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Antonovich draws criticism over “Muhammad” comment

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Supervisor Antonovich [left]. Palmdale resident Kamal Al-Khatib [right]
Supervisor Antonovich [left]. Palmdale resident Kamal Al-Khatib [right]
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich is in trouble with Muslim community leaders over a comment he made in the aftermath of the San Bernardino County massacre.

In a speech to constituents after the shooting, Antonovich said, “The first thing I asked about this incident, was the guy named Muhammad?”

It upset some people who said it unfairly singled out Muslims over other perpetrators of mass shootings.

“That is an insensitive statement coming from somebody in power like the supervisor,” Kamal Al-Khatib, president and co-founder of American Islamic Institute of Antelope Valley, in Palmdale, told the Los Angeles Times.

Al-Khatib said Muslims are fearful of backlash stemming from the attack.

“We are a victim too. Every time something happens, we are another victim,” he said.

In response to the criticism, Antonovich said, “Radical Islamists have declared war on the United States.”

“On July 16th, four United States Marines were attacked and killed by Mohammed Abdulazeez,” he said. “In November, four University of California students were attacked and stabbed by Faisal Mohammed. Last week in the Paris massacre, at least two of the 11 attackers and planners were named Mohammed.”

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles, said his organization has heard of an increase in threats against mosques and Muslim community members since Wednesday’s rampage. He said some Islamic schools closed Thursday and mosques took extra security precautions.

“During these challenging times, our country needs real leaders, not self-serving, immoral politicians who exploit people’s anxiety and fear to fuel the phobia and paranoia,” he said, according to The Times. “I’m sure he didn’t ask on the weekend when there was a shooting in Colorado Springs if the shooter’s name was Michael, because I know I didn’t ask that.”

Previous related story: 14 killed in San Bernardino shooting

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Filed Under: Palmdale, Politics

89 comments for "Antonovich draws criticism over “Muhammad” comment"

  1. We in Lancaster are so fortunate to have a great mayor who will protect us from dead Muslim terrorists. I can sleep at night knowing that no Muslim terrorist will ever be buried in Lancaster soil. My children and grandchildren will be so much safer.

    Now if we can only get him to focus on the living people who are panhandling on the BLVD, robbing our houses, stealing our cars, killing our neighbors, and shoplifting in our stores we may finally have a truly safe community.

    It’s too bad he is more concerned about dead Muslim terrorists and the politics of our neighboring cities.

  2. As usual, the vitriolic statements by those who dislike Christianity are full of stories about which facts none of them are familiar. In the case of the Colorado shootings, the shooter was not a Christian in the sense of being a Bible believing follower of Christ.
    The Bible is clear about taking vengeance into your own hands, which is condemned. Furthermore, out of three who were killed in Colorado, two of them actually were Bible believing Christians, one of whom was a devout pro-lifer.
    Tell me why Christians should condemn a non-believer for killing other Christians. Christianity is about love of mankind and serving God, and that is why Christians die for what they believe in. Muslims want others to die for others believe.

    • You had a good defense of Christians going…until the last line where you lumped all Muslims together into an undifferentiated mass. At that point, Christians get lumped right back into an undifferentiated mass, putting you and the self proclaimed warrior for Christ in Colorado once again cheek to cheek.

      • First of all the “self proclaimed warrior for Christ” was more likely an “anti-Christ” since he did the devil’s work by not only taking vengeance as he saw fit, but also by killing other Christians. Not one member of the Planned Parenthood organization was harmed so the fact that the Bible condemns abortion had nothing to do with this madman’s epic.

        Secondly, there are Muslims and Christians, and then there are those who claim either one, but are simply either ignorant of what they believe or using the religion to further their own agenda against what their own religion teaches.

