Manager of Oklahoma gun store and range declares it ‘Muslim-free’ zone http://t.co/Z2y9WqqAY7 pic.twitter.com/8qfBCWxpQh
— Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) August 13, 2015An Oklahoma gun range has ignited outrage for a sign that states the business is “Muslim free” posted in the window, which the owner said Thursday was in response to the July 16 shootings at two military bases in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The alleged gunman, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, shot and killed six people, including himself, and was believed to be Muslim. Chad Neal, who is one of the owners of the Save Yourself Survival and Tactical Gear store, told the Tulsa World site that he consulted cases of other businesses in the country that displayed similar signs before posting an announcement that reads in capital letters, “This privately owned business is a Muslim free establishment, we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.”
The beautiful thing about the 1st Amendment is the free expression it allows. That free expression can be reasoned, rational, and worthy of consideration…which is frankly kinda boring.
Then there’s Chad Neal, for whom that free expression represents a golden opportunity to demonstrate his unvarnished bigotry and intolerance. The idea of declaring one’s business to be “Muslim-free” is as racist and discriminatory as it is mind-numbingly ignorant…and a textbook case of poor public relations. You may hate Muslims Just. That. Much. Why advertise your arrogance and ignorance, thus provoking the awesome knee-jerk judgmental power of the Internet? Neal’s stupidity lies not so much in declaring his business to be “Muslim-free”- though that’s hardly laudable- but in advertising it and leaving himself open to a reaction that he can’t hope to control and very well may overwhelm him and his business.
Gentlemen, start your bigotry!!
The flip side of this example is the old “cockroaches scatter when you turn on the light” argument. If Neal is going to display such epic arrogance, ignorance, and religious bigotry, perhaps holding it up to the light will set off the Internet to (over)react in ways no one could imagine. Personally, while I’m no fan of the swift and terrifying vigilante justice that is the Internet in full righteous fury, Neal’s epic hypocrisy deserves to be held up to public scrutiny.
Neal’s designation of his business as “Muslim-free” in response to the July 16th shootings in Chattanooga might seem reasonable and appropriate to him. A more rational person might wonder why he’s chosen to give a free pass to the far more numerous shootings conducted by Christians. This is a question Neal really should be willing to answer if he’s to have any hope of being taken seriously. How is a shooting perpetrated by a Christian less heinous than one committed by a Muslim? How does religious affiliation have ANYTHING to do with this? If you hate Muslims, be man enough to own it. Hiding behind righteous sectarian outrage only reveals you to be a hypocrite of the first order.
Cowards seldom possess the wherewithal to be forthright about their motives. They lack the intellectual and moral honesty to recognize and admit their irrational hypocrisy and bigotry. This would clearly explain Chad Neal.
I hope he enjoys his 15 minutes.
