This is how the Leftist media tries to hijack the narrative and fool people into ignorance and complacency about the jihad threat. “The possibility of radical Islamist threats against American outlets has received wide attention; there are media stories, solidarity rallies, and meetings of government officials….Meanwhile, the demonstrable and ongoing threats from anti-Muslim extremists — a well-known phenomenon among American journalists who write about Islamophobia or are themselves Muslim — has received next to no attention.”
Well, let’s see. Islamic jihadis just murdered twelve people who published Muhammad cartoons. Other Islamic jihadists have attempted to murder and plotted to murder other people who drew cartoons of Muhammad. I myself just got another death threat the other day for publishing the Muhammad cartoons here. Meanwhile, how many American journalists who write about Islamophobia as if it were a genuine phenomenon have been murdered? None. Physically attacked? None.
Even the death threats in this Vox piece are not unambiguous — the worst of them read more like the writers are wishing death on the “journalists” rather than threatening to bring it to them. Note how Fisher and Taub try to obscure this point by alluding to some emails that “directly threaten violence themselves,” but don’t actually quote those. If they really had had direct death threats, they would have quoted them.
So what is Vox trying to do here? Obscure the reality of the jihad threat, as the mainstream media always does.
“Vox got no threats for posting Charlie Hebdo cartoons, dozens for covering Islamophobia,” by Max Fisher and Amanda Taub, Vox, January 14, 2015:
We were glad that Vox decided to publish the cartoons of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Though their portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed has offended many Muslims, they are an important part of the story and readers have a right to see them. We were also glad that we covered the cartoons critically as well as sympathetically, praising them on the grounds of free speech and satire.
The decision of American media organizations to publish or not publish the cartoons has typically been framed of one of bravery or cowardice, based on the assumption that publishing invites physical risk from some number of the 2.6 million Muslim-Americans who will take offense and perhaps action. Vox.com was praised on MSNBC for its bravery, even though this purported risk did not actually enter into our calculus, and other outlets have presented their decision to publish as a way to defy the Islamist radicals who threaten free speech.
Writers at Vox have indeed been bombarded with threats for our Charlie Hebdo coverage. But not one of those threats has come from a Muslim or in response to publishing anti-Islam cartoons. Revealingly, they have rather all come from non-Muslims furious at our articles criticizing Islamophobia.
The threats that we did and did not receive
Though we do enjoy a readership among Muslims inside and outside of the United States, some of whom have not hesitated to express displeasure or worse at our coverage of stories such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, none has seen the Charlie Hebdo cartoons as worth sending an angry email or even an annoyed tweet, much less a threat of violence.
Our coverage of Islamophobia has brought a very different response. Articles decrying anti-Muslim bigotry and attacks on mosques have been met with dozens of threats on email and social media.
The most common states a desire that jihadist militants will murder the offending writer: a recent email hoped that Muslims will “behead you one day” so that “we will never have to read your trash again.” Some directly threaten violence themselves, or imply it with statements such as “May you rot in hell.”
Others express a desire to murder all Muslims — one simply read “I agree with maher Kill them all” — also often implying the emailed journalist is themselves Muslim. One pledge to attack Vox writers begins, “Fuck you and any cunt who believes in allah.”
As is often the case, the strongest threats have been reserved for women. One writer received a message arguing that someone should “put a gun up your ass” to make her understand terrorism.
Ironically, these threats are typically couched in arguments that Muslims are inherently irrational and violent. Further, threats made with the explicit intention of silencing journalists from discussing Islamophobia are positioned as necessary “defenses” of free speech against the threat of Islam. The people making the threats seem unaware that they are themselves seeking to curb the very free speech they pretend to uphold….
The possibility of radical Islamist threats against American outlets has received wide attention; there are media stories, solidarity rallies, and meetings of government officials. This has included media praise specifically of Vox for our supposed bravery, though for our team at least that threat has fortunately not materialized even in the form of an angry tweet.
Meanwhile, the demonstrable and ongoing threats from anti-Muslim extremists — a well-known phenomenon among American journalists who write about Islamophobia or are themselves Muslim — has received next to no attention….
