Thursday, January 12, 2006

Six Suspects Arrested In Last October's Mini-Jihad In Oakland

Last November I posted on the attack on stores selling liquor in Oakland. The stores were vandalized by African-American men nattily dressed in suites, white shirts and bow-ties. The incidents were graphically captured on security cameras.

The men's attire led me to conclude that they were members of the Nation of Islam or, at the least, considered themselves to be "Black Muslims" of some flavor or variety.

It turns out that this was the case. Six of the men have now been arrested. A recent news story from Oakland states that at least one of them is a "Black Muslim." No mention is made, however, of the Nation of Islam. Take a guess as to whether the other five men were "Black Muslims." I am still left to wonder whether they are also members of the Nation of Islam and, if so, did they act on their own? (highly unlikely) or ordered to do this by someone "higher up?" (highly likely).

In any case, they were wearing the "uniform" of members of the Nation of Islam. I suspect that the Oakland prosecutor will not want to get entangled in a criminal case that could implicate Nation of Islam leaders. I have little doubt that the case will be based on these men acting on their own as individuals and not as representatives of any group larger than themselves.

The news story linked above turns the issue into one over the issue of the selling of alcohol...how much, if any at all, is enough. There also appears to be conflict between Black Muslims and Middle Eastern Muslims (the latter are the owners of the stores that were attacked).

Ah, me. I do hope that the law, whatever it may be in Oakland, is equally applied and fairly prosecuted against all people whether they are Black, White, Muslim, Christian, big-shot or whatever else one might come up with.

Regardless of whether their motive was "pure" and "well-intentioned" or not, these men broke the law and destroyed property not belonging to them.

I hope they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I hope that, if others are implicated, they will be also.

But I'll believe it when I see it.