http://irvingblog.dallasnews.com/2015/11/group-that-brought-guns-to-irving-mosque-publishes-muslims-home-addresses.html/Armed mosque protesters publish Irving Muslims’ home addressesPublished: November 25, 2015 12:47 pm
By JULIE FANCHER and AVI SE
The organizer of a recent armed anti-Muslim protest at an Irving mosque published the names and addresses of dozens of Muslims and “Muslim sympathizers” online Wednesday.
David Wright III copied an Irving city document that included the personal information of people who signed up to speak before the City Council voted in March to support a state bill aimed at blocking Muslim influence.
Wright, who organized Saturday’s armed protest against the “Islamization of America” outside the Irving Islamic Center, posted on Facebook “the name and address of every Muslim and Muslim sympathizer that stood up for … Sharia tribunals in Irving.”
Multiple attempts to reach Wright for comment were not successful.
Anthony Bond, an Irving activist who spoke against the state bill before the City Council, said he was shocked to find his name on the Facebook list.
“We have a right to disagree, but we do not have the right to target and cause … harm just because we differ in our beliefs,” he said. “That is the goal of this post: to put a bulls-eye on the back of all the people that stood up against the so-called anti-Shariah law bill.”
Bond said he had reported his concerns to Irving police.
Irving police spokesman James McLellan said he was unaware of any complaints about the list.
“If we do receive any contacts or concerns from anyone involved, then of course we will respond appropriately,” he said.
Alia Salem, executive director of the Dallas/Fort Worth branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said she was “absolutely concerned” after finding her name on the list.
“This is the first time I’ve been slightly alarmed,” she said. “As bad as things have gotten in the past, and especially recently, this is the first time where I see people taking this public.”
Salem said that though she was concerned about her personal information being online, she didn’t want to place undue importance on the anti-Muslim protesters.
“I don’t want to give them any credibility at all, but at the same time when you are publicizing people’s names … I’m trying to take this in stride,” she said. “It doesn’t seem to be getting much traction, and we are definitely getting support — people are horrified.”
Salem said that she had talked to other people on the list who shared her concerns.
“This is my job to deal with this kind of stuff,” she said. “But for an everyday citizen who was just exerting their First Amendment rights and their right as an American to speak up and speak out, they were just being good citizens to show up and be a part of the democratic process. Now they are targets.”
She said she plans to discuss the situation with the FBI and Justice Department.
“We don’t know what this could lead to,” she said.
The list Wright posted also contained the names and addresses of people who supported the city’s efforts to limit Muslim influence.
Jacqualea Cooley, who said she was unaware her name and address had been posted online, acknowledged Wright’s freedom to post the publicly available information. But she did express concerns.
“If it gets into hands of the wrong people … some harm could be done,” she said. “… We have a very volatile Muslim community right now, I don’t know if there are people there that would act on information or not.”
Cooley said some opponents had been misidentified as supporters of the city’s efforts, though she said the problems may have originated in the city’s records.
“This is how misinformation gets out,” she said.
Shortly before Wright posted the list online, he wrote on Facebook: “We should stop being afraid to be who we are! We like to have guns designed to kill people that pose a threat in a very efficient manner.”
Wright and other members of his group, the Bureau on American Islamic Relations, say they carry guns only in self-defense and weren’t trying to intimidate anyone at Saturday’s protest. But they are convinced that the U.S. is due for violent conflict with Muslims.
At Saturday’s protest, Wright said he’d chosen the Irving mosque in part because area Muslims had threatened to kill Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne — something The Dallas Morning News has found no evidence of.
Van Duyne, who has frequently raised concerns about the spread of Islamic influence, said Wednesday that she was in no way affiliated with the group and declined to comment on the list.
City Council member David Palmer said that though the names and addresses were public information, posting them online appeared to be an attempt to spread fear.
“I don’t know why they would publish this other than for intimidation purposes,” he said. “And whether you’re pro or against, continue to speak your mind.”
Palmer said he had stopped by Saturday’s rally after a mosque member raised concerns about the armed protesters.
“I went out there … to observe,” he said. “I fully support their right to protest, their or anyone else really, to protest. What I felt uncomfortable about was that they needed to bring weapons to a place of worship.”
Another rally is planned Saturday at the Islamic Center to protest Wright’s group and show support for area Muslims.
“The mosque in Irving receives a lot of hate and ugliness,” said Tonya Cadenhead, an Irving resident who is organizing the event, which begins at noon at the mosque at 2555 Esters Road. “I decided to do something nice for them and show them not everyone has an ugly heart.”
