Bob Collins
The “money quote” in the aftermath of Saturday’s bombing of an Islamic center in Bloomington came from Yasir Abdalrahman, who has been worshipping there for two years.
“We came to this country for the same reason everyone else came here — freedom to worship,” Abdalrahman said. “And that freedom is under threat. Every other American should be insulted by this.”
Every other American isn’t, despite the show of solidarity from the leaders of other religious sects in the area. That’s what makes them leaders.
But in many cases, the followers aren’t that good at following. If they were, they’d be a lot better at the “unto others” part of this life.
Who knows who planted the IED in an imam’s office? Maybe it was the person in the pickup truck seen leaving the parking lot at a high rate of speed. Maybe not.
But the anger directed to Muslim people at the mosque in Bloomington and elsewhere is undeniable. Even if this bombing turns out not to be a crime of hate, there have been plenty that have been and it’s going to take more than leading to stop the march toward sectarian violence. It’s going to take some following.
