Which is the bigger threat? Jihad terror or “Islamophobia”? My latest in FrontPage:
On Monday night, a mass murderer killed 22 people and injured 59 at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.
The perpetrator was a man named Salman Ramadan Abedi, a man whom friends described as a “devout” Muslim who had memorized the entire Qur’an. He was known to British authorities as a terror threat and had been in touch with a recruiter for the Islamic State (ISIS).
I hadn’t heard of Salman Abedi before he murdered all those little girls and their friends and family members at the Ariana Grande concert, but when I recently spoke at Truman State University in Missouri, the University at Buffalo, and Gettysburg College, and then at an event in Iceland, I discussed the belief system that incites people such as Salman Abedi to violence. I explored the ways in which jihad terrorists use the texts and teachings of Islam to justify violence and make recruits among peaceful Muslims, and the texts of the Qur’an and Islamic law that call upon Muslims to wage war against those who do not believe in Islam.
For this, the three universities and the Icelandic press treated my presence in the country as if Josef Goebbels had stopped by for a visit. A petition demanding that my Truman State appearance be canceled called me “rabble rouser, inflammatory speaker, and outright Islamaphobe [sic],” and claimed that I have “an agenda of hate and violence.” It further claimed that “allowing Spencer on this campus is detrimental to the safety and well-being of this university’s community members.” Others called for me to be physically attacked.
A similar petition at the University at Buffalo charged: “Spencer’s scheduled talk poses the very real risk of inciting acts of violence on campus between student communities.” A Gettysburg College student claimed, without providing any evidence, that my work has been “used as a basis for hate crimes against Muslims in the United States.”
The Icelandic press wrote in the same vein. The Reykjavik Grapevine warned: “Known Islamophobe To Hold Conference At Grand Hotel, Protest Likely.” After I left, the Iceland Monitor observed that “US lecturer and Islamophobe Robert Spencer…gave a lecture on what he calls the ‘Jihad Threat’ in Reykjavik recently.”
While I was there, several interviewers accused me of casting unjust suspicion upon the small Muslim community in Iceland, and worried that Muslims in Iceland might be attacked by vigilantes in the wake of my lecture. Virtually every news story about my Icelandic visit, like the petitions and news stories about my visits to those three universities, contained the information that Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik had mentioned me numerous times in his manifesto. None of them noted the differences between his beliefs and mine; or the fact that he started planning violence in the 1990s, before I had published anything about the jihad threat; or the fact that he criticized me in that same manifesto for not inciting violence; or the fact that he also quoted many people across the ideological spectrum, including Barack Obama, Tony Blair, and Condoleezza Rice, who are never questioned about their possible role in inciting him to kill.
The message was consistent and clear: Spencer is a dangerous person whose work threatens the safety of innocent people. He speaks about a threat where there is none.
Now it has been several weeks since I spoke at those three academic institutions and in Reykjavik, where a Leftist who was no doubt incited to act against me by the venomous coverage I received in the Icelandic media poisoned me. In that span, have any Muslims at Truman State, the University at Buffalo, Gettysburg College or anywhere in Iceland been brutalized by those who heard me speak? No. Has any Muslim anywhere been murdered by an “Islamophobe”?
No. But twenty-two people are dead in Britain at the hands of a man who is a manifestation of, as the Iceland Monitor put it, what I call the jihad threat. That threat is real, and growing worldwide, as the evidence of 30,000 jihad attacks worldwide since 9/11 shows.
Anders Breivik was a madman, a psychopath with no coherent world view. Those who disagree should try to account for the fact that this murderous “Islamophobe” counseled collaboration with the jihad terror groups Hamas and al-Qaeda. He did not represent the violent outcome of “Islamophobic” rhetoric. That there have been no other “Islamophobic” killers either before or after him is further evidence of this.
What his continuing notoriety actually represents is the avidity of the Left and the establishment media to stigmatize and demonize, and thereby marginalize and silence those who are calling attention to what is an actual threat: that of Islamic jihad.
