My latest in PJ Media:
Has there ever been another time in history when the powerful, moneyed, cosseted elites achieved and maintained that elite status by claiming to be despised, discriminated against and marginalized? The latest example of this fetishization of outcast status came from Yale University’s Council on Middle East Studies last Thursday, when it presented a discussion by associate professor Zareena Grewal on her book Islam Is a Foreign Country: American Muslims and the Global Crisis of Authority.
“At the talk,” reported the Yale Daily News, “Grewal spoke about her first book — which will soon have a second edition — and her next book.” So it appears that Grewal has done quite well: she holds a professorship at Yale, her first book was successful enough to warrant a second edition, and to make her writing attractive enough to publishers that she was able to sign a contract for a second book.
Zareena Grewal has, in short, been successful and prosperous. Her work has received accolades. She got a plum job at an Ivy League university. But to hear her tell it, she lives a terrifying life cowering in fear of the racist, redneck yahoos who are bent on denying her and others like her their just rewards for their labors. Grewal complains that “the pandemic impacts us in such uneven ways reflective of structural racism and disenfranchisement.” On top of that, “we have the escalation of state violence against Black and indigenous people, the climate crisis, the fascist suppression of protestors and voters, a rise in white supremacist movements, the collapsing of institutions, and the very threat of a coup.”
Wait, which side was doing the coup again? Never mind. You’ll be happy to learn that Grewal has learned to cope with all the many, many ways in which she has been victimized: “In these dark times, I rely on what I learned about the nature of crises in writing that book over ten years ago to help me slow down and metabolize all the things we are hit with every day.” Yes, metabolize. That’s how academics these days talk, you unwashed rube.
There is much more. Read the rest here.
gravenimage says
Want to Be Rich, Powerful, and Influential Today? Play the Victim.
………………….
Grimly true. And this strategy for Islam dates way back–and Arab proverb says, “wear a victim’s face and take over”.
This is especially true today in the West, where so many play the victim even when they are the aggressors.
mortimer says
Tamaskan tatamakan = “Show a victim’s face, and you will take over”.
“The theological roots of this saying are complex, but the cultural habit clear and simple.
Act the victim, and then after a while, you’ll take over the other person. So we are interacting. I pretend that I’m in a bad situation and I’m suffering. You have pity on me and when the money comes, I destroy you.” – Mark Durie, PhD
The verbal jihadists 1) use victimhood, in order 2) to promote sympathy, 3) to promote vulnerability, so they may 4) exploit the vulnerability of kafirs, then 5) expand Islamic influence, so they may 6) suppress accurate information about Islam’s motivation (hatred towards kafirs) and 7) silence critics of jihad, so that 8) their jihad against the kufaar may go forward without any opposition.
Zareena Grewal is conducting VERBAL JIHAD and her blind, blinkered and duped colleagues can’t see it … nor do they want to see.
Ray Jarman says
+1 Mortimer & Gravenimage,
You both hit hit nail on the head and I would suggest that if these whiners wish to know about being victimized, how about thinking about the 2,996 people who cannot even utter a whimper of protest. Also, how many Muslims have been killed other than the so called martyrs since 9/11 in America?
Jayell says
This muslim idea of the ‘martyr’ is really interesting. The traditional Christian (and other?) concept that’s been with us for 2,000-odd years only allows for the martyr him/herself to come to a sticky end, but the muslim idea specifically prescribes as many other random individuals as possible to be ‘despatched to Paradise’ (or somewhere) or maimed for life, whether or not they have had any involvement in the issue or desire for martyrdom. Also, the muslim martyr would have the reward of 72 recycled virgins at the end of it, but his reluctant co-victims wouldn’t have that option if they weren’t already disciples of Mohammed – and, of course, the ‘primary martyr’ would never have bothered obtaining their consent to martyrdom in the first place anyway, virgins or no virgins. Furthermore, I don’t believe that Christian martyrs were ever encouraged to expect the same sort of ‘eternal good time’ that muslims have been given to expect, not even a free night out in some dubious celestial ‘night-venue’. Islam does seem to be just a bit different from other reputable religions, doesn’t it?
