Another Day, Another Hate Crime Hoax

I’m sure some of the hate crimes reported on college campuses and against mosques are genuine (including one here in my back yard that I was sure was a hoax but appears to have been an actual bigot), but on the whole the vast majority seem to be Reichstag fires.

The latest comes out of Houston today:

Suspect in Houston Mosque Fire Attended Services There

The suspect in a “suspicious” fire at a Houston mosque is an adherent who attended services there, officials said Wednesday.

suspect moore copyGary Nathaniel Moore, 37, of Houston, was arrested Wednesday morning for the Christmas Day blaze, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told NBC News.

Moore told investigators he had attended the mosque for five years, coming five times a day to pray, reported The Houston Chronicle. MJ Khan, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, confirmed at a press conference Wednesday afternoon that Moore did attend prayer services there, but added, “I wouldn’t call him a regular.”

Before an arrest was made, the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on authorities to investigate a possible bias motive in the case.

“Because of the recent spike in hate incidents targeting mosques nationwide, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this fire,” said CAIR-Houston Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll.

Maybe Moore converted to Presbyterianism and we missed it. Shockingly, no comment from CAIR this afternoon, though they appear to be ironically correct that this was a “bias incident.” Instead, it appears CAIR is jumped up today about a “bacon prank” at a mosque in Las Vegas.

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