Islamofascism Awareness Week

Here's the "Student's Guide to Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week". Jim Henley notes the key passage:

Distributing a petition is an excellent protest tactic for several reasons. First, it is a very easy and cost-effective way to draw attention to the issues at hand. Second, a petition can serve as an advertisement for other events, such as film screenings and panel discussions (when you ask students to sign the petition, hand them a flyer about the other activities you have planned throughout the week). Perhaps most importantly, a petition forces students and faculty to declare their allegiances: either to fighting our terrorist adversaries or failing to take action to stop our enemies. For this reason, we encourage you to make a special effort to bring this petition to those groups who might be least likely to sign it, for example to campus administrators, student government officers, and the Muslim Students’ Association.

In short, the main goal of the "David Horowitz Freedom Center" here is to write up a petition deliberately designed to be unlikely for Muslim groups to sign and then to use Muslim groups' failure to sign the petition as evidence that they're on the side of "our terrorist adversaries." This is a great way to go about things if you want to (a) be a campus troublemaker, (b) over the long run turn hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world into hardened enemies of the United States, and (c) create a large group of disaffected Muslims inside the United States who've been made to feel that adherence to their faith is unwelcome in America and fundamentally incompatible with loyalty to this country.

Back in saneville, what we'd like to do is build as broad a coalition as possible of people opposed to bin Laden-style acts of terrorist violence against civilians. We'd like to frame our opposition to this kind of terrorism in a manner calculated to gain allies rather than alienate them in order to score points in endless and pointless campus political battles. We'd like to empower mainstream Islamic groups so that Muslims around the world can feel that their concerns can be addressed through legitimate political mechanisms rather than violent holy wars, and so that mainstream Muslims have a platform from which to fight back against extremism.

Comments

We'd also like it if our side were as willing and able to build a nationalist Anger Coalition as they are. Or at least some of us would. It's not like the Republican redoubt isn't located in a geographically contiguous area with a spotty record of fidelity to this country, and peopled by conservatives with ideas that even Northern conservatives find odd.

Posted by SomeCallMeTim | September 28, 2007 1:31 PM

David Horowitz is a pretty interesting fellow...

All five of his successive autobiographies have heavily focused on the fact that both his parents were hard-core Communist traitors, who falsely screamed "anti-Semitism" whenever anyone raised questions about their anti-American treachery.

As anyone who reads the New York Times these days knows, behavior patterns do tend to run in families.

It seems to be that if America had taken some firm and necessary steps during that era, then today they'd simply be no little Horowitz running around causing all of us such endless aggravation.

Still, I suppose late is better than never...

Posted by RKU | September 28, 2007 1:34 PM

I give credit to the author for implicitly confessing that a petition does not do anything towards serving the ostensible purpose of the petition drive-- namely, creating a change in policy or actually accomplish anything related to what the petition is about.

Posted by Tyro | September 28, 2007 1:34 PM

Here's what would be really fun: Add to that petition a pledge not to bomb abortion clinics, gay bars or community centers and the like. Now you'll have the fundie "Christians" refusing to sign! Which will make them look disloyal as well. Just a thought.

Posted by John | September 28, 2007 1:37 PM

Hmmm, aren't Arabs Semites also? Ref http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semite#Ancient_Semitic_peoples

Then isn't suggesting that Islamic Americans tend to be "Islamofascists" and "terrorists" a form of "anti-Semitism"??

In the same way that a suggestion that American Jews tend to be disloyal to America would be anti-Semitic?

It seems to me that David Horowitz has a similar mindset to the Aryan Nations --even if he disagrees with their beliefs, he seems, in my opinion, to agree with their methods.

Posted by Don Williams | September 28, 2007 1:47 PM

"This is a great way to go about things if you want to..."

...win a political argument.

Think about how the Bush WH always includes some measure in it's GWoT legislation in Congress specifically designed to get a large chunk of Democrats to oppose it.

The Republicans understand that to make 9/11 a political issue for their side, they have to actively prevent unanimity in dealing with the issues of 9/11.