Within the past year, there have been murderous jihad attacks in Orlando, Florida; Magnanville, France; Würzburg, Germany; Ansbach, Germany; Rouen, France; Ohio State University; Berlin; and now Manchester. I’ve listed only the attacks in Europe and the U.S.; there were many others elsewhere in that span as well. In the ones I’ve listed, 90 people were killed, all by Muslims who took the exhortations to kill that are contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah to heart.
There remain no casualties by anyone who took my exhortations to heart, anywhere at any time; I don’t call for or condone violence. Yet I am certain that those institutions of higher learning and the Icelandic media were far more hostile to me than they would have been if, say, a jihad terrorist freed from Guantanamo had come to speak.
I am banned from entering Britain for the crime of noting correctly that Islam has doctrines of violence; meanwhile, Britain has admitted numerous preachers of jihad violence against unbelievers.
Clearly Britain, like Truman State University, the University at Buffalo, Gettysburg College, and the Icelandic media, believes that the “jihad threat” is imaginary and the “Islamophobia” threat is real.
The body count says otherwise.
And if the students who protested my appearances and the Icelandic government and media don’t awaken to that fact quickly, they will discover it by direct experience, on their own soil. The Left’s strategy regarding “Islamophobia” leads straight to Manchester.
Once every foe of jihad terror is demonized and silenced, who will be left to speak out in resistance? No one – and then the jihad will advanced unopposed and unimpeded, while those who might have spoken out remain silent for fear of charges of “Islamophobia.”
mortimer says
The family of Ramadan Abedi is the quintessential Islamic family. The father is a cantor at the mosque. The boys have been raised by their father to ‘love death’ and jihad in the way of Allah. The boys memorized the Koran. They attended a mosque associated with terrorists. What is their motive? It can be nothing, if not Islamic. The three sons of Ramadan are terrorists, one a dead terrorist.
Robert Spencer is right. Until Western elites take the time to read, learn, study and master the jihad doctrine, there will be many more suicide attacks from young Muslims that their neighbors call ‘a nice, quiet boy’, quiet boys like Salman Abedi. When you memorize the 164 Koranic verses related to jihad, what else will you become, but a jihadist? When you are raised to admire a man who always deceived his enemies before attacking, what you will perform if not sneak suicide attacks? When you are raised to despise the Western culture of mixed-gender musical performances (both of which are haram), to despise dancing and drinking of wine, beer and spirits, what will you attack besides night clubs and concerts, especially where the lead singer is a scandalously uncovered, unchaperoned female associating, singing, dancing, touching and cavorting with males who are not her first cousins? Many more concerts and performances will be attacked because this is called LIFESTYLE JIHAD, wherein the free Western lifestyle of wine, women and song is attacked, intimidated and ultimately destroyed forever as it has been in Islamic countries.
If you are raised in a family that teaches love of death and hatred of the dirty kufaar, what will you become, but a suicide bomber? Western elites, unread, unstudied and unprepared to address expansionist Islam are soothed and tricked meanwhile by smooth-talking, taqiyya-mongering mullahs who smile to their faces, while in their hearts they despise the dirty kufaar as was recommended by Abu Darda a jihadist-warrior companion of Mohammed himself.
Because Western people are encouraged not to learn the kafir doctrine, the jihad will go on under the radar of Western people who see nothing unusual whenever Muslims make veiled reference to the 164 jihad verses in the Koran. Those allusions to violence, being unknown (and the learning of them taboo), the jihad threats young Muslims make go right over the heads of most Western people, save the counterjihadists who have done and continue doing the required reading list to understand what Islam really teaches about the duty of jihad.
