Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has made it clear, as our practice in the United States, when challenging white supremacists who have taken over “church” facilities, that we cannot stay silent when houses of worship espouse extremist anti-human rights views.

There are parts of the world where we see other extremists in other houses of worship. Those of us committed to our faiths of peace and our human rights have an obligation to challenge this as well.

However, there is also the idea of bullying a house of worship, and this is what appears in a recent New York Post article published on December 27, 2015.

The New York Post’s Paul Sperry wrote an article on the ongoing investigation into the San Bernardino terrorist attack on December 2.

In the New York Post (NYP) article, there are some questions raised that do need to be answered about inconsistencies on how involved Syed Farook was with members. But as R.E.A.L. has previously mentioned, the investigation is ongoing. It is R.E.A.L.’s expectation that over time other aspects of crime and the terrorists’ associates will come to light.

The NYP article alleges that Roshan Zamir Abbassi had 38 text messages with Syed Farook in June 2015, which Mr. Abbassi states had to do with a food bank. The article also indicates the mosque knew Syed Farook better than it told the public after the attacks (which really wouldn’t be surprising). However, the investigation into this must continue.

But the NYP article overreaches and makes a claim that is so outrageous that it would be wrong for someone not to refute it.

The article states that associate cleric Roshan Zamir Abbassi “recently posted a message on Facebook condemning the United States and other Western nations for their Mideast policies, arguing they are equally guilty of violence to achieve political and religious goals. His mosque’s Web page features a video claiming that the San Bernardino shooting was carried out by the US government in a “false flag conspiracy,” and that Farook and Malik were ‘patsies’ assassinated ‘by government-sponsored perpetrators.’ ”

I haven’t seen Roshan Zamir Abbassi’s Facebook page, but those types of comments, while they may anger many, are not unlike comments you might read in relativist media sources in the U.S. mainstream media, whose twisted sense of “reporting” rarely covers a crisis that they can’t find a way to blame on the United States of America.

But the NYP report of “mosque’s web page” with a video that the San Bernardino terrorist attack was a “false flag conspiracy” is really specific. So after researching this, here is what R.E.A.L. finds actually happened.

The San Bernarino mosque has a Facebook page, which they have decided to leave open for public comments, which is a questionable public relations move under the circumstance. So all sorts of members of the public make comments there, some supporting the mosque, some making anti-Muslim hate comments, etc.

Among the comments, one poster from Los Angeles made a comment that he thought the San Bernardino mosque was a “false flag” operation, along with a link to a unhinged video from someone who believes this. It was comment number 35 to one of the San Bernarino’s mosque’s Facebook post on December 3, 2015 calling for prayers for the victims of the attack. This is what the NYP and Paul Sperry does NOT tell you.

The mosque’s Facebook post actually stated “DAR-AL-ULOOM and the Muslim community of California is saddened and shocked by the recent shootings in San Bernardino, CA and prays for the victims and their family members. The center and its members offer their deepest condolences to those affected by this tragedy and we stand with our fellow Americans in this difficult time. Please pray for the families and victims of the shooting in San Bernardino.”

That’s the story you won’t read in the New York Post.

 

There were 35 people who commented on that Facebook post. The last one, on December 17, was from a Los Angeles man, “John Burns,” with no apparent link to the mosque, with a link to a YouTube “The San Bernardino Shooting False Flag (Mini Documentary) – CASE CLOSED!”.

But the New York Post has reported this as: ” His mosque’s Web page features a video claiming that the San Bernardino shooting was carried out by the US government in a ‘false flag conspiracy,’ and that Farook and Malik were ‘patsies’ assassinated ‘by government-sponsored perpetrators.”

That simply is factually inaccurate. Again, New York Post.

Once again, this case is still under investigation.  It is unknown what the investigation will find.  But to take such a nugget of information from someone else and mislead the public as to what it actually represented is irresponsible reporting of the worst kind.

This type of wild, exaggerated, and recklessly misleading on both sides of controversial topics from our news media does nothing to help “inform” the public. It makes our news media into political armies which do nothing but throw random propaganda out for either side of a debate. It is unhelpful for informing the public, for challenging issues, and having reasoned debates on important issues.

There is no doubt that the San Bernardino mosque should have deleted or blocked such comments on Facebook. But it has (unwisely in my opinion) allowed their Facebook site to be a source for random public comments. Many would argue this is poor judgment. Many would argue that the San Bernardino mosque would be best to find a way to delete such nonsense, and have better management of who in the random public can comment on their Facebook site.

But this is not the same as the claims by the recklessly inaccurate New York Post article.

We have enough problems in America and around the world, challenging extremist views, protecting human rights, and defending the human security and dignity of our fellow human beings. We don’t need to invent new efforts to empower anti-human rights demagogues.

Our news media, on every angle, could consider perhaps it would be easier to simply report the facts, and respect the people to make up their own minds.