The sick mindset that breeds Islamophobia

[Alonzo]

"The questions is: Why doesn't the media report the subtleties that we point out. Gore Vidal has the answer: “The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity - much less dissent.�


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From Pope’s anti-Islam comments to Church signs saying, “You must remember, Islam is the enemy,� and “The Koran needs to be flushed,� a Church in west Windsor, Canada, came out in its true colors with publicly promoting anti-Islam hatred.

On January 11, 2007, Campbell Baptist Church organized a lecture of a purported former Muslim terrorist, Zachariah Anani, to warn the public that Islam is a religion of war being brought to Canadian soil.

Donald McKay, senior pastor at the church, said the event was organized simply to propagate what the church believes to be "absolute truth." So the “absolute truth� which the Church decided to propagate through Anani’s lecture, entitled The Deadly Threat of Islam, is that Islam teaches nothing less than the "ambushing, seizing and slaying" of non-believers — especially Jews and Christians. [1]

According to Donald McKay, "We have no desire to be offensive. We have no desire to polarize people unnecessarily," it is, in his words, the Islamic faith that is "oppressive" and "vicious." [2]

It also shows that Anani was used as a puppet to validate and propagate which was already on the mind of the guardians of Campbell Baptist Church. Anani’s words reflected the mindset. He described Muslims worshipping a god who "fights and kills" and "strikes with terror," and allows no prisoners in battles against non-believers.[3]

An interesting point to note is the background of Mr. Anani, who, in McKay’s words, killed "hundreds of people in the name of Allah" before converting to Christianity.

An interesting point to note is none of these anti-Islam hate campaigners base their argument in logic and reason. Lies upon lies on the religious and political fronts reign supreme these days. Opportunists puppets, such as Musharraf, Karzai and a host of others are serving the purpose of Islamophobes on the political front.

Whereas, persons like Anani are helping Islamophobes on the religious front to give Islamophobes an opportunity to vent their hatred and poison minds against Muslims an Islam.

One can judge value of this anti-Islam, fear mongering work from the not so secret background of persons like Anani. Here are some of his major claims.

Zachariah Anani claims to be a former Muslim, who joined one of the many military groups in Lebanon when he was 13. Anani claims that he was "trained to fight and kill Jews, and to hate Christians and Americans," which he now blames on Islam.[4]

He claims to have killed 223 people in the name of Islam and gained points from his former militia for doing so. But the claim to dosing so in the name of Islam loses its value when he claims to also have shot and killed a Muslim for trying to make him get up for Fajr prayer. [5] Did he do that for Islam as well?

As for his knowledge of Islam is concerned, he claims that while he lived in Lebanon, Muslim leaders called him to the local mosque and interrogated him. He admits that the imam asked intelligent questions, and Anani felt the inadequacy of his own answers. "I knew nothing about Islam, nothing about Christianity," he is quoted as saying.[6]

Despite this, he actually claims to know Islam intimately and the church leaders see him fit to spew venom against Muslims and Islam as an authoritative figure. This speaks volumes of the sick mindset of not only Mr. Anani, but of his promoters as well.

This is a fine example of how collaboration of people with sick mindset are leading the pack of Islamophobes. Their work becomes very effective in an environment in which according to today’s Toronto Sun, a Leger Marketing poll commissioned by Sun Media, half of the Canadians admitted to at least being slightly racist [7] — not to speak of the anti-Muslim bias in the post-9/11 era.

Such words and deeds of inciting hatred should have been seriously condemned and officially brought to account. But unfortunately, the same mindset prevails. It is only the matter of opportunity to bring it out of the closet under one or another cover. The chances of peaceful co-existence are getting bleaker and the chance for a far more serious bloodbath in the Muslim world are increasing as President Bush deploys additional 20,000 troops to Baghdad, attacks Iranian offices and officials in Iraq, orders carrier battle groups to Gulf and annihilates Somalia, the poorest country in the world in an unreported military invasion and occupation. All within a week!!!.