The discrepancy in what sort of coverage has attracted threats of violence matters for reasons beyond immediate constraints on journalism as well. There was a wide assumption that publishing Charlie Hebdo cartoons in the United States would produce a barrage of threats from Muslims; those threats have so far not materialized, for us at least, which perhaps speaks to the readiness with which many will assume the worst of Muslims.
Meanwhile, there has been next to no discussion of the threats of violence from Islamophobes, though in our experience those threats are rampant. That distance between the kinds of threats we are supposed to have received and the threats we actually did is a reminder of how easy it can be to misjudge our own society and its problems.
c matt says
Threats from anti-Muslim extremists — a well-known phenomenon among American journalists who write about Islamophobia or are themselves Muslim
That’s because American journalists who write about Islamophobia are well known to have wild imaginations. They have to in order to believe Islamophobia even exists.
Dazed & Confused says
None of this has anything to do with Islam…Ask Pat..
http://youtu.be/N46mIHEGHN0
Angemon says
“Creative writing class is over folks. Let’s send it to CAIR for quality assurance and get our bag of cash”.
Sam says
For years now, I have been like being in a science fiction movie where Muslims blowing themselves and others up meanwhile feeding liberals food with mind altering drugs to blow themselves up too. This is so surreal. I still find it hard to believe such ignorance of Islam can exist with what they do everyday all over the world to expand their fake, evil, good for nothing religion of peace.
mortimer says
No Leftarded cultural Marxist journalist, cartoonist or editor or publisher has been killed or burnt out by a single counterjihadist.
Is it crying wolf?
mortimer says
Jihadists have no reason to attack or rattle their allies, the cultural Marxists who generally cover up and apologize for the atrocities of the jihadists, saying in effect: ‘They don’t represent ‘real Islam’, but even if they did represent real Islam, you white, privileged, racist, colonialist Europeans have it coming to you.’
Jihadists will not attack their shield, the cultural Marxists.
Ayatrollah says
…..”Others express a desire to murder all Muslims — one simply read “I agree with maher Kill them all” …….
Did Maher say to start killing people? Who said to start killing anyone, outside of some pious believers?
Wellington says
Vox is a site where weenies, liars and very confused people find regular employment.
(N.B., Vox, this isn’t a threat, merely a statement of truth——don’t confuse the two though I won’t hold out much hope that you will be able to discern the difference———meanwhile, Muslims aplenty are truly killing and maiming people worldwide or haven’t you noticed?———-though to the extent that you have noticed you probably attribute it to, let’s see here, legacies of Western colonialism, racism, socio-economic deprivation, blah, blah, blah.)
My God, Vox, you have collective shit for brains. You really do, but perhaps with the limited collective intellect that you do possess you might want to “digest” what a fellow liberal of long ago said about Islam, to wit, that it is the only major religion which is totalitarian in structure and ideology and he compared it to fascism and Marxism. The liberal here was Bertrand Russell and he wrote this in his work, The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism. Go from there, rubes. That is if you can.
Salah says
“Thus, over a billion people believe in Allah without truly knowing what Allah supposedly stands for or what he really demands of them. And the minority that do understand continue to be Moslems because they have redefined their morality and ethics to fit within the teachings of Islam, which are floridly lacking in morality. They therefore redefine what is good and evil in order to fit their lives into what is preached by Islam, instead of examining Islam to see if it fits within the good life. Backwards thinking, imposed by a backward religion.” Bertrand Russell
Wellington says
Thanks for that, Salah. You know, I wouldn’t mind liberals nearly so much, being the conservaitve that I am, if they were like Bertrand Russell——or Harry Truman—–or Clement Attlee——or George Orwell. Those old style liberals held to many ideas I disagree with (e.g., the extent of government that should exist) but they were formidable, well educated, had loads of common sense and could recognize evil when they saw it.
As another old-fashion liberal, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, observed, the greatest failing of modern liberalism is its inability to recognize and properly deal with evil. And, unfortunately, this “disease” of modern liberalism has infected a good bit of modern conservatism, not so much with the “recognition part” but a great deal with the “properly dealing part.” As I’ve written before here at JW, two major plagues which confront the modern West are that 1) modern liberalism has lost its collective mind and 2) modern conservatism has lost its collective guts.
