How to sound bigoted without really trying

NewsBuster Rusty Weiss is very upset with the Associated Press. I'll let him explain why:

With the eight year anniversary of 9/11 mere hours away, the Associated Press has written a very moving, very emotional piece, focusing on victims who fear leaving the house on that day, victims who will never view that day as routine, victims who get a sick feeling in their stomach when the anniversary arrives each year - Muslims.

OK, so the AP shouldn't be reporting on the feelings of Muslims on 9-11. I'm not sure why they shouldn't be doing this, but Rusty offers an explanation:

While nobody is promoting discrimination against any group of people based on the actions of a maniacal few, one has to question if the alleged terror experienced by Muslims on this anniversary warrants a focal point? On a day in which Americans take time to remember the devastation and the loss of life on 9/11, we are encouraged by the AP to feel sorry for those who might receive strange stares, or may 'feel' less safe on this day because they are Muslim.

See if you can follow this -- Weiss isn't saying that the AP should discriminate against Muslims, he's just saying that the AP shouldn't report on Muslims on 9-11 because they are Muslim. That's pretty much the definition of “discrimination.” Also notice how Weiss questions whether American Muslims really do experience their “alleged terror.”

But it gets even better:

A quote from Sarah Sayeed attempts to capture the anxiety of the day as she wonders, 'should I go anywhere?' An appropriate question, but perhaps more so for Americans who asked themselves the same question weeks, months, and even years after the tragedy. There is no attempt to capture the anxiety of those who still give a quick glance up to the sky each time the sound of an airplane fills their ears.

The AP article notes that Sayeed was born in India but emigrated to the U.S. when she was 8 years old. There's an excellent chance that she is, in fact, an American citizen. And yet, Weiss casually segregates her from “Americans” -- presumably non-Muslim Americans whose thoughts and feelings he gives more weight to based solely on the fact that they aren't Muslim.

He caps everything off with this observation:

It seems that on a significant date in American history, the AP would rather focus on manufacturing sympathy for Muslims, than reporting on an actual tragedy for Americans.

This is just stupid. First off, notice once again the segregation of “Muslims” from “Americans.” Secondly, the Associated Press runs dozens of articles each day, often on the same subject. Even if Weiss had a legitimate beef about the tone of this AP article, his suggestion that they have ignored all other aspects of September 11 is absurdly wrong.