Woke New Yorkers can't decide whether New York City is Islamophobic or not.
Eight people were killed and almost a dozen injured on Tuesday when, according to authorities, 29-year-old Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov plowed into bicyclists using a rented pickup truck in Manhattan, New York City.
Saipov immigrated from Uzbekistan and came to the United States in 2010, according to law enforcement officials. A note was left in the truck that expressed support for the terror group ISIS, and the incident is being investigated as an act of terror, NBC News reports.
Some woke New Yorkers warned people not to bring Islamophobia to New York City because New Yorkers are tolerant of people of Muslim faith.
Keep the Muslim fear-mongering to yourself, bigots. New Yorkers don't fuck with that.
— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) October 31, 2017
https://twitter.com/JessicaValenti/status/925512906569117698
MSNBC host Joy Reid said New Yorkers don't have a hysterical fear of Muslims.
https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/925478356992307200
But not every woke New Yorker agreed that New York City is the bastion of progressive values.
https://twitter.com/KTHeaney/status/925482092913446913
I want to write a piece on all the times Muslims had to experience institutional Islamophobia in NYC so that white feminists won't forget https://t.co/HC6gDyQW9r
— Sarah Suzuki (@amyharvard_) November 1, 2017
Let’s be supportive of the city but let’s not pretend powerful Islamophobia hasn’t been a stain on the history of the city since God knows
— Craig Bro Dude (@CraigSJ) October 31, 2017
NYPD's surveillance of Muslim communities and NYC's acceptance of that shouldn't be swept under the rug. Our city loves to tote its liberal accolades but we're complicit in systemic islamophobia too 🙁
— Sophie Ellman-Golan (@EgSophie) November 1, 2017
I have been a NYer for 15yrs. NYC is not immune from racism or Islamophobia. I have been arrested protesting them. #NYC
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) November 1, 2017
My point, though, was that "New Yorkers don't play with Islamophobia" is probably not the experience of most Muslims in this city.
— Goy Division/Jew Order (@ben_geier) November 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/EoinHiggins_/status/925544971150807040
Pro-Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour worried about the criminalization of the phrase "Allahu Akbar," which the attacker is reported to have said during the attack.
Every believing Muslim says Allahu Akbar every day during prayers. We cannot criminalize "God is great." Prosecute the criminal not a faith.
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) October 31, 2017
CNN received backlash for framing the attacker's words to avoid using the phrase "Allahu Akbar." Instead of using the exact phrase, CNN said "'God is great' in Arabic" in their chyron. One CNN reporter also declined to share a physical description of the suspected attacker.