All photos by Chantelle D’mello
At least 1,000 people, including US Ambassador to Qatar Dana Shell Smith, gathered in Education City this afternoon to march in solidarity with three Muslim American students who were killed near a college campus in the US last week.
The walk, which was organized by Qatar Foundation, marked a rare moment of political activism in a country where protests and demonstrations are largely discouraged, if not prohibited.
On Twitter over the weekend, QF urged all residents to take part in the event, calling the murder of the three young people “not a hate crime but a terrorist act,” and saying “we all have the right to live free from hate.”
The three students — Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21; her husband, Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19 — were shot and killed on Tuesday at their home near the University of North Carolina.
Neighbor Craig Hicks, 46, has been charged with three counts of murder and remains in jail as a federal investigation continues into the deaths.
The march
Today’s walk began at the HBKU student center, and was headed by Smith, Sheikha Hind, the secretary-general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, as well as several Qatari officials.
انطلقت الآن #مسيرة_قطر_التضامنية مع ضحايا #شابيل_هيل.#قطر #Chapelhill_Qatar pic.twitter.com/7JUjyn9gEB
— Qatar Foundation (@QF) February 15, 2015
Participants waved banners of the three victims and signs calling for peace as they walked around campus, eventually heading to the Ceremonial Court.
https://twitter.com/theFahad/status/566941138020352001
There, a pre-recorded video from Barakat’s siblings was aired, urging people not to perpetuate hate in their name, and saying that love overcomes hate.
من #مسيرة_قطر_التضامنية الآن بمؤسسة قطر @qf pic.twitter.com/vnqzu0SZSc
— Ammar Mohammed (@ammr) February 15, 2015
QF and Qatar University students also spoke at the gathering, expressing their grief over the killings and support for the families of the deceased.
Afterwards, some participants wrote messages on three giant wall set up for the occasion, next to a donation box for Barakat’s dental charity for Syrian refugees in Turkey.
Donations are being collected for the charity fund started by #ChapelHillShooting victim Deah Barakat. #Qatar pic.twitter.com/T1xsyfb2qq
— Qatar Foundation (@QF) February 15, 2015
Criticism
Online, some residents have questioned why QF has singled out last week’s tragedy as the subject of its march.
@dohanews @QF should they also march against what happened today in #Copenaghen? Random marches like these have no sense in this country
— Flamenquita (@basbusa10) February 15, 2015
Others took issue with QF’s classification of the crime as a terrorist act, saying enough information was not yet available to draw that conclusion.
When asked about the criticism, a QF press officer told Doha News that the organization had no comment, and the event was a student-led initiative.
However, some students took issue with that classification, saying much of the march was organized by QF.
The community was also heavily involved in the walk. Early on in the event for example, a participant was asked by a fellow marcher to take down a sign that was deemed offensive.
Did you attend the march? Thoughts?
is marching allowed now in Qatar?
The ministry of interior has a way for people to apply for approval.
So it is allowed when it is allowed..
yeah….the usual suspects….
I am very sorry that I missed this march (out of town)-disgusted by this horrible hate crime in my country. I hope there were Americans participating, although I didn’t hear about it until early this morning when driving to the airport. This is not the world I want my child growing up in, we all have to fight the spread of this hateful cancer and not let it be our “new normal.”
The U.S. Ambassador attended. I hope that when people in the US or the UK hold a march for workers rights in Qatar that the Qatari ambassadors will return the favor.
LOL LOL
if a qatari guy who wrote many anti american tweets, shot three american students. im sure he would march and we would sentence the criminal to either death or life in prison. dont mix two issues. this is about the murder of innocent people. has zero to do with workers rights
He is a she
the qatari ambassador to the US is a she…. nice
if only
They were all Americans. Your analogy is meaningless. And are you suggesting that the US is not going to jail this guy for life (at the very least) for murder? It’s not like his the ambassador to Belgium or something.
And workers die from poor conditions all the time due to negligence of employers. In my mind, that is murder, too.
Oh, and the US ambassador is a woman (obviously difficult for you fathom, but true); in fact, the last two have been women.
“They were all Americans, so your analogy is meaningless. If a Qatari guy wrote anti-something posts for his Facebook page and then killed some Qatari students, then no I don’t think the Americans would march. In fact, I don’t think it would make the world news cycle”.
im sure most Americans think of thee victims as regular Americans and treat them as such…
And workers die from poor conditions all the time due to negligence of employers in Qatar. In my mind, that is murder, too
you can have in your mind what ever you like. but by no legal definition is that murder, maybe manslaughter at most
“Oh, and the US ambassador is a woman (obviously difficult for you fathom, but true); in fact, the last two have been women.”
i know i follow her on twitter.. nice lady, when i said he would march i was referring to qatari ambassador to america seeing as you asked if he would return the favour of the american ambassador.
“im sure most Americans think of thee victims as regular Americans and treat them as such…”
Yes, most do. Sure there are some who don’t in a nation of 350 million. But there is no single culture in the US. Islam is the third largest faith in America accounting for millions of people. Muslims have been in the U.S. since its foundation. And the vast majority of Muslims in the US are not Arab. There are Muslim members of Congress, Muslim judges, civil leaders, sports figures, etc. etc. etc. There is even a Muslim Ms USA. Muslims have a lot more power and presence in the US than religious and ethnic minorities do in the MENA.
If you want to argue against that, then go right ahead. In fact, let’s all have a pow-wow at the nearest Hindi or Buddhist temple and meet with the elected representatives of the Nepalese and Indian residents (both groups outnumber Qataris) to discuss the matter. Then we can discuss it with wider student population at QF, who are not Qatari but lived in Qatar most of their lives, which means no subsidized state tuition (which is what North Carolina offers) or a high probability of finding a job in Qatar afterwards. But that’s not possible is it?
It’s tragic these kids were killed. But to pretend it is reflective of 350 million people’s views is asinine. Had they finished dental school, they would have had comfortable, safe American lives. Tell that to the religious minorities ALMOST anywhere in the MENA.
Yes, most do.”
not from what i have seen when i was there
“If you want to argue against that, then go right ahead. In fact, let’s all have a pow-wow at the nearest Hindi or Buddhist temple and meet with the elected representatives of the Nepalese and Indian residents (both groups outnumber Qataris) to discuss the matter. Then we can discuss it with wider student population at QF, who are not Qatari but lived in Qatar most of their lives, which means no subsidized state tuition (which is what North Carolina offers) or a high probability of finding a job in Qatar afterwards. But that’s not possible is it?”
the day we have qatari Hindus or Buddhists sure. we can go meet there no problem. a representative of foreign nationals is there ambassador no?
“Had they finished dental school, they would have had comfortable, safe American lives. Tell that to the religious minorities ALMOST anywhere in the MENA”
im a religious minority in the MENA region and in qatar specifically so i will tell that to myself thanks.
Can I march next Friday to remember the dead in Denmark? #scandinavianlivesmatter
Contact the MOI and raise some awareness for it, is anyone stopping you?
Actually Scandinavian lives have always mattered more to Western governments and the Western press than Muslim lives, as Muslims and Muslim communities are a threat and danger class — and they — along with immigrants — have always had less police and security protection than other non-Muslim, non-immigrant people and communities. The notion of “terrorism” as something only Muslims do and “terrorists” as only Muslims has also served to degrade the lives of Muslim citizens in European, as well as other Western countries…
your words sound like ranting and not based on fact.
