Terrorists Gas American Children

Miriam Axel-Lute — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:15:00 GMT

The room contained babies and children who were being cared for while their parents prayed. Someone opened the window and sprayed a "chemical irritant" through it. In the words of someone who was there: "Panicked mothers ran for their babies, crying for their children so they could flee from the gas that was burning their eyes and throats and lungs . . . . [One mother] tells me that her daughters slept with her last night, the little one in her arms and sobbing throughout the night." One ten-year-old girl was sprayed directly in the face by a man outside the basement window.

Just the latest from Iraq? No, this happened last weekend, in Dayton, Ohio.

These children, many of whom were refugees from Iraq, were attacked at the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton while their parents said their Ramandan prayers. Some told their friends that they wanted to go back to Syria where they felt safer. How sick is that? Why is this not a huge national story? Bigger, say, than Janet Jackson going to the hospital? I realize the economy's in the shitter, folks, but come on. This is innocent kids attacked.

Note to Dayton Daily News: "Chemical Irritant Empties Mosque" makes it sound like it just happened to leak out of a water pipe. Way to avoid giving anyone responsibility. You may not know who it was, but no one's arguing that it wasn't human-caused. The girl saw men with spray cans. But of course, the Dayton police say that they don't think it's a hate crime because the men didn't say or write anything anti Muslim. It's possible. All sorts of coincidences are possible, but it's a bit hard for me to believe this was just random. It's not like they hit every building on the block or anything.

DailyKos finds it too much of a coincidence to be ignored that this happened just after a massive distribution throughout Ohio of a fear-mongering anti-Muslim DVD called Obsession by the Clarion Fund, probably as part of covert scare-tactic campaigning for John McCain. They are called on McCain to publicly censure Clarion for distributing the inflammatory, misleading disc. That'd be an obvious right thing to do, but I ain't holding my breath for it from someone who can't even look Obama in the eye. Perhaps it'll at least continue to expose him for the snake he is.

But really, I wouldn't want this attack to become all about the DVD. I think that's a slimy campaign move, but we do have freedom of speech here. No propaganda excuses or should eclipse such a violent act. It should be called for what it is and investigated with as much vigor as if it had happened to a government building in DC (or, say, to a Christian church). And there should be a massive public outpouring of support for the victims to show them this does not represent all Americans. (I haven't found any information about how/where to send such support, but I'll post if I do. Add to the comments if you know of any such effort.)

Photo by Leonardo Cassarani.

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