Islamophobia Being Deployed Again In Another Pearland Political Race

Did the conservative white males in Pearland not get the message that Islamophobia is not okay at any time, especially when deployed during a campaign?

Islamophobic comments made by the incumbent aimed at Dalia Kasseb probably played a role in Mike Floyd comfortably winning his Pearland ISD school race, and now we may have a replay happening in the runup to the June 10 Pearland mayoral and city council runoffs.

30 year old pharmacist Dalia Kasseb is making a historic run for a Pearland City Council seat as the first Muslim ever to run for office in Brazoria County.  On May 6 topped a crowded field of candidates in the Position 7 council race to capture 41% of the vote to Owens 21%

She noted in a Houston Chronicle story that when they have met in person, he seemed cordial, but Owens' has been sharing anti- Muslim message and comments on his Facebook page,.

"Our few meetings have been very pleasant,"Kasseb said.  "But for him to be sharing that stuff on Facebook shows what he really believes."


The controversy also has had an indirect impact on the Pearland mayor's race.  Longtime Pearland Mayor Tom Reid is being challenged by 36 year old Quentin Wiltz,  The 91 year old Reid has held the mayor's chair for a combined 34 years (1978-90, 1995-present), and publicly endorsed Owens on who served four terms on Pearland's city council, back on April 6.

But Reid has been silent since the story broke about the Islamophobic comments that Owens has been sharing on his Facebook page since February 2015.   If Reid doesn't share those opinions, then he may want to open his mouth and say so before June 10 because early voting for the mayoral runoff election begins on May 30, and Wiltz garnered 45% of the vote back on May 6.

Pearland is a fast growing southern suburb of Houston that has grown from a small town of less than 5,000 residents in the 1960's to over 130,000 people, and its population has tripled and gotten more diverse since 2000.  It is currently 47% Anglo, 25% Latinx, 17% African American and 9% Asian .

But it seems as though some peeps either aren't aware of that or are being willfully ignorant about that fact, and the clock is ticking toward the June 10 conclusion of this runoff campaign.

Lowe's Caves To Islamophobia

Y'all know I don't really care too much about reality TV shows, but in light of what is going on with the TLC Network's All-American Muslim show and right wing Islamophobes pressuring companies to remove their advertising from it, may just have to start watching this one in protest.

The show premiered last month and focuses on the lives of five Muslim-American families in Dearborn, MI.   The Detroit suburb has the largest Muslim population in the United Stares and boasts the country's largest mosque. 

But a Tampa based group of Islamophobes called the Florida Family Association has been hatin' on the show and pimping a boycott of it.    The FFA claims that it has gotten 65 of the 67 companies they targeted with  boycott letters to comply with their wishes.

One of those companies is the giant North Carolina based home improvement megastore Lowe's, which acknowledged they pulled their advertising from the show.  

While they received praise from conservafools and the FFA about their decision it is getting increasing backlash from fair minded Americans.

"Hate groups are entitled to their bigotry — that is the beauty of America, people have the right to their own opinions," Said Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "However, when a large corporation takes their side or caves in to the requests of hate groups, that is of concern."

Rep Keith Ellison, (D-MN) the only Muslim in the US congress issued a statement that Lowe's had "chosen to uphold the beliefs of a fringe hate group" and given in to intolerance.

"Corporate America needs to take a stand against these anti-Muslim fringe groups and stand up for what is right because this is what it means to be an American," said Rep. Ellison.
Lowe's spokeswoman Karen Cobb said the company had a "long-standing commitment" to diversity and pulled the ads only after the show became "a lightning rod for people to voice complaints from a variety of perspectives."

Yeah, right Lowe's  You caved to bigots...

Conservafools: If You Really 'Support Our Troops', Stop Hatin' On Islam

One of the things I'm concerned about is the anti Islam attitudes that have been stoked by conservafools around the country for political purposes.

Of course the neo-Know Nothing conservasheeple have responded by using the zoning hearing process in California, Kentucky and Tennessee to deny their ability to be built, attacking or picketing mosque construction sites, and other disturbing nationwide incidents.

In other New York incidents 21 year old Michael Enright was arraigned on hate crimes charges for slashing cab driver Ahmed H. Sharif August 24 after asking him if he was a Muslim. Another is in jail after barging into a local mosque, shouting anti-Islamic slogans, and urinating on prayer rugs.

Another pipe bomb was detonated outside a mosque in Jacksonville, FL a few months ago.

There's also some fools in a conservachurch in Florida who are planning a 'Burn a Quran Day' on September 11, which they are trying to turn into the conservafool national holiday after Ronald Reagan's birthday.

What the conservafools fail to realize is that the Internet runs both ways and this 'hate on Islam' rhetoric isn't occurring in a vacuum. Devout Muslims around the world have computers too and surf the web. They read what our right wing fools do get rightfully pissed off and want to strike back at Americans.

And who are the Americans the adherents of Islam have the easiest access to attack? Our troops on the ground in Afghanistan and military personnel around the world.

That concerns me since I and other people have family members currently in the military. Those deployed in Afghanistan have a rough enough time there without you right wing idiots inciting and antagonizing the 1 billion people who are Muslims.

Religious freedom cuts both ways. Muslims here in the States have every right under the First Amendment to practice their faith without interference from you Islamophobic fools.

If you claim to support the troops, you'll chill with the Islamophobic rhetoric.

'Religious Freedom' Cuts Both Ways

"It is my hope that the mosque will help to bring our city even closer together, and help repudiate the false and repugnant idea that the attacks of 9/11 were in any way consistent with Islam. "Muslims are as much a part of our city and our country as the people of any faith - and they are as welcome to worship in lower Manhattan as any other group." NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

For all the screaming the conservafools are doing about the so called Ground Zero Mosque which is actually two blocks away from the WTC site, what isn't being said or mentioned by all the haters is there are strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses in the same two block zone near the World Trade Center site.

Interestingly enough, right across the street from the WTC on Warren Street sits the Masjid Muhammad, a mosque that has been at that spot since 1970 and gets 1000 worshipers for Friday prayers?

The bottom line is that the Constitution's First Amendment is clear on this point.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

'Religious freedom' is not a free pass or shield for conservafools to hate on people or groups they don't like. It means exactly what it says as a constitutional value that you can't prevent the free exercise of religion.

So when the haters show the same zeal in eradicating sexually oriented businesses like the New York Dolls strip club from the area, then and only then will I consider their arguments against the mosque and cultural center as anything other than political posturing and Islamophobia.

TransGriot Update: Keith Olbermann had a special comment on his show about this issue as well.