As the freedom of speech is being tossed aside wholesale in the media’s distaste for Pamela Geller and the unwelcome truths she tells, a few voices realize what is at stake in this controversy. Here is another: “Geller and her colleagues aren’t the only victims that America’s elites refuse to side with against aggressors,” by Caroline B. Glick, May 8, 2015:
The notion that a rape victim deserved to be raped because she was wearing a tight outfit light up all our red lights.
This is the case first and foremost because it absolves the rapist of responsibility for his crime.
We are also disgusted by attempts to blame the victim for her victimization because it is substantively false. If men are more likely to rape women in tight clothing then rape should be all but nonexistent in traditional Islamic societies. Yet the opposite is the case. Rape and sexual abuse are endemic to such societies. According to the UN, a whopping 99.3 percent of Egyptian women reported having suffered sexual abuse.
There is a third reason more general reason that we recoil from the thought of blaming rape victims for their suffering. One of the foundations of liberal societies has always been that victims of aggression are not to blame for their attackers’ aggression.
Over the past few days, we have been witness to a dangerous erosion of this principle among American elites.
Last Sunday, two Islamic terrorists armed with assault rifles tried to massacre participants at a Muhammad cartoon drawing contest in Garland, Texas.
The goal of the contest was self-evident. The organizers wished to defend the freedom of speech — and the right to life — of critics of Islamic totalitarianism.
Rather than standing with the contest’s organizers and participants, the US media from MSNBC to Fox News attacked Pamela Geller, the event’s main organizer, and accused her of responsibility for the attack.
The White House failed to condemn the attack, and the media continued their attacks on Geller even after Islamic State claimed credit for the attack, promised to “slaughter” Geller and anyone who shelters her or gives her a microphone, and announced it has a formidable infrastructure across the US it will use to carry out more attacks against Americans.
To a degree, the White House’s refusal to condemn the attack, like the media’s pile-on against Geller, is understandable. Most Americans ascribe to the overarching notion of “Live and let live.”
And it is a good thing they do. It is impossible to maintain a liberal society without a basic tolerance of differences among its members.
But there are groups that a liberal society cannot tolerate without ceasing to be liberal.
When a group says that society as a whole must constrain its freedoms so its members can feel comfortable, it crosses a boundary that cannot be crossed. So, too, when a group demands that society choose between it and another group that is not issuing a similar ultimatum, it is crossing the line. In other words, any group that demands a limit on liberty and rights of others is harming the foundations of liberal society. If a society wishes to remain liberal, it must constrain such groups.
Champions of totalitarian Islam test the strength of liberal societies because they force them to choose. Distressingly, as we see with the refusal of the White House and media elites to recognize that like the rape victim with tight clothes, Geller isn’t responsible for the jihadists’ decision to kill her and the participants at her event, elite American society is failing this test….
Fritz Kohlhaas says
Blame the victim! The Media are gone completely mad!
nicu says
Not only the media – even the police and judges – say so 🙁
Don McKellar says
“The notion that a rape victim deserved to be raped because she was wearing a tight outfit light up all our red lights.” -Caroline Glick drawing a parable with the Texas cartoon jihadis.
“If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it … whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem.” – Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali, Australia’s most senior moslem cleric responding to moslem rape gangs in the country
You do the math.
Oliver says
However, cats ( and dogs) and other animals don’t think, or have the capacity to, as do humans. They go only by instinct.
Humans ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO THINK. TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THEIR BASE AND BASIC INSTINCTS, UNLESS IN DANGER.
I guess, Australia’s “Most Senior Muslim Cleric” is saying that Muslims are not people, but more like animals. That would be my interpretation.
Richie says
“However, cats ( and dogs) and other animals don’t think, or have the capacity to, as do humans. They go only by instinct.”
Not to go totally off topic, but as a lifelong dog owner, that statement is utterly false. Tell military servicemen and firemen who worked with dogs in the field that the dogs neither think nor feel.
Muslims are the ones who think dogs are soulless, mindless creatures, which is why they delight in torturing and killing them
Angemon says
Oliver posted:
“Humans ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO THINK. TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THEIR BASE AND BASIC INSTINCTS, UNLESS IN DANGER.”
Sadly, islam teaches, among other things, that a) nothing happens unless allah wills it, and b) non-muslims are the worst of creatures and deserve to be in a constant state of humiliation. This gives muslims carte blancheto, as the aforementioned example, rape non-muslim girls – why else would allah place non-muslim girls so readily available?
dsinc says
Exactly, spot on explanation and interpretation.
RICH says
That’s an excellent parable, Oliver. Unfortunately a large part of soceity appears unable to think for themselves and they follow the sick mindset of groups such as the street gangs, radical islam, ISIS, ISIL etc., etc. Some groops have no respect for anything that doesn’t coincide with their own wants and needs……… ! The world is a really f^#ked up place right now, let’s just pray that things start changing.
Angemon says
You beat me to it, Don, that was the first thing that crossed my mind upon reading the first paragraph. Maybe someone should contact Mrs. Glick and let her know about Mr. al-Hilali’s stance.
cs says
Caroline Glick is a strong ally as far as I am concerned.
