Ramadan chemical attack on Ohio mosque

Submitted by WW4 Report on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 00:37

On Friday, Sept. 26, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton mosque, where 300 worshipers were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The spray targeted the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. The service and ritual fast-breaking were interrupted so those suffering from tearing, coughing and shortness of breath could receive treatment. "It's very disturbing," said ISGD board member Tarek Sabagh. "Something like this has never happened before." (Dayton Daily News, Sept. 27)

The attack came at the end of a week in which thousands of copies were distributed in Ohio of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West—the fear-mongering shockumentary being disseminated by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in newspapers and through the mail. This is apparently scare-tactic political campaigning by supporters of John McCain.

See our last posts on Islamophobia and domestic mosque attacks.

Didn't happen

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 06:45

There was no chemical sprayed. It was all a lie.

update

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 23:14

http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/09/30/...

DAYTON — A can of pepper spray was found Tuesday, Sept. 30, near a local Islamic mosque evacuated Friday after a girl inside was sprayed with a chemical irritant.

Someone found the black can of pepper spray in a white and red bag near the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, 26 Josie St., and called police, Lt. John Huber said.

Proof?

Submitted by Laas (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 - 23:25

Proof?

Is that all you have to say?

Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 00:01

Newspapers, unlike the Bush administration, generally do not make up stories out of whole cloth. Why weren't you knuckleheads so skeptical when Bush told us Saddam was about to blow up the world?

I suggest you direct your questions to the Dayton Daily News. If they retract the story, we will report it here. Until then, we have no reason to doubt that this attack occurred.

Here is link to show that

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 06:46

Here is link to show that the 'chemical attack' lol didnt happen. http://www.examiner.com/a-1613993~Police__No_evidence_of_hate_crime_at_O...

It doesn't say it "didn't happen"

Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 08:00

It says it did happen, but police say they don't (yet) have "evidence" it was a "hate crime." Can't you read?

Police: No evidence of hate crime at Ohio mosque
DAYTON, Ohio - Police say no hate crime was committed when a 10-year-old girl was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance, leading to the evacuation of an Islamic mosque in Dayton.

The girl was watching other children at the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton as their parents celebrated Ramadan on Friday night. Police say she saw two men outside a basement window and that one of them sprayed her from a can. She told investigators the substance burned her face and made her sick to her stomach.

Hazardous materials team coordinator Denny Bristow says there was not enough of the spray to determine what it was and that all tests came back negative. He says no chemicals were found on the girl.

About 300 people were at the mosque at the time. A few were treated on site for eye irritation.

it was just kids playing

Submitted by Denny in Dayton (not verified) on Tue, 10/07/2008 - 15:54

The web is a buzz with all kinds of liberals making statements that now make them look pretty silly. There was no attack, it was just some kids playing with pepper spray. If you would have paid attention to the facts being stated by everyone involved that there was no hate crime or anything attributable to the DVD.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/10/07/...

What is really interesting is there is one account that is being repeated across the web that was quite possibly made up by the blogger and posted on the Daily Kos

""I was mad, so I sort of shot from the hip," Rodda said, adding she has not talked to any law enforcement agencies, hospital officials or Islamic Center president Dr. Tarek Sabagh. She said her information came from people who know some people that attend the mosque."

In other words it's hearsay, and I'd say most likely made up. And she didn't shoot from the hip, she shot herself in the foot and now looks like a complete idiot as does everyone else who reacted like this.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/10/03/...

Rush to judgement

Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Tue, 10/07/2008 - 18:26

"Just kids playing"? With pepper spray? Did you play with pepper spray when you were a kid? We doubt you'd be so cavalier if someone had sprayed a chemical irritant in your chuch. A point made by Beliefnet, Oct. 1:

As far as whether the attack qualifies as a hate crime or not, I think it's a semantic distinction of no real importance. Whether or not the assailants are prosecuted under hate crimes law or under standard vandalism and personal injury laws is irrelevant - justice must run its course. However, if by way of analogy a similar incident had happened at a synagogue in New York (or even a church in Ankara), I don't think there'd be any doubt in most people's minds that it was motivated by hate.

You are putting a heavy spin on the Oct. 7 Dayton Daily News story you cite, which is far more objective and less ambitious than you portray (emphasis added):

Police are not ruling out that someone inside the mosque sprayed the girl, Huber said.

Chief Richard Biehl has said there is no evidence the girl was the victim of a hate crime...

Islamic Society of Greater Dayton President Dr. Tarek Sabagh said the DVD created an atmosphere of "fear" among Muslims, but said he was not sure it was related to the incident at his mosque.

Sabagh said on Sept. 30 that he would not talk about the incident again until the police investigation is completed.

"Not ruling out" means it has not been determined yet. "No evidence" means it has not been ruled out yet. You guys all seem to be in a big hurry to write this incident off.