In a Tulsa World story, it was reported that Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer, Sheldon Robinson, foiled a possible mass shooting by a man who was "praying to Allah to help carry out his mission".
Patrolman Sheldon Robinson
While off duty, Patrolman Robinson dropped his wife and two children off at a Tulsa Burger King and was taking his truck across the street to get the oil changed while they had lunch. Robinson received a cell phone call from his wife saying that there was a man dressed in black with a gun saying he was going to "kill everybody".
Robinson raced back in his truck to the Burger King where people were scrambling out. His wife and kids found refuge in a sanitation bin shelter.
As Robinson made his way into the BK, he was able to come in behind the man and wrestled the gun out of his hands. By the time local police arrived, he had already handcuffed the man, identified as Jerome Norvell Denson, 24.
Denson had a .40 caliber Glock handgun and a box of ammo on a table next to him.
"It was one of those deals of being in the right place at the right time," Robinson said. "I believe he would have loaded up that gun and gone to town because he was praying for Allah to help him carry out his mission."
So, is this connected? Is this an isolated incident? Why hasn't the media jumped on this? Is it now taboo to talk about people praying to Allah before slaughtering crowds of people, EVEN IF IT IS IN AMERICA'S HEARTLAND?
What do you think?
3 comments:
The disturbing thing to me are the comments about his religious faith. Right now, the prejudice 'de jour' is Islam, but what's to keep it from being evangelicalism 5 years from now?
Have you NEVER prayed inside a Burger King for God to help you do something?
I'm not discounting any criminal intentions this guy may have had, but to dramatize the situation by highlighting his 'religion' is a dangerous road to go down. As if that validates that he indeed was on some kind of "Jihad"! (Think logically, if he really wanted to effectively kill so many people, why wouldn't he have loaded his gun before showing up at BK?)
As disciples of Christ, we are viewed by most of the world as 'radicals'. We ought to be sensitive and aware of religious bigotry toward Muslims, especially since it's likely to be US that are being discriminated against and persecuted in the foreseeable future in America... After all, that is ALREADY the situation in many places, including where I live today!
Thank God for the quick and decisive intervention of Patrolman Robinson, the man should be given a medal.
"Jerome Norvell Denson" doesn't seem like a typical Islamic name. Perhaps he is "Nation of Islam", a somewhat different groupt.
Whatever faith, if any, he sounds to me like he was crazy and dangerous.
I am curious why you asked about the taboo? There are countless stories every day all over the nation, some get picked up, others don't. I don't know that there is a taboo, do u feel that there is?
Steve,
I've never prayed inside a BK for help when I was brandishing a handgun, telling everyone I was going to kill them. You?
I think I understand your concern, but I don't buy it. I certainly don't think I am dramatizing the situation. I think it is indeed pertinent to the story.
When we turn a blind eye to extremism or fundamentalism of any kind that does anything harmful in the name of religion, then we are setting ourselves up to be victims ourselves.
I do not feel that my post is bigoted in any way. I told a story that was in the local news. I asked why it wasn't reported to a larger audience. I asked if it was related to either this kind of news being taboo or if it was an isolated incident.
Let me be clear; I do not hate Muslims. That would be plain stupid. I lived and worked among Muslims for 4 years in Africa. However, I can't stand the Islamic Fundamentalists' contempt for America and all that I hold dear.
Monk, you are right. It doesn't SOUND like an Islamic name. Could he be a convert that is attached to his name? What about the "Shoe Bomber", Richard Reid? He certainly didn't have an Islamic name, so the precedent is there...
I asked about it being taboo because I, evidently, do not watch the same news as you. I have seen so very little of any kind of stories like this that it makes me wonder. I know our media is liberal, but do they have to be so politically correct that they refuse to report things like this?
Again, you are right. He sounds like a crazy person. But, since there was no real news reports, we'll never know and that leaves me with questions that I NEED to ask. At least I think that SOMEONE needs to be asking these kinds of questions.
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