Richie says
According to Muslims, the fact Jews exist is justification for Muslims to kill them, but the Jews are apparently to blame for being killed, for existing in the first place
Richie says
Some leftists have called for Pamela’s arrest- yet at the same time play down the actions of the Islamic terrorists who attacked the event
I’m surprised Obama hasn’t taken a break from golfing to comment on what happened- Being the Muslim he obviously is, I fully expect him to blame Pamela Gellar and paint the Muslims as heroes
RICH says
We all know those in the White House won’t condemn the attack by RADICAL ISLAMISTS in Garland, Texas. The POTU.S. will not even say ‘RADICAL ISLAMIST’, that in itself really makes one wonder…….. !
Jay Airahs says
A flower grows in the rain outside.
A baby cries but is safe inside.
A child is taught how to draw their own hand’s outline.
The world is full of such things.
In spite of the vile filth of Islam.
somehistory says
If one group maintains self-control, refusing to punch the nose of members in another group, but the members of the second group exercise no self-control and madly go punching noses, then the punchers will have to be controlled by others, by law, by statute.
If some males refuse to exercise self-control and go out raping, the authorities have to step in and use outside controls to stop the rapists. To attempt to control rapists by locking up all females would not work and would be totally unfair to all females.
The adherents of islam have no self-control, they are commanded by their evil writings to throw self-control to the winds, and take out their supposed grievances on every other group and individual.
The fact that many in the media and elsewhere refuse to hold them accountable is much like a teacher who would allow one student to control her classroom through bullying all of her other students, saying that he lacks self-control and the other students must put up with his threats and bullying.
Just as there have to be laws against rapists, there are laws against those who murder…and no allowances should be given to those who murder because they saw a cartoon, someone mocked a raper of children and a murderer of all who disagreed with him…because they are demented in their worship of said person.
But these things are just too complicated for those who fear displeasing those who would murder them if only they had the opportunity.
Bezelel says
Thank you Robert and Pamela for all that you do. We may well be witnessing mass hysteria. It is so easy for me to understand the Atlas and JW message and so baffling to watch the enemedia at work. They are losing credability daily. Too much is at stake to let their B.S. go unchecked. People everywhere are waking up to it.
William Lucas Harvey Jr. says
“Victims of aggression are not to blame for their attackers’ aggression”.
AGREED – Muslims THEMSELVES, have NO problems when ANY other Non Islamic Faith or Belief IS “Blasphemed” and “Demeaned” with ISLAMIC “Slurs” and “Hate Speech”.
Muslims prefer ONLY “Pro Islam” Speech that advances the cause Islam, and implements Taqiyya and Kitman, Islamic Qur’an condoned, Lying and Deception, to attempt to achieve their goals, which is really by gaining the trust of non-believers in order to draw out their vulnerability and defeat them, with Islam’s “Grand Deception” Lies, as Islam PERMITS Lying to Deceive Unbelievers and Bring World Domination, which IS the Ultimate GOAL of Islam.
IF Islam is a “Religion”, it is NOT a religion ONLY, Islam is a total system of life and contains within itself a particular social system, judicial system, and political system which includes geo-political aspirations – the conquest and administration of territory, and Islam literally means submission.
In Free Countries, such as America, Islam “Claims” it is a “Religion”, and has “Religion Status”, to take ADVANTAGE of the “Freedom of Religion” Laws of the Country
mortimer says
The President of the United States should be the worst LEADING DEFENDER OF FREEDOM.
Obama broke his oath of office through SILENCE.
mortimer says
The President of the United States should be the WORLD’S LEADING DEFENDER OF FREEDOM.
Obama betrayed freedom and those who yearn to be free.
Silence only helps the perpetrators, never the victims.
Obama helps the perpetrators of jihad terror.
Shmooviyet says
The title itself makes sense…
Who is the most murderously aggressive, permanently p….d-off group in the current world? And how often are the victims of this group to blame for their attackers’ aggression, whatever form that aggression takes: murder, kidnapping, torture, death threats, etc.?
It seems fewer numbers are buying the endless media and political empathy; Pamela’s and Robert Spencer’s works among others are waking people. G.d bless and protect them all from their ‘attackers’ aggression’.
ron hargreave says
Good piece. In effect, Sharia law is being imposed de facto upon Americans, and they are standing up and cheering. Astonishing. The truth is, they know not what they do.
Beagle says
Of the dozens of media personalities I have watched or read condemn the statements and actions of Pamela Geller I have seen exactly zero of them give a single example of what it is they find so offensive.
The worst calumny is the baseless accusation of racism. When it comes to opposing jihadis Pamela is wholly consistent whatever the skin color or national origin.
How is it that “anti-Islam” has essentially become a criminal accusation in our allegedly post-Enlightenment culture? Thomas Jefferson edited out whole sections of the Bible and used the Quran to study the military strategies of his enemies. John Quincy Adams showed a profound understanding of the inherent danger from Islam, as did of course Winston Churchill and many other historical intellectual giants. Somehow we’ve backtracked into unenlightenment.
No religion should be above peaceful criticism, ever, full stop. Anything else is establishing that religion.
Beagle says
Some great examples:
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Quotations_on_Islam_from_Notable_Non-Muslims