        Christianity teaches to love others as yourself whether they believe as you do or not. Islam teaches to kill those who do not believe as the Koran teaches. Most Christians who say they are Christian and many Muslim who say they are Islamic are neither. Christians who don’t read and follow the Bible are not Christians, and Muslims who don’t read and follow the Qur’an are not really Muslim. The Qur’an clearly teaches killing the infidels as a part of the religion. Many Muslims do not hold fast to this doctrine even though it is clearly part of the religion. Most of those Muslims live in the U.S. or other non-Arabic speaking nations.

        You may want to study these two world religions before you make any more comments about either.

        • I’d take your advice if it weren’t for the clear hypocrisy. When your own knowledge of Islam consists of talking points from hate sites on the internet suggesting that I need to study just makes you look foolish.

          • Have you read the Qur’an yourself or are you literate in Arabic? I would guess the answer is no to both questions as it is for all Muslim non-fundamentalists and infidels to the religion. Hypocrisy is as hypocrisy does. Who are the real hypocrites?

          • Have I read the whole thing? No. Have I attended a fair number of Islamic services as a guest? Yes. Do they preach about killing infidels, no. Have I discussed their religion with numerous Muslims? Yes. Were they significantly different in their humanity than Christians? No

            The real hypocrites are the clowns spouting about how other people should “get educated about Islam” when their own “education” is obviously lacking.

            Hey! You for example.

  3. Radical Islamists kill 14 and injure 23 innocent people, and the Islamic leaders are speaking out – not against this atrocity but against a public figure because he said “Muhammed.” Good job Muslim “leaders”

    • Do you really not get it?

      When a white supremacist shoots up a bunch of people would you think it appropriate for an elected official to say “probably a NASCAR fan,” or do you think NASCAR fans would be justified to say “hey, wait a minute, liking car races doesn’t make me a white supremacist”?

      When someone shoots up a bunch of people in Colorado Springs would you think it appropriate for an elected official to say “bet they listen to that hate spewing Christian radio”? Or are you willing to concede that just because Colorado Springs is a center of radical Christianity that doesn’t mean that everyone there is a nut job?

      • I don’t know what your nonsense comments are supposed to mean. I just thought it was interesting that the Muslim leaders aren’t outraged about 14 killed and 23 injured, they’re outraged about someone daring to wonder if it was Muslims that did it (which it was). How about being outraged and speaking out against the violence your fellow Muslims are committing against innocent people?

        • Where were you the last time a white supremacist shot up a bunch of people? Tell me about how you expressed your outrage. Where were you the last time a “Christian soldier” committed an atrocity? Tell me about how you expressed your outrage. Where were you the last time our loyal ally in the Middle East decided it was time for another “mowing the grass” policy and started indiscriminately slaughtering people? Tell me about how you expressed your outrage.

          If you still can’t figure it out, say so and I’ll try to help you, but your inability to understand simple comments doesn’t make them nonsense. Point of fact, I think you understood exactly what I meant, you just don’t like having a mirror in your face when you want to point fingers at “them.”

          • Where was I the last time a Christian terrorist indiscriminately killed innocent Muslims? I don’t know, because that doesn’t happen. Muslim terrorists killing innocent people does happen and happened in San Bernardino.

          • @Mike

            George W. Bush is a Christian.

            How many innocent Iraqis did he kill in a war based on misinformation and an overwhelming desire on his part to get rid of Saddam Hussein no matter the cost to innocent civilians in Iraq?

          • Note that I didn’t say “killed Muslims”, I actually said “committed an atrocity.” The way you have tried to avoid the question about how you expressed your outrage by trying to pretend it just doesn’t happen speaks VOLUMES about you. Thanks.

          • Not all Muslims are terrorists who want to kill as many infidels as possible and establish a world-wide caliphate, but a sizable percentage are. We can pretend that this isn’t the case in the name of political correctness, or we can recognize the threat and fight against it. If so-called Muslim leaders want anybody to take them seriously, they need to be denouncing these atrocities committed in the name of Islam louder than anybody else, not complaining about Michael Antonovich wondering if maybe Muslims did the shooting (which they had).

