04-04-2018, 10:02 AM
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/12/trumps_story_on_jc_celebrations_is_finally_put_to.html
The Star-Ledger's story Monday offering credible evidence that some Muslims in Jersey City celebrated after September 11 will no doubt be used by Donald Trump and his supporters to justify the ugly lies he has been telling.
So let's start there: This was the most thorough examination of his claims yet, and it proves beyond doubt that Trump was way off base when he claimed that he saw "thousands and thousands" of Muslims joining celebrations.
Remember: The reason Trump's comments are so offensive is that he is suggesting sympathy for terrorism is broadly shared among Muslims in America when in fact it is a fringe sentiment. It is the moral equivalent of smearing all white Americans for the actions of violent white supremacists.
The most convincing testimony comes from a retired police captain, Peter Gallagher, who said he cleared a rooftop celebration of 20-30 people - men, women and children - and that some of them were dancing. In a second incident, two residents said they saw people celebrating on John F. Kennedy Blvd. near the mosque where Abdel-Rahman had preached. Finally, a retired officer says that several people called police that day to complain about a celebration on the roof of a building on JFK Blvd.
The testimony is credible, but not definitive. As noted by John Farmer, New Jersey's attorney general at the time of the attacks, eyewitness testimony without documentary backup is notoriously unreliable. That is especially true with cross-racial testimonies, as any Sikh who has been attacked as a Muslim can testify.
Farmer sent investigators to check reports of celebrations, and found none. But he concedes that it is possible.
The Star-Ledger's story Monday offering credible evidence that some Muslims in Jersey City celebrated after September 11 will no doubt be used by Donald Trump and his supporters to justify the ugly lies he has been telling.
So let's start there: This was the most thorough examination of his claims yet, and it proves beyond doubt that Trump was way off base when he claimed that he saw "thousands and thousands" of Muslims joining celebrations.
Remember: The reason Trump's comments are so offensive is that he is suggesting sympathy for terrorism is broadly shared among Muslims in America when in fact it is a fringe sentiment. It is the moral equivalent of smearing all white Americans for the actions of violent white supremacists.
The most convincing testimony comes from a retired police captain, Peter Gallagher, who said he cleared a rooftop celebration of 20-30 people - men, women and children - and that some of them were dancing. In a second incident, two residents said they saw people celebrating on John F. Kennedy Blvd. near the mosque where Abdel-Rahman had preached. Finally, a retired officer says that several people called police that day to complain about a celebration on the roof of a building on JFK Blvd.
The testimony is credible, but not definitive. As noted by John Farmer, New Jersey's attorney general at the time of the attacks, eyewitness testimony without documentary backup is notoriously unreliable. That is especially true with cross-racial testimonies, as any Sikh who has been attacked as a Muslim can testify.
Farmer sent investigators to check reports of celebrations, and found none. But he concedes that it is possible.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
