Afghan Refugee Convicted in Murder of Muslim Man That Media and Biden Spun Into an 'Islamophobia' Crisis
The establishment media and liberal politicians could save themselves a truckload of embarrassment if they stopped jumping to accusations of racism for every crime committed against a minority.
For instance, in the summer of 2022, the Muslim community of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was terrorized by a series of ambush-style murders.
“The community is fearful for their safety, some even fleeing Albuquerque and the state to escape the uncertainty,” KRQE-TV reported at the time.
Three Muslim men ended up losing their lives: 41-year-old Aftab Hussein, who was shot to death on July 26, 2022; 27-year-old urban planner Muhammad Afzaal Hussein, who was killed while taking a walk on Aug. 1, 2022; and 25-year-old Naeem Hussain, who was killed four days later while waiting in his car at a refugee resettlement center, The Associated Press reported.
The establishment media ran with the narrative that these killings were prompted by racial or religious hatred, insinuating that a white anti-Muslim bigot likely was to blame.
PBS’s report on the murders in August 2022 emphasized the fear Muslim communities felt at the time, pointing to a poll conducted around the 20th anniversary of 9/11 that found 53 percent of Americans had “unfavorable” views toward Islam.
The Middle Eastern outlet Al-Jazeera likewise ran with a racialized slant, claiming Muslims in America face “racism, discrimination, and violence.” It quoted a social media post by Muslim community leader Debbie Almontaser: “The fact the suspect remains at large is terrifying. Who is next?!”
President Joe Biden even felt compelled to throw in his two cents, calling the killings “hateful.”
On the social media platform X, he expressed that he was “angered and saddened by the horrific killing of four Muslim men in Albuquerque. … These hateful attacks have no place in America.”
I am angered and saddened by the horrific killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque. While we await a full investigation, my prayers are with the victims’ families, and my Administration stands strongly with the Muslim community.
These hateful attacks have no place in America.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 7, 2022
The only problem with all this news coverage and fearmongering over “Islamophobia”?
Authorities believe the killings were committed by an Afghan refugee — and that has now been proved in court in one of the deaths.
On Monday, Muhammed Syed was found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Aftab Hussein, The Associated Press reported.
Syed is still awaiting trial in the other two 2022 murders. Police say he also is a suspect in the 2021 killing of another Muslim man, but he hasn’t been charged, according to the AP.
Verdict reached in first trial for man accused of killing 3 Muslim men in Albuquerque https://t.co/QAVD7W8Ozp
— KRQE News 13 (@krqe) March 18, 2024
His motive remains unknown.
“We were not able to uncover anything that we would indicate would be a motive that would explain this,” Deputy District Attorney David Waymire told reporters at the courthouse. “As best we can tell, this could be a case of a serial killer where there’s a motive known only to them and not something that we can really understand.”
Of course, don’t expect the establishment media or liberal politicians to backtrack from attributing every sort of crime against a minority to racism from those backward white people who refuse to vote Democrat.
If they were capable of self-reflection, they would take stories like this as a cautionary tale.
It’s a cautionary tale against the idea that every crime committed against a member of a minority group — whether racial, sexual or religious — is motivated solely by the animus of a member of the majority.
[firefly_poll]
There have been innumerable instances over the years of the media jumping to a racialized motive for a suspected criminal, only to have to sheepishly back off from that narrative when the criminal’s true identity comes out.
In contrast to the left’s current favorite ideology, not every crime is motivated by racism, “Islamophobia” or “transphobia.”
Sometimes, it’s just the work of a mentally disturbed individual who himself cannot explain his depravity.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
