A typically silly mainstream media piece, but not as evil as some of them. "In flap over mosque near Ground Zero, conservative writers gaining influence," by Michelle Boorstein for the Washington Post, August 18:
Long before President Obama waded into the vociferous debate over a proposal to build a mosque near Ground Zero, a group of conservative writers and bloggers critical of Islam had seized on the issue and helped transform it into a national political spectacle.While some have dismissed them as bigoted attention-seekers, their attacks on the proposed Islamic center in lower Manhattan have gained currency in recent weeks among some Republican leaders. And their influence appears to be growing.
They are organizing a Sept. 11 rally against the proposed Islamic center in lower Manhattan that will feature former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. They advise the FBI and other government security agencies on the threats posed by Islamic radicalism, headline "tea party" events and attract millions of readers concerned or curious about Islam to Web sites with names such as Jihad Watch, Creeping Sharia and Stop Islamization of America.
"People on the Hill, their staff read these sites, they show their bosses. . . . They push these subjects into the spotlight, often at a time when major media isn't doing that," said Cliff May, a columnist and former spokesman for the Republican National Committee who runs a think tank focused on religious extremism and religious freedom.
The most colorful -- and perhaps most visible activist at the moment -- is Pam Geller, a former New York Observer publisher who has appeared in a bikini and a super-tight Superman costume challenging Islam.
It has become a favored theme of the Left's take on Pamela Geller to point out that she appeared in a bikini, etc., as if that fact in itself negates the validity of everything she says. And certainly taking that tack is easier for Michelle Boorstein than actually thinking about the arguments that Pamela makes and formulating some coherent response to them.
Through her blog, Atlas Shrugs, television interviews and appearances at political and civic rallies, Geller has become one of the chief organizers of opposition to the mosque as well as efforts to build other Muslim prayer centers around the country....Geller has become a prominent voice in the debate despite the fact that she once promoted the view that Obama is Malcolm X's love child.
This is lazy propagandizing at its very finest masquerading as journalism. If Michelle Boorstein had bothered to do any research, she would have found this statement, which has only been up at Atlas Shrugs for nearly two years: "UPDATE: The 'Atlas says that Barack Obama is Malcolm X's love child' charge has gone viral among leftards and lizards. The only problem with it is that it is false. I am not the author of this post, and I posted it because the writer did a spectacular job documenting Obama's many connections with the Far Left. The Malcolm X claim is one minor part of this story, and was of interest to me principally as part of the writer's documentation that Stanley Ann Dunham could not have been where the Obama camp says she was at various times. I do not believe that Barack Obama is Malcolm X's love child, and never did -- but there remain many, many unanswered questions about his early life and upbringing."
She frequently warns that Muslims are trying to impose repressive sharia law on the United States,
One wonders if Michelle Boorstein has noticed that the Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Ground Zero mosque is an open proponent of Sharia who has called for restrictions on the freedom of speech in the U.S.
...refers to the president's holiday message to Muslims as "Obama Ramadamadingdong" and promotes a Web site, Religion of Peace, that claims to tally the number of people killed around the world by Muslim extremists.
Is there something wrong with the tally at Religion of Peace? Boorstein doesn't say -- and she doesn't say, of course, because she doesn't know. She just knows that the tally is so high, it doesn't fit in with her politically correct presuppositions. So it must be false. And in more sloppiness, Pamela Geller's article about Obama's Ramadan message was entitled "Obama Ramadanadingdong" (not "Ramadamadingdong"); Pamela did not refer to his speech itself by that name.
She has helped fund controversial taxi ads in Washington, New York and other cities asking: "Is your family threatening you? leaveislamsafely.com"
No mention from Michelle Boorstein of Islam's death penalty for apostates.
Geller often partners with Robert Spencer, a best-selling writer who is less flamboyant but perhaps more influential.Spencer, the author of "Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam Is Subverting America Without Guns or Bombs" and "The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran," has consulted on Islamic extremism with government security officials, including the U.S. Central Command, the U.S. Army Command, the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to his Web site, Jihad Watch.
