Official Iranian TV calls for the arrests and prosecution of those it thinks are behind the Muhammad video. That in itself is nothing new, but this tag quote beside the article is: “The ‘Innocence of Muslims” was designed to stir up anti-Islamic sentiments, and it succeeded, with hundreds injured and many killed as a result. Now a British based faith group has published a briefing paper on the impact of the film and exposes the individuals involved who have tried to obscure their true identities.”
Read that again. “The ‘Innocence of Muslims” was designed to stir up anti-Islamic sentiments, and it succeeded, with hundreds injured and many killed as a result.” Now recall who was doing the injuring and the killing. Was it “Islamophobes” inflamed by this movie? No, it was enraged Muslims, rioting and killing innocent people for this perceived “insult” to their prophet. Hundreds were injured and many were killed because Muslims chose to react violently to this video, not because of the video itself. No one was forcing them to react this way.
But what Iran’s Press TV wants to establish is the idea that when Muslims riot and kill, it is up to non-Muslims to change their behavior to placate and pacify them — and Barack Obama fed into this notion by jailing the filmmaker and repeatedly denouncing this video and blaming it for the Benghazi consulate attack even when he knew better.
The Press TV agenda is clear: it wants the U.S. to criminalize criticism of Islam. What is more disquieting is the Obama Administration’s willing cooperation in this agenda, and the general indifference of the American people to what is happening.
“Anti-Islam film rooted in Islamophobia,” by Amina Taylor for Press TV, November 20:
The Innocence of Muslims was designed with one thing in mind; to spread anti-Islamic bile across the globe.
Now a British organization has researched the aftermath and individuals at the heart of Islamaphobic propaganda. The director of Faith Matters explains why the briefing paper was commissioned.
The men at the heart of the provocative release have been exposed as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula.
Steve Klein, Joseph Nasralla Abdelmasih and Morris Sadek. All four have been unmasked as working closely with extremist groups in America with several men having a professional working relationship with Terry Jones, the pastor who has threatened to burn the Qu”ran [sic]. Nakoula has been the only one arrested but only for breaching his bail conditions on an unrelated charge.
The individuals behind the film have shown no remorse or apologized for the catastrophic fall-out from their project of hate. The great worry here is that suitable lessons highlighted by the film’s release have seemingly not been learnt.
Ensuring that there is no repeat of something like the Innocence of Muslims and that states recognize provocation and act to protect its citizens is crucial.
There is real concern that the individuals who so expertly ignited a firestorm have so far escaped punishment fitting their crime but now they have been suitably unmasked it makes tracking their activities, and those of others like them easier to do.