So, every now and then the subject of terrorism comes up and when it does, people are quick to mention those of Middle Eastern descent (specifically Muslims). When a person of Middle Eastern descent commits a mass shooting or bombing, we’re quick to nonchalantly throw around the T Word. We’ll constantly run the whole damn thing to the ground like a baseball player sliding for home plate.
The problem, however, manifests itself when a white person commits similar crimes and people aren’t willing to call the crimes for what they are. Even going as far as defending/justifying the said crime.
Let me throw two definitions at you that will help you follow the rest of this article.
Extremist: A person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views, especially one who resorts to or advocates extreme action.
Terrorism: The use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.
Now with these being said, if the media and authorities are going to label any mass murder committed by a person of Middle Eastern descent an act of terrorism and call these people extremists because it perfectly fits their agenda, then I need to list a few others who fit this description.
Robert Dear: Recently, this guy went on a shooting rampage at a Planned Parenthood clinic in the name of his religious beliefs. Now this guy was a hardcore evangelical which would easily put him in the extremist category but since he’s white and Christian, no one will ever call him for what he is, an extremist and a terrorist.
Dylan Roof: You may remember this lovely little shit bag from a few summers ago; you know, the one that went into a church and opened fire on a group of people of color who were in the middle of bible study? Dylan Roof is a hardcore racist and even had a manifesto of his hatred for people of color. Dylan Roof is a hardcore confederate supporter and can be seen in many photos with a confederate flag. Dylan Roof murdered those parishioners in the name of his extreme political beliefs but no one’s calling him an extremist or a terrorist because guess what, he’s white.
Timothy McVeigh: Some of you are too young to remember the Oklahoma City Bombing. Timothy McVeigh committed these attacks based on extreme political disgust he had with our government with how they handled two raids that happened within that time frame. Now though this guy is labeled as a terrorist, he’s not often in the conversation about home grown terrorism. As a matter of fact, this guy seldom ever comes up in the conversation of acts of terrorism on US soil. None the less, extreme political views drove these attacks in the early 90s.
Do you wanna know what all these guys have in common other than the fact that they carried out attacks in the name of their extreme views? They’re all white. None of these three guys are Muslim or of Middle Eastern descent, yet they all fit the definition of terrorists and extremists.
My point is this: y’all have no business magically labeling only Muslims as terrorists and extremists when people born and raised in this country who are not Muslim have committed acts that fit those above descriptions. Not many people were calling Dylan Roof an Extremist or a Terrorist when he opened fire in that church. No one’s been calling Robert Dear an Extremist or a Terrorist for his acts on people near a Planned Parenthood clinic in the name of his Christian beliefs. They’ve both been labeled as disturbed and troubled.
People of Middle Eastern descent aren’t the ones with people within their population that pervert religion and politics for their own gain. Americans and Christians are just as capable of such carnage. Just read up on the Ku Klux Klan. If you think Muslims are the only people we should fear then y’all are part of the problem.
You should be just as afraid as the guy next door with the nice fence. We have no right to decide who gets called a terrorist or extremist and who we simply label as “disturbed” and “troubled.” EVERYONE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS ARE CAPABLE OF EVIL AS LONG AS IT EXISTS IN THEIR HEART.
Evil has no skin color and, it has no religion, evil has no race. Evil simply drives the heart of those willing to hand it the wheel.
Stay classy people…
Flemmings Beaubrun is an avid gamer and lover of music. When not working, Flemmings likes to spend his time whipping up dank beats for the masses. He also spends his weekends thrift shopping for rare video games and obscure electronics. Other times he’s in front of a TV with a giant bowl of cereal enjoying shows from the 90s.