Multiculturalism designates certain groups as more equal than others, worthy of special considerations and privileges. Multiculturalism emphasizes group identity and places free speech — a critical tenet of liberal democracy — in jeopardy and susceptible to charges of racism.
The case of Major Nidal Hasan highlights the real dangers of multiculturalism.
A review of: Delectable Lie:Â A Liberal Repudiation of Multiculturalism by Salim Mansur (Mantua Books, 2011, 186pp., $22.00
In 2008, Vietnam war veteran Jesse Nieto — a Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base civilian  employee and father of one of 16 sailors who died in the 2000 Islamist attack on the USS Cole — was ordered to remove from his vehicle decals that a Marine’s Muslim spouse thought were offensive. The decals referred to Islamic terrorist responsibility for the USS Cole tragedy and the celebrations it prompted in the Muslim world.
Although he removed some of the decals, Nieto’s vehicle was subsequently banned from his place of work, as well as all other federal installations, denying him the right to visit his son’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery. The Thomas More Law Center filed a federal lawsuit on Nieto’s behalf challenging the military’s ban on Nieto’s right to freedom of speech.
Fortunately, the judge in the case ruled for the father and astutely observed that stating “Islam is Peace†and “Islam is Love†could be equally perceived as offensive and inflammatory for Nieto, as was the anti-Islamic terrorism message to those complaining about his decals. In this case, the decision affirmed that multiculturalism and political correctness do not justify violating the Constitution.
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