Politico: Anti-Muslim attacker works at pro-Park51 group and is a lefty

[oxymoron]

The apparent anti-Muslim assault on a New York city cabbie by a man shouting “Assalamu Alaikum. Consider this a checkpoint" produced an immediate round of recriminations over its connection to opposition to a New York Islamic Center and an apparent rising tide of Islamophobia.

But as often at the intersection of politics and violent crime, the story doesn't appear to fit any easy stereotype: The alleged assailant, Michael Enright, is — according to his Facebook profile and the website of the left-leaning media organization Intersections International — a student at the School of Visual Arts and a volunteer for Intersections, which recently produced a statement of support for the Park51 project, and is funded by the mainstream, liberal Collegiate Church of New York.

And Intersections did not respond to two messages and the group does not appear to be picking up the phone. Enright did not respond to a message through his Facebook account.

But this appears to be the same man: Police described Enright as a resident of Brewster, 21, and an employee of an "Internet media company who had recently spent time with a combat unit in Afghanistan filming military exercises until this past May."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0810/AntiMuslim_attacker_works_at_proPark51_group.html

[Taverner]

1. Do you think he was trying to pull an Oswald?

As in Oswald (most likely) was trying to start another American Revolution by killing JFK

[oxymoron]

3. Well, I don't trust Politico at all

I'll hold judgment until a more credible outlet comes out with something.

[LynneSin]

2. Hmmm.....the plot thickens

interesting.

[The Northerner]

4. I'm still waiting for more info on this guy to be found...

[Progressive_In_NC]

5. Village Voice Blogger is trying to piece it all together here..

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/08/was_the_muslim.php

[oxymoron]

19. Cool. Thanks for the link! nt

[mmonk]

6. Sounds like a lefty or progressive.

I mean, I hear the left talking bad about Islam all the time and how the project is an affront.

[closeupready]

13. That's a good point. We have people here on DU who seem to revel

in apocalyptic fantasies and frame everything in right-wing memes.

[Chulanowa]

18. Exactly

I've seen everything from demands that Muslim women be sterilized, to things like "Don't complain if your mosque gets bombed." And the people never get tombstoned. They might get their posts deleted, but nothing permanent is ever done. EVER.

[OwnedByFerrets]

23. Your "progressive" card doesnt get checked at DU's door....

ever think that those post might be from trolls?

[Chulanowa]

34. DU is proof that "progressives" and blatant bigotry are hardly mutually exclusive

I see it from plenty of regulars, which is why I note that nothing is done about it. If people posted shit about Jews or Gays or blacks like what i've seen about Arabs, Muslims, and Mexicans around here, they'd be out on their ass in an instant.

[Uzybone]

39. Long time trolls. Some have been here a while.

[Recursion]

7. 21 is a common age for schizophrenia to manifest IIRC

And violent erratic behavior is one of the things to look for.

[LynneSin]

8. Have you thought maybe it's the cabdriver with erratic behavior?

We do a shit load of assuming here. I would like to assume nothing and see what the facts are when they are uncovered.

[Recursion]

11. Usually when one guy is stabbed and the other isn't...

...then barring any new evidence I assume the non-stabbed guy was being violent.

[LynneSin]

14. I'm guessing you're not a lawyer or judge or anything

since that isn't how a court of law would work.

And I am not saying the cab driver is lying. All I'm saying is there are too many unanswered questions and only one side of information to base my judgement.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

24. You're suggesting that the knife-wielding attacker was sane...

and that the victim is nuts?

As Damon Runyon once said, "The race may not always be to the swift nor the victory to the strong, but that's how you bet.”

[LynneSin]

28. I'm not suggesting anything. I'm stating that we have not heard the entire story

and we have based our assumptions on one person's statement.

Right now the only people who I could define as nuts is anyone wanting to make assumptions with this case without hearing both sides of the story.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

33. Of course you're suggesting something...

We have an eye witness and a police report that says the cab driver was attacked by a passenger who first asked "Are you a Muslim?"

You're casting doubts on that story by saying that we don't have "both sides" because we haven't heard from the attacker (who was apparently pretty liquored up at the time).