Dracula says
You’re correct, but we sadly have few credible alternatives. Libertarianism, for example, is rife with conspiratorial mongering of the kind that assumes the CH attacks were a mossad false flag.
Salah says
@ Dracula
“You’re correct, but we sadly have few credible alternatives.”
You’re right. Both parties are corrupt, they both need to go. Actually, the whole system needs a clean up, a new revolution, a new republic.
Presidents rule for one or two terms, then they’re out. This is democracy but this is wrong. Why? because, knowing that they’ll have to leave in a few years, they don’t care about long term solutions to any problem, they prefer a quick fix so that they may keep their popularity and the real problem is reported to the next president and so on.
A better system would be a feudal system where the ruler is here for life, and when he dies, his son takes over.
This way he has no other choice but to find both a short term AND a long term solution to the problem because he wants to leave a peaceful and properous country to his son.
Of course, in this case, a strong parliament must be put in place to watch and debate the ruler’s decisions.
gravenimage says
Salah, in the free West, presidents and prime ministers don’t *rule*—they govern. They are—or should be—public servants, and not potentates. And the idea that they would care more if they didn’t have to answer to the public at all is mistaken.
Salah says
@ gravenimage
OK gravenimage, I’ll go with *govern* – so?
My point is, whoever is in power for a short period of time doesn’t really care to find true long term solutions to any problem. As Louis XV presumably said: “Après moi, le déluge.”
As for answering to the public, a strong parliament and a good mechanism to peaceably remove a dictator ruler should solve this problem.
Wellington says
But, Salah, you are assuming that public servants aren’t dedicated to the polity they serve, they they really only care about themselves. That’s why the Founding Fathers of America, just about the wisest group of men that ever existed, stressed the importance of character above virtually anything else. Helps to explain too why all of the Founding Fathers, even though some were skeptics like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, thought religion was important for society as a whole. Of course, these great men were steeped in the Judeo-Christian religious and ethical framework and few knew much about Islam (Jefferson did know Islam fairly well though and didn’t like this religion but he did have a very high opinion of the ethical teachings of Jesus although he didn’t think Jesus was divine). If they had known more about Mo’s creed I have no doubt they would have made an exception to their promotion of religion in general.
Bezelel says
While trying to be a decent Christian I constantly use restraint to keep intellect before emotion. So the restraint I practice with islamophiles is I absolutely will not spit in their ear even if their brains are on fire.
G says
[sarc on]
“Islamophobia”? Come on, that’s so 2014…
This year, progressives can try out a new and even more entertaining reason to justify and excuse Islamic terror: Salamiphobia.
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-danger-of-salamiphobia/
“Remember: it’s the innocent macaroons that are the real victims here!”
[/sarc off]
Mirren10 says
”Meanwhile, there has been next to no discussion of the threats of violence from Islamophobes, though in our experience those threats are rampant. That distance between the kinds of threats we are supposed to have received and the threats we actually did is a reminder of how easy it can be to misjudge our own society and its problems”
What utterly disgusting, reprehensible, and downright cowardly weasel words are these ? *Threats* of violence ??!!
So, in the minds of these moral morons, someone who *threatens* violence, is the same as one who actually executes it ?? So, I am furiously angry at my husband, friend, whoever: and I say, ”You bastard, I hate you, you’re a pig, I hate islam. If you’re stupid enough to swallow the koran crap you’re an idiot, (whatever insults of choice you can think of 🙂 )
And this is morally the **same** as those scum bags who murdered 12 people for drawing some cartoons ? This is the same as destroying lives, families, futures ??
These creatures really do not inhabit the same moral universe as the rest of us. They are beyond the Pale.
Where, in this farrago of dhimmi nonsense, is an acknowledgement of the fact that two mohammedans murdered 12 people because they **drew a cartoon of mohammed** ??!!
I am so sick of all this crap. My rage is so monumental, I can’t seriously argue with anyone. I’m going to bed.
dlbrand says
“I am so sick of all this crap. My rage is so monumental, I can’t seriously argue with anyone. I’m going to bed.”
I hear you, Mirren.