          • Great. So like I said, where were you for the “denouncing” after the last Christian soldier rampage? Should be easy enough to remember, it was just last month. Where were you for the “denouncing” after the last white supremacist rampage? You want “them” to be out front in this denouncing business, show us what a great example you set.

            Throwing the lunatic propaganda about “establishing a world wide caliphate” or “killing all the infidels” just makes you look like a silly parrot, by the way, especially when attached to the unmeasurably nebulous “sizable percentage.” I’m trying hard to take you seriously here, but a little help would be appreciated.

          • @William how many innocents has Obama killed by hitting the wrong targets? In war stuff happens. You always bring up only the republican why not be fair and report on the democrats also. By the way about the misinformation your dems voted to invade including Queen Hillary.

    • Mike, what about the God loving christian domestic terrorist that shot up planned parenthood?

    • Libertarian, you are part of the deep fried twinky eating crowd that is supporting the anchor
      husband Trump.

  5. Islamic Wind

    The world needs Islam
    To stir a fierce wind and spread the seeds of peace
    All life is sacred, Muslim, Jew, Christian and non-believers alike
    The world needs Islam
    To stand against their brothers
    Convince them they are not upon the true path
    The world needs Islamic leaders,
    spiritual and government, to condemn the hatred
    All life is sacred. Stop the killing
    The world needs Islam
    Help start the wind

  6. This string has exactly the type of comments I would have expected. Ignorant right wing fools decrying all of Islam and liberal idiots taking the exact same position as their blind leaders Obama and Clinton. The truth, and the solution, as it often is, is in the middle.

    If Muslims desire to be taken seriously in their claim as peaceful people they can no longer afford to watch from the sidelines. Political and religious leaders, local and internationally must do more than speak out against radical Islam (if they’re even doing it at all). They must actively act to root out the extremism. They’ve allowed it to fester for years. Unless they wish to be viewed as complicit, they must take active action.

    • What makes you think that they aren’t?

      Results?

      They should have accomplished the task if they are really trying, right? I mean, look at how quickly and thoroughly we have rooted out radical white supremacists.

      Oh.

      Wait a minute.

  7. For all those who have posted or are thinking that the solution to this problem is to “kill them all”, I have only 1 little question…. if you want to kill every single person who says “Death to America”, you have to be prepared to include women and children, because they say it too. Are YOU ready to be the next Adolph Hitler and attempt to eradicate them from the planet like he did the Jews? Because if you want to “kill them all” that includes the innocent as well as guilty, the young and the babies. Good luck with that!

    • They aren’t ready to DO it, but they are ready to have someone else do it and then pretend that they didn’t know it was happening.

      • Tim, good point. I am sick and tired of hearing all these God loving greedy hypocrite reblicans that want to go yo war with everyone and their brother. Maybe wr should start having them volunteer their kids to go fight the wars?

    • Did you notice this on Mark Humphry’s site?

      “Much (but not all) of Christianity’s killing is in the past. Christianity had a long run as the world’s most violent religion. But I think it is clear that the world’s most violent religion is now Islam.”

      Here is his other site.

      http://markhumphrys.com/islam.killings.html

      • Only one problem with your linked opinion. Those Crusaders were Catholics not “Christians” You need to understand the difference of being Catholic and Protestant.

        • Catholics and Protestants have been settling those differences with bloodshed for about as long as there have been protestants, so you aren’t exactly making a case for the peacefulness of Christianity there either way, Sheepdog.

    • The dad just did an interview in which he claimed to have counseled his son to be patient because in two years Israel will no longer exist and America will relocate its Jews to Ukraine. I would say that qualifies the dad as moderate in his views.

  10. Anybody who thinks we should allow Muslims in with open arms ask Europe about all the trouble Muslims has caused over there. BELIEVE ME U DO NOT WANT MUSLIMS HERE. THEY WILL STAB U IN THE BACK. U CANT TRUST ANY OF THEM PERIOD.

    • Funny that France did not back out of their commitment to take in refugees and you are advocating that we should. Thanks for demonstrating what paranoid jerks some Americans are and making the rest of us look bad.

