Wheat and Chaff

Look at this story about an attack against a woman because some teenagers thought she was Jewish.

Now look at this attempt at moral equivalency:

The Interior Ministry said the woman was not Jewish, and police said she no longer lives in Paris' 16th district. That the attackers mistook their victim's identity did nothing to soften the horror in France, where assaults both Jews and Muslims have escalated over the past several years.

So see, there's no anti-semitic problem per se, just really your typical interfaith antagonism. Everybody just needs to get along. Attacks against both Jews and Muslims are occurring, so we don't need to worry about anti-semitism in particular.

Then look at this:

The Interior Ministry said Friday it had recorded 135 anti-Jewish acts in the first six months of this year, as well as 375 threats. The figure was nearly as high as the numbers from all of last year, when a total of 593 anti-Jewish acts or threats were registered.

Racist attacks, often against Muslims, also rose. There were 95 attacks and 161 threats through June, compared to a total of 232 such crimes reported last year.

So anti-Jewish attacks are in a different category than racist attacks in general? Further, 135 anti-Jewish attacks are supposed to be somehow equated with 95 attacks against all other racial groups combined?

Europe, and France in particular, has a pretty major anti-Semitic problem brewing, and you'd think with their history, they'd be a little more concerned about it. They sure don't seem to be. They'll express horror at this attack, but they won't actually name the enemy what it is, and they won't actually do anything about it.

I found out from another site that the attackers were of North African origin. If they were of North African origin and hated Jews, would it be reasonable to suspect they were Muslim?

Yet the AP identifies the suspected race of the victim, and mentions Muslims when it wants to point out that they are the victims of attacks too, but won't identify these attackers as Muslims or even "of North African origin." If they'd been whites attacking Muslims, do you suppose there would have been any hesitation?

Apparently the AP cares as little about the French Jew hating problem as they do about reporting the real story.

The AP article also is sure to point out that both Jewish and Muslim leaders condemned the attack. The Jewish leader is quoted. Then later in the article, here's the Muslim leader:

The president of the umbrella group the French Council for the Muslim Faith, Dalil Boubakeur, called the attack "sickening" and "low-grade banditry." But he warned against blaming Muslims.

Why should we not blame Muslims, if it was Muslims that did the attacking? Who do you think perpetrated the attacks? Do the Zoroastrians hate the Jews? Was it the many North African Catholics who have immigrated to France, you suppose, that drew a swastika on her stomach? Are the Buddhists calling the Jews 'pigs and dogs'? I know the Muslims aren't the only group who have treated the Jews very poorly, but they're pretty much the only ones from North Africa, living in France, doing it now.

I would be a lot more willing to believe that moderate Muslims were a significant factor in Europe if we'd hear a few more denunciations of these kinds of things, without all the weasel caveats. Will this organization start expelling all the imams in France who call for the destruction of Israel every Friday?

I suppose I might as well wait for the AP to start reporting fairly.