The site, which was launched in 2003, had its busiest month ever in July, with 2.9 million visitors, up from 665,000 a year ago, Spencer said.
Jihad Watch is widely read in many quarters in Washington, particularly among conservatives.
Daniel Pipes, perhaps the most prominent U.S. scholar on radical Islam, said he considers Spencer a "serious scholar."
"I learn from him," said Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, a conservative think tank, who writes a biweekly column for the National Review.
When Spencer lavished praise on Gingrich earlier this month, the Republican posted it on his Web site.
Gingrich is scheduled to speak at an anti-mosque rally on Sept. 11 being organized by Spencer and Geller. Also scheduled to speak is former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who wrote the forward for the pair's new book about Obama, "The Post-American Presidency."
Gingrich has actually dropped out. The rally will go on.
Charles Johnson, creator of the national security blog Little Green Footballs, called Spencer and Geller "very influential." Listening to Gingrich's comments about Islamic law, he said, "Newt sounded a lot like he got it from Pam Geller."
"The national security blog Little Green Footballs"? That's the funniest thing I've heard in weeks. A Rabelais, a Jonathan Swift at his most bitingly satirical couldn't have come up with a more unlikely description for that disgusting lie-and-hate factory. I have no doubt that Michelle Boorstein had at least the rudimentary decency as to leave Johnson's libelous charges on the cutting-room floor.
Their efforts to rally public opinion against the mosque appear to have had an impact. A CNN poll conducted this month showed that 68 percent of Americans oppose the idea of building a mosque two blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood.While there is no new data on whether American views toward Islam have shifted since a spate of homegrown terror attacks and the furor over the mosque, Muslim American leaders worry that it has. They accuse the bloggers of fueling religious hatred.
Muslim Americans "are becoming fearful, uncertain, asking, 'What is the future?' " said Akbar Ahmed, a former Pakistani diplomat and current American University professor.
Ahmed believes the shaky economy, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and tension over immigration combined with the election of the first non-white president have left Americans anxious. "Islam at this moment in time focuses all the intensity and passion," he said.
Akbar Ahmed knows better -- which is probably why he keeps ducking discussion or debate with me.
Brian Levin, a hate crimes expert who used to work with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the bloggers gain traction partially because they make points about American Muslim extremism that "the mainstream media consistently ignore."...Video from June of a rowdy town meeting in Staten Island, N.Y., about a proposed mosque shows Spencer being cheered when he states his name. Those who turned out to oppose the mosque said they heard about the meeting through Geller's Facebook page.
Asked if his ability to make money -- through Web site donations, book sales and speaking appearances -- has improved, Spencer said, "It's changed a lot," but wouldn't elaborate. He said only that he and Geller were able to raise $50,000 in recent months for their bus and taxi ad campaign. ...
Yes, and we raised it through a large number of small donations from readers and concerned citizens. It is interesting, isn't it, that Michelle Boorstein and others in the mainstream media have no apparent concern about where the mosque organizers are getting their $100 million, despite their contradictory statements about it, but they are very, very concerned about the relative pittances we're dealing with.
Asked if he was being deliberately combative and provocative, Spencer chuckled."Why not?" he asked. "It's fun."
I am fairly sure that I did not say that in connection with my work, but rather in connection with my attempts to draw out Michelle Boorstein and convince her that running interference for Sharia was not in her personal best interests, but in either case, Michelle Boorstein doesn't know when her leg is being pulled.
By refusing to make the effort to review Islam in an honest and forthright manner, liberals have largely ceded the field to conservatives. Many liberals seem to believe that racial egalitarianism must be complemented by ideological egalitarianism if the adherents of the ideology are largely non-white, unless the adherents are Republicans of course.
"She frequently warns that Muslims are trying to impose repressive sharia law on the United States,.."
Sharia Law vs English Law (video)
Download original file here.
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/07/shariah-law-and-english-law.html
Michelle and Nancy sitting in a tree,
K-I-S_S_I-N-G
First came love, then came same sex marriage,
Then came Michelle with,...
