It is fascinating to see how the authorities and the major media outlets avoid the words “Islam” and “Muslim” in connection to the failed Times Square bombing. In both this piece in Time and in this piece in the New York Times the word “Islam” is only used in the name of the city of Islamabad in Pakistan.
The Times uses the word “Muslim” once: “At his news conference, Mr. Bloomberg warned against any backlash against Pakistanis or Muslims in New York, saying, ‘We will not tolerate any bias.’”
The authorities — Holder, Napolitano, New York Police Commissioner Kelly — also avoided the words Islam and Muslim at their press conference. They spoke about “terrorism” but didn’t define the term.
So what kind of terrorist is Faisal Shahzad if he cannot be called a Muslim or an Islamic terrorist?
Surely there must be some way to connect him to those damn Teabaggers!
UPDATE: A reader emails:
I think it’s clear that the borderline seditious talk of Joe Klein and Chris Matthews, and their constant criticism of President Bush, contributed to the Times Square bomber’s actions. Their over-the-top rants contributed to a climate of hate that drove the bomber to action. Their dog-whistle rhetoric, while not explicitly calling for a Jihadi strike at civilians in a busy city street, led to the same result. One can only wonder if they really regret that the bomb failed.
They should be taken off the air and out of print. For the children.
It’s always for the children, isn’t it?