Deep Thought – Atrios

So what's the difference? It is this. Some expressions of bigotry are permissible in this country and some aren't. One had best keep your anti-black racism to yourself — or pretend it's just about Obama as the Limbaughs and right-wingers do. Same with Jews, where, as the Thomas case demonstrates, expressing disdain for Israel, let alone Jews, can be a career killer. But it's still okay to express open prejudice towards gays and lesbians, Latino immigrants (legal or illegal) and, above all, Muslims and Arabs. [From Jeff Goldberg Defends Marty Peretz — But Not That Bigot, Helen Thomas] islamophobia, anti-Muslim

Muslim Baiting: Peter King’s Dangerous Obsession. Agrees Hussein Rashid, a professor at Hofstra who blogs at HusseinRashid.com: “Most domestic terror does not come from the Muslim community. The equivalent would have made all Irish Catholics suspects in ’80s, Jews in Communist era, blacks in rise of the Black Panthers, or that all Italians would be responsible for the mob. It is unacceptable.  “It shows that King is unaware of his constituency in New York. It shows a real lack of engagement with those constituencies and shows a real lack of awareness of what being in charge of Homeland Security actually…

Muslim Employees: Valuable but Vulnerable. For many U.S. Muslims, the American dream is fading as they endure the fear and suspicion that their religion, race or national origin seems to generate. Yet, to many employers’ credit, the sensationalist attitudes reflected in some news reports typically don’t carry over to the workplace.