: Without Muslims, Foiled Domestic Terror Plot Gets No Respect

What does a terrorist in the US have to do to get some media coverage in John Ashcroft’s America? You’d think that having a weapon of mass destruction (in this case, a socium cyanide bomb capable of killing thousands), 100 other bombs (including remote-detonating suitcase bombs), machine guns with 500,000 rounds of ammo, a detailed plan for using this arsenal, and even pleading guilty would get you noticed by the the Big Homeland Defender himself. But this is post 9/11 America, where even Muslims whom the Feds determine have nothing to do with terror are held in prison and smeared on the evening news. The case alluded to above involves white supremacists William J. Krar and his wife Judith L. Bruey, and the media silence surrounding their recent arrest in Texas has indeed been deafening. “Cases like this, of domestic terrorism, especially when they involve white supremacist and conservative Christian groups, don’t have any political value,” said University of Texas journalism professor Robert Jensen. “On the other hand, foreign terrorism and things connected to Arab, South Asian, and Muslim groups, well those have value because they can be used to whip up support for military interventions… I think the politics are very clear here.” The Krar investigation happened almost by accident when a box of counterfeit IDs showed up at the wrong address and the recipient notified authorities. Krar’s lawyer admits her client had the weapons but insists he never meant to hurt anyone. The arrest mirrors a similar one from last year when a Jewish extremist was caught red-handed with an arsenal and plans to attack local Muslim community centers and mosques. “The government has a severe case of tunnel vision when it comes to domestic terrorism,” says Daniel Levitas, author of a book on right-wing militias. “I have no doubt whatsoever that had Krar and his compatriots been Arab-Americans or linked to some violent Islamic fundamentalist group, we would have heard from John Ashcroft himself.”

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.