Category Archives: USA

Wilders not welcome in Philadelphia

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The David Horowitz Freedom Center (which would probably outpoint the Centre for Social Cohesion in a competition for the most inappropriate name) has invited the Dutch far-right racist Geert Wilders to speak at Philadelphia’s Temple University on 20 October as part of its Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week and its Stop the Campus War Against Israel and the Jews campaign.

Alas for Horowitz and his supporters, it appears that following a letter from the Muslim Students Association the Temple administration will probably withdraw permission to hold the event. (Or, as the inimitable Pamela Geller puts it: “In a stunning act of cowardice and dhimmitude, Temple University may be caving to the demands of the student jihad.”)

LoonWatch comments that, contrary to Horowitz’s claims, “Geert Wilders was not planning to travel to Philadelphia from the Netherlands solely for the purpose of informing Americans about terrorism….  Based on Wilders’ record, it is clear that the purpose behind the speech was to convince Americans that Islam as a religion is the root cause of terror and that the United States must seriously consider curtailing the civil liberties of its Muslim population if it wishes to survive as a free nation.”

Unfortunately, it appears that another speaking engagement for Wilders, at Columbia University on 21 October, is still going ahead. As LoonWatch states: “Temple University was right to rescind their offer to have Wilders speak and Columbia should follow suit. Slander has no place in a free and just society; especially slander that utilizes hate speech to promote discrimination.”

Republican right-wingers accuse CAIR of planting ‘spies’ on Capitol Hill

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslim MafiaFour Republican lawmakers have accused the most prominent Islamic advocacy group in Washington of trying to plant “spies” as interns on Capitol Hill. The claim was quickly denounced as “racist” and “insidious” by the Council on American Islamic Relations, and the effort appears to have little support from GOP leaders.

In an unusual announcement this morning, four conservative Republicans – Reps. John Shadegg (Ariz.), Paul Broun (Ga.), Trent Franks (Ariz.) and Sue Myrick (N.C.) – formally asked the House Sergeant at Arms to launch an investigation of the Center for American-Islamic Relations. They accused CAIR, a non profit group, of trying to infiltrate Capitol Hill with interns and staffers.

The proclamation from the four Republicans came in advance of a book, entitled “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that’s Conspiring to Islamize America,” which includes a forward by Myrick. The author of the book, Dave Gaubatz, is an anti-Islam activist who wrote last year that “a vote for Hussein Obama is a vote for Sharia Law.”

Politico, 14 October 2009

Update:  See also Salon.com, 15 October 2009, Media Matters, 15 October 2009 and Bartholomew’s Notes, 16 October 2009

‘Islam is different’ – Christopher Caldwell on immigration

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Christopher Caldwell, author of Reflections on the Revolution in Europe, calls for a discussion on immigration. Or rather, Muslim immigration. He’s not necessarily against immigrants as such, you understand. Latin American migration into the US hasn’t been such a problem, according to Caldwell, but that’s because the migrants are at least Christians, and their presence requires “no fundamental reform of America’s culture or institutions”.

However: “Islam is different. Living with Muslim cultures requires larger adjustments, and they touch deeper, more essential parts of European culture. This kind of change needs to be considered when we talk about the costs and benefits of immigration.”

But don’t imagine that Caldwell’s article is feeding paranoid racist fantasies about the “Islamification” of Europe. Not at all. As he assures his readers: “Discussing immigration and its consequences openly is not rude. It is necessary to lower the temperature of the debate.”

Mail on Sunday, 11 October 2009

Robert Spencer: teaming up with Euro-supremacists again

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Spencer in BerlinRobert Spencer of Jihad Watch was dead chuffed that he was recently invited to speak at a rally in Berlin organised by an outfit called Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa, which Spencer described as “the most important German human rights organization, seeking to preserve European values, freedom and democracy”.