The whole phenomenon of ‘victimism’ is also quite interesting, but, at the end of the day, it’s clearly just inverted supremacism and no more than the same kind of strategy that cunning spoilt brats of all sizes have employed since time immemorial to control situations for their advantage that they’ve absolutely no right to control. And once they’ve become too big to play the manipulative little covert despot, the supremacism emerges and they become the big, real-time despot if they’re allowed to get away with it – which is exactly what’s happening just now in the ‘inclusive’, ‘liberal’ West where they’re apparently too blinded by their own self-righteousness to understanding exactly what they’re ‘including’.
gravenimage says
So true, Jayell and Ray. Islamic “Martyrdom” is all about being killed while murdering innocent people. *Ugh*.
Rufolino says
Outstanding analysis. Thankyou.
Brando says
I have never heard of her before,got to check her out,ZAREENA GREWAL,and her ideas.I don’t think it is her case,since to be a Yale professor,you have to have a high IQ:
BUT
According to WIKISLAM,which is reliable:
50% of MUSLIMS are married to their FIRST or SECOND COUSINS,which has been the case for GENERATIONS,it gives as a result:
GENETIC DETERIORATION: low IQs and PSYCHOLOGICAL and/or PHYSICAL ,HEALTH problems.
Bob says
Don’t forget that there really are “unwashed rubes” in America who swallow this kind of garbage every day. They are the brainwashed/uninformed/ignoramus/just make sure I get my check and my EBT card/totally dependent on someone else to tell them who they are and who to side with group of Americans whom the liars, power brokers, and deceivers of this world have targeted in order to overthrow a land of freedom and prosperity. Those who hunger for power and domination because they have an agenda and a cause troll the world looking for this kind of sucker. They find plenty of them in the USA.
Sam. says
I liked this “post” on one of the famous websites online, so, I copied it to teach you about yourselves, Of course, the original topic of this “post” deals with racial racism, I added “Muslim” to include you, and by you I mean the 10-15 commentators for the past 20 years, the same names, the same people, I suspect that the vast majority of you are the owner of this website changing names to give the impression that he has too many lovers:) ….
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Why does all the world hate Arabian/Muslim people?
All the world does not hate Arab/Muslims, only some racist/Islamophobic people do. Unfortunately, there are too many of them. Of course, one racist is one too many!
Racists/Islamophobics are usually ignorant, not well educated and will believe anything they read or hear in the media, even though it’s not true. They love negative news. They love spreading lies. They are jealous and bitter people. You cannot have a reasonable discussion with them, because they are never open to the truth. They will stubbornly cling to myths and false rumors. They aren’t intelligent enough or willing to listen to reason. They thrive on hate. These people are not only racist against Arabs/Muslims, but they are racist against the rest of the world, too.
Don’t take it personally. It’s nothing you have or have not done. It’s only because you are different than the racists in some way. They hate anyone who is different, even though that difference can mean you’re better than them. Just thank God you’re not like them. Don’t try to be like them in return. Be better than them. Remember, they don’t represent the majority of people in the country they are from. There are so many people who love different countries in the Middle East and love the Arab /Muslim people.
gravenimage says
The appalling pro-Jihad “Sam” wrote:
I liked this “post” on one of the famous websites online, so, I copied it to teach you about yourselves, Of course, the original topic of this “post” deals with racial racism, I added “Muslim” to include you, and by you I mean the 10-15 commentators for the past 20 years, the same names, the same people, I suspect that the vast majority of you are the owner of this website changing names to give the impression that he has too many lovers:) ….
—————————————————————————————————————————
………………………………
Racism is bigotry against intrinsic traits, and is indeed both stupid and wrong.
Islam is *not* a race–it is an ideology. People are able to both convert to Islam and to leave it (the Muslim death penalty for leaving Islam notwithstanding).
And the implication that those who oppose Jihad do not exist save for the staff here is utterly ludicrous. Unlike “Sam”, good people do not actually support Jihad terror.
And Jihad Watch has not been around for twenty years, so the idea that he has been reading here for that long is of course utterly false.
Jihad Watch was set up by Robert Spencer in 2003, in the wake of 9/11. Will Sam say anything critical about that Islamic atrocity? I very much doubt it.
More:
Why does all the world hate Arabian/Muslim people?
All the world does not hate Arab/Muslims, only some racist/Islamophobic people do. Unfortunately, there are too many of them. Of course, one racist is one too many!
………………………………
Being an Arab is, like other forms of ethnicity, is intrinsic. Embracing the horrors of Islam is quite different. There are also Christian and Atheist Arabs–despite what Muslims like to pretend, *not* all Arabs are Muslim.
