Michelle Goldberg used a Tuesday item for Slate to tout Micah Naziri's open-carry protest outside the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Goldberg zeroed in on how Naziri's clothing "made him stand out...[as] an armed Muslim in a sea of often explicit Islamophobia." She later played up how "a group of burly men who called themselves Bible Believers" held anti-Islamic signs near the rifle-bearing demonstrator.
Goldberg led her item, "No One Messes With the Armed Muslim in Cleveland's Public Square," by detailing how "a bearded man with an AR-15 slung across his back stood in Cleveland's Public Square...That in itself wasn't that unusual; there are a fair number people with facial hair and weapons milling about downtown. What made him stand out was his white knit skullcap." She continued with her "sea of often explicit Islamophobia" phrase about the supposed environment in and around the Republican convention.
The Slate writer disclosed that Naziri "hadn't had any confrontations, which, he said, was partly the point." She quoted from the armed protester: "When there's bullies, and they say, 'We're gonna get the Moslems, creeping sharia...and they've got their guns, and then somebody comes who is...actually better armed than them...they just don't seem to feel like they want to talk as much."
Goldberg then reported on the "burly men who called themselves Bible Believers" who, besides holding their anti-Islam signs, apparently "ranted against Black Lives Matter." She pointed out that one of the members of the group, "who was black, wore a T-shirt saying, 'PROUD TO BE AN INFIDEL. Islam is a LIE.'"
Near the end of her item, the Slate columnist quoted again from Naziri, who contended that "any...religious or ethno-religious minority should be arming themselves and training in self-defense." Goldberg ended with some thinly-veiled snark: "It will be interesting to see how many of the Second Amendment–loving Republican delegates agree."
Actually, if the writer had done some research, she would have found a July 5, 2016 report from NPR that reported how "Ash Khare, a 67-year-old Indian-born engineer from rural Warren County [Pennsylvania] who has long been active in Republican politics....has applied for a carry permit, and he says he'll want to get some training and range time before he takes a weapon to Cleveland."
