Category Archives: USA

Man denounces Islam outside US candidate’s home

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A demonstrator sat down Saturday near the home of a Muslim candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates with a hand-lettered sign bearing a crude denunciation of Islam. The sign was apparently aimed at Saqib Ali, a Gaithersburg resident who is running in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary for a seat in House District 39.

The demonstrator, who wore a T-shirt reading “This mind is an Allah-free zone,” planted himself near the house in the Quince Orchard Estates development that Ali also uses as a campaign office. Ali, a software engineer who is challenging three incumbents, said he went out into his small cul-de-sac to look at the man but said nothing to him.

“I knew he was there to bait me,” Ali said. According to Ali, the man began saying, “You are a terrorist…. You guys are violent extremists.” Ali said that he remained silent and that the man, appearing upset, stood and left. Police were later called, and Ali said he agreed with their assessment that nothing illegal took place.

Washington Post, 14 August 2006

Posted in USA

Outrage over Bush’s use of ‘fascist’ term

Posted on by Bob Pitt

US President George W. Bush’s statement that the US is at war with “Islamic fascists” will deepen anti-American and anti-Western sentiments, a cross-section of expatriates contacted by Arab News said yesterday.

Describing the US president’s remarks as “ill-conceived” and “inappropriate”, expatriates from Britain, India and Pakistan said some hypermarkets in Riyadh had already withdrawn American products from their shelves in response to the US’ anti-Islam campaign. “By linking Islam with fascism, Bush is stoking the fire of hatred against his country and his people, besides further expanding the recruitment pool of extremists,” said the expatriates.

Giving his name only as Hamza, a British expatriate told Arab News that Bush’s remarks were racist. “Would the term fascist also apply to the members of other communities? We never speak of Christian fascists or Jewish fascists when they are involved in acts of terror. On what ground has the US president used the term with reference to Muslims?” he asked.

Arab News, 13 August 2006

See also “Bush’s language angers US Muslims”, BBC News, 12 August 2006

Minister criticises Muslim letter

Posted on by Bob Pitt

kim howellsForeign Office minister Kim Howells has criticised Muslim leaders for condemning British foreign policy.

An open letter, signed by three Muslim MPs, three peers and 38 community groups, said the stance on the Middle East has put civilians at risk. They went on to say that UK policy has given “ammunition to extremists”.

But Mr Howells denied there was a “rational connection”. He told BBC News 24 the letter’s comments were “facile”.

BBC News, 12 August 2006

Over at Jihad Watch, Robert Spencer applauds this “refreshing anti-dhimmitude from the UK”.

Dhimmi Watch, 12 August 2006

US Muslims reject Bush term ‘Islamic fascists’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

US Muslim groups criticized President George W. Bush on Thursday for calling a foiled plot to blow up airplanes part of a “war with Islamic fascists,” saying the term could inflame anti-Muslim tensions.

“We believe this is an ill-advised term and we believe that it is counter-productive to associate Islam or Muslims with fascism,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations advocacy group.

“We ought to take advantage of these incidents to make sure that we do not start a religious war against Islam and Muslims,” he told a news conference in Washington.”We urge him (Bush) and we urge other public officials to restrain themselves.”

Reuters, 10 August 2006

Terrorism due to ‘leftist radicalism and appeasement’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“By Thursday morning security forces had arrested some 21 suspects. All are British citizens. All are Muslims. It is not a stretch of the imagination to assume that these British Muslims are jihadists. Indeed, it can probably be assumed that, like their predecessors last July 7, they made their decision to commit an unspeakable atrocity against their countrymen to advance Islam’s takeover of Britain….

“… why is the jihad picking up steam now? Why are fanatical Muslims on the march this summer? It would seem that the answer to this question is found in the increased cultural weakness of the two states leading the war against radical Islam: the US and Britain. In both countries, for the past two years, the forces of leftist radicalism and appeasement have been on the rise.”

Caroline Glick in the Jerusalem Post, 11 August 2006

Anti-Muslim sentiments fairly commonplace

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Substantial minorities of Americans admit to having negative feelings or prejudices against people of the Muslim faith, and favor using heightened security measures with Muslims as a way to help prevent terrorism. Personally knowing someone who is Muslim – which 41% of Americans say they do – corresponds with more favorable attitudes on these questions. These are they key findings of a July 28-30, 2006 USA Today/Gallup Poll focusing on U.S. attitudes toward Muslims living in the United States.

