Food Terrorists? (arrested)

If you think of “food terrorism” what comes to mind? -- Horrible plots to poisen food and drinks throughout the land. Grocery stores invaded by mask wearing foreigners injecting drugs or chemicals into the fruits and vegetables. Right?

Well, if you are Buddy Dyer, the mayor of Orlando, Florida, you might be thinking of a group of normal American folks feeding the homeless and hungry in one of your city parks. That is what Dyer is widely quoted as calling the activists with the Orlando chapter of 'Food Not Bombs' — “food terrorists.”

In the past few weeks, no less than 21 people have been arrested in Orlando just for handing out free food in a park.

Food Not Bombs an international, grass-roots organization fights hunger around the world. As the name implies, the group is against war. Their website home page says: “ Food Not Bombs shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in more than 1,000 cities around the world to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment. With over a billion people going hungry each day how can we spend another dollar on war?”

The Orlando chapter sets up a meal distribution table every Monday morning and Wednesday evening in the city’s Lake Eola Park.

Lately, the Orlando police have been arresting those who serve food there, like Benjamin Markeson. He was perplexed, saying: “We think that it’s terrorism to arrest people for trying to share food with poor and hungry people in the community to meet a community need. And all we do is we come to the park and we share food with poor and hungry people. I don’t know how that qualifies as terrorism."

That is not the way the mayor, police a some judges view their activities. Already twenty-two people have been arrested in the past month after feeding large groups of homeless people at Lake Eola Park in defiance of a controversial ordinance.

The city requires a permit to distribute food to large groups at downtown parks, and groups may receive only two permits per park, per year.

All but one of the anti-poverty activists have been released after posting bond. The founder of Food Not Bombs, Keith McHenry, remains jailed after being arrested June 22. McHenry, who lives in New Mexico but came to Orlando to protest the city ordinance, was first arrested after helping distribute food, then arrested again for entering the park in defiance of a trespass warning.

McHenry's attorney and the city prosecutor had reached a plea deal in which McHenry would plead no contest and be released with a sentence of the time he'd already served in jail. But County Judge Kenneth Barlow rejected the deal Friday afternoon, citing the fact that McHenry had violated the terms of his release from his first arrest.

Meanwhile, Food Not Bombs and the city sparred in court Friday. Attorney Shayan Elahi asked a judge for an injunction to stop police from taking Food Not Bombs members into custody, and instead issue them notices to appear in court. Circuit Judge Jose Rodriguez has not yet issued a ruling.

Could be - the authorities are worried about the word "Bombs" in the name of the group? Maybe they can read anything more than that? What if they changed their name to "Share Food the Islamic Way"?
Can you imagine how long they would stay in prison for that?

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN - TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ISLAM SAYS ABOUT THIS? (comments below please)