Steve Emerson of the Investigative Project was the subject of a nasty mainstream media hit piece in The Tennessean Sunday. Here, he sets the record straight -- as is necessary, since this story is being picked up gleefully by all the mainstream media flacks for Islamic supremacism. One of the worst is TPM Muckraker, where pseudo-journalist/hardcore Leftist ideologue Rachel Slajda titles her version "Jihad Alarmism Proves Lucrative For Leading Anti-Muslim Advocate."
Slajda interviewed me awhile back for a story on the stealth jihad, and also wrote a sneering but inaccurate piece on the Campbell's halal soup controversy.
Slajda's vicious piece on Emerson calls him a "self-proclaimed expert on Sharia law" and accuses him of "jihad alarmism." So I wrote this to her this afternoon:
Rachel Slajda:I am working on an article about how Leftist "journalists" carry water for Islamic supremacists, and so given the perspective you've displayed in the article below and the others (Campbell's Soup, the stealth jihad threat) that you have written about this topic, I wonder if you'd be so kind as to answer a few questions:
1. Where exactly did Steve Emerson proclaim himself an "expert on Sharia law"? [The IPT website says, accurately, that Emerson is "an internationally recognized expert on terrorism and national security." It doesn't say anything about Sharia.]
2. What investigations are you conducting into the funding sources and salaries of the leading figures of groups with links to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, such as CAIR, MPAC, ISNA, MAS, and NAIT?
3. On what basis have you determined that Steve Emerson's work amounts to "alarmism" and not to amassing information about a genuine threat, of which Americans should be aware?
Many thanks for your time and attention to this.
Kindest regards
Robert Spencer
Oddly enough, I haven't heard anything back from this busy "journalist"! I will keep you posted.
"Note to Readers on Tennessean Story," from IPT News, October 25:
In an article in Sunday's Tennessean newspaper of Nashville, Tenn., reporter Bob Smietana made a series of unsupported claims about the nature of the Investigative Project on Terrorism and our work.There's a price that comes with erroneous reporting and we're seeing it register already. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a news release calling for an IRS investigation into our status as a non-profit organization. We believe we can withstand any scrutiny.
This isn't a surprise. Groups have been stung repeatedly by our ability to pierce their fog of deception and show their ties to radical Islam, including support for Hamas and other terrorist groups. That's especially true for CAIR. We broke the news that the FBI cut off contact with them because of court evidence tying the organization and its founders to a Hamas-support network. It's in CAIR's interest to deflect attention from that fact and the disclosures which led to it. Trying to discredit the IPT is a sure way to do that.
We won't let them silence us or make us go away. We also realize when you specialize in the work we do, you make enemies. We've earned them the hard way, through diligent research that relies on public documents and what the elements of radical Islam have said publicly. They have hated us for it for years and have found a naïve reporter willing to buy their line.
At issue in the Tennessean story is the relationship between the IPT Foundation, a tax-exempt charity, and SAE Productions, a for-profit company run by IPT Executive Director Steven Emerson. The foundation accepts private donations and contracts with SAE to manage operations. The Tennessean article pays only lip service to the legitimate security issues that dictated this structure and that the IRS has reviewed and approved it.
The article says the foundation's "tax-exempt status is facing questions," implying that someone other than the Tennessean and the paper's hand-picked analysts are raising those questions. This is presented as something that is already happening outside the realm of the newspaper and its talking heads. There is no indication the discussion goes any further.
We provided the newspaper with our 1023 application for tax-exempt status and with our 2008 tax return, most commonly called a form 990. The documents show that we told the IRS we were contracting out our management with a group that did not have tax-exempt status. That was approved. As for the for-profit nature of SAE Productions, the IRS is aware of that as well. That has not been questioned. We say IPTF contracts out with SAE Productions, which files tax returns with the IRS. All of that has been disclosed. [...]
