In my post of January 24, 2011, Silence Will Not Do: An Open Letter to Muslim America, I expressed a disquiet over the silence of Muslim Americans in light of the violent rhetoric and actions expressed and performed in the name of Islam. Some dismissed my comments as Islamophobia, racism, etc.

I stand by my question and assertions.

Consider this:

On August 30, 15 were arrested at an amusement park in New Jersey after authorities were called in to quiet a riot that developed when Muslims were forbidden to wear their traditional head-scarfs on a ride. The ride explicitly disallowed all head-gear for safety reasons, and the Muslim park-goers were made aware of this fact in advance.

The protestors insisted their religious beliefs trumped safety rules with which the rest of the park’s non-Muslim customers had to adhere. The park employees were a bit stunned and it’s obvious from their statements that safety, not religion, was the only issue.

So, what was the reaction to Playland by Muslim Leaders? Surely, they would admonish the rioters and counsel them to respect our laws and regulations; especially when the issue concerns their safety?

Not quite:

“In this heightened state of Islamaphobia, a woman wearing a hajib is an easy target these days,” said Zead Ramadan, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations - New York. “Unfortunately, this turned ugly due to a lot of miscommunication.”

I searched the web for more reasoned Muslim responses but only found quote after quote basically saying “This only happened to us because we are Muslim”. If you find a responsible Muslim organization or leadership faulting the muslim park-goers for unruly and unreasonable behavior please send the link. I’m tired of searching.

So, again, nothing but silence from the Muslim community to what is an obvious refusal to assimilate into the most minor elements of American Society.

Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far, away (Canada), we have this:

To put all of this in perspective: we had a very minor incident over a foolish protest by a group of youths. I’ve seen American Youth act much more poorly. I’m not bothered by the park-goers. I am, however, bothered that none of the Muslim adults have stepped up to administer a public spanking.

I’ll say it again: Silence will not do…