It is obvious that the Church and State alliance is threatening the future of humanity. Besides churches of various denominations playing their own particular role, on the political front, whatever may be the human or material cost, Bush and company are not in a position to lose what they have stated with operation 9/11 and the subsequent invasions based on lies. Welcome to 2007. Fasten your seatbelts gentlemen.

The questions is: Why doesn't the media report the subtleties that we point out. Gore Vidal has the answer: “The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity - much less dissent.�



http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/39815

[Stoner]

I just read that and I have to say...I want those 2 minutes of my life back.

[bobbylien]

I just read that and I have to say...I want those 2 minutes of my life back.

Why do you want those 2 minutes back? Just curious..

[Oedipus Rex]

I just read that and I have to say...I want those 2 minutes of my life back.


I just skipped the original post and went for yours. Saved myself one minute and fifty-seven seconds.;)

[Labrocca]

See..things like this wouldn't happen it the Catholic world simply because we have an authoritative figure, the Pope, and he would excommunicate anyone doing acts in the name of the church.

Muslims however have no central authority and each mosque seems to act on it's own accord. Yet a Muslim is a Muslim and if one of them is a radical it bodes poorly for th Mosque and eventually more Mosques...until Islam itself is viewed as radical. Islam has been infected by radicalist ideals and the moderate Mosques and Imans are not speaking up loudly enough against them.

[slappy]

See..things like this wouldn't happen it the Catholic world simply because we have an authoritative figure, the Pope, and he would excommunicate anyone doing acts in the name of the church.

Muslims however have no central authority and each mosque seems to act on it's own accord. Yet a Muslim is a Muslim and if one of them is a radical it bodes poorly for th Mosque and eventually more Mosques...until Islam itself is viewed as radical. Islam has been infected by radicalist ideals and the moderate Mosques and Imans are not speaking up loudly enough against them.

Exactly! I just made the same point in another thread.

[BoogyMan]

How about, instead of demonizing those who point out the acts that make men fear Islam in the first place Alonzo, you demonize those who commit those acts?

The actions of radical islam are the enemy of peace and no amount of obfuscation or equivocation are going to change that.

George Washington once said "There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy." That enemy IS radical islam and we will either deal with it now, or let our kids deal with it tomorrow. I say we make ourselves well prepared to meet the enemy and deal with it now.

[Elrathin]

How about, instead of demonizing those who point out the acts that make men fear Islam in the first place Alonzo, you demonize those who commit those acts?

Just because people point out the ignorance of those that blame Islam for everything, does not mean they agree with what radicals do.


The actions of radical islam are the enemy of peace and no amount of obfuscation or equivocation are going to change that.

No argument with that.


George Washington once said "There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy." That enemy IS radical islam and we will either deal with it now, or let our kids deal with it tomorrow. I say we make ourselves well prepared to meet the enemy and deal with it now.


The difference is people's ignorance of Islam causes them to blame Islam itself, even the peaceful followers. I ran into yet another ignorant fuck at a casino today that was watching the news while saying "We should kill all those sand niggers who follow Islam"

Again, pathetic that people think this way and there is NO excuse for it.

[BoogyMan]

Just because people point out the ignorance of those that blame Islam for everything, does not mean they agree with what radicals do.

Well put Elrathin, but there seems to be an effort to shut down those who will point out what radical islam is doing in order to limit offense of those who do not want to hear such things. It's complete insanity and I allways ask questions like that to find out what I am dealing with.

The difference is people's ignorance of Islam causes them to blame Islam itself, even the peaceful followers. I ran into yet another ignorant fuck at a casino today that was watching the news while saying "We should kill all those sand niggers who follow Islam"

Again, pathetic that people think this way and there is NO excuse for it.

Ignorance of fact is sad. Those who think that way are typically that way because of a personal choice so to be. All we can do is point out the error.

[Elrathin]

Well put Elrathin, but there seems to be an effort to shut down those who will point out what radical islam is doing in order to limit offense of those who do not want to hear such things. It's complete insanity and I allways ask questions like that to find out what I am dealing with.

If someone points out a radical Muslim or group that does something bad, I have no problem with it. However, many of the sources I have seen, even from posters themselves, indicates a "See, this is what Islam is all about" which is completely false.