You are, in fact, suggesting that the cab driver's story is not entirely true and that the cab driver may be fabricating some or all of his story.

The only remotely plausible re-interpretation of the facts is that the cabbie was attacked by a garden variety drunk, but had the presence of mind to add the part about being asked about his religious views in order to make political hay out of the situation.

The really-less-than-plausible re-interpretation is that the cabbie driver locked an innocent passenger in the cab, stabbed himself repeatedly, and fabricated the entire story.

Damon Runyon.

[LynneSin]

36. Well you've picked your side so it's useless to say anything else but let me speak slowly

perhaps it will settle in

All I have said is I would like to hear the entire report. I have never said that the cab driver was not stabbed, what I'm saying is we are assuming why he was stabbed especially in lite of the fact that information has come out about this kid that he has spent the past few years working with peace organizations that are in support of the mosque. So was this a hate crime? I DO NOT KNOW! What I do know is we look stupid when we assume everything the one side has said and not heard the full story.

Now if you'd like to add in your own embellishments of what I have said - whatever.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

40. And you've picked yours....

Pretty thin gruel for playing the victim, but whatever. I understand that these days every conversation at DU must have an aggrieved party, so go for it. I'm a terrible person because I have an opinion.

Given the number of cases where cab drivers are attacked by their fares vs. the number of cases where the cab driver faked the attack and then made up an outlandish cover story, I would say that it would be extraordinarily unlikely to be anything other that what it appears to be.

Hate Crime?

Who knows. Kid was drunk. Could just be a Stupid Crime.

[Recursion]

31. Actually by the standard of preponderance of the evidence it would

You also seem to have completely blown past my qualifier, "Barring any new evidence"

[EOTE]

15. Sure. Because when one person gets stabbed and the other does the stabbing...

it's almost always the one being stabbed that's the erratic one. The stabbers are just really big into expressing their 2nd amendment rights. Why on earth would someone assume something like that?

[mmonk]

20. Have the police indicated so in their report?

[Chulanowa]

22. That's just stupid

"I would like to assume nothing?" You're full of shit, you're already assuming.

You have the facts. You're just trying to ignore them because they make you uncomfortable.

[LynneSin]

27. I'm uncomfortable that we a dozen different stories and something isn't adding up to 100%

And I'm not ready to take sides, create villians or heros until I hear the full report.

[Chulanowa]

32. There aren't a dozen stories

Except perhaps in your head as you struggle to find excuses for why this man deserved to be attacked for being a muslim.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

35. It's not the cab driver that went around stabbing people for being a muslim.

Lordy loo

[rug]

12. He was drunk.

"Both men were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center. The driver was in stable condition. A law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said Mr. Enright was “very drunk” at the time of the attack."

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/cabbie-attacked/

BTW, the School of Visual Arts is just around the corner from where the cab was hailed.

[savalez]

17. that answers my question below. thanks.

[madmom]

9. Maybe he was trying to be another james o'keefe or brietbart...

:shrug: very strange indeed.

[closeupready]

10. He's upstate. That's strike one, IMO.

I suppose we need to hear more.

[savalez]

16. How much alcohol was involved?

[butterfly77]

21. Well,they sure jumped on that quickly..

too bad they can do that for other stories..

[oxymoron]

25. +1

[sinkingfeeling]

26. How does one know if the Facebook profile belongs to this Michael Enright or not? I

don't know a thing about Facebook.

[LynneSin]

30. same hometown and same physical description

sure there could be two Michael Enrights in Brewster NY that are 21 years old and match the description but not looking that way.

[Ganja Ninja]

29. I haven't seen his facebook page but ...

just because you work for an organization that is funded by the left doesn't mean you yourself are a "lefty". People take whatever job they can find nowadays. And it's Politico too so consider the source.

[LynneSin]

37. Well the info of his facebook page has him traveling overseas for his work

I mean if I need a job I'll do anything but that's some serious desparation to do what this kid has done.

Honestly, what I think we have is a drunken kid and let's face it - booze can bring out the worst in anyone.

[roseBudd]

38. When you apply for a job on Careerbuilder, you often do not know what company has posted the job