Not days. Not hours. Minutes.
That’s how long it took for Internet-fueled rumors that the suspect behind the San Francisco SUV hit-and-run rampage was actually a Jihadist intentionally targeting Jews.
Well-meaning people called j.’s offices asking quasi-frantic questions. Even fellow Jewish newspaper editors from other cities noted that Afghanistan-born suspect Omeed Aziz Popal drove on the sidewalk in front of the JCC of San Francisco and hit two men — surely that warranted a story. Web logs, a number of them penned by hawkish Jews, claimed it was the “latest” jihadist attack in America and the mainstream media (“MSM” for short) was covering it up again.
One Web log purported that Muslim men were returning from overseas with orders to kill Americans by running them over with SUVs.
Many linked to a news report on KTVU in which reporter Rob Roth said a witness told him the suspect claimed to be a terrorist.
That’s right, some blogger quotes Rob Roth quoting a witness quoting the suspect. What is this, the Telephone Game?
It might be worth noting that Popal also allegedly told police that he murdered his father (who is very much alive) by cutting off his hands. In other words, maybe we shouldn’t take everything he allegedly says at face value.
At j., we find all this disturbing for a number of reasons. First off, the Jewish bloggers claiming a “MSM” plot against the Jews and portraying every driver with an Arab-sounding name and a larger-than-average car as a Jihadist-to-be are demonstrating a level of xenophobia, extremism and conspiracy-mongering befitting online White Supremacists.
And while anti-Semitism is alive and well, there’s a fine line between vigilance and paranoia. Frankly, it’s more than a little chauvinistic to claim that the fact two people — one of them Asian — were hit in front of the JCC proves anti-Semitic intent when nearly 20 people were mowed down at a dozen sites and Popal allegedly killed a non-Jewish man in Fremont.
For those of you who don’t run Web sites claiming Muslims are out to get us all with their killer SUVs, we implore you: Think before you hit the send key. When you receive a forwarded e-mail claiming the media is in cahoots with Islamists or that every day is Kristallnacht for French Jews, you shouldn’t send it along without checking on these inflammatory claims. A simple Google search is often enough. And if it isn’t, send it to the Anti-Defamation League or Jewish Community Relations Council and ask them if it’s bogus or not.
Remember, the Internet is a wonderful way to spread information. But it may be an even better way to spread misinformation.