The FBI is defending its invitation to a prominent critic of Islam in America, who is also one of the leaders of the fight to stop a downtown Manhattan mosque and Islamic Center.

The Council on American Islamic Relations complained late last month that Robert Spencer, who runs the Jihad Watch site and is co-founder of Stop the Islamization of America, had spoken to the Tidewater Joint Terrorism Task Force, a combination of state, federal, and local law enforcement centered in Norfolk, Virginia.

“Our nation’s law enforcement personnel should not receive training from the head of a hate group that seeks to demonize Islam and to prevent American Muslims from exercising their rights as citizens,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, who also noted that Spencer and blogger Pamela Geller recently published a book subtitled, “The Obama Administration’s War on America.”

But the chief division for the Norfolk FBI field office, Phil Mann, defended the invitation to Spencer.

“We invite speakers who represent a variety of viewpoints and the special agent in charge of the Norfolk office has invited local Muslim leaders to speak to his staff. That doesn’t mean we endorse our adopt the view of any particular speaker,” Mann said. “Broad knowledge is essential for us to better understand and respond to the threats that we face. Knowledge also helps us defeat ignorance and strengthen relationships with the diverse communites that we serve.”

Spencer wrote on his blog that his meeting with the FBI had been “encouraging.” “I met many conscientious agents determined to understand the jihad threat and resist it in all its forms,” he wrote.

Ben Smith at Politico, 31 August 2010

The FBI’s response has been hailed by Pamela Geller under the headline “FBI Refuses to Cave to Criminal, Hamas-linked, Muslim Brotherhood Proxy, CAIR. Stands By Spencer”.

The rally set for the ninth anniversary of Sept. 11 against the Ground Zero-area mosque, which is being organized by conservative blogger Pamela Geller, is drawing opposition from a key 9/11 victims’ families group that is asking that the event’s date be moved and, if it isn’t, that participants back out.

The word from “Where to Turn,” a group that was launched by Staten Islander Dennis McKeon – who is not a victims’ relative himself but who started a clearinghouse of information related to the attacks and to Ground Zero with Staten Island families – came in an email to their list.

The email says that “such activities …disrespect the memories of our loved ones on this sacred day at this sacred site.”

The email notes there’s an anti-mosque rally planned and also says there are reports of a pro-mosque rally being put in place – and Where to Turn is opposing both. (This is the first I’d heard of a pro-mosque event for that day).

Maggie Haberman at Politico, 30 August 2010

According to Newsweek opinion poll, a majority of Republicans believe that President Barack Obama “sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world”. 14% of respondents said that it was “definitely true”, while 38% said that it was probably true – bringing the total to 52%. 33% were prepared to concede that the accusation was “probably not true”, but only 7% said it was “definitely not true”. In addition, 59% said they believed the president favoured “the interests of Muslims over other groups of Americans”.

(Full poll results here.)

Via the Huffington Post, 30 August 2010

For the sort of hysterical right-wing misinformation campaign that has influenced Republican supporters’ views on Obama and Islam, see Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion, 31 August 2010

Update:  See also Adam Serwer’s comments at The Plum Line blog.

“Depending on the poll one consults, anywhere from 54 percent to 61 percent, and as many as 68 percent of Americans, oppose the building of an Islamic community center two blocks from ‘Ground Zero’, the site of the World Trade Center. Polls, of course, are notoriously inaccurate measures of public opinion.

“Depending on the framing of the question, the positioning of a question among a series of others, the sample population, and other factors, one might expect different results. Nevertheless, a majority of the public seems to be opposed to the construction of the Islamic center, known as the Cordoba House or Park51 Project.

“What do we make of this? Has the U.S. as a society taken a precipitous turn against Muslims? Or as the cover of Timemagazine asks, ‘Is America Islamophobic’? We might also ask if the U.S. is becoming like Europe – where several nations, with popular support, have taken actions such as banning the veil in schools, putting a halt to the construction of minarets, etc.?”

Excellent article by Deepa Kumar, analysing the campaign against the “Ground Zero mosque” and outlining a strategy for the US Left.

MRzine, 31 August 2010

And, speaking of “Ground Zero mosque” polls, the New York Post has the results of the latest one. (Full poll results here.)

A thoughtful article on how to counter the “Ground Zero mosque” hysteria, by Anthony Alessandrini at Dissident Voice.

As invective about the proposed Islamic center in Manhattan gets uglier, the Reform movement has joined with several other faith and advocacy groups in calling on the Obama administration to take stronger measures to “protect millions of American Muslims” and to take stronger steps to protect religious freedom in today’s overheated political climate.

The coalition, representing the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Interfaith Alliance, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and Muslim Advocates met with Justice Department officials yesterday and urged the administration to make a strong statement “underscoring the federal government’s commitment to religious freedom, condemning hate crimes and other forms of harassment and discrimination targeting the Muslim and other faith communities, and stating that the Department of Justice will hold perpetrators accountable.”

The group also wants the DOJ Civil Rights division to lead a “coordinated federal response to the backlash” against Muslim-Americans, and to “direct its Community Relations Service (CRS) offices to to act to defuse tensions where incidents have already occurred and in areas where incitement activities are expected to take place, such as Gainesville, FL where a church is planning to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of September 11.”

Also on their list of suggestions: making better use of the recently passed federal hate crimes law and creating a Civil Rights Division hotline for reporting hate crimes.

The Jewish Week, 31 August 2010

See also ABC News, 31 August 2010