Orange County Hate Rally – Islamophobia Update

By Faiz Ahmed

Oakland University

Orange County, California recently was the scene of a really ghastly, disgusting and repugnant hate rally, with self proclaiming “patriotic” citizens yelling obscenities at women and children.

The rally was held as a protest outside a community center where ICNA was holding a fundraising dinner for a women’s shelter and services for the homeless.

There were many political leaders on the scene as well who were encouraging the mob.

Republican Councilwoman Deborah Pauly showed her ugly side, by threatening Muslim families, children, organizations and leaders.

This is what Deborah Pauly; the Republican Councilwoman came down to; encouraging a probably drunk mob who were shouting obscenities at children by telling the mob that her “wonderful 19 year old son who is a marine” would “help these terrorists (Muslim families and Muslim children) to an early meeting in paradise.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out she was frothing at the mouth as she said that.

Pauly had her eyes bulging as she yelled “I don’t even care anymore if you think I am crazy” so she obviously knew what she was coming off as.

There were also Republican Representatives Ed Royce and Garry Miller who also took part in that racially intolerant lunatic infested rally.

Representative Ed Royce said, “Multiculturalism has paralyzed too many of our fellow citizens to make the critical judgment we need to make to prosper as a society”

Did that sound racist? Did this numb-nut Republican Congressman just say something racist? He sure did.

Multiculturalism is bad he said, so he is obviously a segregationist, and here I was thinking that old Jim Crow supporters were an extinct species.

Representative Garry Miller gave a little prep talk by telling the mob that he was proud of all the work that they were doing.

The mob shouted “Go back home”

One woman with a microphone was saying “you beat up your wives too?”

Obviously her husband gave her a hard time and she concluded that all men beat their wives.

Another was yelling that Muslims abuse their own children. Another protester was yelling insults at Prophet Muhammad.

The rally was organized by the Tea Party of course along with Pamela Geller and ACT for America.

The protesters claim that they were protesting two of the speakers invited to speak at the fundraiser - Imam Siraj Wahhaj and Amir Abdel Malik Ali.

Imam Siraj Wahhaj is a well known Imam and has been active since the mid seventies. Some of his achievements are a successful anti drug movement in the 1980s that resulted in the closure of 15 drug houses.

Amir Abdel Malik Ali is a controversial figure and a political activist who speaks out against Corporations, US foreign policy, Elitist domestic policies and Israeli occupation of Palestine.

All humans have and deserve their right to freedom of speech and expression.

Would it be right if Muslims or African Americans or Latinos start doing the same things to the sponsors of these hate rallies? Would it be right to follow right wing conservative leaders around and protest outside any and every gathering that they speak at? Maybe…

Would it be right to descend to this level where people start yelling obscenities at children? Would it be right to threaten peoples’ lives the way Deborah Pauly did?

Definitely not.

Although this silly rally has yielded a few good results to the entire Muslim community. This rally has reminded many Americans of the racist practices of the KKK and its sympathizers against African Americans during the civil rights era and many people are seeing similarities.

Many good American citizens have spoken out against this prejudice. Many American citizens have come out in support of the Muslim community just day before the Congressional hearings on ‘Muslim Radicalization’.

Many Celebrities have also come out in support of the Muslim community in this time of repression.

There is a new movement called the “Today I am a Muslim too” movement in protest of the congressional hearing and the Orange County Hate Rally.

It is in times like this that people of good will can come together and work for a better future.