We have continued to pay the price of investigating and combating the threat of radical Islam in the United States, from death threats to being blacklisted to fabricated character assassinations from media apologists for radical Islamic groups. We will not be intimidated and that, with your support, we will continue to expose the danger to our free society posed by radical Muslim groups and the people in the media they manage to fool.
Bravo. There is much more. Read it all.
Steve Emerson, modern day hero, sure to be canonized a saint in the annals of public opinion in 10 years time...
The lesson to take away from the mans efforts are never be deterred. Laugh in the faces of the Islamists and their fifth column toady hacks. They want to intimidate because they are selfish infants at heart unconcerned with the horrific consequences of their actions...
F--k 'em. Go on ahead and expose the evils of Islam regardless. Islam is the product of a lying mad man and the truth will eventually become widely accepted if we keep pushing. Islam will take many malevolent fools down with it. Oh well...
The price of freedom is eternal vigilence.
"Tennessean newspaper of Nashville, Tenn., reporter Bob Smietana"
As useful an idiot for the Mohammedans as you'll find. An ignoramus, a water-carrier for an ideology that hates his guts. He knows nothing about Islam but constantly defends it and it's barbaric followers'. He is the definition of a brownnoser, a bootlicker, a toady. Just seeing his name here on this thread fills me with disgust and loathing.
We're rich! We're rich!
We're the "Islamophobia industry" and we're making heaps of money!
http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2010/10/25/whos-making-money-out-of-islamophobia.html
Who's making money out of Islamophobia?
Steven Emerson has 3.39 million reasons to fear Muslims.
That's how many dollars Emerson's for-profit company – Washington-based SAE Productions – collected in 2008 for researching alleged ties between American Muslims and overseas terrorism. The payment came from the Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation, a nonprofit charity Emerson also founded, which solicits money by telling donors they're in imminent danger from Muslims.
Emerson is a leading member of a multimillion-dollar industry of self-proclaimed experts who spread hate toward Muslims in books and movies, on websites and through speaking appearances.
Leaders of the so-called "anti-jihad" movement portray themselves as patriots, defending America against radical Islam. And they've found an eager audience in ultra-conservative Christians and mosque opponents in Tennessee. One national consultant testified in an ongoing lawsuit aimed at stopping a new Murfreesboro mosque.
The Tennessean, 24 October 2010
An interesting article by Bob Smietana, examining the highly profitable Islamophobia industry in the US. In addition to Emerson's Investigative Project on Terrorism, Smietana also deals with the Nashville-based Center for the Study of Political Islam, Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy, Jihad Watch, ACT! For America and the American Congress for Truth.
Via LoonWatch
An interesting article by Bob Smietana, examining the highly profitable Islamophobia industry in the US. In addition to Emerson's Investigative Project on Terrorism, Smietana also deals with the Nashville-based Center for the Study of Political Islam, Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy, Jihad Watch, ACT! For America and the American Congress for Truth.
Via LoonWatch
You see, the insane people at the aptly-named "LoonWatch" like Bob Smietana. What does that tell you?
I don't see what's so unbalanced about the article. In fact, once I read it I sat back, gave my head a shake and realized that I've been had by you fat cat purveyors of hate. I WAS reading three things right now: "The Threat of Shariah in America" which, only a few hours ago I posted on Facebook saying it just might be the most important document ever written. I WAS deeply impressed by what I THOUGHT was the clear, incisive detailed survey of the Muslim Brotherhood's tentacled reach into the American landscape and the succinct but richly informative exposition of the underpinning Islamic doctrine. Silly me. Now I know that Shariah isn't all found in one book (oh yeah, to think I ever gave Bill French a/k/a Warner any money or got conned into buying any of his stuff. Why, pacing back and forth like that ... like a Christian? Hell, now I get it - he doesn't know anything!).
So Gaffney, McCarthy, these guys had me going alright. I just hope I can get back the money I paid for that damn report. Okay, so it was free. Whatever.
And I almost finished Nonie Darwish's "Cruel and Unusual Punishment", again about Shariah. I'll admit right here I was completely floored by the power -- or what I THOUGHT was the power -- of her piercing illumination and brave, brilliant insights into what I thought were cataclysmic psychological effects of Islam. I'll even say, with some embarrassment, I recommended the stupid book to some.
