Andy Hallinan and the CAIR Vs. Progress

Andy Hallinan is a gun shop owner in Inverness, Florida, who said he will refuse to sell to Muslims who come to his store. This is his response to the Chattanooga shooting by Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez that killed five people, including four Marines.

This guy is acting like an ignoramus. He lives in the Deep South, so he’s unlikely to have met many of the people he’s assuming are killers. All he knows is that a man with an Arabic name killed four Marines and another person. When he made this statement, the shooter’s motive was still being investigated (and as far as I know, still is as I’m writing this). Hallinan really has no proof that Islamist extremism was the motive, but he has jumped to that conclusion anyway and decided he is going to help the situation by raising Muslims’ ire. No, Andy Hallinan, you are creating division by discriminating against Muslims when every person in the country should be united against those who want to see us dead. And, of course, you’re plain foolish by assuming people in certain garb are terrorists.

Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, Dylann Roof, and Elliiot Rodger are all murderers who shot people to death, and they were not Arabic Muslims, but young, white men. By Hallinan’s logic, no one should sell firearms to this last demographic, based on its violent history. In the Columbine shootings aftermath, did anyone refuse to sell guns to white men? What do you want to bet that Hallinan would call taking this action ridiculous?

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is appealing to the Department of Justice, saying that Hallinan’s discrimination is a violation of civil rights. I disagree. Yes, I think Hallinan’s decision is stupid and wrong. But regardless, his merchandise is his property, and he should not be forced to sell it to any customer he doesn’t want. No one begins a business primarily to serve others (unless it’s a non-profit). They do it for their own sake: to make a profit. Hallinan doesn’t owe anyone his property, any more than customers owe him their business. If he wants to lose money over anti-Muslim prejudice, let him.

“But it’s wrong!” people will counter. Yes, it is, but not everything that is wrong is illegal. Starting nasty rumors about someone is immoral, but that doesn’t mean the person who started the rumor can be charged with anything. The price of a free society is that not everyone will be treated fairly by every person. We are all entitled to fair treatment by the law, but we are not entitled to fairness from individuals.

I find the part about “American-Islamic Relations” in CAIR’s name interesting. How is this group promoting understanding or goodwill between Muslims and people like Hallinan by trying to force “fair” treatment? If good relations were CAIR’s goal, wouldn’t it try to influence negative opinions by speaking out against terrorists or doing other things to work for peace? Instead, it demands that Hallinan be forced to sell to people he doesn’t want in his shop. This has absolutely nothing to do with fostering tolerance. Responding gently to Hallinan’s prejudice would show class on the part of CAIR, but this organization is exchanging making progress in “American-Islamic relations” for ensuring that anger against Muslims continues.

Hallinan and the CAIR are both fanning the flames. Those of us who want peace should consider contacting both parties, to ask them to stop. Thanks for reading, and please share!