What’s controversial about telling the truth? Here is a reasonably accurate but somewhat clueless account of my talk in Memphis last night. Toward the end of the article you will see a mangled account of my explaining that the local mosque in question should be examined for links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Meanwhile, come see us tonight in Houston: Pamela Geller and I will show our movie, The Ground Zero Mosque: Second Wave Of The 911 Attacks, and host a Q&A session after the screening. Copies of the movie will be available for sale after the screening. Admission is $20. Reservations are required. Get tickets here.
“Controversial Jihad Watch Speaker Tells Memphis ‘Be Careful,'” by Joy Lambert for ABC24.com, June 15:
BARTLETT, TN – A “real and severe threat,” that’s what the controversial director of Jihad Watch, Robert Spencer, called radical Islams [sic] to a packed house in Bartlett Wednesday night, June 15.
“Radical Islams.” Sheesh.
More than 400 people attended the two hour event put on by the Memphis chapter of ACT for America, at Bartlett Station. Security was prevalent at the event. Everyone had to pass through a metal detector to get inside. There were also Bartlett Police K-9 units walking the exterior and police with guns ready in the event of an attack.
Robert Spencer is controversial because he speaks against radical Islam and death threats have been made against him. The city of Bartlett and the organizers of the event, ACT for America, didn’t want to take any chances when Spencer arrived. ACT for America’s chapter leader, Mason Ezzell, says, “There are people and elements that would like to see (Spencer) gone. He has to travel with body guards. He was just in Germany and there were all sorts of security issues, people were throwing bottles and things. They don’t have the freedom of speech laws like we have with the First Amendment.”
Spencer’s focus on June 15, 2011, was on violent Jihad activity and how he says extreme groups are trying to take over America from the inside. He told the crowd, “What we have here is a situation unprecedented in American history and there is no parallel for it in anything that has happened before. It is a real challenge and a severe threat.”
There’s been a lot of controversy recently in America about mosques being built, there’s one under construction currently in Cordova. However, the Cordova mosque has attracted little negative attention and no protests. Spencer says without knowing exactly where the funding is coming from it should be a concern. Spencer says, “Obviously if this were any other organization set to eliminate Western civilization from within, nobody would be welcoming it to Memphis. But they use the cover of being a religion and claiming religious freedom to advance a political agenda.” The local Islamic board has denied any funding of the Cordova Mosque from Saudi Arabia, they say it is being locally funded.
Spencer told the crowd the main threat in Memphis is not terrorism but cultural change. One that he says extremist groups are using as a way to get their laws as part of American culture.
ACT for America’s agenda is to inform people about the spread of radical Islam. The Bartlett event was partially sponsored by a Tea Party group.