      Of course we can hope that people don’t judge the rest of us by your statements, but they might be simple minded and just lump people together…

      • Exactly. While fox ‘new’s and its fans like to repeat all that “Death to America” stuff, consider what those in the Middle East hear from us.

        “Bomb, bomb Iran”- John McCain.

        And, the various threatening comments everywhere in this country about Muslims.

    • But rob,we are only getting widows and orphans.no men at all.that’s what Obama said last week.lol

    • Rob, so what do you say to the muslins that are serving in the military fighting for your right to br a biggot?

  11. When the actions of a few tarnish the image and reputation of the many, the perhaps the many should self regulate the few out of existence. People who are truly offended by this public servants’ comments should look in the mirror and understand why the comments “hit home”.

    • So the bigots that judge all Muslims by the actions of a few tarnish the image and reputation of the rest of us. Is there some way to “regulate” these bigots out of existence?

  12. There are basically two different types of muzzies in the world. Terrorists and those that support terrorism either directly with money, food, and shelter or indirectly through minimizing and declaring people to be racist. Over 1 billion muzzies in the world and only the faintest of strangled whispers of voices speaking out against terrorism.

    • Said the guy who has never listened to what anyone has to say, apparently. I could waste my time posting links to any number of statements by Islamic leaders decrying terrorism, but why bother? Clearly it is easier for you to just spew your hatred if you don’t let any facts get in your way.

    • Muslims have been here in America, as citizens since the 1880s roughly. Most support the exact same way of life as the majority of Christian/non-faith Americans. You would not even know what faith they are unless you asked.
      Syrians that moved here in the 1880s to early 1900s were Christian. So obviously not all Syrians here in the US are Muslim, nor terrorists.
      Think it is time to grow a bit, learn a bit, and think of others a lot.

      • History,
        This is good to remember, but it worries me how high the support is for Isis and how great the hate for Jews is from the people in some of these countries. If half the population of a country favors Isis, how can we take refugees from that region?

      • Thank you, History Check for your comment. However, the Founding Fathers specifically considered Muslims when writing the Constitution (see Washington Post article today -“The Fascinating History of How Thomas Jefferson and Other Founding Fathers defended Muslim rights”). Muslims (Mohametans) have been here since early in our history and there have been so few incidents that most Americans assume they are new arrivals. When you look at the history, and the number of incidents, a better perspective can be gained. Right now, the media is so full of Muslim hate-inspired news that it is hard to think clearly – but, look at the crimes that have been mentioned above and then stack those against the hate crimes committed against Jews, blacks, Japanese, etc, etc. and you will see that for some reason, this country always seem to need to have scapegoats. It is Fear speaking. Instead of blaming an entire group, blame the individuals. Direct your hate, fear, or anger at the right people – NOT an entire religion.

  13. in science there are factors called things bias bservation, where you only look for certain details, and miss imprtant facts, thus skewing your data. In ordr to prevent this, one should consider taking an unbias random sample. In doing this, you would see that the percentage of shootings that are of middle eastern descent are very low — for instance the planned parenthood shootings….was not middle eastern. how do we consolidate the stereotyping to this finding? the media focuses more on shooting when it is someone of middle eastern decent, and the others fall into the shadows, for instance, again, the planned parenthood shootings.

    also, there is a reason that among the psychiatric definition of psycopaths, one characteristic is causcasian male.

    an unbiased look.

    • Good idea. Take a random sample of those that have cut off the heads of innocent people on the beach. Then take a random sample of those that have flown planes into occupied sky scrapers killing more than 2700 innocent people. Finally, take a random sample of radical Muslims and ask how many want to see the United States destroyed and all non believers killed.

    • Ah yes, who can forget Stan the Man Mohammed, Rex’s hand picked anti-Semite homophobe. Rex never has distanced himself from Stan’s bigotry. That’s probably because Rex is too busy trying to bring Communist Chinese businesses here to Lancaster so they can be closer to our military operations at Edwards, Plant 42, Lockheed, and Northrop. He is the consummate ‘Useful Idiot’.