Posted by Petey | September 28, 2007 2:01 PM

Tempest in a Teapot
Matthews goal of coalition-building isn't so far from the petitioners goal of asking 'Whose side are you on?'.

The conservative petitioners are selling the idea that anybody who is opposed to terrorism should join the conservatives because you are one already. That is what political movements do: Over-simplify and recruit. Just like the lefties.

Matthew: Don't focus on their stated strategy, focus on what the petition says -- you might just decide to sign it!

Posted by Fred | September 28, 2007 2:05 PM

It's pretty clear that the David Horowitz Freedom Center doesn't believe there are moderate Muslims to dialogue with. Check out one of the descriptions of their suggested movies:

Islam: What the West Needs to Know

Description: Virtually every major Western leader has over the past several years expressed the view that Islam is a peaceful religion and that those who commit violence in its name are fanatics who misinterpret its tenets. This claim, while widely circulated, rarely attracts serious public examination.

Using original interviews, citations from Islamic texts, Islamic artwork, computer-animated maps, footage of Western leaders, and Islamic television broadcasts, Islam: What the West Needs to Know reveals the violent, expansionary ideology of the so called “religion of peace” that seeks the destruction or subjugation of other faiths, cultures, and systems of government. (Emphasis mine)

So, Matt, the petition technique goes beyond what you just said. It's damned if you don't for the Muslim student groups, as you point out. But it's obviously damned if you do for them, too. This bunch will just use their signature as a propaganda tool while continuing their "war" against them.

This group must've thought 1984 was an instruction manual.

Posted by Lynn | September 28, 2007 2:11 PM

From the link:

"In the face of the greatest danger Americans have ever confronted, the academic left has mobilized to create sympathy for the enemy and to fight anyone who rallies Americans to defend themselves."

I actually hope someone at my Southern, rural university comes to me with such a petition.

Posted by Arr-squared | September 28, 2007 2:17 PM

In the face of the greatest danger Americans have ever confronted

Hm. Ever? This sort of thing confirms to me that the neoconservatives are simply suffering from Greatest Generation-envy.

Posted by Tyro | September 28, 2007 2:35 PM

It seems to bear a very strong resemblance to the great loyalty oath crusade from Catch-22.

Posted by rtaycher1987 | September 28, 2007 2:40 PM

the two Big Lies of the political left: that George Bush created the war on terror and that Global Warming is a greater danger to Americans than the terrorist threat.

This is so incoherent it's funny. First, who are they saying did create the so-called war on terror? (Answer: Whoever it was, it wasn't terrorists, because it's a war "on" their tactics.) Second, global warming is, you know, global; it threatens Americans because it threatens everyone.

Posted by RSA | September 28, 2007 2:44 PM

The other great thing is this:
a petition forces students and faculty to declare their allegiances: either to fighting our terrorist adversaries or failing to take action to stop our enemies
Which makes sense, if "fighting our terrorist enemies" is exactly tantamount to no more and no less than "writing your name on a piece of paper."

Posted by SDM | September 28, 2007 2:52 PM

"Its goal will be to refute the curriculum of the left, which teaches that America is the enemy in the war on terror and the terrorists are “freedom fighters,” whom progressives should support."

Interesting goal. I don't recall ever being taught that while in school. Least of all from the Professor of my International Terrorism course, who had previously done some work for DOD.

Posted by Just Another Greg | September 28, 2007 3:03 PM

I see David still has a firm handle on his old tactics from his days leading the "Weather Underground," the nut case spin-off from the Students for a Democratic Society. Whether he is on the left or the right, he is consistent in his Anti-liberalism and totalitarian mind-set. (David must have found reading Voltaire and Locke and their like insufferable, a literary form of "waterboarding" for one of his mentality.)

Posted by Rickster Sherpa | September 28, 2007 3:13 PM

It seems to bear a very strong resemblance to the great loyalty oath crusade from Catch-22.

Posted by rtaycher1987 | September 28, 2007 2:40 PM

Dammit. I knew I shouldn't have spent so much time trying to explain government contracting to Megan McArdle. Now my Major ___ de Coverley joke will never be told.