High Hopes says
Very well put, It just came to mind the Bill Warner assertion, is Mohamed peaceful yes, is Mohamed violent, yes. The two faces of the quaran, the two faces that we as Western nations deal with. The smiling face, in order to advance and then the other, the face of the conquesting, murdering jihadi.
billybob says
Actually, though I have the greatest respect for Dr. Warner, I always felt his promotion of the notion of duality in Islam his only flaw. For example, he will talk about the “peaceful Meccan Quran” and “the violent Medinan Quran”.ie – the early peaceful verses versus the later violent verses. He’ll ask rhetorically, “Which is correct?”. Then he will answer “They both are.” But here’s the thing, the early peaceful verses were abrogated by the later violent verses, so they no longer apply. Then his answer is wrong. There is no duality because the contradictions are fully resolved by the principle of abrogation. I wonder if he even understands that. David Wood always makes that very clear, and never pushes the concept of duality.
gravenimage says
Even much of the Meccan portion of the Qur’an is pretty oppressive and violent. But yes–abrogation only makes it worse.
TheBuffster says
Well said, Mortimer!
simpleton1 says
Thanks Mortimer and High Hopes.
I would presume that the 164 jihad verses in the Koran are all abrogation verses, so they are better verses as advised by Mohammad, the perfect man..
When chronologically read the koran becomes very understandable, particularly when the abrogation verses show the turning point, as High Hopes points out, the 2 faces.
The 2 faces of Mohammad in the hadith show up his vindictive controlling manipulative ways.
One would guess the family that pray together, prey together on others.
Thanks to R.S. and some others who inform us; this needs to be talked, discussed, debated, even argued, to openly spread the knowledge about islam, to exposed, for all to see.
Michael Copeland says
The Koran-at-a-glance website is very helpful.
http://www.koran-at-a-glance.com
mortimer says
Simpleton 1 : The KEY verse in the Koran is K.9.29 whereat Mohammed switches from peaceful Islam to total warfare against the dirty kufaar. From then on, he will mercilessly exploit and plunder the dirty kufaar and enslave them.
roger woodhouse says
Those poor souls who were killed in Manchester were described last night prior to the minutes silence before the Manchester united football match as having’lost their lives’ by the commentator.He could as well been referring to a natural disaster.
billybob says
Good point. They didn’t “lose their lives”. Their lives were brutally taken from them in the name of the satanic, bloodthirsty god Allah who delights in human sacrifice.
gravenimage says
Yes–you’d think this was a train derailment or something similar, instead of deliberate murder.
Les says
The world is truly mad and the common cause of madness is Islam and liberalism.
Westman says
Actions contain more truth than words.
Theresa May has effectively, by putting soldiers on the streets in response to the Manchester slaughter, admitted that Robert Spencer was right and she was wrong. One shouldn’t expect any apology or reversal of her ban, yet, only a socially blind person could miss that Manchester has left her no alternative to putting on a show of opposition to radical Islam before the elections. The Brits are beginning to notice that the disconnect between their concerns about Islam and that of the aristocracy is a new form of feudalism.
For a man with “dangerous” ideas and warnings, Robert Spencer certainly is getting unlimited opportunities to say, “I warned you, why didn’t you listen?”
David M says
Ask her why she put the troops on the street, I bet Islam or Muslims would not be mentioned once by her. The furthest they will go is “extremism”, & they won’t even say what type of extremism we are dealing with.
roger woodhouse says
Those poor souls who were killed in Manchester were described last night prior to the minutes silence before the Manchester united football match as having’lost their lives’ by the commentator.He could as well been referring to a natural disaster.
mortimer says
To David M. – Putting soldiers on patrol will do nothing to kill the IDEOLOGY of Islam. The jihadists will take a pause, but they just might attack a few patrolling soldiers or drive a bus or a lorry into a squad of soldiers. The jihadists have attacked soldiers in that manner in Israel.
Michael Casmer says
Not to mention the thousands of pounds it will take from the British economy. All wasted money.
Phil Copson says
“Putting on a show” is all that it is ever about; a sensible person’s reaction to any problem is to identify the problem, find out how to fix it, and then fix it.