    • Stan Mohammed is not on the City Council. He was picked by Mayor Parris to sit on the Tapestry Committee, which, according to their website is “to assist our community in celebrating our uniqueness, embracing common viewpoints, and creating opportunities to flourish.”

      Stan Mohammed is a homophobe and anti-Semite. His words have been well documented here on The Antelope Valley Times and other media outlets.

      Stan Mohammed is currently not listed as a Tapestry Committee member.

      • Why didn’t Parris demand his resignation immediately after Stan made his homophobic and anti-Semitic remarks? Oh, that’s right, Stan apologized, and his apology was just as bad. Parris seems content with homophobic and anti-Semitic commissioners while he recruits Communist Chinese businesses to set up shop next to our country’s most sensitive military installations. Benedict Parris.

        • He even supported Marquez when she spewed her anti Muslim rhetoric. Apparently Rex doesn’t have issues with people who are homophobic, anti-Semetic or anti-Muslim. Combine that with his own track record of sending out racist hit mailers calling an African American candidate a gang candidate and you have quite a bigoted resume.

  15. His comment propagates negative sterotypes and that is why it was protested by the Muslim community leaders. Here are the facts: ISIS and ISIS sympathizers are seen as the Nazis or the KKK by the Muslim community. They do not represent Muslims–actually, Muslims hate ISIS. Although they may have similar names or have beards or the same olive colored skin, they in no way represent Muslims. People don’t typically assume a white male named Mike or John is part of the KKK, that is why it is wrong to associate a Muslim or Islam with these horrible people called ISIS. Islam literally means peace in Arabic! In addition, 95% of ISIS victims are Muslims! Muslim countries like Jordan and Morocco are working tirelessly to combat ISIS in their countries. This is a global problem–not exclusively against The United States or Western countries.

    The Muslim community in the Antelope valley has worked really hard to fight against these stereotypes types since 9/11. In fact the local mosque in Lancaster hosted a 9/11 memorial with the AV Interfaith Council every year for 10 years! The Muslims protest against these criminals every time something happens, and CAIR has done nothing but voice against these perpetrators. They are the voice of peaceful true Muslims in America.

    It is not fair to American Muslims to be categorized so easily, especially by people in power like Mr. Antonovich.

    • Taqiyya. You would do well to educate yourself on what islam and its adherents are not only permitted to do, but encouraged to do as well as it relates to “infidels”.

      • Let me guess…the source of YOUR education is right wing lunatic websites specializing in Islamophobia that take snippets of the Koran out of context and rant about them.

        If you are going to suggest that someone would “do well” to take some action, you would “do well” to demonstrate that you have done so yourself.

        • Why is it that the left always calls it Islamophobia. I call it common sense. If you don’t name your enemy you can’t prepare and fight it. I’m not saying all Muslims are violent and hate Americans and I’m not a bigot or hater. Al Fadi a Saudi native who was raised and lived under Muslim law has said you are taught to look at all non Muslims as second class citizens. In the Koran Chapter 5 verse 51 warns Muslims not to befriend Christians and Jews. According to Al Fadi life under Islam is much different than the whitewashed version often presented by the Western media and Muslim presure groups. Mohammed wasn’t a peaceful profit calling for beheading and cutting off the fingertips of non believers. He has written a very informative book “The Qur’an Dilemma. Everyone needs to learn and become informed on exactly what we are up against. It’s not politically incorrect or islamophobia it’s just the truth.

          • I call it “Islamophobia” because it is a good descriptive word for the irrational nonsense that you find all over the internet, and in the current crop of lunatic fringe candidates put up by the Republicans…and in your comment.

            I could quote similar Bible verses that warn Christians against association with unbelievers. I could quote Bible verses that demonstrate quite handily that the Bible, like the Koran, was written during a period of human history that had a much different understanding of violence than we have. If I were to do these things in an effort to stir up fear of Christians and influence people against MILLIONS of their fellow humans I would KNOW I was doing something ridiculous as well as dangerous…so why don’t you know that you are?