I hate you all.

Posted by jonathan | September 28, 2007 3:29 PM

The ADL should speak out against this.

You could have a field day pulling quotes from the Talmud. People wouldn't even believe the stuff that is in there.

Just a few years ago the Orthodox in Israel were spiting on/behind Christians - nice!

Posted by Daveg | September 28, 2007 3:40 PM

So, basically, the petition is a way of trolling.

I guess spamming Muslims with goatse.cx just wouldn't have enough of a pretense of legitimacy?

Posted by Julian Elson | September 28, 2007 3:44 PM

Fred,

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you REALLY want to force people to choose between supporting the insane Neocons/national greatness conservatives or supporting the islamists, sane people will, however reluctantly choose the islamists. And we will kill people like you (that part not reluctantly).

Posted by patriot | September 28, 2007 3:44 PM

Also back in sanesville, there was a time when this: http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2007/09/news_flash_muslim_denounces_te.html would have been regarded as an immense propaganda victory and would have been used, intelligently, for the next decade.

Now, we have Karen Hughes in charge of these efforts. I wonder if her bureau even is aware of this.

Posted by Wendell | September 28, 2007 3:51 PM

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you REALLY want to force people to choose between supporting the insane Neocons/national greatness conservatives or supporting the islamists, sane people will, however reluctantly choose the islamists. And we will kill people like you (that part not reluctantly)."

Bwahahahahahah!!! I love it! Count me in!

Gotta agree with that! Give me an asshole like Ahmadinejad or Nasrallah over an asshole like Netanyahu or Bush or Cheney any time! At least they're the "underdogs".

Actually, though, as a radical Transhumanist, I'm likely to shoot the lot. Let nanotech sort them out!

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | September 28, 2007 4:16 PM

Well Richard, as radical as I am, I'm not QUITE as radical as you are. Ultimately people like Ahmadinejad are no better than Bush or Cheney. The reason for choosing them over the animals now leading our nation is that they have much less capacity for evil. Bush and Cheney have set events in motion that will lead to the deaths of hundreds of millions. Our "enemies" are at least two, maybe 4 or 4, orders of magnitude less dangerous, whatever their intentions may be.

Posted by patriot | September 28, 2007 4:27 PM

"Matthew: Don't focus on their stated strategy, focus on what the petition says -- you might just decide to sign it!"

There we have Fred Furd, the Lunatic, offering advice to lunatics everywhere.

Posted by Jennifer | September 28, 2007 4:34 PM

Heh, heh, NOBODY is as radical as I am.

Unfortunately.

But I agree, Iran is not a significant threat to anybody compared to Bush and Cheney. Only the paranoid right wing nuts think so. Even Bush and Cheney don't think so - they just want the OIL and the war profits. The rest is just lies they tell other people.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | September 28, 2007 6:07 PM

Why don't you post the petition so your readers can judge for themselves whether a reasonable person -- a moderate Muslim -- wouldn't be happy to sign it?

Posted by horowitz | September 28, 2007 6:11 PM

Hey Horowitz,

If you were smarter than a turnip, you would have figured out how easy it is to click through the links that Matthew provides to easily find the petition.

The problem with the petition isn't the concluding paragraphs, which are, indeed, conclusions that most people share (ironically, aside from most of the evil shit scum that are propagating the petition). It's the first paragraph, which attempts to define the (non-existent) phenomenon of Islamofascism.

Ask yourself how many Christians would sign a similar petition, identical in all respects, except that it attempts to define "Christo fascism"? Not too damn many.

May you burn in the fires of hell for all eternity.

Posted by LarryM | September 28, 2007 6:37 PM

So here we go, how many Christians on board with signing this?

