PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND MAYOR ESTABLISHES MUSLIM-AMERICAN ADVISORY BOARD TO PROTECT MUSLIMS
BY ROBERT SPENCER
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Does Providence have a Christian-American Advisory Board? A Jewish-American Advisory Board? A Hindu-American Advisory Board? A Buddhist-American Advisory Board? Of course not. Defenders of the Muslim-American Advisory Board might respond that such boards aren’t needed, because Jews and Christians and Hindus and Buddhists aren’t facing “hate” the way Muslims are — except that isn’t true, as Jews are targeted in hate crimes twice more often than Muslims, and Christians are being viciously persecuted in many areas of the world — by Muslims.The real reason why a Muslim-American Advisory Board is being established in Providence is because some Muslims are jihad terrorists. The underlying assumption here is that if Muslims get special privileges and access, they might stop killing non-Muslims. The special accommodation is a direct reward for bad behavior — it’s the behavior of an abused spouse being extra nice to the abuser, hoping the abuse will stop. It won’t.“Providence mayor creates panel to protect Muslim Americans,” by Shaun Towne and Steph Machado, WPRI, November 22, 2016:__________________________________________________________________PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza has signed an executive order that he says is aimed at better protecting Muslim-American residents from discrimination.The order, signed by the mayor Tuesday, establishes a new Muslim-American Advisory Board. The five-member volunteer panel will advise Elorza on policies that affect Muslim Americans in an effort to reinforce the city’s founding principles of religious freedom, Elorza said.Elorza said the decision to establish the board came in response to Donald Trump’s election as president. During his campaign, the president-elect made mention of a ban on Muslim immigration and implementing a Muslim registry.Trump and his aides have since walked back some of those comments, now saying he is focused on stronger vetting for immigrants from terror-prone nations. He recently appointed a National Security Adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn from Rhode Island, who has made controversial remarks against Islam. Elorza said he wants to ensure that Muslim Americans in Providence will be protected, regardless of what happens on the federal level.“We’ve heard a lot, not only from the president-elect, but also from the folks that surround him, that really worry us and frankly, really frighten us,” the mayor said. “So that’s why it’s more important than ever that we come together at the local level.”Monsurat Ottun, a Muslim-American Pawtucket resident, said Trump’s comments have caused concern in the local community. “Everyone is afraid,” Ottun said, adding that women who wear a hijab, or head covering, are particularly concerned because they are easily identifiable as Muslim by their attire. “It’s unfortunate that I’ve lived in this country my entire life, and I’ve never felt afraid like I do now.”“I constantly have to watch my back everywhere I go,” she said.Imam Mufti Ikram from the Masjid Al-Islam mosque in North Smithfield said he feels reassured by the mayor’s executive order, and hopes it sets an example for other cities.“The cities across the nation are going to see a light, a hope for a community that is being bullied, that is being harassed by a lot of people,” Ikram said.Another Imam, Muyideen Ibiyemi of the Muslim Community Center of Rhode Island, said his daughter was afraid to wear her hijab to school after the election. But he said there has also been a glimmer of hope; someone dropped off an anonymous card at MCCRI that read, “we are with you.”Elorza’s order states that the panel was also created due to the “rash of hate crimes targeting minorities,” citing a statistic from the FBI that hate crimes against Muslims have increased nationwide by 67 percent since 2014….
Providence Mayor Establishes Muslim-American Advisory Board