Not based on fact? First of all, comparing cases to each other is a very common and acceptable social scientific method to determine what facts and truth are. Comparing cases method is also used in law enforcement. The Lee Rigby stabbing was an “act of terrorism?” Why not the stabbing of Mohammed Saleem? Why was the shootings at the Canadian war memorial “acts of terrorism,” but not the shootings of Pennsylvania police by Eric Frein, who also hid and terrorized communities for several weeks? Also, the ax attacks against NYPD a few months ago were “an act of terrorism.” The difference was there was a connection to Islam or the criminal had no Muslim background.
What are facts are that violent crimes by Muslims acting out a personal religious or political agenda are more likely to be labeled “terrorism” by Western governments and the press than similar crimes by non-Muslims. That is a fact!
What if a Muslim or a person with an Islamic background went in and shot up a movie theater? Or a shopping mall? Or a school? Would this be labeled “an act of terrorism?” Why or why not?
Intent.
You seem to be missing the point. What’s the intent of the muslim movie theatre killer dear learned one?
Paris was terrorisms, subway in Madrid-terror, buses/tube in London-terror, 9/11-terror (oh wait that was an inside job by Bush and the Jews right?), McVeigh-terror, Unabomber-terror…
All these people had other than personal intent. they had personal beliefs in a cause but the cause was larger than the person. Eric Frein terrorized by just being in the area not aggressively terrorizing.
You use the word terrorize a bit too freely.
The guy in NC was just pissed at parking as far as we know. If it comes back he studied in a kibutz, trained in Israel and was an agent of the Mossad then we can rethink. Until then it’s just a guy with anger issues for everyone not just Muslims. If you’ve read the papers and heard/read the interviews of his neighbors and wives you see that.
And where are your facts? You spout them as fact with no reference.
And please stop blaming the west for the perception of the ME and muslims to a degree. All the incidents I listed above are fodder for uninformed minds. Just like the likes of AlJazeera and others in this region skew the facts the other way.
The threat that many in the west find is that muslims immigrants often do not assimilate well and expect the place of immigration to change for them. Where the opposite is not true. Christians here have only recently had a church but still cannot display the cross. If you told a muslim community in the U.S. that they couldn’t build a minaret they’d cry discrimination and file a lawsuit and be on Al Jazerera all day. Jews were huge populations in the ME (outside Israel) at one time but through a series of pogroms and forced evacuations were pretty much wiped out of these countries. Don’t act like many ME populations are some sort of poor innocent bystanders. The majority are but the ones who are not brought this on and what many in the west want to know is where’s the March for ________ to protest 9/11, London, Madrid, Munich Olympics, Paris…
Again the whole point of dismay in many of these comments today is not is he or isn’t he a terrorist. It’s the FACT that QF really jumped the gun in calling it that. and catering a march on that premise. Especially that it’s the supposed center of learning in Qatar, and wants to be in the region, yet jumps to conclusions that ignorant people on both sides jump at when they are ignorant of all the facts and apparently just wanted the press. They SHOULD be smarter than that
Let us refer to 18 U.S. Code § 2331 . Specifically (5) (A) (i)
“Domestic terrorism means activities that appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.”
Since 9/11, the attacks on Muslims in the US has sparked 1600%. Muslims are the 2nd most targeted minority in the US. Similar story exists in UK and Australia. Attacks to intimidate Muslims is the very definition of domestic terrorism just like how the Ku Klux Klan has been terrorizing and intimidating the black civilians.
What exactly was this guy trying to coerce the three victims to to do?
And where are you stats to show the Muslims are the 2nd most targeted minority in the U.S., UK and Australia?
Read it again. It says intimidate OR coerce. Was this not intimidation of Muslims in the US?
The stats are according to FBI receiving reports of hate crimes. I will find it or you can google it (I am on the road).
The KKK being inactive is irrelevant. They were once active and classified terrorists for multiple counts including intimidation.
LOL where do you get your numbers? I’d say blacks are first and Mexicans/Latinos 2nd if truth be told.
KKK has not been relevant in 40 years.
Tell that to Michael Donald
You’re really surprising … Honestly I was kidding before when i said u were prejudice against qataris figured you were just sour… But clearly you seem to be racist … At least against african american.. You deny the relevance of slavery in US industrial history now you deny KKK are relevant
For you info I’m married to an african american so kind of shoots that theory for you.
Yes slavery was present in my country for too long, no denying. But to say that without the slaves there would be nothing is not even close to being true. My forefathers used their own hands, blood, sweat and tears to build what they had. Unlike here where you can’t seem to even get your own glass of water.
And yes the Klan has been virtually non existent since the early 70’s. An incident from some fringe group aligned to the KKK does not make them relevant today. Stick to your own history. I know mine well enough without your help.
One married to an egyptian does not qualify you as married to an African American in the context of a discussion over you discrediteding hundreds of years of slavery in America and denying the role slaves played in the building of America’s economic power. And yes I don’t fetch my own glass of water, lovely to see you always try to defect away from topic by attacking …
Dude you are a racist .. Anyone who reads the last dozen posts you have here can tell… I’ve said before and I’ll say it again… I hope you don’t share your racist views with your kids
You’re confusing religion with race.
Anyways, here is the data. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2013/topic-pages/victims/victims_final . As shown, Muslims have been the 2nd highest targeted religious group since 2001. Before 2001, they used to be 2nd to last.
Deleting the rest of this thread because it is way off topic.
Al Jazeera news is biased, so what should people watch? Fox News with their “impartial” news. The capital hill killings will never be called terrorism for the simple reason the dead are Muslims. The killer had a motive- he hated Muslims. But now the media and the investigating agencies want to term it as a parking dispute? Seems more like a joke. Lastly, whag should thw invasion of Iraq be called? Will your so called country ever apologise for that? Or was it also a case of a parking dispute? A person goes and kills 3 people point blank and they want to call it a parking dispute because the attacker is white. If it were a Muslim, these very scoundrels would have called him a terrorist.
All news outlets have some sort of biased I’d say. In this region they don’t even hide it.
You guys are always saying “if it was a muslim he’d be a terrorist…..” that’s conjecture not fact.
Thats not conjecture, that is based on facts. Look at how they reported the incidents in canada where a hit and run case involving a converted muslim was called a terrorist attack. The same was also evident in UK. When the victim are white men and the attacker a Muslim, it automatically becomes a terrorist attack. The TV channels go an an overdrive associating the attacker with every terror outfit they knew just because he was muslims. But if the attacker was white, it becomes a “parking dispute” inspite of the fact that the three victims were shot point blank and the western media refused to report the incident until it went viral on the social media.
For the most part, U.S. media outlets follow the lead of respective governments before using the term terrorist to apply to events on those countries. They are more cautious about religious descriptors for a terrorist incident. For example CNN did not follow Paris in labeling the Kosher market bombing as anti-semitic but did use the term terrorist.
http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/cnn-says-terrorism-kosher-market-not-anti-semitic/
The media spend much more time discussing and debating this issue, especially when there is popular pressure, than the public recognize. One of the current media debates is the constant drum beat by Fox news and right wing radio regarding why President Obama and other media outlets avoid using the term “Islamic” to describe many recent terrorist incidents. Of course commentators of different political stripes on CNN programs will use the term that they personally believe is accurate and I think viewers sometimes confuse this with the editorial policy of the organization.