Robert, Pamela,
Take your bow and victories wherever they are found. The MSM would not be writing about you unless you were having an effect.
What is so, so good about your scholarship and your blog/s is that all of your assertions made about Islam are supported by reference to core Islamic texts. You have not made it all up.
This is ever so critical because as more and more Americans become curious about Islam and its teachings, esp. so in light of the NYC mosque business, they will seek out the truth. The ABCs of Islam are not to be found in the MSM; to the contrary, the MSM and the left generally will discourage anyone from learning the truth of Islam. Americans will gravitate to your websites. There they will find and the uncomfortable facts about Islam which the Muslims have been hiding.
Kudos and keep up this good work. See you in NYC on 09/11/10.
Ailing Ground Zero heroes slam embattled Obama over mosque as New York takes stand against president
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1304175/Ground-Zero-heroes-accuse-embattled-Obama-failing-mosque-New-York-takes-stand-president.html#ixzz0wzoXHnZQ
The blogosphere is hyperactive with Ground Zero Mosque posts. It's impossible for one person to keep up with them (I've tried!). If you use Google Blog Search for 'Ground Zero Mosque' set to the last hour, they come up faster than you can comment on them.
Most of the posts seem to be against the Victory Mosque, but many of these bloggers are working on gut feel only, and are obviously not Islamically Aware, being confused about the true nature of Islam and regarding it as just another religion.
If we counterjihadists all spent an hour a day commenting on recent posts and pointing the bloggers in the right direction, then we could do a great educational job. Links to resources HERE
Am glad to see Newt at last using correct terminology on the talk show circuit lately, (he uses sharia and islamic supremacism now) but his bowing out of the 9/11 protest shows he has no cojones when it comes to taking a strong public stance against Islamic jihad. I suppose he wouldn't dare get too close to such greasy islamophobes as Robert and Pam. What a shame.
I Would love to see spencer as president of United State :) it will definitely come as Hope for many around the globe, suffering to social diseases known caused by a social virus called Islam..
"I Would love to see spencer as president of United State :) it will definitely come as Hope for many around the globe,"
Sure, after he cures you of the social virus called Islam, ask him to get your unemployment rate back under 20%. If someone with an M.A. in Christianity can become the world's leading self-taught expert on Islam, surely he can do the same in economics.
I feel a lot of hope here in my country with under 4% unemployment, how about you?
@sean, thanks for compiling and posting up those links. Immediately bookmarked for for future reference.
I suppose negative attention is better than ignoring you entirely.
Still, congrats for your efforts for freedom and civilization.
Stakes are going up. Be careful at the protest gatherings and such.
http://freemendo.typepad.com/undaunted/2010/06/read-hereabout-boeing-guards-who-somehow-let-twelve-or-was-it-fourteen-handguns-be-stolen-from-a-storage-locker-at-the-he.html
Thanks Sean for the link. Lots of good, clear information there for dhimmis who -- I hope -- will become full infidels after research.
Sean, it's not just the blogosphere. It's on radio, TV, in the papers, everywhere; it's gone viral on 'em!
The Dems are getting slapped silly over this! And they have an election coming-up where they've already been predicted to lose their asses--and one in which this looks to be a litmus test for their loyalty. They're already running for cover. How long before they're begging Rauf, Khan, and the malevolent wuss el-Gamal to PLEASE back-off because of the damage they're causing to their erstwhile enablers?
And what do you suppose their pet muslims will tell them? "Go pound sand, infidels--Ground Zero or bust--allahu akbar!" I like the sound of "bust" myself...
Newt has dropped out? Coward.
Oh Yusef - I doubt you have a Master's degree. At any rate, Islam is simple: "Kill everyone not like us until we rule." There, that's Islam, courtesy your rotten bigot mass-murder Warlord.