Then, there are lots of people who oppose the bloody horrors of Islam who do not hate all Muslims–that is true of most people here. But hating the actions of Jihadists who rape, assault, and murder Infidels and work to violently impose brutal Shari’ah is a different matter.
The real question is why “Sam” has no problem with this savagery.
More:
Racists/Islamophobics are usually ignorant, not well educated and will believe anything they read or hear in the media, even though it’s not true. They love negative news. They love spreading lies. They are jealous and bitter people. You cannot have a reasonable discussion with them, because they are never open to the truth. They will stubbornly cling to myths and false rumors. They aren’t intelligent enough or willing to listen to reason. They thrive on hate. These people are not only racist against Arabs/Muslims, but they are racist against the rest of the world, too.
………………………………
Actually, “Sam’s” problem is not that Anti-Jihadists are ignorant of Islam, but that we know too much about it. Can he defend the diktats telling Muslims to rape, rob, and slaughter anyone who does not submit to Islam? I really doubt it.
More:
Don’t take it personally. It’s nothing you have or have not done. It’s only because you are different than the racists in some way. They hate anyone who is different, even though that difference can mean you’re better than them. Just thank God you’re not like them. Don’t try to be like them in return. Be better than them. Remember, they don’t represent the majority of people in the country they are from. There are so many people who love different countries in the Middle East and love the Arab /Muslim people.
………………………………
The idea that Jihadists butchering people have not done anything wrong is of course grotesque beyond words. And even less does slaughtering innocent people make Jihadists *better* than are people who do not mass murder people. The only ones who believe this are other Jihadists.
And while I know that there are indeed good people everywhere, including Muslims who are better than their vicious creed, the idea that Middle Eastern countries (save civilized Israel) should be indiscriminately loved is bizarre.
Does “Sam” love attacks on Jews and Christians? Does he love “Chop Chop Square” where people have their heads cut off every Friday in Saudi Arabia, often for such “crimes” as “witchcraft”? Does he laud homosexuals being flung off rooftops? Does he miss the Islamic State, where children were crucified for snacking during Ramadan and Yezidi girls were used as sex slaves? He probably will not say.
toomanyhobbies says
Yep play on the sympathies of the ignorant…
Tony Naim says
A common Arab folk saying: “النق سياج الغني”
Which translates into: “whining is the fence of the rich”
gravenimage says
Thanks for that citation, Tony.
sue baker says
Why are my comments not put up?
gravenimage says
Sue, was there any profanity in your comments? That sometimes gets your comments spammed.
mortimer says
They don’t really mean ‘FREE’ Palestine, because Sharia law does not defend freedom. They use the word in a different sense as in being ‘free of disease’ or ‘free from contamination’.
They want to have the territory FREE OF JEWS (JUDEN-REIN). This is a solicitation for genocide, violence, intimidation and ethnic cleansing.
mortimer says
Those who call for ethnic cleansing of Jews are the ideological successors of the Nazis.
Ray Jarman says
These insects have been committing ethnic cleansing of every non-Muslims for 1,400+ years.
Wellington says
When you come across phrases and words like “structural racism,” “disenfranchisement,” “indigenous people” and “the climate crisis,” and actually used seriously by people rather than in mockery form (which all of the four descriptives above richly deserve), you know you have entered that pathetic realm which is replete with faux victims and very short on facts, though so very much in keeping with the Age of Nonsense in which we live.
mortimer says
The Palestinian Authority and the Kingdom of Jordan practice STRUCTURAL RACISM … no Jews.
Chrissie01 says
…the age of nonsense…I like THAT!!!
Kola says
Thanks for sharing.
Love you God bless you.
Our Lord reigns.
Jesus is Lord.
Eleanor says
A recent example of this is Meghan Mallowpuff, the American woman who bagged a British prince. She apparently had to leave the UK to flee back to the US, due to being a victim of racism by the British public. It was nothing to do with her obnoxious personality. Now she sits preaching at the world from her safe ivory tower in Santa Barbara.
Chrissie01 says
this victimhood card is historically played by underachievers lacking the required soft and hard skills but posing as underprivileged…
It is a mentality of envy and grudge.
This principle should be held in high esteem:
If you want the same, contribute and achieve the same
Larry says
Well, break out the violins and cry me a river. Good grief.
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
+1 Tony! On that note, perhaps she can have her book promoted by that other disingenuous phony who posits the devisive and racist notion that even the poorest, most destitute white person is more advantaged than her billionaire self.
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
Sorry, that other person being Oprah Winfrey