A politician’s reaction is always “What can I do to cover this up but make it look as though I’m doing something about it ?”
How does making a fool of herself by putting soldiers outside Buckingham Palace help ?
Banning Shariah Courts, halting all Third World immigration, having the local policeman attend and record all services at mosques, and deporting anyone with an immigrant background calling for the imposition of any part of Islam that contravenes British Law would be far more to the point.
Michael Copeland says
Alas, the local policeman is NOT ALLOWED, by Islam’s rules, to attend the mosque.
Now we know why.
mortimer says
Yes. The policeman is allowed to attend. They are attending without telling the mosque also.
roger woodhouse says
I agree as most sensible poeple would but you forget that the leftwing domimated legal profession run GB.They would never allow any such thing to happen
RichardL says
the problem is that, for being right, Robert Spencer and all these other heroes will be vilified, even after the politicians admit their mistakes. “We never forgive those we have wronged”, by Plini or Seneca is an eternal truth.
I believe that the UK is lost and that we will see civil-war like jihad attacks across Europe this summer. In December we will look back at Manchester and only remember it as the beginning, not because it was especially heinous. What comes will be worse because terror attacks are isolated, what comes will be continuous.
Anne Smith says
That is what happened in Lebanon, the immigrants who had been welcomed as refugees eventually took over and laid waste to what had once been a delightful country.
Leon Degney says
Anne, I find it so strange that most people who tell me they have no fear of Islam taking over in the very near future, if ever have no knowledge of the fact that Lebanon was virtually a Christian country around forty or so years ago. Most people have their head in the sand about the intentions of Islamists. When will they ever learn, ever?
gravenimage says
True.
gravenimage says
Anti-Jihadist Brigitte Gabriel grew up in Lebanon during this period, and writes searingly about it.
Ant says
All true. What can people in the west do, given that hundreds if not thousands of jihadis are already living amongst us? Where is the action from our leaders? What is the solution?
Danforth says
The only solution is to spread the TRUTH that Islam is a false religion and ideology, and that their prophet was not the man he claims to be.
Anyone who studies this false doctrine for more than ten minutes understands this simple FACT.
The problem is not WHAT is the solution, the issue is WHO will deliver the message. Robert is working very hard at doing just this, but he is beaten back at every opportunity. WE just have to be stronger than THEM.
gravenimage says
Hear, hear!
Benedict says
The peaceful Muslims are the pool from where the hateful and violent Muslims are taken.
If Islam and Muslims in their totality are not expelled from Britain, they will eventually expel the British people from their own country, and that goes for the rest of Europe also.
Benedict says
Correction: “pool” should be “cesspool”.
Charli Main says
Those wonderful seats of Islamic learning, Oxford and Cambridge, built by Islamic scholars. The amazing architecture of all those mosques in Canterbury, Winchester and London showing the genius of Muslim builders. The genius of Muslim scientists who created the Industrial Revolution. The staggering advances in medicine made possible by the dedicated research of British Muslim pioneers in the 20th century.
Extract from the ” GOLDEN AGE OF ISLAMIC BRITAIN” BY Omar ben Mohammed
Mecca Press– 2150
Lu says
Wrong. The year this book will be out is 2050.
simpleton1 says
Sadly it would seem the British must be contained, by a candidate to be Mayor and they elected him as mayor..
simpleton1 says
Sorry missed putting in the finish of the blockquote., so the last sentence is mine.
Let’s hope none of the parents of the killed and maimed become ‘islamphobic’, and so would be considered “far right extremist”.
Anne Smith says
Andy Burnham is a stupid ***hole who has applied for every politicial job going, even the leader of the Labour Party, failing every time but eventually ending up as Mayor of Manchester. Well the people of Manchester elected him and they will pay for it.
