Zombie Muhammad

A local case has become the new cause celebre on the Islamophobic right. The assertion is that a Mechanicsburg judge believes it is permissible for Muslims to attack people mocking Muhammad. Predictably, the judge is now receiving threats.

Rightwing media contains several blatant errors in reporting on the case. First, they say the judge is Muslim. He is Lutheran. In his ruling, he did comment briefly on Islam based on his time serving in Iraq. It is also alleged that he based his ruling on shari'a law. Actually, he said there was not enough evidence to convict. The plaintiff's assertion that he was physically assaulted lacked corroborating witnesses, and the judge did not think a verbal altercation was worthy of trial.

Still, expect the fictional version of this case to become a talking point for those stoking fears of Islam.