ISIS has taken credit for the attempted attack over the weekend at a Muhammed Art Exhibit and Contes in Garland, Texas. The event featured a $10,000 prize for the top drawing of Muhammed.
Yes the event was provocative. But the problem isn’t a controversial event. Among many commentators, I’m getting this sense of: “don’t do this towards Muslims and they won’t come after you.” Something offensive is not the problem. The fact that an offensive thing sent these two guys into an attempted act of terrorism is the problem.
It is an offensive event that I don’t support. I think we should be civil to all, regardless of if they have different religious views. But for the people who decided to do something that was offensive, I don’t feel that they deserve to be retaliated against or put into a perilous situation. To act like it’s what they deserved because it was over the top is to blame the victim. Fortunately no innocent people were injured.
Last year, when the French magazine Charlie Hebdo was attacked by Islamic extremists, there was a global outpouring of support. Charlie Hebdo was a magazine which had, on multiple occasions, featured provocative cartoons of Muhammed. But with this attack, many are saying “well you just shouldn’t do that.”
Maybe it seems crazy and warped that people would host such an event (to me, it does). But let us not forget that what’s truly warped is wanting to kill people over a cartoon.
The other issue is that ISIS is now apparently coordinating attacks ON OUR SOIL!
jrb
Josh Benner 