Anti-Castro Paranoia: Islam in Cuba as the “new Threat”

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Understanding the anti-Castro paradigm is a mind-blowing experience! Seriously, the worldview of these fanatics is almost incomprehensible. Searching for information on Islam on Cuba brought me to a blog titled “Kill Castro.” If the title wasn’t insane enough, I had the unfortunate opportunity of reading through one of Mr. KillCastro’s 2006 posts on a new “threat” developing on the island: Islam. The post was racist and a down right lie. Constructing a reality far beyond the reaches of reason, he used rumor after rumor (as his own blog admits) to argue that the anti-Castro community should fear the growing threat of Islam in Cuba.

So what is the Islamic threat in Cuba? Well, for starters, Mr. Killcastro states that the Arab House in Havana is “the unofficial headquarters of the “Palestinian terrorist” organization, the PLO.” For him, this statement alone should suffice. Indeed, he doesn’t provide a shred of evidence to support his claim. But saying that the Palestinian terrorists are operating in the Arab House seems enough for the anti-Castro politics of paranoia. Unfortunately, reasonable human beings would have to take issue with such a blanket statement of fiction. The PLO is an internationally recognized organization. Indeed, it is the “sole representative of the Palestinian people.” They have embassies all over the world. Why then would they have to construct a secret operations unit in Cuba (of all places)? Furthermore, calling them terrorists seems ironic given that they’re as committed to liberating their country, Palestine, from Israel as Killcastro himself seems as committed to liberating Cuba. Ironies aside, the “terrorist” label is getting old and anti-Castro politics has to be a bit more intelligent in its mis-application of terms. The PLO has every right, as an organized body of people suffering collective oppression, colonization, and occupation, to resist. One would think that the anti-Castro Cubans would be a bit more sympathetic given their loss of the Cuban homeland. It would make more sense for these fanatics to organize their own Cuban Liberation Organization and free their homeland from Castro. Well, not any time soon. Most of these fanatics are comfortably lodged in their Miami homes writing blogs about their hatred for Castro, Arabs, Muslims, and just about everyone.

In a xenophobic twist from the 80s, Mr. Killcatro claims that Cuba’s decision not to allow the construction of a mosque is a plot to hide Castro’s intake of “Moslem” oil monies. Again, anti-Castro politics doesn’t need to substantiate the claim that Cuba is funneling “Moslem” oil monies. Morevoer, anti-Catro racist politics doesn’t even need to explain what Muslim oil money is a bad thing! Any racist out there knows that oil money coming from a Muslim nation is a bad thing right? Nevermind that oil money is warmly welcomed by the freedom-loving United States, the Cuba-Muslim connection is enough to frighten us all. Till this day I can’t seem to figure out why anything anti-Castro is also racist. Perhaps Mr. Killcastro can explain that in a post some day.

To conclude his racist diatribe, Mr. Killcastro pulls an article from wikipedia on the Islamic community in Cuba. This “alarming” news, as he calls it, can’t be verified but, never fear anti-Castro Crusaders, in his humble estimation, it’s just “typical Arab street camel shit.” Such a racist statement barely warrants a comment. But the entire post–nothing more than an attempt to link Castro to the “war on terror”–is a compelling indication that the anti-Castro extremists are trying, desperately, to link the growing Islamaphobia to Castro. The logic is simple:

Premise #1: anything that gets the world to hate Castro is good for the anti-Castro movement

Premise #2: Islam is feared and hated now

Conclusion: link Castro to Islam and hatred and fear for him will increase

Possible conclusion #2: if Castro is successfully linked to Islam, maybe Cuba can be invaded under the so-called war on terror

The warped logic of these anti-Castro fanatics is frightening. I’m an American-born Cuban whose parents are firmly against Castro’s control of Cuba. I am very well acquainted with the Miami-style politics of the anti-Castro movement. I am also a Muslim. It is shocking and offensive to see how these right-wing terrorists (consider the Cuban national, Posada Carriles, who bombed a Cuban flight to Venezuela killing scores of innocent people) are trying to place the growth and spread of Islam within their war against Castro. Islam has always been in Cuba. Many of the Cuban people themselves have connections to Muslim Nigeria and other Muslim African nations. Moreover, many Spaniards were once Muslims until the inquisition and forced removal of the Moors from southern Spain. Islam is part of the historical roots of Cuba and should be embraced, not feared.

Leave the religion of Islam out of your racist and misguided hatred for Castro. You’ll never effectively change the situation in Cuba through racism and absurd assertions about Islam and Arabs. Try promoting a healthy debate, like the one held during Apartheid South Africa, to encourage Americans and others to consider the plight of the Cuban people. Keep your born-again anti-Castro hatred out of the agenda for Cuba. You don’t support the Cuban people; you use them as a tool for your war against Castro.

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