Why is it a hate crime to put a Koran or Quran (whatever) in a toilet?

Question

I asked a similar question earlier and most of the people who answered must not have heard this story. (I guess it wasn't reported on The Daily Show or CNN aka Clinton News Network).

A student at Pace University in New York was arrested for commiting a hate crime because he put a Koran in a toilet. Isn't that freedom of speech? Why is a religious book protected while it is perfectly legal to burn the American flag?

Read this article:
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/NEWS02/708020398

Answer 1

Double standards for the oh so sensitive Muslim terrorists.

People don't want to annoy them or they'll blow you up.

Answer 2

It was a considered a hate crime because the Koran in Question, belonged to someone else. The thing everyone forgets about hate crimes is that they aren't crimes by themselves. A hate crime is when you commit an actual crime and the prosecutor can make a case that Hate of a specific group--not individual, was the motive. Personally, I think that Spousal abuse should be treated as a hate crime--but nobody ever listens to me.

For the same reason, it's a hate crime to put bibles in hotel rooms without the owner's permission. The underlying crime would be trespassing. Fortunately, those permissions are easy to get.

Answer 3

According to the article, the crime is "criminal mischief and aggravated harassment." Only once there's a crime can it be a hate crime. The first incident was dismissed as "vandalism." As for hate being involved, the student who'd been targeted had also dealt with racial slurs written on the walls and on his car. That sounds like more than enough evidence of accompanying "hate."

If someone in this country not just burned the flag but stuffed it down a school toilet TWICE, after scrawling anti-American sentiments on the school wall and on an American's car, do you really think he'd *survive* to be charged with a hate crime?

Answer 4

it extremely is no longer a hate crime to place a Koran in a rest room. loose speech isn't a hate crime. each each now and then loose speech, disrespecting yet another's non secular ideals, or disrespecting a image of our u . s . might properly be patently offensive , nonetheless none of those are a hate crime. A hate crime is against the regulation including attack or rape this is racially or culturally triggered. Throwing a Koran interior the rest room by potential of a penitentiary shelter is an abuse of one's place, a betrayal of believe, and reflects poorly on our u . s .. on an identical time because it extremely is no longer against the regulation it extremely is justifiably grounds for an unfavourable workers action such as suspension or removal from place of work for a central authority worker.

Answer 5

Suppose a Muslim student put a Bible in the toilet. How would you feel? I own several Bibles, a Qoran, Vadas and a book of Mormon. I am not Muslim, Hindu nor Morman but I respect the religious writings of other religions. I have read them all and have some understanding of the beliefs of each. Guess what, we're all not that far off. We just say it differently.

It is a hate crime to flush or attempt to flush the holy book of another great world religion down the toilet. Because of the acts of a few radicals in the Middle East we have idiots at home how must be reactionaries instead of looking at the big picture and seeing the millions of Muslims who are NOT causing us any harm.

Answer 6

It's not, whomever classified this as a hate crime made a mistake.

After searching the web, this is interesting:

"A hate crime (bias crime), loosely defined, is a crime committed because of the perpetrator's prejudices. This is a controversial political issue within the US. The US Congress (HR 4797 - 1992) defined a hate crime as: "[a crime in which] the defendant's conduct was motivated by hatred, bias, or prejudice, based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity of another individual or group of individuals. ..."

So, by those guidelines, that is why it's a hate crime. Putting a Koran in a toilet is meant to send a message to Muslims about what an individual thinks about their religion. It's distasteful and prejudice.

Most other legal authorities say a hate crime must involve a victim (a person) and not a group or a symbol.

Answer 7

Leftists won't believe this, but Bill O'Reilley said that the student involved was committing a hate crime. I normally agree with him, but not in this case. A hate crime is an act that makes a particular group fear for their safety. While this kid was showing his contempt for the koran, I doubt if he scared anyone. If he stole the book from the university he should have been charged with theft or destruction of property. He should also be charged with stupidity.

Answer 8

If everything in the article is true, it shouldn't be a hate crime. Now it could be theft if the Koran wasn't his, and possibly vandalism to the toilet or some sort of criminal mischeif, but not a hate crime. If some Muslim threw a bible into a toilet it wouldn't be a big deal.

Answer 9

Because it wasn't his book. If I took your flag and burned it, it would be a crime. If my reason for burning it was because of your race, class, or religion, then it would be a hate crime. If I burn my own flag it is freedom of speech. The same applied for the Koran.

Answer 10

Because it was an attempt to intimidate a member of a minority.

The hate crime laws are meant to throw a shield of protection over minority groups that are otherwise not a group protected specifically by law, but who are otherwise the target of abusive and threatening acts.

Do you feel insecure for your own personal safety because somebody somewhere sometime burnt a flag?
Hate crime laws are not intended to make people feel free to do unto others the worst that has ever been done to them. They are meant to prevent abusive acts escalating into violence.

Answer 11

It wasn't reported on national news because it's not that important or compelling, given bridge collapses, suspesion of the civil rights of American citizens, and the seige of the White House by Idiot Boy and the Generalissimo.