I have no problem with people pointing out the radicals problems, but I have a problem with people pointing out the radicals problems and then associating it all as though that is the true Islam.

[Cleo]

The questions is: Why doesn't the media report the subtleties that we point out. Gore Vidal has the answer: “The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity - much less dissent.�

The media doesn’t report it because it wouldn’t sell…meaning the public wouldn’t buy it because that’s not what they were sold. And those with agenda’s would no longer have an agenda.

Let’s consider how Islamophobe came about. With 911. It was after all Muslims that hijacked the planes. We’re told we are going after these terrorists. And we were told where these terrorists came from. The world at large was told that they were either with us or against us in this WOT. And since these were Muslims that attacked us it’s Muslims we’ve been after.

No one has bothered to take the time to advise the public at large that these men were a minority of Muslim radicals that hid behind Islam. Using Islam as their excuse to attack us. We’ve been told these people don’t want freedom and that is why they attacked us. And we have been led to believe that.

Any message board that I have been on since 911 there are people that have nothing but hate towards Muslims. The same can be said of people in real life. Before 911 I am willing to bet that the same people that rant and spew their hatred of Muslims now had not a clue as to what a Muslim is or what Islam is. Now they’re experts…at what the media crams down their throat.

And then there are the Zachariah Anani’s of the world whose job it is to keep fanning the flames of hate.

The best way to control people is with fear. Instill enough fear in them and you can get them to believe just about anything…and do just about anything.

[lily]

Well said Cleo. People blanket hate, without even knowing either what they are hating or why. They are just told to hate.

[BoogyMan]

The media doesn’t report it because it wouldn’t sell…meaning the public wouldn’t buy it because that’s not what they were sold. And those with agenda’s would no longer have an agenda.

I would like to see you substantiate this, unless you are simply voicing opionion.

Let’s consider how Islamophobe came about. With 911. It was after all Muslims that hijacked the planes. We’re told we are going after these terrorists. And we were told where these terrorists came from. The world at large was told that they were either with us or against us in this WOT. And since these were Muslims that attacked us it’s Muslims we’ve been after.

"With us or against us" has absolutely NOTHING to do with the hatred of Islam. I fully remember the blame being aimed at RADICAL ISLAM not Islam in general and I also remember the president calling for people not to hold the whole of Islam accountable for the actions of the radical Islamists who attacked us on 9/11. I find this to be over generalization in the extreme.

No one has bothered to take the time to advise the public at large that these men were a minority of Muslim radicals that hid behind Islam. Using Islam as their excuse to attack us. We’ve been told these people don’t want freedom and that is why they attacked us. And we have been led to believe that.

Cleo, I just want to know where you have been and what you have been reading. From the president on down we have heard speech after speech that points out Islam as a religion of peace and how radical Islam or Islamofascists were the culprits. If you have been led to believe that I would like to know from where your leadership has come.

Any message board that I have been on since 911 there are people that have nothing but hate towards Muslims. The same can be said of people in real life. Before 911 I am willing to bet that the same people that rant and spew their hatred of Muslims now had not a clue as to what a Muslim is or what Islam is. Now they’re experts…at what the media crams down their throat.

If that has been your experience you couldn't have gotten here fast enough. :) There are good folk here with level heads.

And then there are the Zachariah Anani’s of the world whose job it is to keep fanning the flames of hate.

The best way to control people is with fear. Instill enough fear in them and you can get them to believe just about anything…and do just about anything.


Umm, who is Zachariah Anani?

[slappy]

Both Islamophobia and Islamapologia should be viewed with equal measures of skepticism. Some on the extreme right wish to paint every living Muslim as a jihadi in waiting. Some on the far left refuse to acknowledge that there are hateful, dangerous versions (not perversions, just versions) of Islam out there. It's blind prejudice to assume that a person is hateful and violent just because he reads the same holy book as Osama bin Laden, but it's blind wishful thinking to reflexively place Osama bin Laden and his ilk outside of the discussion of Islam's role in the world's future.

