to this being just a messed up kid, possibly due to his early childhood in a violence-infested war zone and growing up with parents who were also traumatized by that experience. He's probably been a cultural misfit ever since he arrived in Utah, due to the foreignness of American culture and the close-knit Mormon-dominated community in Utah. Quite possibly his family discouraged him from getting involved in the LDS Church, due to their religious heritage (probably more important than theological convictions in the case of Bosnian Muslims), contributing to his social alienation, but I really doubt the "Muslim" angle had any more contribution than that.
While PC can go to far, I do see a benefit to not jumping to conclusions abotu religious motivation every time a Muslim does something bad. Lots of Muslims are no more religiously zealous than Unitarians or agnostics, but there is a large, well-funded, and dangerous Muslim constituency that is eager to take advantage of any opportunity to convert peaceful or non-practicing Muslims to their extremist views. We play into their hands when we're quick to voice suspicion that events like this one are rooted in Muslim faith -- makes it that much easier for the extremists to cozy up to the peaceful Muslims and say "See how evil those infidels are! Always trying to blame Islam for bad things that happen in their country!".
Meantime, doubt 'Mulim' even resonates with majority of American's when hearing he is from Bosnia.
That said; why should the MSM be interested in telling the truth here. It surely does not serve their agenda in any way; to even 'go there'.
Remember growing up and how I felt sorry for the Russians who only were exposed to 'propaganda'. . .
Meantime, doubt 'Mulim' even resonates with majority of American's when hearing he is from Bosnia.
That said; why should the MSM be interested in telling the truth here. It surely does not serve their agenda in any way; to even 'go there'.
Remember growing up and how I felt sorry for the Russians who only were exposed to 'propaganda'. . .
Meantime, doubt 'Mulim' even resonates with majority of American's when hearing he is from Bosnia.
That said; why should the MSM be interested in telling the truth here. It surely does not serve their agenda in any way; to even 'go there'.
Remember growing up and how I felt sorry for the Russians who only were exposed to 'propaganda'. . .
The vast majority of crazed killers in the US are "Christian", meaning they grew up in a family that was at least nominally Christian. But we almost never see their religious affiliation mentioned unless they have explicitly cited it as a motivation and/or have been involved in "Christian" groups that promote violence (e.g. Timothy McVeigh). Why should we apply a different standard to Muslims? A list of violent acts committed by nominal Muslims isn't meaningful without a comparison list of violent acts committed by nominal Christians, Jews, Hindus, atheists, etc., and a breakdown of the representation of each in the population in question.
Newspapers should just report the facts and let the readers sort it all out.
Telling the facts of a story is not jumping to conclusions. 'Just the facts please' and I can conclude whatever I wish.
As for PC; why don't we just call it what it is. . .rather than what it is not. . .which is precisely the reason we have it. . .it is not a matter of going to far; but rather that we must suffer it's negative consequences by every measure. . .long or short.
Neal Boortz mentions it on the air and on his website.
OR. . .maybe he wanted a 'Columbine' fame. . .. But, he. . . whatever; perhaps a blogger will come up with the truth of the matter. Not sure even 'fair, balanced. . .and unafraid' will go here. I assume they took his computer and are checking out his favorite web-sites. . .
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