Grand Island NE Iraqi man burns flag on 9/11/2001: Did it happen?

[FatDave]

I'm not from Nebraska, so forgive me if posting here is a breach of DU etiquette, but I have a question involving Nebraska and this is the best way I know of to ask Nebraskans if it happened.

My wife's taking a Cultural Diversity class online, and one of her classmates stated that in Grand Island an "Iraqi gentleman who owned a local business....was found celebrating and burning an American flag in his front yard the day of 9-11". The neighborhood "reacted violently".

I find this incredibly far-fetched. It's very similar to a series of urban legends that circulated in the days following 9/11 that featured mid-eastern convenience store owners seen celebrating the attack. Also it seems to me that Iraqi Americans (or any Americans of mid-eastern descent) would have been just as shocked by the events of 9/11. After all, they presumably came to America to escape this kind of extremism, or at least to pursue a better life than their home country could provide. It also seems to all-too-conveniently link Iraq to 9/11.

So, did it happen? Did the rumor go around later to be proven false? I can't find anything on google about it.

Now, I'm 90% sure it didn't happen, but my wife is considering calling BS on the woman who posted the story, and we just want to make abolutely sure before she calls someone misinformed (at best) or a liar (at worst).

Thanks in advance for your help.

[TheFarseer]

1. I'm almost certain I would have heard of that

I was living in Lincoln at the time but I've never heard any such thing. That is not to say it 100% didn't happen, but I find it very hard to believe.

No problem with non-Nebraskans posting in the NE forum. If you're got a Nebraska question, ask away :hi:

[progressoid]

2. Sounds like an internet rumor.

I just did some googling and couldn't find anything.

I remember a lot of stories on the Omaha channels about tensions within the Muslim community after 9-11 but that's about it. If something like that had happened, I think it would have garnered more than a few stories. Not to mention LTTEs concerning the flag burning amendment would have used it to support their cause. I didn't see one mention of it.

I smell a hoax.

[FatDave]

3. What I figured

Thanks everybody for the input.