I join my liberal friends when they say that they believe that Islam to be a peace-loving religion, but how much of this view is based on a default, humanistic optimism by virtue of which all people are (and ought to be) granted the benefit of the doubt? People are basically good, and this applies to Muslims as well as members of all other cultures and creeds. Nevertheless, we ought not to tell ourselves that we actually know what Muslims worldwide think about Osama bin Laden when we really do not. In fact, opinion polls on the subject have been taken in various Muslim countries:

Osama bin Laden remains a pariah in the West, and support for the al Qaeda leader has eroded in several Muslim countries in recent years. In Jordan, confidence in bin Laden has plummeted since May 2005. A year ago, 25% of Jordanians said they had a lot of confidence in bin Laden to "do the right thing regarding world affairs," while another 35% said they had some confidence. Today, almost no Jordanians (fewer than 1%) express a lot of confidence in bin Laden, and 24% say they have some confidence in him.

In Pakistan, confidence in bin Laden also has fallen, though not quite as dramatically. In May 2005, a majority of Pakistanis (51%) expressed at least some confidence in bin Laden; that number has declined to 38% in the current survey.

To be sure, bin Laden still has followers in the Muslim world. Fully 61% of Muslims in Nigeria express a lot of confidence (33%) or some confidence (28%) in bin Laden; that represents a significant increase from May 2003 (44%). Bin Laden's standing in Pakistan has eroded, but more Pakistanis still express at least some confidence in bin Laden than say they have little or no confidence in him (by 38% to 30%). And a third of Indonesians continue to express at least some confidence in the al Qaeda leader.

Source: Pew Research Center (http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?PageID=833)

Again, some on the right will unreflectively explain the alarmingly high support numbers in places like Nigeria and Pakistan in terms of the inherent truculence of Islam while some on the left will automatically dismiss those numbers as reactions to American foreign policy. The fact is, we generally don't know. Perhaps some or even most of those who support bin Laden do so out of a deep commitment to the dar al harb/dar al Islam dichotomy. Perhaps not. The main point is that it takes a certain amount of patience and discipline to keep either knee--left or right--from jerking when it comes to discussing the relationship between Islam and terror. Claiming we know where the radical fringe starts and stops implies that we know great deal about the mainstream, and I often wonder from whence our confidence comes with respect to the latter, rather bold knowledge claim.

[Cleo]

The media doesn’t report it because it wouldn’t sell…meaning the public wouldn’t buy it because that’s not what they were sold.Â*Â*And those with agenda’s would no longer have an agenda.

I would like to see you substantiate this, unless you are simply voicing opionion.

Let’s consider how Islamophobe came about.Â*Â*With 911.Â*Â*It was after all Muslims that hijacked the planes.Â*Â*We’re told we are going after these terrorists.Â*Â*And we were told where these terrorists came from.Â*Â*The world at large was told that they were either with us or against us in this WOT.Â*Â*And since these were Muslims that attacked us it’s Muslims we’ve been after.

"With us or against us" has absolutely NOTHING to do with the hatred of Islam.Â*Â*I fully remember the blame being aimed at RADICAL ISLAM not Islam in general and I also remember the president calling for people not to hold the whole of Islam accountable for the actions of the radical Islamists who attacked us on 9/11.Â*Â*I find this to be over generalization in the extreme.

No one has bothered to take the time to advise the public at large that these men were a minority of Muslim radicals that hid behind Islam.Â*Â*Using Islam as their excuse to attack us.Â*Â*We’ve been told these people don’t want freedom and that is why they attacked us.Â*Â*And we have been led to believe that.

Cleo, I just want to know where you have been and what you have been reading.Â*Â*From the president on down we have heard speech after speech that points out Islam as a religion of peace and how radical Islam or Islamofascists were the culprits.Â*Â*If you have been led to believe that I would like to know from where your leadership has come.Â*Â*

Any message board that I have been on since 911 there are people that have nothing but hate towards Muslims.Â*Â*The same can be said of people in real life.Â*Â*Before 911 I am willing to bet that the same people that rant and spew their hatred of Muslims now had not a clue as to what a Muslim is or what Islam is.Â*Â*Now they’re experts…at what the media crams down their throat.

