Boston Interfaith Leaders Say Marathon Bombing Trial Isn't About Islam -- It's About The Victims

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/06/boston-marathon-trial-muslims_n_6810942.html

Antonia Blumberg

Posted: 03/06/2015 10:59 am EST Updated: 03/06/2015 10:59 am EST


BOSTON - APRIL 15: Boston Marathon bombing victim J.P. Norden wore colorful sneakers with 'Boston Strong' written on the back. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images

The trial for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began Wednesday amid what some see as an increasingly tense climate for Muslims in the country. In Boston, though, faith leaders say the focus should be on building bridges between faiths and supporting the victims as the trial reopens what will be deep wounds for many.

"This trial is about closure and healing as much as it is about bringing the perpetrator to justice," Nichole Mossalam, director of the Islamic Society in Cambridge, Massachusetts, told The Huffington Post. "A lot of victims are finally going to get to face what happened to them and begin their own process of healing. I believe this is more about them and their process, and we need to support them."

In the wake of the April 2013 attack, which killed three and injured nearly 300 others, it quickly became public that Tsarnaev had embraced a radicalized strain of Islam -- sparking a national discussion about homegrown terror that has only intensified since the rise of the Islamic State group in the Middle East.

The Muslim American community felt a backlash. Anti-Islamic hate crimes made up 13.7 percent of all hate crimes in 2013, compared to 11.6 percent in 2012 -- an increase Pew Research blames in part on the Boston marathon bombing.

more at link

[pinto]

1. The generic coverage I've seen has focused on the victims, survivors and legal stuff.

Given that Tsarnaev has pled guilty from the start, much of the legal discussion has been about the possibility of a death penalty or life.

(disclaimer) Haven't followed the trial closely or in depth.

[cbayer]

2. I never saw this as about Islam. I must have missed that.