"Christian Crusaders around the world have declared war on Iraq, Iran and the entire Islamic world and have made clear that:

* The goal of the Christo-Fascist crusade is world domination
* The Christo-Fasacist Crusade demands the suppression of all Infidels
* The Christo-Fascist Crusade is a war against Women
* The Christo-Fascist Crusade is a war against Gays
* The Christo-Fascist Crusade is a war against Islam
* The Christo-Fascist Crusade is a war against Jews
* The Christo-Fasacist Crusade is a war against non-religious people"

Now, to be fair, I'm saying that Christians SHOULD sign this. It is as vile a slander as the original. But that's really the point, isn't it?

Posted by LarryM | September 28, 2007 6:45 PM

that should read "not saying."

Posted by LarryM | September 28, 2007 6:46 PM

Re Richard's comment "Actually, though, as a radical Transhumanist, I'm likely to shoot the lot"
----------
Ah, yes. I bet you read Nietzsche.

"God dammit, NO! I'm tired of taking shit from inferior people. When I got out of the Marine Corps, I swore that never again would I allow myself to be fucked over by morons."

--Nick Nolte,Vietnam Vet in "Who'll Stop the Rain?" --as he digs up a box containing a M16 and LOTS of amno

Posted by Don Williams | September 28, 2007 7:00 PM

Re Daveg

Mr. Daveg is correct. The Quran has nothing on the Hebrew bible in which Yahweh endorses genocide, racism, female inferiority, and slavery. The book of revelations in the Christian bible is no slouch either with Yahwehs' successor endorsing mass murder.

Re Don Williams

What makes Mr. Williams believe that Horowitz doesn't endorse the Aryan Nations philosophy? It should be remembered that, like many of the neocons, Horowitz was a Trotskyite at one time. Just another example of a shift from the lunatic left to the lunatic right.

Posted by SLC | September 28, 2007 7:01 PM

Re SLC's comment "It should be remembered that, like many of the neocons, Horowitz was a Trotskyite at one time. "

Hmmm. Strikes me as more of a Stalinist. I.E, a fascist disguised as a Marxist.

Posted by Don Williams | September 28, 2007 7:30 PM

The Talmud has anything like Surahs 5&9; that command violence against Jews and Crusaders three centuries before the Crusades. I strongly doubt it. How wide should the anti-terror coalition be; should it include CAIR; which the best can be said
of it is to look away when a terrorist act occurs.
There are way to many examples to recall of this behavior. Arms of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood,
the Saudi Wahhabi Ilkwan, Al-Jazeera, can they
realistically be part on anti-jihad coalition. I know the Irgun/Betar and the Stern gang are the
rationale for everything that comes after. Because
after all, when one half of all of one ethnic category on an entire continent are annihilated
that's not at all comparable to the Palestinian
travails. Abu Mazen, the long ago financier of the Munich direct action; well he's not as bad
as Hamas, and beside they're misunderstood.

Posted by narciso | September 28, 2007 9:32 PM

Re narciso

Excuse me, what did Joshua do after the walls of Jericho fell? He put all the inhabitants to the sword. Why did Yahweh sentence Saul and his sons to death? Because Saul disobeyed his orders to slaughter the Amalekites. These sound like genocide to me. What did the Hebrew children sing after Saul and David returned from a victorious battle? Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands, all ordered by Yahweh. Read Richard Dawkins' book, "The God Delusion."

Posted by SLC | September 28, 2007 10:49 PM

Hmm...

Guess I now better understand why SLC is such a genocidal loon...

Posted by RKU | September 29, 2007 12:16 AM

Re: Bush and Cheney have set events in motion that will lead to the deaths of hundreds of millions.

Bush and Cheney will be gone in another 16 months and that will be the end of that. How will "Hundreds of millions" die because of them? Are you suggesting they will start a nuclear war with either China or Russia in their (thankfully) brief time left in office? That's the only way I could see a death toll of that magnitude.

Posted by JonF | September 29, 2007 1:17 AM

Actually, I used to read a bit of Nietzsche - as anybody into philosophy probably would. However, Transhumanism is a bit more rational than even Nietzsche, who had good physical health and emotional reasons for being pissed off.

Transhumans OTOH KNOW that humans suck - they don't have to theorize about it.