Sleep tight.
Wellington says
I hope you got a good night’s sleep, Mirren. You deserve it, my friend.
Instuctive how hate and stupidity from others can disrupt the normal course of life, which presents enough problems at it is. All the more reason to hold in complete contempt, as I know you do, man’s worst religion of all time and those who make excuses for this religion, whether Muslims or dhimmis.
Still, life at its best is a wonder and a marvel and we must not let lesser human beings interfere with our own life to too great a degree. I myself am guilty here of this at times but fortunately there are many other times when I just feel so grateful to be alive, to have my health and to be married to the woman whom I adore about all other human beings. Guess it’s best to see the good as well as the bad. No doubt.
Take care, my friend. And I will expect you back here at JW refreshed and ready to go again against arguably the single greatest burden mankind has ever known——–Islam.
Mirren10 says
”Still, life at its best is a wonder and a marvel and we must not let lesser human beings interfere with our own life to too great a degree.”
Thank you, Wellington for your wise and true words !
” I just feel so grateful to be alive, to have my health and to be married to the woman whom I adore about all other human beings. Guess it’s best to see the good as well as the bad.”
Indeed ! I too am grateful for the beauty of the world, the beauty of everything that human beings have made and created, for my wonderful husband, and loving family and friends, don’t think I’m not.
It’s just that sometimes, the sheer determination to cover up the truth, and attempt to lie, and deceive people, drives me into incandescent rage ! 🙂
My husband keeps telling me, darling, remember your blood pressure … ! He also reminds me, as you just did, how much we have to be thankful for. Cheers, to both of you !
R White says
I agree, news agencies don’t want to become targets,( although they arleady are) and therefore, don’t follow the guidelines taught in journalisim school, when it comes to the final edit.
tan says
Don’t think Vox”s thinking will wash any more, in the face of never ending terrorism from ‘islamic extremists’ to which can now be added the latest wanton destruction of lives in Paris………the actions of ‘islamic extremists’ are what speaks loudly…..and we’re listening….and i hope we understand how to respond.
Mohomed should not be the template for anyone’s perfect man……what a ghastly template for humanity.
gravenimage says
Vox claims no threats for posting Charlie Hebdo toons, many for covering “Islamophobia”
……………………………..
My God, what crap.
Muslims have threatened to kill—Salman Rushdi, Geert Wilders, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Kurt Westergaard, Lars Vilks, Molly Norris, and many others. These are all people where the threats have been so bad that they needed police protection. Molly Norris has had to change her name and go into hiding. There was an international conspiracy to murder Lars Vilks. Kurt Westergaard was attacked by an axe-wielding Muslim who broke into his home.
Theo van Gogh, Rushdie’s translator, and much of the staff of Charlie Hebdo *have* been murdered by violent Muslims because they dared to criticize Islam.
Not a single person has been harmed over spouting about “Islamophobia”.
This claim by Vox exhibits a complete inversion of reality—no surprise there. *Ugh*.
Kasey says
The diversionary and smoke-screening term Islamophobia will always be written about by those “politically correct” as they just can’t face up to Islamoreality in all its many forms. That’s their way of avoiding saying “Islam is as Islam Does”
CalmProActiveResponse says
Dear Robert Spencer,
Watching from Holland, the awesome BBC One television show ‘This Week’ and… God bless this finest of English culture and humor! The first item was with two Muslim guests about the Hebdo front cover response to the terrorist murders. One genuine, good Muslim comedian by profession (especially in the debate she had a very refreshing point of view, forgiving that her version of Islam is likely not supported by the holy books) and the other, a murder apologist journalist/pundit of the worst kind (Nabila Ramdani a regular on BBC World’s Dateline London). Normally debates like these don’t reach a clear conclusion and are clouded by the unwritten rules like don’t ask to revealing questions to appear courteous to your guest, the assumption that a journalist guest is always reasonable and good willing. Usually the left wing liberal sides with the Muslim pundit or heavily defends it. In this case? Not.
What a heavenly display of light over darkness, this debate was. The enlightened Muslim, completely upbeat and undeterred while giving her minority point of view. Both left and right wing panel members and the moderator coming together, in piling on heap after heap against the Muslim pundit like it was joy (Dutch phrasing).
