A Yale student named Akbar (or Akbar Said; it’s unclear), a U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, burns an American flag on someone’s porch and his attorney says there was no political motive. It was just a prank. Whatever. Original reports said three students burned the flag on “their porch,” but I can’t find that story I read yesterday.
So, we have three students, one of whom is a Muslim from Pakistan. Two of the students feel no compulsion to light a flag, which was minding its own business on someone’s private property. But for some reason the Muslim decides he must pull out a lighter and set Old Glory aflame. Just as a prank. With no political motive. Sure.
This is similar to police never seeing a hate-crime motive when a minority attacks a white person. But when the demographics are reversed, it’s prima facie evidence of hate. Let’s say a white Christian on a drunk with two buds decided to light an Iraqi or whatever Muslim-country flag alight, would the no-political-agenda explanation be the first one everyone jumps to? I doubt it.
