Deep Thoughts: A pull on the old hijab

Saturday, November 21, 2009

A pull on the old hijab

I fully expect to be told I’m crazy on this one, but I just don’t see a hate crime in this story. In Chicago, Amal Abusumayah claimed she felt a sharp tug on her hijab. This coupled with a derogatory comment constitutes the basis for charging Valerie Kenney with a hate crime.

"I was shaken up," Abusumayah told the SouthtownStar about the Nov. 7 assault. "This is my dignity and this is my religion."

Ahmed Rehab of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said his organization has reached out to the FBI to pursue federal charges.

Kenney faces up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000 for a crime that should be no more than misdemeanor assault, if that. The fact that CAIR wants the FBI to pursue federal charges is simply insane.

I can’t count the number of time I’ve been grabbed on the shoulder, had my shirt pulled, or been taunted with unkind remarks. All met with an appropriate retort meant to defuse rather than escalate. How did this become a hate crime? Why CAIR of course.

I must ask, where is the harm? Abusumayah suffered no injury. Her dignity may be bruised, but a conviction for misdemeanor assault and civil action should serve as sufficient redress. It does not matter if her religion was abused. Her religion has no standing.

The derogatory remark was not so derogatory, "The guy that did the Texas shooting, he wasn't American and he was from the Middle East.” – Am I missing something? This sounds like part of a conversation. We are not hearing the whole story. It makes me wonder.

Many of the time that I’ve was tapped on the shoulder from behind it was followed by, “Hey, I’m talking to you buddy.” Abusumayah’s hijab covers her head and shoulders, a tug on her headscarf follow by a ,“Hey, I’m talking to you,” seems like a reasonable explanation here.

Sun-Times Columnist Richard Roeper got it right.

"Look, if Kenney did what she's accused of doing, it was a nasty thing to do, and it's certainly a Stupid Crime," writes Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper. "But jail time? How about an apology, forgiveness, some kind of community service and everybody moves on?"

This is about religion, Islam, CAIR, and their desperate need to be victims in light of the Ft. Hood murders.

Let’s save hate crime statutes for real hate crime and stop caving into the demands of powerful religions institutions.

Technorati Tags: Islam,Hate Crime

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Baconsbud 96p · 803 weeks ago

I don't think you are crazy for thinking this is way to much for what was done. I was a little afraid of this when the hate crime laws were made. I see them as a law that can be used to impose a form of blasphemy law. The laws shouldn't be out there unless they are meant to protect all groups but for the most part they only really protect religions.

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Mike aka MonolithTMA 58p · 803 weeks ago

I agree, Mojoey.

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Jack 119p · 803 weeks ago

Yeah, I think you're right on this one. Doesn't sound like a hate crime at all. Simple assault should suffice.

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The Letter D · 803 weeks ago

You're not crazy, the world is. This chick is "deeply offended" that she was not shown abject deference, which she (and many others) misleadingly call "respect." Now she wants to see her imaginary persecutor punished and humiliated for not lining up behind her Authorituh.

It's a stupid, stupid dominance game. She wants to see Valerie "put in her place." Amal's the one who needs to be put in her place - nobody is obligated to give a rip about her silly costume, no matter how much their lack of respect offends her, unless she is (as you pointed out) harmed in the process - physically or financially. The decision to throw a fit is Amal's, and we need to stop humoring this crap.

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Baconsbud 96p · 803 weeks ago

I don't know that we have enough information to make the claims you are making. I doubt that when this event first happened that the victim saw it as hate. I would say it was a government official that first said it was a hate crime without really seeing it for what it really was. It usually isn't until someone that is in no way effected by the actual event, cry's foul that the media pays attention to it.

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Mojoey 107p · 803 weeks ago

It is speculation on my part to some extent. However, I was CAIR who pushed this as a hate crime and CAIR who tried to push it even further by trying to make it a federal hate crime.

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Dennis · 801 weeks ago

When schwastikkas were drawn on my driveway, the Tinley Park PD took pictures. I eventually found the 18 year olds who did it. Tinley Park did NOT consider this a hate crime. No charges were pressed. When my daughter had schwastikkas thrown at her on the track at Millennium Elementary School a few years back, the parents of the offenders were brought in to school...but Tinley Park did NOT consider this a hate crime. My daughter still suffers from both these attacks. These WERE hate crimes....what happened to this pious Muslim mother of 4 was NOT a hate crime!

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