The moment the conservative panel member opened the charge was when he opened his mouth. The kind sardonic way in which he spoke the words: “I am appalled”. I follow a lot of debates but it is not often that I see a Muslim pundit being opposed so effectively. And it’s not that she tried. She came back with new doubt seeding counter attacks switching swiftly from the offending the prophet equals racism equals discriminating Muslims argument while justifying the violence. For the trained eye, you could even see her turning her back to the camera as much as possible when she felt the good Muslim was going to say something powerful, to give ‘concerned’ warning eye, only known among Muslims with a traumatic upbringing, hoping it would phase her. The moment she really got her behind handed to her was when she tried reversing responsibilities by handing the other side the proverbial ‘violence switch’ while using the ‘I want to save lives’ argument.
I rare example of the West winning a battle over Islam in an all shattering way. Something we need more of. Given the possible copy right laws I hope this segment of this program will be posted by someone on JW. ‘This Week’ episode from 15/01/2015. The twitter reactions I see, ‘excellent’, ‘best debate ever’: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mvhd
John Magne Trane says
Also here on yt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuQZwZhFJaw
CalmProActiveResponse says
Thank you John! Really enjoyed seeing the debate again. Them making an effective distinction be between racial stereotyping and criticism of religion. I have close Muslim friends but it’s sometimes very hard to debate them.
I hope left right and center will come together and create a non-violent yet proactive response. For every terror attack on minorities all news papers will print a violent verse on frontpage with full context.
Another could be: no Muslim immigrants from that country for one year.
Resist in a passive way. We, in the West, are relying to much on armed forces. Though I support our police services and armed forces fully.
jay says
Lies and propaganda. I have no doubt there are some nutjobs out there, but it’s always the leftists/islamists who are death threat happy and SO hateful, rarely the other side. The other side may bitch a lot to each other, but not common to go and attack others. SJWs are the ones doxxing, threatening, hacking, etc. I’ve seen it all too often on other sites the sheer hatred and danger of these people. Islamists troll every article about Islam/terrorism to make sure to play Mohammed’s white knight. Stormfront and KKK people on the other hand, let alone just average righties, I rarely see them doing the same.
We have to all believe that white Americans are the real danger and anything they’re worried about is ‘racist’ and silly, the real dangers get nice media polish and political sweep under rugs and a thousand mockery and slander attacks upon those who dared to question the Church of Liberal.
duh_swami says
Is it actually possible to ‘cover’ Islamophobia? Islamophobia is not standard. There are variations, like jelly beans are different colors and flavors but they are still jelly beans. The phobia part is misleading because a lot of Islamophobics are not afraid, they are just righteously pzzed off. Terrorism does not always yield the desired results. I’m of the pzzed off branch of Islamophobia, and I am going to practice free speech about it no matter what Rasool O says, what Hillary says, what the OIC at the UN says, what the Pope says, or what Nancy Pelosi says.
Kepha says
Long ago, Tom Lehrer had a line, “There are people who who do not love their fellow human beings and I HATE people like that!”
I’ve been sick of the Leftist media for a very long time. It’s self-righteous demand that the rest of it assign it the role of conscience sickens me, as does its embrace of the most vicious forms of Islam (the poor, oppressed Third World regaining its dignity and manhood through revolutionary catharsis or some pompous idiocy like that) while at the same time advocating unfettered sexual expression for all.
Again, I’m glad that Vox has so far escaped jihadi threats. I probably won’t read it, for I have more important things to do, and have long ago lost interest in Leftist so-called “humor” (I am proud to say that I’ve never watched Jon Stewart). However, I do not like murder. End of story.
rhonda says
Islamic jihadis who published Muhammad cartoons just murdered twelve people. HUH? The Islamic Jihadis were NOT the ones who published the Muhammad cartoons.
Beatrix17 says
Hitler never bothered Nazi magazines. Not ever. The only people who objected to the blameless Nazis were the damn Jews.
John Magne Trane says
If you are insulted by the same things islamists get insulted over, what are you then?
In the text where it says “offended many muslims” it should say “offended many islamists”.