But I didn't know then what I know now -- there's a whole, money-mad industry of this stuff going on! Darwish, baby, you almost had me. Almost, I say. I've got about 20 pages left to read and now I ask, why should I? After reading this article, I know what you REALLY want. You want money. MY money. Well, you already got it. That is if I can't trick Chapters into taking this thing back.
And, oh yeah, "Muslim Mafia". Yeah, I confess. I was really into this whole learning-about-Islam thing. I thought all these guys were experts! Now I'm going to have to go through that book and see, was that kid really an expert intern or was he just faking it? No wonder CAIR still gets all the airtime they want. They didn't do anything bad after all.
Un huh. This has been a real wakeup call. Yup.
Your almost ready for Shahada...Or maybe you already did that...
'''Living in fear of the Religion of Peace'''...The Movie...
Chapter..666, 'Everything you know is wrong'...
"self-proclaimed expert on Sharia law" ...'Self styled expert'...'What Islamic university did you graduate from'?
What those mean is that no one can understand Islam as good or better than a pious Mahoundian...You know nothing kufr, you vile creature (Q 98:6), you can't even speak Arabic...You are not capable of understanding anything, and will eventually be destroyed...On second thought, you could convert and do the shahada thing, that will give you instant understanding...If not that, just be subservient and give us your money and your daughters when we demand it...
"you fat cat purveyors of hate"
lol! Right there you've lost all credibility. BTW - the Muslims are the Haters. The Koran is a "purveyor of hate."
And trashing the great Nonie Darwish? And her book about shar'ia is "stupid?"
Don't tell me, let me guess: You're a Muslim! Gee, that was difficult.
Hey Mohammedan Yup - did you know that Mohamet is a self-proclaimed prophet?
Yep, useful to know, since you seem to view "self-proclaimed" things in a negative light!
Um, uh ..... You can't tell I was kidding? Really?
Holy cow, read more carefully, people. It's satire.
No, we couldn't.
You're no Jonathan Swift. You're no Satirist. Stick to straightforward declarative sentences, 'k? That's your speed.
Hero Steve Emerson and his awesome Investigative Project are not in power. The great Rudy Giuliani is not in power. Only total no-goods, Republican and Democrat, end up in power in this country by manipulating the American herd. The severe mass imbecility of our American people. What a disaster our American democracy is.
Ruslan Tokhchukov, EnragedSince1999.
Nasty!
Courreges W,
It's one thing to miss my humour which at least winoceros got. In fact, if you're fair and re-read knowing now my intention, you might see that it's pretty obvious after all. But your ugly insulting tone was completely uncalled for. Other than a single post of mine, which you misunderstood entirely, you know nothing about me. Fortunately, your crass reaction is not indicative of the general civility and intelligence one finds here. Who knows? Maybe it's not indicative of your general behaviour either. For your sake, I sure as hell hope not.
And, in case you're too slow to get it, this post was NOT satirical!
Yup
-- we Aussies often opine that Americans don't get irony/satire-- that they're straight up and down and take things literally.
I had no prob identifying it as such. Hell, I even laughed!
Yup
just to be on the safe side - and this applies to forums other than this one - it might be wise to make sure you remember to use a 'sarc' mark in future when indulging in irony, sarcasm or satire. Make the signals loud and clear.
Remember, nobody here can see your facial expression or hear your tone of voice.
Further, there is the cultural aspect Jewcat's already mentioned, above. At a forum like this, where one has Americans, Canadians, Britons, Australians, and then persons from beyond the English-speaking world, such as Indians and Filipinos and persons from continental Europe, all of whom have slightly different ways of signalling humour/ sarcasm, whatever, and for some of whom English is their second or perhaps even their third language, it is well to be as clear as possible in what one is saying, and whether one is joking or not.
It's too easy to misread others, or to give a false impression, oneself.