Raymond Ibrahim: Crucifixions, Not Fictions

Over at the Investigative Project on Terrorism (via RaymondIbrahim.com) I respond to the latest "hoax" charges against one of my articles:

I recently wrote an article based on Arabic reports that Muslim Brotherhood supporters had crucified Morsi's opponents. Because it was picked up by several websites and disseminated far and wide, as usual, Islam's apologists and others claimed "hoax."

Readers sent me a couple of these articles which, upon further investigation, seem to be based on a National Post article titled "Egypt's 'crucifixion' hoax becomes an instant Internet myth" by one Jonathan Kay. He characterizes the crucifixion account as "a story worth dissecting—not because it's true (it isn't), but because it is a textbook example of how the Internet, once thought to be the perfect medium of truth-seeking, has been co-opted by culture warriors as a weapon to fire up the naïve masses with lies and urban legends."

Alternatively, dissecting Kay's claims is useful as it is a textbook example of how the Western mindset tries to rationalize away whatever does not fit its intellectual boundaries.

First, after mentioning the several websites that carried or quoted my article, Kay wondered how none of the "sources supply the original Sky reporting that purportedly outlines the facts." Then, he offers the following sentence as its own paragraph, apparently as something of an eye-opening revelation:

"That's because there is no Sky report on the subject."

Actually, this big "aha" moment was made earlier and by someone else—me, in my original article. After posting the names of several Arabic websites that carried the same verbatim quote from Sky News, I pointed out that Sky removed its original report. I did not have to make this point, or mention Sky News at all, since other reports—including El Balad, a much higher trafficked Arabic website which I also quoted—independently mentions the crucifixions in original language and further adds that two people died. And that report, as of now, is still up....

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salah | September 5, 2012 9:55 AM | Reply

An egyptian armored-vehicle literally runs over a handful of Christians protestors.
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2011/10/egyptian-army-s-crimes.html

Maxpublius | September 5, 2012 10:08 AM | Reply

Will this Jonathan Kay apologize for minimizing this atrocity? Did he have so much hope for the "Arab Spring" that he will stop at nothing to hide Muslim crimes against humanity? Is he not the epitome of the handmaiden of evil, using his position meant to reveal truth yet doing the opposite? There is a deep sickness in journalism today. It is only propaganda and delusion.

Cole | September 5, 2012 10:51 AM | Reply

Reports of crucifiction type torture have been emerging from that region.

Here is a UNHCR report on Eritrea here:

In September 2007, the BBC interviewed an Eritrean evangelical Christian who described the torture techniques which had been used on him – including being tied in a position known as 'the Helicopter' for 136 hours. Another victim reported that he was held for 12 months, forced to do manual labour, and on one occasion "suspended by his arms from a tree in the form of a crucifixion." The 'Open Doors' Christian charity reported that at least four Christians had died in 2007, following severe ill-treatment at the hands of the authorities.

Tom Davis | September 5, 2012 9:15 PM | Reply

This Jonathan Kay is a real piece of work. Just a few points.

First, he goes after web sites that reported that Christians were crucified, because there is no evidence as to the religion of the victims, and then conflates these with the other reports. Raymond Ibrahim points out that the original sources read that they were only 'Morsi opponents' and he merely adds that some of them may have been Christian. In fact the original reports say nothing about the victims' religion at all. So Kay lies when he lumps all reporters together on this subject.

Second, he goes after reports that Islamists want to destroy the pyramids and quotes a New York Times article calling this another hoax. JW readers know from Raymond's work that this is no hoax. Another lie.

=========================================

Third, he recounts a 2009 report on Hamas' efforts to legalize crucifixion in the territory it controls. Here is some of the text written by Nathan Brown that Kay quotes:

"Some officials of the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Justice (answering to Hamas) have been drafting a new criminal code based on Islamic criminal law. They have not released its work (at least outside of Gaza), but they did hold a workshop to discuss a draft. A copy of this document fell into the hands of a reporter for the Arabic daily al-Hayat. While that newspaper is generally reliable enough, the reporter made a significant mistake: He thought the draft had been fully and finally passed by the parliament, not that it was the subject of a small group discussion. And he quoted from some passages in the law — including the title of a section dealing with categories of punishment that mentioned crucifixion (a legal category in Islamic criminal law). There was no evidence that the law went beyond using the term as a legal category."

Look at that last sentence that I boldfaced. Brown and Kay both find a great deal of comfort that there is "no evidence" that the "law went beyond using the term" - notice that they can't repeat "crucifixion" - as a bland dry "legal category". The mental contortions needed to hide the sadistic truth behind Hamas' actions and deep desires are considerable. This is not the writing of a sensitive humanitarian.

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Finally, we must face up to the fact that Kay may be a prophet. Consider this quote of his:

"But the story doesn’t just allege that a crucifixion has taken place somewhere in Egypt: It alleges that multiple crucifixions have taken place in front of the presidential palace. That would be the equivalent of, say, mass lynchings taking place in front of the White House, or a giant gang rape taking place in front of Ottawa’s Centennial Flame fountain."

Come back in two centuries and see if these things don't happen. Keep up the broad immigration to the West, keep up the brainwashing that all cultures are deserving of equal respect, and Jonathan Kay just may end up correct on just one thing in all the trash of his essay.

LemonLime replied to comment from Tom Davis | September 6, 2012 12:00 AM | Reply

Good points, Tom Davis.

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