Attacks against U.S. mosques increasing

Graffiti mars a Shiite mosque in Dearborn, Michigan.

CNN has compiled an interesting list that has some scary implications. 

From graffiti to bacon seared on doorknobs to arson, terrorists have targeted mosques in the United States at an unprecedented rate, according to the news network.

Since Donald Trump assumed office of the Chief Executive, there have been 63 reported anti-Muslim incidents occurring at mosques in the United States. With his rhetoric and policies, some of Trump's supporters think that it is open season on the people who practice Islam.

That averages nine attacks a month. 

During the same time period in 2016, the Council on American-Islamic Relations counted 46 incidents.

What it all means, I'll leave it up to you, dear reader. Below is a list of cities in their respective states where mosques have been targeted.

Alabama:

• Huntsville
• Hoover
• Arizona:
• Tucson

California:

• Davis
• Roseville
• Sacramento

Colorado:

• Boulder
• Denver
• Fort Collins

Florida:

• Miami
• New Tampa
• Port St. Lucie
• Tampa

Georgia:

• Atlanta
• Augusta

Hawaii:

• Honolulu

Illinois:

• Des Plaines
• Peoria

Iowa:

• Des Moines

Kentucky:

• Lexington

Louisiana:

• Bossier City

Maine:

• Portland

Maryland:

• Gaithersburg
• Silver Spring

Michigan:

• Kentwood
• Ypsilanti

Mississippi:

• Hattiesburg

Montana:

• Bozeman

New Jersey:

• Bayonne
• Jersey City

New York:

• Brooklyn
• Bronx
• Long Island
• Manhattan
• Queens

Ohio:

• Cincinnati
• Columbus
• West Chester Township

Oregon:

• Eugene

Pennsylvania:

• South Whitehall Township
• Tennessee:
• Murfreesboro

Texas:

• Richardson
• Victoria

Virginia:

• Brentsville
• Falls Church

Washington:

• Bellevue

West Virginia:

• Princeton

On average, 9 mosques have been targeted every month this year

By Nancy Coleman, CNN

Updated 3:38 PM ET, Mon August 7, 2017















Since the original post, this map has been updated to reflect additional attacks.



A mosque in Ypsilanti, Michigan, is burned to the ground. Yet another -- in Tucson, Arizona -- is broken into and its copies of the Quran ripped up. And just this weekend in Bloomington, Minnesota, a homemade explosive device detonated at an Islamic center around the time of morning prayers.
We mapped 63 publicly reported incidents from January to July 2017, where mosques were targets of threats, vandalism or arson. On average, that comes down to nine every month and at least two a week.
The incidents, tallied in a preliminary list of publicly reported occurrences by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, span 26 states from Florida to Hawaii. During the same time period in 2016, CAIR counted 46 incidents.
Below is a list of all the cities where mosques have been targeted. In some cases, there was more than one incident in a particular city:
Alabama:
Huntsville
Hoover
Arizona:
Tucson
California:
Davis
Roseville
Sacramento
Colorado:
Boulder
Denver
Fort Collins
Florida:
Miami
New Tampa
Port St. Lucie
Tampa
Georgia:
Atlanta
Augusta
Hawaii:
Honolulu
Illinois:
Des Plaines
Peoria
Iowa:
Des Moines
Kentucky:
Lexington
Louisiana:
Bossier City
Maine:
Portland
Maryland:
Gaithersburg
Silver Spring
Michigan:
Kentwood
Ypsilanti
Mississippi:
Hattiesburg
Montana:
Bozeman
New Jersey:
Bayonne
Jersey City
New York:
Brooklyn
Bronx
Long Island
Manhattan
Queens
Ohio:
Cincinnati
Columbus
West Chester Township
Oregon:
Eugene
Pennsylvania:
South Whitehall Township
Tennessee:
Murfreesboro
Texas:
Richardson
Victoria
Virginia:
Brentsville
Falls Church
Washington:
Bellevue
West Virginia:
Princeton

TGIF FEATURE: United Shades of America visits Chinatown, July 2

CNN

W. Kamau Bell talks about the touchy subject of race.

W. KAMAU BELL is a big, black man, anathema to many non-blacks, but he is so easy-going and disarming he can get the racist Richard Spencer and the KKK to open up to him.

The comedian is also host to one of the best shows that nobody has heard of, The United Shades of America. The double-entendre of the title should tell you a lot about the show.

In the finale episode of his second season, airing July 2, Sunday on CNN, 10 p.m. EDT, he ventures into San Francisco's Chinatown to get the Asian perspective on the underlying theme throughout every episode - racism.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier versions of this post had an incorrect date of the Chinatown episode. July 2 is the correct date.

In his show, at least, he's talking about a topic that is so hot-button, many networks won't touch. People shy away from the subject when the topic comes up. It's just too uncomfortable for them. Well, then, what about us people who deal with it everyday?

The controversial topic of race is handled deftly by Bell. With his dry sense of humor, the Bay Area resident, often finds himself and his subjects laughing together - not AT each other. He is not mean or demeaning.

One topic he touches on that is not often talked about outside of the Asian American community is the spill-over effect Donald Trump's China-bashing and demonizing of Chinese might have on the Chinese/American and overall Asian/American communities. 

To most of America, there is no distinction between China and the Chinese/Americans. We don't have to go back too far in American history to a period of the Yellow Peril and the racist sentiments that rose up against the different waves of Asian immigrants - The Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and now, South Asians and Muslim/Americans.

If you miss his shows on CNN, you can always catch up on HULU or the United Shades of America website. His earlier episodes this season included "Immigrants & Refugees" "Native Americans," "What I Learned Talking to Muslims," and "Treatment of Native Americans."

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Van Jones said it best: ‘This Is a White-Lash’ and ‘Nightmare’

AS THE votes are still being counted, it appears that while Donald Trump won the Electoral College, Hillary Clinton had more people vote for her.

Trump must realize that his victory was not a mandate. He eked out a win in a contest that unveiled the deep, deep cultural and racial divide that characterizes our country today.

As a person of color, I fear for the immigrant families who may have undocumented members. 

I fear for the millions of people who subscribed to the Affordable Care Act so that they can have health insurance. 

I fear for the victims of bullies who might feel vindicated with having a role model in the White House. 

I fear for all of us POC who will have to contend with the white supremacists, white nationalists, KKK, anti-government militias who came out of the woodwork to vote for their candidate and may feel emboldened to spread their hate-filled ideology to a new generation of bigots.

CNN commentator Van Jones gave an impassioned response last night to the stunning results of the Nov. 8 presidential race.

“People are talking about a miracle,” Jones said. “I’m hearing about a nightmare.

“It’s hard to be a parent tonight for a lot of us. You tell your kids, ‘Don’t be a bully.’

You tell your kids, ‘Don’t be a bigot.’ You tell your kids, ‘Do your homework and be prepared.’

“And then you have this outcome of people putting children to bed tonight and they’re afraid of breakfast. ... "How do I explain this to my children?’"

I don't care if you are Asian/American, Latino, Native American or African/American. It is not a good time to be a minority in America.

If you think that I'm overreacting to  the continuation of the white-lash, watch this video below taped by Skye Lev, who posted it on Facebook. More instances like this are sure to become more commonplace. WARNING: Some of the language is very offensive.

And ... this is the beginning.

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