I published a post on dhimmitude in July 2005, which over the years has gotten next to no interest. Until the past six months or so, during which time interest has grown immensely. People are, if not concerned, at least curious. If anyone cares to add further to this post, please feel free to leave comments at:
http://nodhimmitude.blogspot.com/2005/07/what-is-dhimmitude.html
As one of the old timers here, I'm delighted to see Robert Spencer receiving the increased recognition and influence that he has earned over the years. More importantly, it is great to see our nation's leaders, particularly those in the military and law enforcement, seeking the wisdom and advice of scholars such as Mr. Spencer and Hugh Fitzgerald instead of unindicted co-conspirators in terrorism-related trials such as CAIR.
But, since Yusef won't even tell us what country he's in, and overstates our unemployment figures by 2X, what credibility does he have here anyway? The best odds are that he's full of shi'ite...
Courreges W,
My favorite summation of Islam is this:
Convert. Pay. Or die.
Islam in a nutshell.
Oh boy you gave me a chuckle, boneshack, even though of course Islam ain't funny in the least.
Leftist writers like Ms. Boorstein have put themselves in a bind. They tied themselves with a noose to the 'progressive' liberal idea that all morality is relativistic, so there is no inequality between Judeo-Christian moral values and Islam's; which means that there is no basis for endorsing morality of any kind, or it would favor some over others. This is equality gone ballistic, and it creates an untenable position for the Left because if Judeo-Christian values are superior to those of Islam, then morality matters. Worse, it pulls the chair out from under their post-modern relativism, and they are left hanging.
"People on the Hill, their staff read these sites, they show their bosses. . . "
Is that right? Well, they must be learning a lot about Islam, then, and are getting scared.
Sean, thank you for your compilation of those links! Great resource, especially for those finally waking up.
Quoting Michelle Boorstein: "Gingrich is scheduled to speak at an anti-mosque rally on Sept. 11 being organized by Spencer and Geller. Also scheduled to speak is former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who wrote the forward for the pair's new book about Obama, "The Post-American Presidency."
R. Spencer: "Gingrich has actually dropped out. The rally will go on....."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I am pretty certain, I posted elsewhere, I never trusted Newt Gingrich. I've not considered him a man of integrity or a man of great moral courage. I will try to give him the benefit of the doubt nonetheless, until we hear or read on this site why he dropped out.
John Bolton, wrote the forward for the pair's new book about Obama, "The Post-American Presidency."
*****************************************************
I listened to the entire unabridged edition on audio books. Lots of good information therein. For me, "The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran," was an exceptionally worthwhile audio book. I bought a paperback copy to follow along.
Congratulations, Robert and Pam! I think that several posters who have observed that the Left-wing MSM ignores many salient facts about Islamic militancy are also very much on the ball.
As for Nancy Pelosi wanting to investigate who's supporting the anti-mosque rally, I suggest that lots and lots of us write under our own names and ask Ms. Pelosi to forward the names of the supporting organizations so we can join them. The Hon. Mme. Speaker really has a lot of gall to make Americans using their First Amendment Rights of free speech and peaceable assembly look sinister.
HOORAYYY!
RS FOR PRESIDENT AND PAM FOR VICE PRESIDENT.
The more they howl, the more you know that you are making a difference.
I regularly promote your site with links and recommends.
I even had a leftist relative who was talking about the evils of Sharia Law. Go figure.
Too bad you're not "flamboyant", Robert. Maybe you should wear "a super-tight Superman costume", like Pamela.
You wrote, "If someone with an M.A. in Christianity can become the world's leading self-taught expert on Islam,"
If I understand your sarcasm correctly, you are implying that Christianity and Islam are so unrelated that having an advanced degree in Christianity would not adequately prepare one for a self-directed study of Islam. Correct?
In this day and age of the cell phone camera (both still photos and video), there is simply no excuse for people at demonstrations and rallies not to have them running. In the old days, one could reasonably only expect two or three people to bring along a clunky camera and/or movie camera. Now, literally hundreds of participants can have their cell phones out and ready, or even just filming in case something happens.
