Last February, 2024, a Rhode Island House resolution on “Islamophobia” was passed referencing two alleged “Islamophobic shooting” incidents involving individuals connected to the state, Mustafa Ramos, and Hisham Awartani. Introduced by Representatives Ajello, Ackerman, Tanzi, Sanchez, Felix, Potter, Cruz, Boylan, Blazejewski, and Shekarchi, the resolution, relied upon rushed, uncritical local reporting of these incidents (Ramos: here; here; here; here; Awartani: here; here; here; here; here). Two months after the Awartani shooting, for example, even a more responsible, veteran journalist for the Providence Journal claimed, without any supporting documentation, Awartani, “was one of three Palestinian college students shot in Burlington, Vermont, for the crime of speaking Arabic and wearing black and white keffiyehs.”
For one victim, Mustafa Ramos, the RI House resolution repeated the Providence Journal’s description of him as “a jovial man with a giant smile.” The following specific language was included declaring the “belief” that Ramos “was a target based solely on his faith,” and implying the same conclusion for Awartani, by “authorizing and directing” a certified copy of the resolution be sent to him:
“WHEREAS, Closer to home, Mustafa Ramos, ‘a jovial man with a giant smile,’ was setting up a table before prayers outside the Islamic Center in Providence, when he was shot by a man who had waited nearly half an hour to attack. It is believed that Mr. Ramos was a target based solely on his faith… RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Islamic Center of Rhode Island and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Mustafa Ramos c/o the Islamic Center in Providence, and Hisham Awartani c/o Brown University.”
But now, 14-months after both shootings, neither the Ramos or Awartani (here; here) shootings—based upon evidence amassed during extensive criminal investigations—has been classified as a hate crime.
There is a striking symmetry to the arc of these investigations. In each case, despite serious early doubts being raised about whether Mr. Ramos (here; here), or Mr. Awartani (here; here) were true hate crime victims, the press accounts ignored those concerns, and trumpeted the “Islamophobic hate crime shooting” narratives.
Per actual investigation, Mr. Ramos was most likely shot by another Muslim, Nasir Dupont, a recidivist criminal with a long history of serious drug and firearms convictions, who is currently incarcerated for offenses unrelated to the Ramos shooting. Mr. Ramos himself served 5-years in prison (of a 20-year sentence) for distributing and manufacturing class I/II (dangerous and addictive) drugs. No evidence has emerged supporting the notion the Ramos shooting was an “Islamophobic hate crime.”
The suspected gunman in the Awartani shooting, Jason Eaton, was a pro-Hamas, Leftist, organic farmer with a psychiatric history, but no history of ethnic or religious prejudice (here; here). As in the Ramos shooting, there is zero evidence that the Awartani shotting was somehow an “Islamophobic hate crime.”
Given the objective findings that have emerged after 14-months of criminal investigation of these shootings, Rhode Island legislators who drafted or sponsored 2024–H 7704 , the “HOUSE RESOLUTION STRONGLY CONDEMNING ISLAMOPHOBIA,” must revise it by eliminating the references to the disproven, so-called “Islamophobic shootings” of Mustafa Ramos and Hisham Awartani.
Addendum: Journalist Sasha Goldstein, news editor at the Vermont publication, “Seven Days” displayed an appropriately measured and questioning attitude from the outset about the rush to label the Vermont shootings by Jason Eaton a “hate crime.” Goldstein reported Eaton’s pro-Hamas social media posting and other aspects of Eaton’s social history that did not comport with the profile of someone who would deliberately shoot at Muslims, per se, out of “Islamophobic” animus. Today, 2/8/25, Mr. Goldstein kindly forwarded me his own 11/12/24 follow-up story via email with the res ipsa loquitur title, “Hate Crime Charge Unlikely Against Eaton, Prosecutor Says,” adding this comment: “Eaton was never charged with a hate crime and it doesn’t appear that he will be.”