If that has been your experience you couldn't have gotten here fast enough.Â*Â*:)Â*Â*There are good folk here with level heads.

And then there are the Zachariah Anani’s of the world whose job it is to keep fanning the flames of hate.

The best way to control people is with fear.Â*Â*Instill enough fear in them and you can get them to believe just about anything…and do just about anything.


Umm, who is Zachariah Anani?


Do you see the media praising Islam? Why should they? It’s not in their best interest. And if they start doing that people will be scratching their heads wanting to know why if Islam isn’t as bad as they have been led to believe then comes the question of why are we in Iraq. Then they would need to be reminded that the hijackers came from Iraq…even though they didn’t.

Yes the President said radical Muslims and even he has had to clarify himself so not all Muslims are included. He said that in the first few days after 911. When has he said it recently? I don’t find it to be over generalization in the extreme when there are still people out there that just find it easier to hate all Muslims than to separate the good from the bad.

Do you honestly believe these speech writers believe what they’re writing? Do you honestly believe the person reading these speeches believes in what they’re saying?

Perhaps you should read my post again:) It included real life as well as message boards. I had been off the boards for almost 2 years. They got to be a bit much after a while. I started posting again long about August of 2006. And then lily told me about this site a few weeks ago:)

Zachariah Anani is the one spreading love and cheer in the article posted:rolleyes:

In fairness I should have included in my bio that I am quite cynical:P

[Anti-Racism]

Is Islam really that out of control compared to Christianity and Judaism? Both of those have left behind huge piles of bodies.

[Cleo]

Is Islam really that out of control compared to Christianity and Judaism? Both of those have left behind huge piles of bodies.


With Christianity there were the Crusades. During the Crusades the Jews had more to fear from Christianity than they ever did from the Muslims.

If you go back to early Islam they left some bodies laying around. And with the fall of the Ottoman Empire. And now the Sunni's and the Shia's.

I've not studied Judiasm. They left bodies? When? Where? Seriously.

[Waffletush]

No one has bothered to take the time to advise the public at large that these men were a minority of Muslim radicals that hid behind Islam.Â*Â*Using Islam as their excuse to attack us.Â*Â*We’ve been told these people don’t want freedom and that is why they attacked us.Â*Â*And we have been led to believe that.

Actually.... Bush did in his speech shortly thereafter. He said Islam is a religion of peace and all that.

[BoogyMan]

Do you see the media praising Islam? Why should they? It’s not in their best interest. And if they start doing that people will be scratching their heads wanting to know why if Islam isn’t as bad as they have been led to believe then comes the question of why are we in Iraq. Then they would need to be reminded that the hijackers came from Iraq…even though they didn’t.

Cleo, I am sorry but this makes absolutely no sense. I see the media pointing to RADICAL ISLAM quite frequently, but I don't think that I have ever seen a report in the mainstream media that has issued a blanket condemnation of Islam. The conspiracy theory you are working under that the media is telling the country that the hijackers were Iraqis has no basis in fact and quite frankly I wonder where you are getting it.

Yes the President said radical Muslims and even he has had to clarify himself so not all Muslims are included. He said that in the first few days after 911. When has he said it recently? I don’t find it to be over generalization in the extreme when there are still people out there that just find it easier to hate all Muslims than to separate the good from the bad.

The president has NEVER blamed the events of 9/11 on ALL muslims and neither has what I consider to be an ever increasingly liberal media establishment.

You ARE overgeneralizing when you blame the ignorance of the uninformed on the media when they have actually done a pretty good job of placing the blame of RADICAL ISLAM and ISLAMOFASCISTS in general.

Do you honestly believe these speech writers believe what they’re writing? Do you honestly believe the person reading these speeches believes in what they’re saying?

Do you honestly believe that everyone is out to get Muslims in general? If so, it would fall squarely into the category of opinion as you certainly cannot substantiate it from the mainstream of the American media establishment.