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“A British man who flew to the US, acquired a gun and took hostages at a Texas synagogue had a criminal record and an extensive history of mental health issues… Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old from Blackburn, was killed after a tense 11-hour hostage standoff at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in the Dallas suburb of Colleyville on Saturday evening. All four hostages survived the siege and were unharmed…
“During the synagogue siege, Akram could be heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida, who was convicted in 2010 of trying to kill US military officers while in custody in Afghanistan. Siddiqui is in federal prison in Texas serving an 86-year sentence.” The Guardian
The right condemns antisemitism and criticizes the FBI.
“A Muslim terrorist took four men hostage in a synagogue during Shabbat services on Saturday morning, including the rabbi, and the FBI Special Agent in Charge’s first statement to the press absurdly said the suspect was ‘singularly focused on one issue’ which ‘was not specifically related to the Jewish community.’…
“Finally the FBI released an honest statement that said what everyone knew from the beginning. If the FBI isn’t willing to be honest in its language in such an obvious act of terrorism, especially given the dramatic increase in anti-Semitic attacks over the last few years, how can we trust them to investigate the crimes?”
Karen Townsend, Hot Air
“Akram’s presence in a Jewish house of worship on the Sabbath was no accident. One woman watching the stream of the service told the Washington Post that the hostage-taker admitted to choosing the synagogue because the United States ‘only cares about Jewish lives.’ Akram allegedly forced the rabbi of Beth Israel to call another rabbi in New York so she could exert influence to get Siddiqui released. The belief that Jews are members of a giant cabal that shares power over government is one of the most enduring and popular antisemitic tropes…
“Being vigilant is fine. In fact, it would serve the nation better if law enforcement, media, and politicians always took their time assessing these events before placing blame. This cautious approach, however, seems reserved for certain politically inconvenient crimes…
“Everyone knows well what will happen the next time a white male commits anything resembling a politically motivated act. The media still seem to think every conservative is somehow culpable for January 6, while liberals will never be asked to answer for the terrorist who attempted to massacre the entire Republican leadership on June 14, 2017, or for the widespread rioting of 2020.”
David Harsanyi, National Review
“American travelers put up with a vast amount of security theater: millions of man-hours lost each year to unpredictably long TSA lines; intrusive pat-downs; the whole take-off-your-shoes-and-belt rigamarole. Yet the vast security apparatus can’t screen out a mentally ill Muslim extremist? One who, the Telegraph reports, had been banned from a UK court after ranting about 9/11? The feds have got some explaining to do.”
Editorial Board, New York Post
The left condemns antisemitism and those who spread conspiracy theories about Jews.
The left condemns antisemitism and those who spread conspiracy theories about Jews.
“Modern antisemitism is a varied phenomenon. But all its forms are premised on the fear and hatred of outsiders. Islamist radicals, white supremacists and leftist activists seek to overcome the dangers of a foreign faith, held by a foreign people, possessed by a foreign agenda…
“Any adequate response to antisemitism begins with the concerted response of a wounded community. This involves condemnation of antisemitism by social and religious leaders, and immediate comfort for its victims. Here Colleyville has made a start. The public cooperation and shared prayers of Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and evangelical religious figures can have an influence beyond anything they expect or intend. It is more powerful to demonstrate social healing than to call for it.”
Michael Gerson, Washington Post
“Crackpot theories about Jews abound in the Muslim world and in the darker corners of the non-Muslim world as well. ‘We blame the Jews for everything,’ an Egyptian journalist once told me. ‘It’s like a joke.’ Antisemitic rants can seem like a joke. Who can take seriously Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s tweet about Jewish space lasers causing California wildfires, or a Utah tech CEO’s email that Jews developed the COVID-19 vaccines to kill billions of people? But when synagogues are attacked, it’s clear these ‘jokes’ aren’t funny…
“When an FBI spokesman said after the hostage-taking in Texas that the standoff was ‘not specifically related to Jewish community’ — a statement that made headlines and deeply upset many Jews — it was both right and wrong. The Jews have nothing to do with Siddiqui, but in minds twisted by antisemitic hate, they have everything to do with her.”
Rob Eshman, Los Angeles Times
“At airports, stadiums, even schools, safety and security procedures are put in place to protect the essence of the institution itself: travel, recreation, education. We may not like the fortress aesthetic, but we’ve come to accept it. But what if the essence of a place is that it is defenseless? What if its ability to welcome others, to be hospitable to strangers, is its identity?…
“All around the country, synagogues are no doubt convening their security committees, wondering what more they can do to defend their members without losing their essential vulnerability. A synagogue is not like an airport or a stadium. When it becomes a fortress, something immeasurable is lost.”
Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic
