By Davi Barker
Originally published on SF Muslim Examiner http://www.examiner.com/article/shocking-anti-muslim-hate-rally-on-video on March 4, 2011
This week a video was released of an anti-Muslim protest outside the fundraising dinner of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) in Orange County, CA. ICNA conducts all sorts of charitable programs in the U.S., from disaster relief to family counseling.
Hundreds of protesters, including a few elected officials, came out to spew toxic epithets at the families and children entering the Yorba Linda Community Center. One prominent Tea Party city councilwoman even offered a veiled death threat. The bigots chanted “Go back home! Go back home! Go back home!” apparently unaware that most American Muslims, myself included, are native born. Event attendee Adel Syed said, “As an American citizen, it is hurtful. I’m being told to go back home. I’m actually from Fullerton.” They even sounded a shofar, the ram’s horn usually used in Jewish prayer services. Protester Dena Newman said it, “is also used in battle to announce to the enemy that God’s army is coming.” The scene was remenicent of Hate Week in Oceania.
I don’t want to say too much because the video really does speak for itself. You can view it to the left.
The exquisite irony of this is that these so called “patriots” claim to be constitutionalists as they utilize their freedom of speech to protest against freedom of religion. That’s not hyperbole. Protesters literally told ABC News that, “First Amendment rights only go so far.” Apparently raising money for mobile soup kitchens and women’s shelters is too far.
In dramatic contrast, the sentiment from the Muslim community was the opposite. A female attendee told the Orange County Register, “It is surprising, but everyone has a right to express their opinion.” ICNA spokesman, Waqas Syed published a statement on ICNA’s website saying, “we at ICNA fully affirm the right of protesters to free speech” asking for protesters to reject fear mongering and hatred in favor of civil dialogue and peace. He writes:
“As American Muslims, we have witnessed a rise in Islamophobia and its devastating repercussions across the nation, with mosques and homes being vandalized, Muslims being physically attacked, and the American Muslim community being subjected to Congressional hearings a la McCarthy—blatant acts of hate rooted in anti-Islamic sentiment. Islamophobia has undermined the values binding us together as Americans—freedom, liberty, justice and equality.”
The real champion bigot for this episode is Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly a.k.a. Crazy Pauly. After referring to the attendees as “enemies of America,” the organizers as “terrorist instigators,” and the event itself as “pure, unadulterated evil,” she even suggested that her son and his buddies were eager to execute peaceful American Muslims as terrorists. In a speech at the event she said, “I have a wonderful 19-year-old son who’s a United States Marine. As a matter of fact I know quite a few Marines who would be very happy to help these terrorists to an early meeting in paradise.” She’s not talking about al-Qaeda, or the Taliban. She’s talking about the organizers at ICNA, a charitable organization dedicated to feeding and clothing impoverished people in America whether they are Muslim or not. This while she supposedly also “represents” them in a political capacity.
If you’d like to let Crazy Pauly know what you think about her venomous rhetoric you can drop her an email.