Anders Breivik’s killings in Norway were declared terrorist after the Norwegian government labeled it as such but generally again there is reluctance to further classify it as Christian terrorist. Some left-wing commentators do use the term, however.
All news organizations have internal guidelines on their intranet regarding these terms. A few helpfully post their guidelines one the worldwide web. You can read these if you’re truly interested in being “facty” about it.
http://handbook.reuters.com/?title=T#terrorism
http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/page/guidance-reporting-terrorism-full
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Use_of_the_word_terrorism_(policy_development)
Also got to love the way to do not present your arguments or “facts” -only state that I’m “ranting.” Also could be my level of education in ths social sciences is quite a bit better than yours.
Go look up the concept of Social Constriction of language and also read a bit of Richard Jackson discourses and analysis of “terrorism” in Critical Terrorism studies: http://cadair.aber.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/handle/2160/1962/Security,+Democracy.pdf?sequence=1
You’re obviously very learned and eloquent (if not modest) and I’m not a social scientist but I’m pretty sure it’s “the” social sciences rather than “ths” social sciences.
So does Richard’s discourses mean he’s the final word? Lots of writers out there writing all kinds of things. What makes them popular is finding like minded people to read it and believe it. Kind of like religious text. I can find authors who think another way but it doesn’t make their opinion or observations an less important.
You may assume wrong on your esteemed education versus mine.
Should never assume you’re smarter than anyone else. It’s not smart.
Are you seriously recommending people read this Nvivo-vomited drivel dressed up in an Academic cap and gown? If ever there was “research” worthy of Bentham’s “nonsense on stilts” comment this is it. Better they waste their time reading Umberto Eco’s essay “Interpretation and Over-interpretation” so at least in the future they can spare themselves reading garbage like this irrespective of the point of view. The whole sub-genre is an intellectual cul de sac.
You compare scandinavian lives with muslim lives. So there are no muslims in scandinavia? Again ranting, not thinking.
Is the #scandinavianlivesmatter hash tag about Muslims living in Scandinavian countries? Nope! It’s a way to promote Islamophobia using a using a violent event in Denmark. Nope – you are not thinking here – the situation across Europe and the rest of the Western world is that Muslims and Islam are not a part of Europe.
Muslim communities in Europe and the rest of the Western world are treated as suspect communities that are a source of threat and danger – and not as a part of the Western countries they live in – as they should be treated – as equal communities protected by the same laws – as Western governments like to claim and promote in their foreign policies.
If you think that Muslims in Scandinavian countries matter – this is not what is expressed in the hash tag #scandinavianlivesmatter .
And – as usual – this is violent event in Denmark is being branded a “terrorist attack” because of some relation to Islam and Muslims. Same rubbish, different day, and along with that more silly talk about how a gunman in Denmark is related to problems in the Middle East.
you’re smart.
I didn’t ask what that hashtag meant I asked if there were any muslims in scandinavia.
So somebody hashtags something. If my cat had typing skills he could too. Lots of crazy, un informed, or ignorant people (and cats) out there.
It’s branded a terrorist act because it was.
So cheering and celebrating after 9/11… How would you rate that on hate mongering?
Then why immigrate?
I can’t say I agree that Europeans particularly associate terrorism with Muslims. That simply isn’t true. I grew up in the UK constantly under the threat of IRA terrorism, the Basque separatists committed many acts of terrorism in Spain in the 70’s and 80’s, killing over 800, the Baader Meinhof group in Germany… the list goes on. What you’re saying there simply isn’t correct.
But did the IRA terrorism get as much attention and coverage over the media as much as terrorist whom are classified as “Muslims” ?
at the time? Yes, maybe even more so. During the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s it pretty much dominated news and current affairs in the UK. in 1972 alone, over 100 British soldiers were killed and maybe 400-500 injured by the IRA.
**Just to go on record, the Irish, like the Afghans and Iraqi’s, were fighting an invading army. I’m not taking sides, but if foreign tanks rolled into my town, I’d be first in the queue for a Kalashnikov.
Nonsense, I grew up in Belfast in the 1970s and did not consider the British Army as an invading force. The IRA was conducting cowardly murders long before the British army was deployed, just like every other terrorist/murderer
That might have depended what side of the fence you were on.
True, but the army is still there and the IRA is not. To claim it is the same as Afghanistan or Iraq, when 2/3 of the population considered themselves British, is patently absurd. As in fact is insinuating that the Taliban are freedom fighters.
“Invading army”? The British Army initially went on to the streets of Belfast and Derry at the request of the Nationalist community and their elected representatives. At that time two thirds of Northern Ireland’s population self-identified as British.
Yes it did. In fact, quite a bit more because the IRA routinely set off bombs.
Why are you so invested in this being ‘terrorist’ attack rather than a murder and hate crime?
More
hello!!!!!!!!!
In Europe yes, Probably in your country not! how old are you? 15?
Europeans terrorist groups killed heavily, we had bombs in our cities and bombs in train stations and bombs in airports….
exactly! Different Europeans countries had terrorism when in this part of the world there was only dictatorships or desert lands. Ireland with IRA, Spain with ETA, Italy with Red Brigades. All of these terrorists killed a lot in our countries. We know what is terrorism. So, no, normally we would have not associated the word Muslim to terrorists. But with the latest trends I understand the fears. Still, I argued with many people back home saying that not all Muslims are terrorist.
Still I would love to see Muslim react for the words of Boko Haram and get so angry to march against a horrid criminal who calls himself Muslim and shames the rest of the Muslim community, hum???
Do you know Scandinavian countries? Because I do! Since the early 90s I remember seeing Arab Muslims refugees accepted by Sweden and given them a decent and honorable lives. It is when I first met Arabs in my life! Still Denmark has integration nowadays. Sweden accepts Syrian refugees, giving them benefits like a place to stay and tries to integrate them giving refugees the chance to learn the language and some money. Who else does something like this?
In return I have seen many Muslims not wanting to integrate and segregating themselves or even be bothered by symbols that you can find in Europe like a cross!
Scandinavia = highly civilized countries!
What makes it terrorism compared to crime is the ideology behind it and the large network of cells. The murder of 8 muslim small shop owners by the NSU has also been terrorism.
What happens if I stop working and I don’t have any money in Qatar? -> right: I get deported.
34885 Lebanese people live in Germany. 4072 (11.7%) are illegal immigrants. Around 30000 receive government social benefits. Those are just Lebanese, but we have a few more minorities in Germany. I can understand very well why there is rising anger against those people. Everybody is welcome, as long as you are ok with our laws and our culture/lifestyle.
Yes you can, just like we can 🙂 … fyi it’s more about how the media didn’t cover the chapel hill shooting well.. Denmark’s dead was all over can etc.. 🙁 #ALLLIVESMATTER. Peace <3
Could you elaborate on this? There are now literally thousands of media pieces on this case. That is a lot more than for most of the other 1500+ shootings in the US in the last month.
That doesn’t make sense since it ain’t true.
FU
Very mature conversation. A clown on every thread. You be the winner.
