In PJ Media, I discuss some who capitulated in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo jihad attack, some key Western leaders and media outlets immediately fell obediently into line, carefully avoiding saying anything about Islam or jihad that even the most terror-inclined Muslims would dislike, and thereby giving the Paris jihadis exactly what they wanted. Here are the most egregious capitulators:
1. White House press secretary Josh Earnest.
Earnest said Thursday that the U.S. was going to “redouble” efforts to get the message out about the true, peaceful Islam, as opposed to the violent, hijacked version. He noted that,
there are some individuals that are using a peaceful religion and grossly distorting it, and trying to use its tenets to inspire people around the globe to carry out acts of violence.
Imitating his boss, immediately after stating the problem, Earnest declared victory:
And we have enjoyed significant success in enlisting leaders in the Muslim community, like I said, both in the United States and around the world to condemn that kind of messaging, to condemn those efforts to radicalize individuals, and to be clear about what the tenets of Islam actually are. And we’re going to redouble those efforts in the days and weeks ahead.
This is a great idea. The White House should indeed redouble its efforts to explain what the Qur’an and Sunnah actually say. If it did this honestly, this would lead to a massive change in its foreign and domestic policies. What’s the downside?
But of course the problem with this is that the White House is enveloped in a fog of willful ignorance about Islam’s texts and teachings, and Earnest here is only saying that they’re going to redouble their efforts to thicken that fog, further shielding Muslims from any critical examination of how the teachings of the Qur’an and Muhammad incite violence.
It might seem odd to say that this plays into the hands of the likes of the Charlie Hebdo jihadis, who obviously don’t believe that Islam is a Religion of Peace. However, it is very likely that even though they don’t believe that, they want you to – for then you will be ignorant and complacent in the face of the advancing jihad, instead of preparing defensive strategies. Slander, remember, in Islam is “to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike.” Thus in pushing the Obama Administration’s rainbows-and-unicorns fantasy of a peaceful Islam, Earnest is protecting the religion from slander, which is just what the Kouachi brothers thought they were doing when they started killing people in the Charlie Hebdo offices.
2. Ron Paul
Libertarian leader Ron Paul on Wednesday brushed aside the jihadis’ claim to have “avenged” Muhammad and blamed France’s foreign policy for the Charlie Hebdo attack:
France has been a target for many, many years, because they’ve been involved in foreign affairs in Libya, and they really prodded us along in — recently in Libya, but they’ve been involved in Algeria, so they’ve had attacks like this, you know, not infrequently. So, it does involve, you know, their foreign policy as well…. I put blame on bad policy that we don’t fully understand, and we don’t understand what they’re doing because the people who are objecting to the foreign policy that we pursue.
Paul and other paleocons such as The American Conservative are fanatically attached to the idea that Islamic jihad is all a reaction to the West’s foreign policy — so much so that they have frequently turned a blind eye to the jihadis’ stated agenda, and see the depredations of Western foreign policy where it actually played no part. The Charlie Hebdo jihad massacre was about cartoons of Muhammad, and the Islamic death penalty for insulting Muhammad. The West’s foreign policy regarding the Islamic world and the jihad threat is cartoonish, but that doesn’t make the Charlie Hebdo massacre about the West’s foreign policy.
Paul gives the jihadis what they want by blaming the West for the actions of the jihadis, thereby feeding the jihadist narrative of grievance, and making future concessions from the West all the more likely….
Read the rest here.
Jay Boo says
It is time to make a list and check it twice in order to see who has been naughty or nice.
On the plus side at least Obama and his Secretary of State did not apologize this time to Muslims everywhere for any offense caused by the cartoons or state that the future does not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.
Realistically though, it is only a matter of time until Obama says:
“It was wrong to commit murder … BUT …”
— fill in the rest
Richie says
Ron Paul is a nutcase, his ignorance of the root causes if Islamic violence is jus one of many issues of which he is clueless about. Many Paul supporters are 9/11 Truthers- I think he may be as well, so he might not even think violent Islam exists. The Ron Paulbots Ive encountered blamed the attack on the Jews, and see Muslims as innocent vixtims
Charli Main says
@ Richie
Didn´t you know that the attack on the Charlie Hebdo office was carried out by Israeli Mossard agents disguised as Muslims to generate hatred for all the peaceful, moderate and tolerant Muslims living in France.
Islam, the religion of love and peace, would never approve of the murder of innocents
It was the Jooooooooooooooooooes.
Shane says
Does Rand Paul feel the same way about Islamic terrorists as his father does? If so, he should not become President.
wildjew says
To his credit Sean Hannity has had R. Spencer on his program a few times in the past few days but then there are the many interviews with Senator Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul. I must have missed this piece earlier. Sen. Paul’s “Ultimately, civilized Islam will have to step up…” has not been lost on me.