'A typically silly mainstream media piece, but not as evil as some of them'
Included in this 'some of them ' must be an article in today's guardian
It calls Robert and Pamela ' right -wing bigots ' and rubbishes any idea that muslims are a threat to us .
Guardian journalists - Robert and Pamela are trying to warn YOU and everyone else of the threat these people pose .
Not so far in the future , it will hit you how wrong you were - and you will ask us ignorant masses whose views you disdain to save you .
Newt sounded a lot like he got it from Pam Geller.
At least. It actually sounds like he has taken a geniune interest in the matter and is reading up on the problems - and the solutions - himself.
What Geller, Spencer etc. have pioneered, others pick up. This is Good :)
@ Yusef YK
Glad to see you've dropped-by. Care to answer the question I have posted for you three times already? Your co-religionists are also welcome to respond.
"Which is more likely -- that a man should be used as a transmitter by God to deliver some already existing revelations, or that he should utter some already existing revelations and believe himself to be, or claim to be, ordered by God to do so?"
David Hume - Scottish philosopher
Robert - You've arrived!!!! You're even being discussed in that bastion of the loony left, the Guardian in the UK - on their famous blog, Comment is Free - (as long as you're not anti-Muslim/Islam or pro Israel).
I read some of the comments - puke making.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2010/aug/18/poison-behind-new-york-mosque-furore
By the way - guess who's responsible for the "poison"?
That is an excellent question. Sorry I missed it before.
History is clear - man very often will assemble pieces and parts of truth and falsehood into a syncratic whole. Then he paints over the whole thing with the idea that it is "divine revalation." This is why we see false faiths such as Bahai and Mormonism and any one of hundreds of others which are based upon truth (al'Quran or the Injil, for example.) As to if they believe the truth of their claims or not, I cannot, nor can any man, rightfully say.
Indeed, this is why most religious texts which contain the truth of One God almost invariably contain a conjunction against further revalation - to protect us from those who would claim to speak for God when in fact it is the working of their mind alone. But when it comes to these matters I do accept that God can and does offer further revelation to the faithful, and that he does so by speaking into our hearts during prayer. (This idea is heretical in my country, but is supported by examples in all of the holy books.)
Essentially, I both agree with Hume's premise and reject the implication it holds for Islam and related revelations.
This is in answer to George's query on Yusef YK country of origin. I think he is a Malaysian Malay.
Yusuf I think your non-answer begs the question: Why does Hume's question not apply to Islam?
On the contrary, Hume's supposition DOES apply to Islam, in the sense that we must be critical of anyone who claims to speak for God, and be sure that our religious texts and beliefs stand up to that scrutiny. If anything this applies most for what we believe to be true.
I happen to believe that Islam is the true revelation for mankind, but that doesn't mean I haven't taken a critical look. There are many sects of Islam, such as Sufi, Shia, Wahabi, and so on, which I believe are false but which merit a critical look just like anything else.
Robert, was a reason given for Gingrich cancelling his mosque appearance?
Be careful John, when the MSM finds that abuse and lies about you won't work, the next step is to try to co-opt you, make you one of them, then set you up in a scandal that destroys you once and for all. Be on your guard. The libs have no souls.
The liberal media is struggling to turn the Islamization of America into a left vs. right thing in vain, grasping at straws such as calling those who are abhorred by Sharia and its spread to America "Islamophobes", racists, bigots, and worse, often playing the C card, as in Christian Crusaders, which seems to be the worse slam possible. Never do they actually state that they want to see Sharia on their block, of course, just on yours, or on 9/11's block. Any bad thing said by real Muslims is routinely covered-up or ignored. Bush and Obama statements on Islam being a religion of peace and 9/11 not being about Islam are trumped loudly. What a lala land they have erected, a house of cards waiting for the next Muslim super-attack.
