The news that two men attempting to attack a “Draw Muhammad” competition near Dallas sponsored by Pamela Geller’s “American Freedom Defense Initiative” were killed by police before they could commit a massacre provokes two main reactions by me:
· Relief that the attackers were stopped before they could do something truly awful at an event where people were exercising their right to free expression.
· Contempt for Geller’s continuing efforts to portray virtually every American Muslim as a threat and to make Muslims in this country feel unwelcome and excluded from the mainstream. She will be pleased to feed off this event for years to come.
Geller has described the contest as a response to the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Of course anyone paying the least bit of attention understands the difference between what Geller stands for and what Charlie Hebdo stands for. In fact I can imagine Charlie Hebdo mocking Geller as mercilessly as it mocks religious fanatics.