Deleted (again) for personal attack.
What media are you following? Gulf Times? It was headlined in all the Western outlets.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/chapel-hill-shooting-would-the-media-have-covered-the-tragedy-if-twitter-didnt-exist-and-what-would-have-happened-if-the-murderer-was-muslim-10044850.html
only thanks to twitter
I followed it via a number of American outlets well before that. And it was covered BECAUSE the victims were Muslim and BECAUSE there was a potential hate-crime angle.
You should pay more attention to the article, too. She wasn’t in America at the time and the article is really a blog post rather asserting an opinion rather than the results of a media analysis study.
Can we expect the same sort of coverage the next time three people are killed by a fellow countryman in . . . . well anywhere? WAY more coverage than the recent beheadings of Coptic Egyptians by Muslim Egyptians. But that hypocrisy basically sums the situation up.
I’m sure Twitter helped but you have to look at the practical situation. The shooting occurred late at night and the local news made it to the scene around 1am. CNN Breaking News tweeted about it around 2am. At that point normally CNN domestic service (which would been in recycle of early talk shows mode) would typically throw to a local affiliate for their coverage. I don’t know if that happened because we have CNN International here. But if it didn’t it’s not a conspiracy. Everybody knows CNN domestic is pathological in covering these kinds of events to the point of it being ridiculed. But it could be CNN screwed up or the local team screwed up (they left the scene and started working on their 5am broadcast). But CNN had people there by the morning as did other media. The shooting was in an apartment complex in a mid-sized community – not a major city like New York or Chicago. There’s no local 24 hours news there. People in Europe and Southwest Asia are in a time zone 5-8 hours ahead of them so that’s why Twitter got going with the story sooner.
While we’re going over facts of this case it is instructive to remind readers that the shooter – an avowed atheist – on his Facebook page had called Christians hypocrites for opposing the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” (an Islamic community center being built close to but not really at the site of the WTC collapse). Nevertheless, it strikes me as likely this unstable individual was further set off by the two women wearing an Hijaab but he did reportedly harass many other residents of all ethnic and religious backgrounds about his nutty idea that the Guest parking spot adjacent to his spot was also his. This claim of his was not true according to the manager of the complex but he was a lunatic gun nut who was a ticking time bomb. To be fair, we might ask ourselves how many alienated Muslim youth are similarly ticking and engage in violence but are immediately and inaccurately labeled as terrorist actions rather than hate crimes.
Well said and explained, but, sadly, zealots and ideologues will not let facts get in the way of their ‘truth’.
Does your tv and internet only pick up ME stations and sites? You been living in a cave the past few days?
Deleted for personal attack.
I’d love to know what it said.
sure, did anyone in denmark march for the murdered students?
Not what he asked
already answered what he asked.
You’re putting the onus on someone else to say when and where. Are you actually going to choose to get up and march for these people somewhere or are you just saying it? Or do you have to wait for approval from somewhere to be able to march?
no id march
you would or you will?
Will YOU march for the Copts beheaded today?
yes, just say when and where.
I didn’t say dance on their graves.
mid june, mid day – from one end of the corniche to the other (wearing ski gear)
Glad to see some are picking up on what we have known for years about the double standards here in the US and Western world: “Terrorism” is a special label for Muslims who commit violent acts and is not used to describe similar violent crimes by non-Muslims. A great example out of the UK was the Lee Rigby stabbing contrasted with the Mohammed Saleem stabbing a couple of week earlier. The Lee Rigby stabbing was “an act of terrorism” to the British government, but the stabbing of Mohammed Saleem was “just a horrible crime.” Saleem’s killer would go on to plant bombs outside of mosques — and the British press would have a hard time describing these actions as “terrorism.” Also – what if Charlie Hebdo was shot up by a disgruntled employee? What if the Canadian war memorial was shot up by a disgruntled Canadian soldier? How are similar crimes by non-Muslims treated as compared to Muslims?
The double standards among Western governments and the press when it comes to so-called “terrorism” and who the “terrorists” are glaring and amount outright Islamophobia.
What are you talking about? When the facts were known the British media quite clearly referred to Pavlo Lapshyn as a terrorist. You only need to go to news.google.com and type in his name and “terrorist” and you will find articles. Here – I will save you the effort. All you have to do is read this headline – http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/21/pavlo-lapshyn-ukrainian-student-terrorist
The obvious distinction in this case is people are ranting on about looney parking man being a terrorist before the facts are clear.
Actually I take that back. I don’t think they’re “ranting”. They’re clearly angry and yes there is a lot of bias in the western media but that does not mean that cases like this should be labeled before the facts are clear.
And I shouldn’t refer to him as a “looney” as that is unnecessarily derogatory towards someone who clearly had some serious problems that in the end had horrendous consequences.
yeah his suffering breaks my heart, poor guy lets get him some hugs and flowers. hes the real victim in all this
No wait.. Really? Sarcasm? No way. I can’t believe it…
I’ve lived in the East, West, and MENA. This region’s fear and hatred of the West is far worse that the so-called Islamophobia in the West.
True that
so have i and i disagree
You’re definitely in the minority of opinion on that one.
i guess i messed the gangs of drunken qatari’s assaulting Americans on the corniche, shooting or burning down their churches. plus i remind you americans have killed many more middle eastern people than the other way around. just because its done with a drone or a fighter pilot doesnt make them better than a beheading
It’s called war idj.
Qatar isn’t the only country in the MENA, or haven’t you noticed?
So now you are saying the beheadings of coptic Christians is justified because of American drones? Well done. Like I said, anti-Western sentiment in MENA is way worse than anti-Islamic feeling in the West. And your comments only underline it.
“So now you are saying the beheadings of coptic Christians is justified because of American drones? Well done. Like I said, anti-Western sentiment in MENA is way worse than anti-Islamic feeling in the West. And your comments only underline it.”
when did i justify what ISIS do?
im simply stating a fact Americans have killed more middle eastern people than the other way around.
secondly regular western people have attacked, assaulted andharassed more middle eastern people living in their countries than the other way around
How is “Hicks is no Terrorist. He is White” offensive? I think it’s genius and along the lines: if the murderer was Arab, he would be labeled a terrorist. The graphic also speaks of the media bias in which they were silent for 9+ hours until it went viral on the social media.
Unfortunately not everyone understands sarcasm. I was standing next to the gentleman that was carrying the banner and the marcher lady objecting on it was clueless and did not understand a word he said and couldn’t articulate why she was objecting. At one point she said “this is a peaceful protest!” Hmm ok
I suspect that QF jumped the gun with calling it terrorist and they realized this so consequently were extra sensitive about the march itself and the signs people carried. Our Qatar University blast email (which came the day of the event) did not, for example, include the terrorism language. I agree that the sign is not appropriate because the sarcasm comes with the assumption that there is an ethnicity angle. So even if the QF people understood the meaning there would be no useful benefit to attaching more baggage to the event than they already had. The comments section here and in prior articles would be 1/10th the size if they had just called it a memorial march for those dear students and to raise donations for the wonderful cause that the students themselves were behind. QF screwed up with the initial announcement. Many of us did not go because they sullied it with unnecessary politics. I personally do plan to give to that charity, however, and hope others do as well.
Racializing dissent has an old genealogy in American politics. Jewish-American immigrants were suspected of socialism and Italian-Americans of anarchism. In Red Scare, workers who joined labor actions were falsely accused of Communism and were targeted for mob violence. Somehow persons of English ancestry with names like Worthington (even if they were blue collar workers) were not assumed to be Communists or foreign agents or radicals. Today, it’s Muslim-Americans who have been stereotyped as radicals and terrorists, although the vast majority of them are actually pillars of the establishment and they are better off educationally and financially than the average American. Do you also know that between 1980 and 2005, 94% of terrorism has been committed by non-Muslims in which 42 percent of terror attacks were carried out by Latino-related groups, followed by 24 percent perpetrated by extreme left-wing actors? Do you know that since 9/11, Muslim-linked terrorism has claimed the lives of 37 Americans whereas more than 190,000 Americans were murdered? Do you know that more likely Americans would be killed by toddler (accidental gun shooting) than a Muslim terrorist?
Look, “terrorism” has been racialized in the American media and law enforcement community, marked as having to do with Muslims but since 9/11 hasn’t been used to refer to people of northern European background. Personally, I prefer we all stick to the definition of terrorism as defined in Federal code in the 1990s so much of the current terrorism reporting goes away and we call things by what they actually are. We should retire the “war on terror” (terrorism is a tactic) and the diction of the “lone wolf” and “self-radicalized”. Society has few criminals and deviants. When they break the law, they become criminals and they should be brought to justice. However, unless the American media, law enforcement and politicians quit their obsessing about “terrorists”, selectively racializing it, and unless movies like American Sniper stop targeting the Arabs and Muslims, people should have every right to bring more attention to the root cause of Chapel Hill shooting and that is the constant brainwashing. They have every right to hold banners up like the one turned down because the fact of the matter is — almost the T-word is almost never applied to “lone wolf”, “self-radicalized” white people who go berserk their neighbors. When is the last time we heard the media refer to those who attack abortion clinics as “Christian terrorists,” even though these attacks occur at one of every five reproductive health-care facilities?
I’m glad you got your 4th year Lit Crit oats out. Feels good, doesn’t it? But outside the classroom we realize racism is not something peculiar to Americans. Indeed, I regularly hear comments in the office about this or that race that would get you canned in the U.S. Point being, the phenomenon of the insider-outsider dynamic is universal in groups as is its related Dionysian element of demonizing the enemy (even subtly through literature as Edward Said perhaps overstated but nonetheless brought useful awareness to).
All of that is beside the point that I was making about the march itself. The point being made was that this was a march honoring these young people by an institution like QF which should studiously avoid the unnecessary. Hence, there was no need for their initial political statement and, that being water under the bridge, no further need for a sign that would serve only to detract from that main purpose. It’s not about you, or about me, it’s about these young people in Qatar identifying with those students and wanting to express solidarity and pain. You can stew online about the other issues you imagine are entailed as much as you want but that’s you making it about you. That’s your id speaking to its own need to reproduce the world as its own mirror. That’s not what the march needed.
There’s an old Arabic saying: the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
The labels are all pretty senseless as all murder is a crime of hate. All murder is a form of terror. But the politicized definition of terrorism would have to include some kind of affiliation with a political movement or resistance. Therefore, a disgruntled employee, while capable of a mass shooting, would not be deemed a terrorist. A “lone wolf” murdering several people of the same race–whether they are black children in a church in Alabama or muslim students in Chapel Hill–would qualify as a hate crime, but again, not necessarily terrorism, as that word is commonly used today. Not to say there are not white, western terror groups. The Weather Underground is one. Tim McVeigh, the Oklahoma bomber, was a white, American terrorist, and was labelled as such by western media. Personally, I think these labels are all silly and arbitrary. But I suppose it’s worth the discussion, nonetheless.
Yes, “terrorism” is a label that is applied to violent crimes committed by Muslims acting out a personal religious or political agenda. All murders are motivated by personal agenda, but when it involves Islam or Muslims, the discourses and narratives are quite different: What is a violent crime if committed by a non-Muslim becomes “a threat to our way of life” and ” an attack on our nation” when it’s a crime by a Muslim. It is only violent crimes by Muslims that are treated as national security threats by Western governments and mass media. The discourses and narratives become one of military problems and not problems with troubled Muslim youth and social problems.
“It’s only violent crimes by Muslims that are treated as national security threats by Western governments..”? The IRA, the Red Brigade, Baader Meinhof, Oklahoma city bomber, that bunch in Japan. How long a list do you want?
And the Symbionese Liberation Army. Can anyone else remember them?
Your anger is understandable, but this is simply not true. No one hesitates calling the following non-muslims terrorists: Timothy McVeigh, Unabomber, Army of God (Atlanta Olympics), Jewish Defense League, Weathermen, Ohio 7, Aryan Nation, KKK, Animal Liberation Front, and dozens more.
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_terrorism_in_the_United_States#Anti-abortion_violence
I agree with you that the label “terrorism” is applied much to broadly by the West, usually for political purposes, and disproportionately to Arabs. If the North Carolina shooter had been an Arab and the victims young, white college students, there would have been a massively different response from the United States. Ninety percent of it is racism and politics, but ten percent is a fear that there will be another 9/11.
Dear JonathanQ, let us refer to 18 U.S. Code § 2331 . Specifically (5) (A) (i)
“Domestic terrorism means activities that appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.”
Since 9/11, the attacks on Muslims in the US has sparked 1600%. Muslims are the 2nd most targeted minority in the US. Similar story exists in UK and Australia. Attacks to intimidate Muslims is the very definition of domestic terrorism just like how the Ku Klux Klan has been terrorizing and intimidating the black civilians.
Again, what was the guy trying to coerce the victims to do? In fact, in all of these attacks, what were the attackers attempting to coerce the victims to do?
They don’t try to coerce the victims, rather a civilian population. It could have been to leave the country, or the neighborhood, or abandon their religion and culture or public displays of it. The victims are dead.
Any the evidence for this in this case is what? He said doesn’t like people of all sorts of religion. What was he agenda?
INTIMIDATE or coerce. he was clearly intimidating members of the community well before the shooting
Intimidate into doing what? There has to be an agenda for it to be terrorism. Even QF took the terrorism claim down. You should, too. It dilutes your case and distracts from the real issues at hand.
i dont think hes a terrorist. its a hate crime, although there is as of yet a legal definition for terrorism. if fox news can be douche bags and call every crime committed by a Muslim a terrorist thing why cant we sink to there level. lets all be douche bags
LOL.
I think it is a hate crime, too, which, in my view, is worse than terrorism. At least terrorists have a plan. Don’t let Fox News get you down.
The issue is not whether a particular act had the effect of intimidating or coercing people. Shark attacks in waters close to Australian beaches have the effect of intimidating people – but they are not terrorism!
The key component is intention. Was the guy intending to send a threatening message to religious believers? (I understand he was an avowed atheist.) Did the murderer really believe that this act of murder would deter future parkers with a religious faith?
Or was he simply venting his shockingly disproportionate sense of rage in revenge of a parking dispute? If it’s the latter then it is clearly not terrorism.
You keep posting that. Doesn’t become more true the more you post it.
Deleting for repeat post.
