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Last night in Boston: the usefulness of intimidation

Feb 4, 2005 8:46 am By Robert Spencer

Last night I spoke in Boston about the questions surrounding the mosque project there — Citizens for Peace and Tolerance has a good repository of information about this project.

Earlier yesterday I was made aware that the Islamic Society of Boston, the group that is building the mosque, was disavowing on its website an email that had circulated, which I have been unable as yet to obtain but which was apparently calling on people to disrupt my talk. Here is a portion of the ISB statement:

The tone and views of an email circulated during the last few days under heading “Help Defend Roxbury Mosque” does not represent the Islamic Society of Boston and we have never been consulted in any manner regarding that email. We fully disagree with its content. We do not believe that disrupting public gatherings is a way for Muslims to make their point, nor do we believe that such language conforms to our values of humanitarian service, religious tolerance and public outreach.

The email circulated widely enough to bring out FoxNews cameras, evidently hoping to see some kind of angry confrontation. But the weather was bad, and that plus ISB’s disavowal no doubt kept anyone who had planned to demonstrate or disrupt the talk away.

However, the mere idea that my presence was something worth disrupting achieved what was no doubt one of its intended effects: it cast doubts and fear into the minds of those who had invited me. Consequently I was given an awkward and nervous introduction by someone who managed in the space of about three minutes to assure the crowd twice that I in no way represented the organization that sponsored the talk, that my view was just one among many, and that the organization itself was tolerant, etc.

This was more amusing than insulting — yes, I just was passing by and thought I’d stop in to give an address! It was all the more incongruous given that my remarks contained no flamethrowing. I merely pointed out some of the established connections the Boston mosque has to people like Qaradawi, quoted some of their statements, explained the roots of these statements in Islamic teachings, and asked for explanations. But it points up a larger problem: American Muslim advocates resort to these tactics — demonstrations and disruptions or threats of them, name-calling, etc. — because they work. Charges of bigotry, hatred, etc., however unfounded, are the worst charges one can bring against a public figure in America today. And they succeed in ensuring that the one so charged will not be heard by a great many people.

This is a much bigger problem than my speech last night in Boston — it is a useful tool in the hands of jihadists to silence honest discussion of their motives, goals, and activities in America and Europe. And if there is no such discussion, where will we be?

CORRECTION: Last night I was told that Fox was there because of the email that the ISB disavowed. This led to my statement above: “The email circulated widely enough to bring out FoxNews cameras, evidently hoping to see some kind of angry confrontation.” However, I have just been informed by an Executive Producer at Fox that that was not the case: he didn’t know of the email until he read the post above. Fox was there, he told me, for “a chance to record your thoughts on some of the people behind the new mosque.” I appreciate that, and apologize for passing on incorrect information.

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