          • @Tim Scott please let me know what chapter and verse in the Bible where it says cut off the heads and fingertips of the non believers. It’s not fear or irrational nonsense to want to know about any other religion or ethnic people. As to your comment about trying to stir up fear of Muslims that’s a typical leftist comment. It’s not fear it’s knowledge to know all of your fellow humans.

          • You seem to have no interest in “knowing.” Interest in dismissing…you have plenty of that. “Leftists”, “Muslims”, anyone you can group up as “other” and disassociate from. Then you talk about knowledge. Hilarious.

            But, just for the sake of curiosity…

            Ever been in a mosque during services? Or does your “quest for knowledge” end at the nearest Islamophobia website?

          • Merica, so what about christian bible thumper that shot up planned parenthood. Can ed start calling him a domestic terrorist or terrorist only applys to muslims? What about ghe white supremacist that killed christians in church in South Carolina? Can we call himdomestic terrorist?

  16. The Muslim leaders need to understand is now is not the time for them to be running there mouths.

  17. What Tim and Jet seem to forget (or ignore) is the radical Muslims are not coming here for a better life. They are coming here to kill us all. That is the truth and all the name calling from the PC left will not change it. It is time to speak the truth. Our survival depends on it.

    • Our survival depends on it? LOL

      Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that this WAS a plot hatched in Baghdad. They recruited this woman, had her seduce a passing American so she could go to the US on a fiancee visa, then subvert him. They gathered up an arsenal, and KILLED SIXTEEN PEOPLE.

      While this is tragic, it is not in any way an existential threat to the US population. On the day they killed sixteen Americans there were about TEN THOUSAND new Americans being born. If they are planning “to kill us all” they need to get a whole lot more efficient about it.

      • Oh… you mean more like the four airplanes full of innocent people, three of which that slammed into buildings?

        For the sake of argument … how many of your family members are you willing to risk? One? Two? You don’t care as long as it isn’t a member of your family? More people will be born to replace them… so no problem. Right?

        I’d like mull over your answer the next time I visit the grave of my family member killed on 9/11.

  19. Thank you Mr. Antonivich for your correct statement. As for as CAIR is concerned just pack up your goats and leave, no one cares about your statements. CAIR has been exposed as a terrorist sympathizer.

  20. Who cares what the president of American Islamic Institute of Antelope Valley thinks? Ignore the whiner.

    Yes, the shooters were Muslim. Antonovich was correct in his first impression after hearing about the attack.

    • Agree…so let’s also start calling the God loving christian republican, that shot up planned parenthood, a domestic terrorrist.

  23. Why is their so much backlash?? He only said what we were all wondering! It is no surprise that Antonovich was correct.

    • You’re absolutely right Lisa. He had the balls to say exactly what we were all thinking. It’s time to stop caring about everyone’s feelings and stating truth even if it hurts other people’s feelings. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…. let’s call it a duck.

      • Agreed. You look like a bigot and quack like a bigot, and if your feelings are hurt, tough luck and stop quacking.

        • Throw that bigot and racism terms all you want.fits right in with the Obama playbook.if all else fails,play the race card.translates to nothing.change is coming tim.America is coming back.sounds like you might want to step aside.

          • You mean the America founded on tolerance of all religion and nationalities and Constitutional protection for all or the one where fascist little robots blame Obama for everything that happens everywhere? Did you know the Republicans in Congress just voted down a law that would make it illegal to sell guns to people on the FBI terrorist watch list?

          • Jet, we KNOW how good those lists are don’t we? After all the two were on it weren’t they? On, right they were missing from the lists.

        • Ahh, the “I have no cogent response to your comment, so here’s an ad hominem response.” reply. Typical of the PC crowd…”I don’t like the facts you stated so I’ll make personal attacks against you.”

          • Hopefully we can be as open minded and accepting as Europe. Has every country over there sealed their borders or just most of them.