Hypocrites. Why dont they march for the thousands of labourers that they treat like animald there in qatar? Surely those lives matter too.
I don’t think this is the right time to make that kind of provocation. We all know about the labor problems here, but this protest was a way to express grief and solidarity after a tragedy. By your logic, no march is valid because there is always something more important to be marching for. Yes, all lives matter. However, not all comments do.
Are not the sufferings, loss of rights, and deaths of the laborers in Qatar not sufficiently tragic to evoke grief and a desire for solidarity in you? Is it because the suffering is in Qatar or is because most are not Muslim or Arab that makes it not really matter?
As they say ‘ALL lives matter’. Until such marchers and posters live by their own mantra, it’s hard to take them seriously. Until then, ‘only certain lives matter when it is political expedient to care and they look like and believe the the same as me (or at least I think they do, because I don’t know much about them)’ is the correct mantra.
I highly doubt the government would allow that. The people in Qatar are just as concerned as everyone else about the conditions of migrant workers. But then again, this isn’t a democracy, and the opinions of the country’s populations are absolutely worthless unless their last name is Al Thani.
What rubbish. The only population that counts in Qatar is the one that can vote, and to date the evidence of their “concern” consists of the Kafala and the repressive labor laws.
Qatar is going through it’s growing pains not only in full view of the rest of the world, but also in the modern age, in the age of the internet and 24hr television, where everything is much more visible.
If we talk of repressive labour laws, lets look at the USA: a nation founded and built upon open slavery, and the oppression and subjugation of it’s native population. Slavery was common in the USA not 100 years ago, The same can be said of the British, Spain and it’s Conquistadors, The Egyptians, Romans and many others. Compared to what went on to build our own nations, Qatar’s conditions are positively benign.
I’m not excusing the treatment of manual labourers in Qatar, I despise it. But instead of barracking and pouring scorn, lets talk them through it, and help them as they go through the same difficult period of growth that we all went through.
The USA was not founded and built with the use of slaves. Stick to the history of your own country because you’re getting a lot about mine wrong.
Slavery there was abolished 150 yrs ago.
You’re right in that slavery was abolished 150 years ago. However, at the time of abolition, there were an estimated 4 million slaves in the US, mostly concentrated in the South, and many continuing to remain in servitude until their death.
To deny that slavery was an integral part of the growth of the US from 1619 right through to 1900 is, quite frankly, ridiculous. To deny it is like denying the Holocaust.
Slavery was predominately in the agrarian south. Very few slaves were used in the north where the vast majority of the population resided. And I disagree that slaves were an integral part of the growth of the US. To farmers in the south, maybe. Throwing the Holocaust card is a bit strange.
I didn’t mean to offend, I was just saying that the history of slavery is very well documented, and the net contribution it made to the US economy during those formative years was enormous. The British (I’m not British, I’m Welsh) were just as much, some would argue more, to blame.
I assume you are aware that Wales is in fact part of Britain? So when you refer to “The British” you are indeed referring to yourself.
That would depend on whether you meant it in a geographical sense or a political sense. A lot of people in Britain no longer consider themselves “British”.
Indeed, individuals have the the right to consider themselves whatever they wish, however that does not change the fact that their passport states “British Citizen” and Wales continues to be part of Britain.
As others have said, seeing as Great Britain consists of England, Scotland & Wales you are British wether you like it or not.
As for the implied meaning that somehow the Welsh weren’t involved in any of the British Empires slavery activities, that is laughable at best
Look, let me spell it out for you. I’ll use short words and simple sentences, so you can understand. Throughout the thread I’ve consistently repeated that we are ALL responsible for historic and modern injustices. That includes my country, and yours.
Not wishing to provoke, however you must agree that to the casual observer your comment “The British (I’m not British, I’m Welsh)” could be construed as an attempt to distance yourself from your country’s “historical and modern injustices” and thus portraying the perception of diminished responsibility on your behalf.
Thank you very much appreciated.
Although I would of preferred if u hadn’t used words more than 5 letters to save me looking them up in the dictionary.
If you are Welsh then you are also British.
I’m Welsh, and a nationalist. I do not consider myself British.
I’m an English nationalist, but I am still British none the less.
How were the British more to blame? Slavery never really took off in Britian. They initiated the abolition of slavery rather quickly before it took root.
You might not be English but you are British. Or where I come from you are the Paddys that couldn’t swim. 🙂
Racist.
haha you crack me up, so not only is Wales an independent country but the Welsh are also a separate race….I think you need to go back to school boyo
Anyway, this will probably be deleted by the editorial team for being one or more of the following:
1. off topic
2. offensive to llamas
3. Sarcastic
4. containing too many consonants
5. containing too many vowels
6. Posted on a day of the week containing the letter ‘y’.
Was with you until this comment. Deleting it so people can get to actual thread discussion quicker.
Slavery was indeed an integral part of the economic growth in the US. First of all not all slaves worked in argriculture. Some worked in mines, as artisans, and as railway builders- In fact North America’s four major rail networks, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Union Pacific and Canadian National all own lines that were built and operated with slave labor.
And to deny the huge role that agriculture played in the development of the economy is asinine. With the invention of the cotton gin, cotton became America’s leading export from 1803 to 1937 at a time when cotton was known as the king of the economy. Not only that cotton fueled the textile revolution which kick started the industrial revolution in the northern American states.
“King Cotton was a slogan used during the American Civil War by the Confederacy (1860–61) to support secession from the United States, claiming that cotton exports would make an independent Confederate States of America economically prosperous, ruin the textile industry of New England, and—most importantly—would force Great Britain andFrance to support the Confederacy in the Civil War because their industrial economy depended on cotton textiles.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Cotton
But, sure slavery was a minimal factor to the growth of the US economy. *rolls eyes*
Apply cold water to burn!
You are either missing the point I am trying to make or taking it too literally. The legislative body in Qatar is appointed solely by the government and the implementation of particularly repressive labor laws in recent years does not reflect on popular opinion; citizens included.
It’s the locals abusing them so …
Deleting this for stereotyping. It is well documented that abuses against migrant workers in Qatar is perpetuated by all nationalities.
Really? But in the end nothing here is owned by “other” nationalities. So the buck stops with those who own and run the country. Correct or no? I’d say the vast majority of abusers are local and I think “documents” would show that.
I disagree massively!
G4S for example is a british company, treats its employees terrible in this country.
As a brit, its a little embarrassing how hypocritical we are…most of the companies building this country are western..
i’m Qatari and their is nothing wrong with what you said can’t deny it i would actually like that to happen but would people care as much??? that’s the question
manual workers with poor pay and poor living conditions isn’t just a Qatari problem. It goes on in every country in the world. India, Bangladesh, South America, London and New York. If you have an iPhone, it was 100% made by someone with poor pay and terrible living/working conditions.
Each of us has a responsibility to put out own houses straight before we start heckling the neighbours.
I could not agree more.
So perhaps when Qatar secures all of it residents’ right to pursue their religious and moral beliefs without fear of reprisal or punishment, it should march when other countries are not so tolerant. Or perhaps when Qatar has established a fair and equitable legal system it should encourage marches against countries who are perceived as imperfect in theirs. Or maybe, just maybe, when Qatar establishes freedom of the press in its own country, it should encourage marches that criticize other nations’ media for not adequately covering a story.