Rand Paul Agrees with Obama: ISIS Does Not Represent ‘True Islam’
by Matt Wilstein | 12:04 pm, September 11th, 2014
“…..Sean Hannity said on his show last night that he felt the president was trying to downplay the role of Islam in ISIS’ ideology in the same way the Obama administration labeled the 2009 attack on Fort Hood “workplace violence” and not “terrorism.”
But despite some leading questions for Hannity, his guest Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) did not take the bait.
“I think there was one important point that he was making about them not being Islamic or a form of true Islam,” the senator told Hannity. He added that “ultimately civilized Islam will have to step up” and combat ISIS. “So I think it is important not only to the American public but for the world and the Islamic world to point out this is not a true form of Islam. This is an abhorrent form that should not represent most of the civilized Islamic world.”
Hannity tried to steer his guest back to his criticism of Obama, saying he doesn’t think the president “understands” what the “goal of a caliphate is,” but Paul wouldn’t go there.
“I don’t know that he was trying to diminish their importance,” Paul said. “I would say he’s trying to make the point to the Islamic world that this isn’t a true or accurate depiction of Islam, because ultimately we do need — and most of the allies around that also are offended and also are worried about the rise of ISIS are also Muslim nations. And I think they will rise up.”
Shane says
The clueless Rand Paul will not get my vote in the GOP primaries. Any Republican who states that “Islam is a religion of peace” will not get my vote. And yes, the clueless W. Bush said that and he was dead wrong.
Januk36 says
Slightly off-top.
Charlie Hebdo next issue will come out on Jan. 14th. 1 million copies, translated into 16 languages and include yet more cartoons about the prophet of peace.
They seem to be the only ones with a spine in their back.
Oliver says
Three million now… 🙂 I hope they’re going to do something so people overseas can get one… I know they have a lot on their hands getting an edition out, but still, they should make the most of the support they have. If you want to help them out generally though, in the meantime it’s possible to make a donation via their website.
Carolyn Saucier says
ANYBODY that embraces the Koran believes in radical islam. Period. I read it after I was treated abusively by a male muslim doctor. EVERYBODY needs to read this book for themselves, and if they do, they can’t help but see the aggressive passages. Do NOT depend on someone else to tell you what the Koran says. WAKE UP AMERICA AND CHRISTIANS AND JEWS ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!!!
Oliver says
It would seem though that many Muslims don’t even read it, or at best all they do is recite bits of it in Arabic (that most of the world’s Muslims don’t understand). After all it is very boring and badly organised and Muslims are also told that translations out of the old Arabic are not the proper Koran.
Michael Copeland says
90 per cent of muslims have absolutely no idea about the Koran, says IQ al Rassooli, Arabic-speaking Iranian ex-muslim who has studied Islamic texts for over thirty years (see his website).
gravenimage says
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: 4 People Who Gave the Charlie Hebdo Jihadis Exactly What They Wanted
……………………………..
Hall of shame. That three out of four of these cowardly, appeasing tools are Americans is especially galling.
pumbar says
I wonder if Ron Paul thinks the battle of Tours in 732 was down to French foreign policy?
DiMu says
The root of the problem needs to be attacked – the Arch Terrorist Allah and his Vomit, Mohammed. It’s their view of the world which belongs next to the Aztec god who demanded the sacrifice of living hearts and the cannibal idols of PNG and elsewhere.
Dharmveer says
Is it not a great Insult of Islam by these so called liberals, that all the scholars of Islam till date failed to understand the very religion( Islam ) they commented upon and documented, The Prophets life and meticulous documentation of his deeds(which is the life work of those Islamic scholars) they ought to be given least concession as to be in knowledge of basic tenets of Islam?
SADEK says
I feel that this is all a ploy to radicalize Westerners to become anti-Islamic and Islamaphobic. They put the prophet into the limelight in France and also recently made it illegal to wear the Burqa in public. So that is 2 strikes on their part. Also what Ron paul stated is true that it could have been related to foreign policy because Murder is wrong. Just ask Israel.
gravenimage says
I *think* SADEK is being sarcastic, but sometimes it can be hard to tell.
pat says
I have never seen someone convert to islam and become a good person. And I still wonder why muslims don’t stay in their countries to advocate their killings only there. I don’t thing they should impose their tradition over other people while their own brothers who are christian in their countries can’t warship freely.
Only those who don’t know islam think it is a religion of pace, Islam has nothing to do with peace. even quiet people i have known turn violent when embracing that faith. The world must not accept to be ruled by their koran of shit. there must be voices and policies to stop that bloody worship to progress.
I am the more surprised when I see highly educated people support indirectly islam. they don’t know but they look like the avocates of the devil.