LoonWatch examines the actual ideology of the BPE. They note “an emerging trend amongst some right-wing and fascist groups proclaiming their unconditional support for the state of Israel. What is likely is that many of these organizations, whose roots are steeped deep in a history of anti-Semitism are recreating themselves; dropping a now unpopular prejudice (anti-Semitism) for one more in vogue – anti-Muslim Islamophobia. Gone are the days when what they claimed to champion were the ‘Christian values and traditions of Europe’; now they have added ‘Christian-Jewish’ values to their slogans.”

Fathima Bary, Islam and apostasy

Posted on by Bob Pitt

An emotional Fathima Rifqa Bary – whose personal writings reveal that she wants to be a modern day prophet – said of her parents:

“My parents are Muslim… I don’t know if you know about honor killing… They have to kill me… Because if they love Allah more than me, they have to do it. It’s in the Quran. And you can, like, give them knowledge about it [gestures to someone off camera, who says something unintelligible].”

It seems that Fathima’s understanding of the Quran comes from whomever she pointed to, who I can only assume is her pastor (or pastor’s underling more likely). A few more dry runs could have perfected the performance. She just had to memorize a few verses to prove her claim:

13:6 If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend, which is as your own soul entice you secretly, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods,” which you have not known not you, nor your fathers;

13:7 Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;

13:8 You shall not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him:

13:9 But you must surely kill him; your hand must be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

13:10 And you must stone him with stones, that he die; because he has sought to thrust you away from the LORD your God.

Well, that’s pretty damning evidence right there. That sounds a lot like “honor” killing: “If your brother…or your son or your daughter….entice you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’…You must kill him…you must stone him with stones, that he die.” Well, if that’s in the Quran, then we better ban all Muslim immigration to America!

But before we call Homeland Security, I hope you don’t mind if I check the Quran to verify if those verses exist. [Flipping through pages of Quran] Hmmm, can’t seem to find it.

Oh wait, *smacks forehead*, I remember now where those verses are from. Ahh yes, they are from the Bible (Deuteronomy, 13:6-10). There are of course many other Biblical verses in the same vein, such as 2 Chronicles 15:13 which reads: “All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.”

Oopsie doopsie! Maybe it’s not such a good idea to randomly quote someone else’s scripture or medieval texts without any context as a proof to demonize a people or to fear monger.

LoonWatch, 28 September 2009

Muslim prayer rally at Capitol Hill provokes hysteria from Christian Right

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Richard Bartholomew has the details.

Update:  See also Washington Post, 25 September 2009

The Rev. Canon Julian Dobbs, leader of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, is quoted as warning that the Islam on Capitol Hill event is “part of a well-defined strategy to Islamize American society and replace the Bible with the Koran, the cross with the Islamic crescent and the church bells with the Athan”.

US Islamophobes mistake Shia martyr for 9/11 terrorist

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Houston store sign3HOUSTON — A Harwin shop owner has been dealing with outrage and threats after he posted a sign on the store window saying Perfume Planet was closed on September 11 to honor the martyr Iman Ali.

The sign generated a lot of bitter comments on the Internet and dozens of angry calls each day at the Harwin Central Mart. Folks were shocked, believing the shop was honoring a 9/11 terrorist.

“When we came back today, I didn’t go back into the store,” said Luke Vizena, who saw the sign last week. “I won’t do business with this store,” said his friend. Internet traffic was much angrier. One wrote, “This is sickening!!! How long will it take for us to become a Muslim country?” Another said, “I could not stay in the building it made me so sick.”

Store manager Imran Chunawala was stunned because the holiday had nothing to do with 9 /11. Then he realized what happened. This year a key Ramadan Holiday happened to fall on 9/11. “We did not explain enough in the sign because that is the exact same sign we put up every year on this particular day for this particular reason,” said Chunawala. He apologized for the confusion and put up a new sign thoroughly explaining the martyr they were honoring died in 661 AD.

“1400 years ago. That was a long time ago,” said shopper Dolly Korenek.

khou.com, 16 September 2009

See also Partisan Gridlock, 17 September 2009 and Snopes, 20 September 2009