Americans’ personal discomfort with Muslims is reflected in survey questions dealing with their reaction to being near Muslims in different situations. Nearly one quarter of Americans, 22%, say they would not like to have a Muslim as a neighbor. Slightly fewer, 18%, say they would feel nervous if they noticed a Muslim woman flying on the same airplane as themselves, while significantly more – 31% – say they would feel nervous if they noticed a Muslim man on their flight.

Americans tend to disagree with the notion that Muslims living in the United States are sympathetic to al-Qaeda; still, fewer than half believe U.S. Muslims are loyal to the United States.

Muslims are widely perceived to be committed to their religious beliefs, but this is not necessarily a positive assessment. While 47% believe Muslims are respectful of other religions, nearly as many (40%) disagree. Also, 44% say Muslims are too extreme in their religious beliefs and a slight majority (52%) say Muslims are not respectful of women.

All of this adds up to a significant number of Americans being willing to admit they harbor at least some feelings of prejudice against Muslims. Nearly four in ten Americans (39%) say they do feel some prejudice while 59% say they don’t.

The array of concerns about Muslims’ loyalty to the United States and religious extremism may also help to explain why about 4 in 10 Americans favor more rigorous security measures for Muslims than those used for other U.S. citizens. This includes requiring Muslims – including those who are U.S. citizens – to carry a special ID, and requiring them to undergo special, more intensive, security checks before boarding airplanes in the United States.

Gallup, 10 August 2006

CAIR on LGF

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights organization often vilified on Johnson’s blog, calls Little Green Footballs “a vicious, anti-Muslim hate site … that has unfortunately become popular.” The irony, Hooper says, is that if the same kind of “hatred” that appears on LGF appeared on Muslim sites, it soon would be used by LGF’s fans to justify their worldview.

Like many politically themed blogs, Little Green Footballs doesn’t always traffic in subtlety and nuance. Dissenting points of view often are dismissed as “idiotarian” or “LLL” (for “loony liberal left”), and Islam is mockingly referred to as “RoP,” meaning “religion of peace.”

Hooper says the Reuters incident is unfortunate in itself, but says such sites as Little Green Footballs use such lapses “as a club against the entire mainstream media. Their line is basically that if one freelance photographer alters a photo, then everything Israel does must be justified. Or if one of the sentences that Dan Rather once uttered wasn’t correct, then the media is corrupt and Dan Rather’s whole career is rotten to the core.”

The FBI, according to Hooper, recently investigated several threats of physical harm against Muslims posted by Little Green Footballs readers.

Washington Post, 9 August 2006

Pipes on ‘Sudden Jihad Syndrome’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Mr Haq’s actions are a clear instance of ‘Sudden Jihad Syndrome’, whereby normal-appearing Muslims unpredictably become violent. His attack confirms my oft-repeated call for special scrutiny of Muslims. Because the identity of the next homicidal jihadi cannot be anticipated, Muslims generally need to come under heightened observation.”

Daniel Pipes draws the lessons from the July 28 shooting at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

New York Sun, 8 August 2006

Update:  For Yusuf Smith’s comments, see Indigo Jo Blogs, 10 August 2006

Confronting the monolith: the struggle against Islamophobia and Osamaism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Some have argued that Islamophobia confuses criticism of Islamic practices with fear, hate, or prejudice of Muslims. This begs the question: what makes these particular practices ‘Islamic’ and, more importantly, who gets to decide – and how? …. One can be a legitimate critic of Islam in the same way one can also be a critic of Hinduism, Judaism, Shinto, the Bahá’í Faith, Christianity, Buddhism, or any other organized religion; however, when one conflates the aggressive behavior and beliefs of a group of far right-wing individuals that claim to follow the teachings of their religion with the behavior and beliefs of every other individual that practices that same religion, this person cannot, in good faith, be considered a legitimate critic of Islam…. The trouble with those mired in the conflation-prone school of criticism is that they are unable to differentiate between Osamaism and Islam. While some inadvertently confuse the two, others conflate them purposely. In either case, the monolith is erected and we are confronted with Islamophobia.”

Jehanzeb Hasan at Media Monitors Network, 7 August 2006

Italian beaches under Islamic law – shock revelation by FrontPage Magazine

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Europe’s transformation into Eurabia is still dismissed as absurd by many Europeans who choose to ignore the effects of unassimilated Muslim populations in their cities. But it’s the absurd – as seen in some recent accommodations to Muslims – that might finally force them to avert their eyes no more. The wandering eyes of men will no longer be a concern for certain women in a popular Italian resort on the Adriatic Sea. The city council of Riccione has come up with a way to enable Muslim women to enjoy the sand and sea without being fully clothed: opening sections of the beach exclusively for their use.”

Aaron Hanscom in Front Page Magazine, 7 August 2006