“Isn’t *just* a Qatari problem” is another way of saying it is a Qatari problem. For every problem there is a solution, but only when the people with power choose to act.
At least in ‘India, Bangladesh, South America, London and New York’, people have the freedom to choose their jobs, freedom to move, etc. What about Qatar?
I would be happy to join a march for them and their lives do matter to me.
I assume that since you condemn Qataris for not marching for laborers treated like animals you fervently march for the homeless population in your country? (I have yet to see homeless people in any country not being treated like animals). I also assume you are defined by your countries laws and polices.
If the original poster applied their logic to Europe and the USA, it would require there to be a multitude of daily demonstrations in order to atone for the many injustices they have committed towards their own population and others over the years.
If he expects Qataris to demonstrate over a matter in which they have little to no influence over, then what is the excuse for citizens of Western democracies with legislative influence who support their governments’ draconian policies rather than condemning them or holding demonstrations?
inb4 the West is perfect and doesn’t need to be reformed.
Totally agree with you.. It was a good photo opportunity so let the front runners gain some good newspaper reviews…
@whyohwhy ,you are the Hypocrite ,why you don’t march for them workers or better give them work in your own country???
What I find telling is the overwhelming bias based on where someone is from. I have friends in the US that are appalled at the US government and media, saying that they’re pandering to Muslims so as not to offend anyone. For example: Obama’s remarks at the White House Prayer Breakfast and the fact that most of the US media jumped on the fact that the killer was hateful and atheist and focusing on the fact that the kids were Muslim (despite only circumstantial evidence regarding his motive). On the other side, I have friends in the ME that are appalled at the US government and media, saying that they’re not coming down hard enough and condemning what they call a terrorist act, claiming double standards about terrorism and who can readily be called a terrorist (again, despite only circumstantial evidence regarding the killer’s motive). Same story, same US government and media, wildly different interpretations.
Commendable effort, but an utter misuse by the organizers of the word terrorism. https://twitter.com/KMinDoha/status/566940663393288192
What does that sign mean ? The last one
The one with the caption “taken down for offensive content”? If that’s the one you mean, the sign is asserting that the only reason the killer is not being called a ‘terrorist’ is because he is white. This, of course, is ridiculous, because they are all sorts of white people who have been convicted of domestic terrorism in the U.S. and the West generally.
Peace?
These comments disgust me
Which ones?
just ask yourselves who sells the most weapons to the war industry to know how much they lie about wanting peace in the world
Dear Mr. Emir,
Can we have our planes, helicopters, missiles and air defense systems we just sold you back?
Sorry we spent the $11 billion though.
And we’ll be pulling out soon because we’re seen as war mongers. Plus the Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers want to build vacation villas as soon as they arrive.
Love, BObama
that would be nice, if the region blows up any worse than so be it, just pull out, things have been going downhill since western powers invaded the middle east in the 20’s, them leaving us to our own devices would be the best think to do… althought i would insist on a payment plan for the 11 billion
Who the he!! do you think got the gas and oil out of the ground so you can live in such opulence? Don’t be so dense.
and I’m sure once we DO pull out the Revolutionary Guard in Iran will be using google maps to map out their new vacation villas.
I’m sure the vast majority of Americans would be fine and dandy with pulling our people out of this region.
“Who the he!! do you think got the gas and oil out of the ground so you can live in such opulence? Don’t be so dense.”
the same people that stabbed the arabs in the back with sykes picot then created every country in the region based on what was in the invaders interests plunging the place into chaos destabilising it for generation to come. no one asked them to come here, frankly the middle east would have been better off if western powers hadnt invaded us despite arabs fighting on their side in ww1
“and I’m sure once we DO pull out the Revolutionary Guard in Iran will be using google maps to map out their new vacation villas.”
i fail to see how is that your business if IRGC or ISIS or whoever invades. just leave build a giant wall and you never have to deal with us again
“I’m sure the vast majority of Americans would be fine and dandy with pulling our people out of this region.”
for better or for worse so would the majority of arabs. im sure americans would still be fine and dandy after this region goes to crap and then no more oil, no more governments buying your stuff or paying billions of dollars for american companies to carry on projects in the region
We don’t import much oil from the region anymore and are a bigger gas producer than Qatar so….
i like how you ignored the first two points because you aint got no come back
you dont import much but your allies sure do, also you and your allies are in need of money from this region flowing into your economy be it from gulf money invested in your countries or billions of dollars worth of projects being awarded to western contractors.
Where do you think the money comes from in the first place? The west (and east) buying the gas. its one big circle
“no one asked them to come here”
Simply not historically true. Plenty of groups wanted Western involvement as protection from neighbors or thought the would benefit. Ultimately, Western involvement included Qatar. If Qatar was not a client state of the West, it would likely have been swallowed up by Saudi or Persia a very long time ago. The same is true of most of the small emirates around the Gulf.
btw–the U.S. objected to the agreement. President Woodrow Wilson: “Peoples and provinces are not to be bartered about from sovereignty to sovereignty as mere chattels and pawns in a game. Every territorial settlement involved in this war must be made in the interest and for the benefit of the populations concerned.”
11 Billion would be a bargain. Are you saying it was much better under the Ottomans? LOL.
maybe, maybe not but if its better or worse no one would be able to blame you for what happens here. unlike now maybe we would have gotten are act together if we were left to our own devices, maybe it would be a 1000 times worse. either way its our business and not a western right to decide the fate of this region. ofcourse at the time the right to self rule was seen by Europeans as an exclusive white privilege. things have changed since then but that does not undo the past or how it contributed to the situation today (something that europe forgot).
every terrorist group today refrences sykes picot (including ISIS) everyone not happy with their government blames the english for those governments being in power in the first place. had they not gotten involved or at least kept their war promises made to the arabs in ww1 no one would be blaming them today
You should read your history. Most of this region was part of the Roman Empire (Western Christians) and the Persian Empire (Eastern Zoastrians) until the Arabs conquered it in the 700s. perhap it would have been better just to live the Eastern Roman Empire in charge of the region
im well aware of what the region was before the ummayid period , whats your point? saying that this justifies the actions of the west in ww1 because of what arabs did over a 1000 years ago?.to people who today are 100% arab
100% Arab? Not quite now, and certainly not in WWI.
In the current climate, the United States and the West will be blamed regardless of what it does. You’re deluding yourself if you think otherwise. Had the West kept its WWI promises, people would be criticizing it for keeping them. Such is the is way of the world: much easier to blame someone else than to admit one’s own faults. The U.S. is the superpower now, so blame it. In a couple of decades it will be all China’s fault. When the Ottomans ruled the region, I’m sure it was all their fault.
I’m not saying the West did not do terrible things. They picked sides in conflicts based on their own interests: the winners liked them, and the losers hated them. Had they stayed out, the losers would have criticized them for not getting involved.
And who cannot seem to buy enough them in order to kill each other?
lets all make extra effort to do that which requires courage, spread tolerance and peace, don’t fall for the media brainwashing , stick to principals of fairness and justice and the world will be a better place.
Is the march wrong? No. Is marching in solidarity with the three Muslim Americans wrong? No. There’s nothing wrong with this march so stop saying that they are hypocrites. Stop questioning why when this event or that event happened they didn’t speak up. Every single thing that Qatar does I see negative comments in Doha News and Qatar Living. People are always ready to criticise Qatar, but are not so ready to praise when something good is happening. I am on observer only and I never comment. But this time I thought that I should.