Even mentioning Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller in order to damn them must be hard for liberal media, who jump to use the I-phobe label. In actuality, Spencer and Geller are vanguards of a new breed of ISLAMOSOPHES, people who are well versed in the little known history of Islam along with its ideology and terminology, and realize how Islam comes with a culture and all-embracing sociolegal system that is totally in conflict with America's, and that it's not about left vs. right with them, it's a true case of us vs. them, two incompatible cultures, there's not enough room for both without ceaseless conflict and probably civil war, depending on how the Muslim pop. gets if immigration isn't stopped. Hopefully one day soon the infighting will stop and unity against Sharia will become the norm. Too bad, the Israel-Palestinian issue clouds the picture, since many anti-Islamophobes are really anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian, and I suspect that many so-called progressive blogs that are rabidly so are secretly funded by Muslims outside the U.S. Too bad I can't prove it in court, but I suspect AlterNet and OpEdNews. These sad outfits don't want anybody using their propaganda sites to dispute or disprove their propaganda, making all their propaganda suspect of dishonesty. Try getting on them and posting anything on this topic and see if you get your posting privileges revoked.
My Islam Watch Blog carries more daily-updated links to news and opinion articles on the Islam v. West issue than anybody, on all sides of the issue, and all free:
http://tinyurl.com/islamwatch
there is only one way to win against stealth jihad - every other way will fail - just like it has been doing all these years that these cultural and RELIGIOUS savages have been making fools out of the entire western world: And that is to FOLLOW THE MONEY AND FIND OUT WHERE IT IS COMING FROM - NOTHING ELSE WORKS. MANY DO NOT BELIEVE ME, BUT OUR COUNTRY IS RUN BY OIL MONEY BRIBES RIGHT NOW BECAUSE PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW HOW INCREDIBLY EASY IT IS TO OPERATE AN ORGANIZED AND LAWYER CONTROLLED BRIBE SYSTEM - ESPECIALLY WHEN THE UNDER THE TABLE STUFF EXCEEDS ONE MILLION DOLLARS! The only thing that has a chance in hell of stopping it is by exposing when and where the money behind these crazy projects comes from. If the question of how the Victory Mosque was going to be financed had not been brought out by Pamela, you can be sure they would already have the 100,million U.S. bucks in hand, plus another 100 million in a secret bribe fund just sitting there waiting to buy off the majority of Democrats and a really impressive number of Republican who worship the invisible hand. Added to this badly overlooked FACT is the painful but obvious truth that people with big big vast fortunes are hugely more tempted toward sexual adventures with questionable people than any other group of people in the world, and so a great percentage of them are now being BLACK MAILED BY THE SAME BACKROOM JIHAD. THE MUSLIMS ALWAYS USE THIS CARROT AND STICK PROGRAM TO GET ANYTHING THEY WANT - IF WE DO NOT USE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTIC TACTICS TO REVEAL THESE THINGS TO EVERYONE WHO IS CIVILIZED WE WILL BE DEFEATED FOR SURE BECAUSE THERE ARE NOT ANY FORMAL CATHOLIC CRUSADERS TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM THE MUSLIMS THIS TIME. EVERYONE NEEDS TO LEARN TO BE ONE OF THE "NEW CRUSADERS" OR REAL CIVILIZATION DIES AND THE SPOILS GO TO THE MURDERING SAVAGES - FOLLOW THE MONEY OR DIE!
I would have liked to see Daisy and Rauf go head to head with Gracie and Allen. Maybe they can learn a thing or two about capturing a crowd. Throw in a little more slapstick. Rye humor has it's place, but you got to jiyzah it up a notch.
There's an art to conveying a message. Rauf needs to pick-up one of those self-help books, a little light, night stand fare. I would have liked to see Daisy and Rauf go head to head with Gracie and Allen. Maybe they can learn a thing or two about capturing a crowd. Throw in a little more slapstick. Rye humor has it's place, but you got to jizyah it up a notch.
Fscarn wrote:
Robert, Pamela,
Take your bow and victories wherever they are found. The MSM would not be writing about you unless you were having an effect.
............
I heartily agree with Fscarn—this is a damned backhanded compliment from Michelle Boorstein and the Washington Post, but it is a compliment none the less.
Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller have done more than almost anyone else to get the word out about the Jihad threat. Kudos to you both!