Nick Bernabe

March 2, 2015

(ANTIMEDIA) Oklahoma City, OK — As Oklahoma Muslims descended on the state’s capital last week on February 27 for ‘Muslim Day’, they were met by bigoted reactionaries fearful over the supposed takeover of Sharia Law in America.

The protesters resembled ‘Tea Party’ groups and were flying Israeli flags. One “freedom” loving American said “You don’t like our laws? Go back to where you came from.” According to the Tea Party News Network, these (protesters) included conservative groups Overpasses for America and III Percent Patriots of Oklahoma.

One woman, notorious for claiming that Monster Energy drinks are a product of the Devil, interrupted the Islamic prayer taking place inside the State Capitol.

Oklahoma Republican politicians joined in on the hate fest. State Rep. John Bennett reportedly,

“Distributed Bibles and what some described as Islamophobic questionnaires during the state’s first Muslim Capitol Day on Friday […] An official in the office of state representative John Bennett confirmed that staffers were dispatched to distribute Bibles and fliers at the capitol in Oklahoma City during the Muslim Day proceedings. The fliers requested that participants answer 10 questions, including “Will you denounce the terrorist organization Hamas?” among other inquiries about their support for violent acts” according to ibtimes.com

But the story that isn’t being told here is the role Oklahoma Libertarians and other groups played on Muslim Day. Members of the Oklahoma Libertarian party as well as groups working though an Interfaith alliance anticipated the ugly protest and organized a human chain to shield Muslims from the bigotry as they entered the building.

I spoke to Dax Ewbanks from the Oklahoma Libertarian Party about what happened on Muslim Day, and he had this to say,

“Participants to the event had to encounter a “gauntlet of hate” as they entered the building. Protesters were shouting insults against Islam as well as against the participants. A group of volunteers that included Libertarians but was organized by the Interfaith Alliance walked as “body guards” to shield the Muslim people entering the Capitol from the vulgar display of hate.”

According to Ewbanks, the Libertarian volunteers even served coffee and donuts to the anti-Islam protesters at the request of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations). “It was very cold outside that day” He told me. The OK Libertarian party has released a letter regarding Muslim Day, you can read it here.



I also spoke to Will Coley of Muslims 4 Liberty about the events that transpired that day.

“Oklahoma is a perfect example of the growing alliance between Muslims and libertarians across the country. While it gets very little media attention, libertarians groups have worked to court Muslims, and counter anti Islam animosity for the last 5 years. Sadly, the national Muslim community is given no news of this by the national organizations. the efforts of CAIR-OK to break with the national heads, and accept support and assistance from all groups, not just democrats, shows that when this type of reasoning is applied, cohesion, rather than further division is the result”

I’ve contacted the Tea Party News Network for comments regarding their article on the protest which seems to condone the actions of the bigoted reactionaries, but they have not replied to my inquiry.

Watch the video below, taken in Oklahoma City on Muslim Day, for a good laugh.

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