Radical is to Muslim as Frozen is to Tundra

But first things first.

Posted by: pez at April 29, 2007 1:46 AM

PBS will lose big on this. It stinks to pay taxes to public broadcasting and see its leftist slant. BBC is worse but PBS is giving it a run. No men only Muslim prayer rooms yet at PBS. Hitchens saw these rooms at BBC London offices

http://www.slate.com/id/2084147/
It takes a lot, I hope, to make me feel queasy. (I had, during my appointment at the BBC offices in London, already had to pass a door with a sign reading "Male Prayer Room," which means that the British taxpayer is already funding not just religious observance on public property but the sexual segregation of same.) And this is not quite like old-line reactionaries going out of their way to say "Franklin Delano Rosenfeld." Still, I don't think I am quite wrong in suspecting that a sharpened innuendo is in play here. Why else, when the very name of Paul Wolfowitz is mentioned, do so many people bid adieu to the very notion of objectivity?

Posted by: dennisw at April 29, 2007 7:42 AM

I saw the congressman on Fox News several days ago. He said he would be sending a letter to PBS about their decision to not air the movie.

Well, here's a statement posted at his official website:

April 26, 2007—Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02), with several other Members of the House of Representatives, attended a Congressional film screening last night featuring the PBS documentary entitled “Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center.” Initially, the documentary was to be featured as part of a series that PBS began airing last week, but PBS refuses to show it.

Franks said, “It is unfathomable that PBS has chosen to censure a film which so powerfully encapsulates a message every person needs to hear. The network’s censorship of this documentary is one of the best examples to date of how the media refuses to acknowledge free speech being used to reveal the truth about crucial issues when they are deemed politically incorrect.”

Dr. Zhoudi Jasser, Chairman of the Board of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), is among those featured prominently in the film, and spoke along with Congressman Franks after the screening last night.

Rep. Franks commented, “As a dedicated practicing Muslim, Dr. Jasser is among the most credible and articulate individuals willing to publicly address the danger of radical jihadist ideology dressed in the garb of religious faith. The last thing anyone should be doing is preventing the public from hearing a message that encourages Muslims who uphold the rule of law, love America, and privately and peacefully exercise their religion, to step forward and condemn virulent perversions of their faith.”

Congressman Franks will be joining with several other Members of Congress in a bi-partisan letter, to address their serious concern regarding PBS’s decision to drop the film.

Congressman Franks is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, and is Ranking Member on the Constitution Subcommittee.

1237 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515
202-225-4576

I'm sure the congressman means well, but what research on his part has convinced him there's a difference between regular and radical jihadists? What aspect of 'radical' jihadism has he determined are not part and parcel of the Islamic faith? What 'virulent perversions' of Islam is he refering to? And let's be honest about Dr. Jasser; why has he allowed the congressman to continue thinking that way?

Posted by: PRCS at April 29, 2007 1:06 PM

I had a PBS program on for a short time tonight. It seems they're pledging again. A break comes on where they show who has given them contributions, i.e. Entenmanns. There I saw with my eyes "Islamic Center of Long Island." I changed the station. I'm done with them. The other night listening to Laura Ingraham she was mentioning how Islamic Centers are sprouting up on every college campus. All of this since 9/11.

Posted by: pigtails not veils at April 30, 2007 12:35 AM

I'm going to check with my local PBS affiliate and confirm whether or not they ran/ will run "Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center."

If they do - I'll congratulate them and donate as I have in the past.

If they decide not to run the documentary I'll call them during the next pledge break and let them know why as well as send them a letter.

Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses at April 30, 2007 10:06 AM

Also - I've sent Rep. Trent Franks an email through the www.house.gov site thanking him for leading the group of Representatives which has brought this issue to a public forum.

It's easy to do... if you use the zip code 85308-8555 the web pages can take you directly to his email page.

Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses at April 30, 2007 10:07 AM

Sorry about the multiple posts, but I'm groggy. I've also contacted my representative and asked him to support Rep. Franks' stand on the PBS matter:

Please consider joining Rep. Trent Franks (2nd Dist., AZ) in his effort to bring the actions of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) into the public forum.

Recently PBS has scheduled a series of documentaries on Islamic subjects, but declined to schedule one entitled "Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center." The producers of the film claim it has not yet run because it has politically conservative themes and looks at radicals within the Muslim faith.

My understanding is that the documentary shows how 'the moderate muslim' is under attack from the majority of the Islamic community and our hope in the success of 'the moderate muslim' is misplaced due to lack of support in that community.

Rep. Franks will be leading several members of Congress in a bipartisan letter to address their concern in PBS' decision to drop the film. I would appreciate it if you'd consider joining Franks in his effort on this matter.

Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses at April 30, 2007 10:20 AM

Another place to make our opinions known:

PBS has an Ombudsman who "reviews commentary and criticism from viewers and seeks to ensure that PBS upholds its standards of editorial integrity."

http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/

Posted by: corax at April 30, 2007 1:23 PM