Again you missed the train at the station. What people were upset about was that immediately QF, a supposed center of higher education, makes this a terrorism act when in all reality he was just a crazy dude with parking issues and a license to carry a gun. Hypocritical in that there have been numerous occasions to have such marches but they jumped the gun on this on. Not having the march but the mantra they put behind it.
We look forward to the march in support of 31 Coptic Christians murdered in Libya today.
Fat chance of that. Isn’t it a bit ironic that they choose to do the “march” and some REAL terrorist goes off in Denmark?
Why do I sense hypocrisy here? Why are you calling the Denmark shooter a terrorist when the law enforcement concluded he was a “lone wolf”, drug-addict, and the motive is UNKNOWN.
On this we agree. The Danes themselves have labeled it a terrorist incident but in fact at the moment there is no evidence of actual group organization or outside backing other than ideological inspiration. Until we have further evidence it is more in the realm of a hate crime. For me the difference is one of law enforcement needs. Deterring, breaking up and preventing acts by inspired or crazy individuals is a different matter than an organized group. However, it is not quite the same as the situation in North Carolina in that the individual sought out people at other locations based on their characteristics rather than having the immediately precipitating dispute be something non-ideological. The Danes consider the latter sufficient for terrorism classification but a stricter standard would not.
Islamic State Video Shows Beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians.
March tomorrow o great QF.
Isn’t it banned/illegal to do protests/riots/marches/demonstrations in Qatar?
I bet no one even mentioned people that died in terrorist bomb explosions in Iraq or Pakistan the same week.
Also I would like to ask, what makes these 3 kids more special and superior that they deserved this march than those who are victims of such terrorism on daily basis? why isn’t there any demonstration for those? unless it was a publicity stunt by QF.
Calling it terrorism was certainly a mistake by QF. There was no need to introduce the politics angle. But remember these were students so QF – whether their real reason or not – could have focused on the student angle. And, yes, I anticipate the criticism that other students have been kidnapped or killed without a march. I’m only saying that there would be a legitimate additional salient aspect to the victims. Those students look like many students here and their lives were honorable. They and their charity would naturally draw and merit recognition by their fellow students here. But yes, true, others like Malala Yousafzai would certainly also have a merited a similar march or two when they were attacked.
I disagree. It does not have to have political motive to be called terrorism. There are many definitions of terrorism and and it is one opinion against another. To me, it was targeted against a religious group to intimidate them and this is a hate crime which falls under terrorism umbrella. Let us not get too technical here.
You are stating as facts conjecture which is not yet in evidence. Full stop. That’s also the problem with what QF did in using that term.
Indeed, if this heinous crime was intended to create fear among American Muslims some would call that terrorism others call it a hate crime unless it’s organized in response to or aligned with a larger movement. These terminology debates are not unimportant but right now an honest broker would say we do not know in this case the full picture to draw any conclusion. So if you’re organizing an event you want to focus on the known and trim your sails to minimize getting blown off course.
Of course many Americans – and Muslim Americans in particular – are concerned about whether this individual action is a sign of a deteriorating social fabric at home. Could we be seeing an emerging trend of either organized or copycat actions against Muslims in the U.S.? Recently there was a fire at an Islamic community Center in Houston which I would say has a higher chance of being an act of terror than the lunatic with his parking issues. But that’s by no means certain either. After all, last December there was an arson at a large church in Minnesota, and it was not the only one. Earlier in the month three churches in Delaware were burned down. In November some kids in Texas were convicted of burning down 10 churches. The number of church arsons was once so high in the U.S. that President Clinton created a task force on it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Arson
We learned a great deal about the variation in motives from that study. Sometimes the arsonist turned out to be a member of the congregation attending that place of worship. Other times it’s a lone wolf behaving on their own, a hate crime which, because of the “copycat” phenomenon, can nevertheless be very worrying. Kids in a gang trying to get money perpetrated an unusually large number of them. And some people just enjoyed creating chaos and watching things burn.
From a law enforcement perspective these individual criminal actions should be distinguished from organized criminal gangs conducting church bombings because they require different methods to combat them.
Once a murder or an arson happens you have to investigate it thoroughly before declaring you know the reasons. Actual reasons may turn out to be something completely unexpected.
Well, here is what we know: Craig Hicks constantly shared anti-Muslim and anti-Christian links on social media and proclaimed to believers, ““I have every right to insult a religion that goes out of its way to insult, to judge, and to condemn me as an inadequate human being — which your religion does with self-righteous gusto…” I think we may conclude that he didn’t like Muslims, and one of the victims told her father that before her death. While he may have been provoked to his rage by a parking incident and while he clearly is one egg short of an omelette, the “new atheist” discourse of believers as oppressive and coercive per se is part of his problem.
Every innocent life is honorable. QF could have hosted a march against innocent killings all around the world. From where I stand, it seems like double standards.
I can’t wait for the apocalypse and for the population to be thinned out a bit
We will never give in too extremism. We will keep tweeting and posting on DN and there is nothing you can do to stop us.
We must stand up for free speech for ours is the relgion of peace and tolerance unless you disagree with us and then we will use that free speech to shout you down and call you racists.
It’s ironic I posted this sarcastic message and then someone shouted racism!
Is there going to be a march for the Egyptian coptic Christians that ISIS just beheaded? Just curious.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/15/isis-post-video-allegedly-showing-mass-beheading-of-coptic-christian-hostages
A bit pointless taking down the offensive sign, Doha News, when you then depicted it so it could be clearly read. Nice one
It was not offensive. A confused marcher did not get the sarcasm and interpreted literally. It was taken down by the person holding the banner himself and not the organizers.
So, let me get this straight.
There has been mass killing of minorities in the Middle East with no march. 21 Coptic Egyptians just were brutally murdered. Will there be a march for them? I am still waiting to hear from the GCC a vehement condemnation for their deaths as they did for the 3 Muslims killed in the U.S.
Why don’t we march for the betterment and unity of all peoples instead of just Muslims in the U.S. and Europe?
There has been no march in the Middle East-including Qatar- speaking up for better rights for their minority groups, against extremism, etc.
When those three Muslim students were killed (which is sad), there was large demonstrations of outraged Muslims screaming that it was a hate crime towards Muslims…even though he hated all religions not just Muslims and was one nut-job.
But, no one has marched for the people killed in the Middle East because of extremist, their financing, etc.
It’s sad, hypocritical and self righteous. “We all have the right to live free from hate” look within first and then begin worrying about others.
There is a proverb “It is better to be blind (take out your eyes) than to have eyes and not see.”
This march was done, in my opinion, for political purpose. To point fingers at the U.S. but only small words for what happens within.
Of course not. The QF March is politically motivated trying to further a specific agenda. Highlighting attricitoies of those who commit in the name of Islam does not fit. Of course they say these are not Muslims. People do bad stuff in the name of Islam, not true Muslims. Those who do good stuff or suffer at the hand of non Muslims, true Muslims
If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck…..Racism is very much alive among some Western communities but with incidents like these it is immediately addressed. I hope their families eventually find peace.