Punish A Muslim Day - Hello Raheem Kassam

As the BBC has reported, “A man accused of sending letters promoting ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ has been charged with soliciting to murder, counter-terror police have said. Anonymous notes calling for a coordinated attack on Muslims were sent to addresses across the UK. David Parnham, 35, from Lincoln, has been charged with 14 offences in total, including staging a bomb hoax and sending threatening letters”.

There was more than one of these letters, which incited “verbal abuse and assaults on Muslims, as well as attacks on mosques”. And there was also a serious attempt to call them fakes, perhaps actually perpetrated by other Muslims.

Indeed, when a second “Punish A Muslim Day” letter appeared, Raheem “call me Ray” Kassam was there to call it out. “Calling BULLSHIT on #PunishAMuslinDay2 letters circulating. No one who hates Islam would call it the ‘Holy Quran’ nor would they use ‘Masjid’. These letters are clearly hoaxes written by other Muslims”. Kassam’s judgment was echoed by aimless creep Nick Monroe. Plus several others.

“Here go again, obvious fake 'Punish a Muslim Day 2'. Obvious fake on so many fronts not least the ‘Holy Quran’, the ‘Masjid’ hardly terms used by far right racist nutters” declared one Tweeter, thanking far-right activist Jack Buckby. Another cited Kassam: “Calling BULLSHIT on #PunishAMuslinDay2 letters circulating. No one who hates Islam would call it the ‘Holy Quran’ nor would they use ‘Masjid’. These letters are clearly hoaxes written by other Muslims”. And on it went in the same vein.

“Obvious fake.  What Islamophobe would refer to the 'Holy Quran' or use the term 'masjid instead of ‘mosque' … Another obvious hoax perpetrated by Muslims themselves … No one who hates Islam would call it the ‘Holy Quran’ nor would they use ‘Masjid’ … No one who isn't a Muslim refers to the ‘Holy Quran’ nor would they use the word Masjid instead of mosque. This is clearly a hoax … The ‘Holy Quran’ and the ‘masjid’. Oh please. Fake as hell. What white supremacist would call it the ‘Holy Quran’ or call a mosque a ‘masjid’”.

On and on went the copycat denunciation: “Why would the far right use the terms ‘holy quran’ and ‘masjid’? #FakeHateCrimes” being typical. Even when an arrest was first announced last Tuesday, one bright spark responded “My guess going by ‘hoax noxious substance’ it's going to be an Islamic name.. also, the most recent ‘punish a muslim letter’ had the words ‘holy quran’ and ‘masjid’ instead of mosque”.

Not much of that was evident this morning as TellMama UK reminded everyone “To those who said that this was 'staged by a Muslim'. Shame on you. 'Punish a Muslim Day' letter suspect David Parnham, 35, from Lincoln, has now been charged with 14 separate offences, including: soliciting murder, encouraging the commission of offences etc”.

So what does Raheem Kassam have to say about that? Sadly, by 1020 hours this morning, he had nothing to offer at all. He was too busy whipping up outrage against the entirely legitimate and justified jailing of Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson. And that’s not good enough.