Benedict says
“a “devout” Muslim who had memorized the entire Qur’an” –
Here we have the inception of the evils of Islam: when these mindless, repetitive hypnotic, recitations of the Qur’an are transformed into internalized, insidious suggestions, like voices in the head of a schizophrenic, they compel the victim to become an agent of terror.
Baucent says
After the Manchester Outrage, anyone not even the slightest bit apprehensive of people of the muslim faith, is probably uninformed, a muslim themselves or mentally impaired.
Islamofear is completely logical, reasonable and justified. Try tell a man dying of a snakebite “You have no need to fear snakes”. It may be only “one in a thousand” muslims who turn Jihadi, but Manchester had a muslim population of 200,000. That is more than enough to cause a daily bloodbath.
Kay says
Heartbreaking.
Kay says
Sadly, this is true. I see more and more examples of people not being tolerated if they have an opinion or viewpoint that isn’t deemed correct by the Left. And in nearly every gathering (in my blue state) people feel free to drop sneering comments against our President.
Last year after Orlando, when it was clear that a dear friend and I would not come to agreement, I said, “It won’t matter if we argue about this. Time will tell.”
Time has told. And yet the left insist on their blindfolds.
roger woodhouse says
We know the real issue of Islam will never be addressed.The politicans will skirt around it and ‘allude’to it but never draw a direct parralell to it.We are doomed to a very uncertain future.Unlike war we cannot see the end.
Petrouchka rising says
The “religion of peace” strikes again
Sharp nails in girls’ faces–age 10!
His whole family: jihadis
But what’s really odd, Is-
lamophobia blamed once again.
Cretius says
Definition of ‘Islamophobia’
It is sad that Western politicians on the political Left continue to refuse the reality of the true Muslim definition of ‘Islamophobia’.
‘Islamophobia’, n. any comment or discussion of the teachings of the Islamic belief system, Islam’s history, Islam’s related cultural practices, the reality of Sharia Law, the history and nature of Islam’s prophet by any and all non-believers (infidels, kaffirs).
Motion M-103, passed by the Canadian Parliament, is nothing less than an abrogation of the right of free speech and personal choice by surrendering to the demands of a supremacist belief system, Islam, that does not allow for the accommodation of non-believers. M-103 is a betrayal of the democratic principles that our fathers and grandfathers fought and died for in two World Wars.
The ignorance and naivety of Western politicians when dealing with Islam is appalling and does not bode well for the long term survival of Western democratic values, cultural practices, or equality before the law.
Pandering for votes at the expense of our democracy is despicable and presents Islam as a ‘religion of peace’ that is not confirmed by any objective review of that belief system. We deserve better but that is beyond the pale of the present Liberal governments.
Norger says
Excellent article. It’s probably an exercise in futility (and perhaps JW already does this) but what about sending this article as an open letter to the Icelandic newspapers and college papers that railed against Robert’s recent speaking appearances?
Ace-of-Clubs says
It’s such a shame that Robert Spencer is banned from entering the UK, when so many Muslim hate preachers are allowed to spew out their evil bile at mosques and in street demonstrations. Robert Spencer is a very brave man and I applaud his efforts in trying to enlighten the world about this hateful religion called Islam.
billybob says
I wonder if people could pool their resources to higher top legal minds to sue the British government on behalf of these children? I’m not sure exactly who to sue or who can be sued, but there has been callous disregard to the security of the nation. If such a trial could ever get underway, and bring out all the things that Robert teaches us here on JihadWatch stating all this information is available yet totally ignored… I don’t know where or how, but some day these things need to be presented in a court of law. Win, lose, or draw, it will bring things out in the open.
davej says
The famously unarmed English Bobbies have been superseded by armed troops in the streets in a virtual state of martial law.
Thank you Muslims.
Amigo de Israel says
Dear Mr. Spencer,
We were shocked to know about what happened in Finland.
In the name of our blog, AMIGO DE ISRAEL, from Portugal, we hope you get well soon.
Oliveira