Anti-Muslim Racism: No Big Deal?

A few posts back I reported that Islamophobia had reach such a point in America that a church under construction had to hang a banner informing passer-byers that it was not a mosque. A mosque being built in Tennessee was the victim of arson and apparently this church feared that people would mistake its doom structure for a mosque and suffer the same fate.

Well, at least that was a defensive act. An electronics store in Alabama recently boosted its anti-Muslim animus. Mind you it is more than just disliking Islam. One may mock Mormon doctrine or think Scientology is an insane cult but that most worshipers are decent people. But the anti-Islam hatred is a hatred of Muslims for being Muslims.

alg billboard PDFtg 19672

The electronics store put up a sign that joked it was a "BBQ PORK RESTURANT". The idiots bigots do not even now how to spell! And because it was a pork "resturant" it "IS SAFEST" because Muslims would not frequent such a pork-serving place: "NO MUSLIMS INSIDE".

When confronted with such a vile imagine of prejudice and in the Deep South, no less, where not long ago such signs barring "colored folk" stung blacks; the owner simply responded that he did not understand what the big deal was. Why would he?

In the past the owner also caught heat for a sexist sign, "A dog is wiser than a woman - it does not bark at its master." Feminist groups protested and he had to take it down and put up a sign offering a help number for victims of domestic violence. He says he changes his signs every week, but he has yet to take down the anti-Muslim sign. It remains to be seen if he'll also have to apologize to Muslims and put up something as recompense.

The revival of Jim Crow racism is not surprising considering the vast right-wing machine busy demonizing Muslims.