As for Nick Nolte, I never saw that flick. But I DID see "The Park Is Mine" starring Tommy Lee Jones as a Vietnam vet who takes over Central Park in New York City, and screws the cops royally, just to make a point about how people treat people. Very good flick - and the book was even better because it went into detail as to how it could be done.

As I mentioned in an earlier thread, people become "terrorists" when they become fed up.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | September 29, 2007 1:44 AM

Everyone when the least bit of knowledge of history knows that everybody in the Middle East has been nationalists and imperialists since day one - Jews, Christians and Muslims included - and probably a number of other cults nobody ever heard of. The whole business of requiring every Jewish male to be married and bear children - including the priests - was to make sure they had enough cannon fodder - or sword fodder, I guess, given the times - to take over their neighbors.

Of course, once they ran into the Romans, who were really GOOD at that sort of thing, they got their asses handed to them.

So trying to pick out which monotheistic religion is the most bloodthirsty is pretty much a waste of time.

They're all assholes and all deserve to be wiped out - not for the piss poor genocides they've all engaged in over the centuries, but simply for being brain dead primates who contribute nothing to the advancement of the species.

And THAT is the only real justification for a genocide - to get rid of people who are holding the species back from transcending its limitations.

Fortunately, as a radical Transhumanist, I can sit back and wait for the necessary technology to either render myself invulnerable to their stupidity or fry their asses if they try anything - or both.

As a radical Transhumanist, I don't have any "ethics" or "morality", so genocide doesn't matter to me. Which is not to say that I don't have principles. The only thing that matters to me is "correctness" - doing what is correct and logical and effective in the process of surviving indefinitely. It is NOT correct for humans to be murdering each other for stupid religious, political or economic reasons.

So "a pox on all your houses" is the appropriate response.

And I'm still primate enough to enjoy watching these morons kill each other in big lots while I sit back and wait to, as they say, "inherit the Earth" (not that any Transhuman wants it...)

Face it - you monkeys aren't going to make it to the end of this century. This is it - make the most of it. 'Cause, one way or the other, you're gone by 2100, absolutely no doubt about it.

And by the way, narciso, the only reason the Zionists haven't murdered five million Palestinians outright is that, because of the Holocaust, it would look just a TAD hypocritical...and might result in a few million more Jews getting wiped out - for better reasons this time.

In any event, Israel can stockpile all the nukes it wants. It's STILL doomed. There is no way a few million clowns ruled by a few score thousand stupid Zionists are going to rule the hundred million or more people in the Middle East, nukes or no nukes. It simply isn't going to happen.

Quite the opposite. Eventually the Jews are going to be overwhelmed by the demographics within their own country, unless they expel all the Arab citizens. They aren't going to be allowed to kill or expel the Palestinians, either. So they're screwed. Period. End of story.

Eventually that area will be renamed Palestine, it will become a binational state, the Palestinians will get much of their land back, most - but not all - of the Jews will emigrate, and that will be that.

It probably won't even be particularly violent - unless of course the Zionists freak out, or, as I have predicted, somebody steals an Israeli nuke and lights up Tel Aviv before the non-violent changes can take place. The end result of that act would be Israel nuking other countries, and the rest of the world disarming Israel and then reconsidering its existence as a Zionist state. Same result - Israel as a Zionist state ceases to exist.

Ahmadinejad was correct when he said that the state of Israel - not the people - would "vanish from the pages of time" - like the Soviet Union did. Unlike the incorrect translation of "wipe Israel off the map", this was a more precise and correct description of what will happen.

It will happen within the next few decades. Israel as a state has absolutely ZERO historical future.

So have a nice day!

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | September 29, 2007 2:10 AM

Why is it ALWAYS a false choice with the wingers? "ZOMGZ! Sign our inane petition, or you're one of the terraists!!"

It must suck to identify with a movement that doesn't believe its own crap.

Posted by Jamey | September 29, 2007 8:28 AM

What Mr Yglesias fails to mention is that on college campuses all over this nation, Muslim Student groups are not only silent on terrorism, but organize demonstrations that not only attack Israel and defend suicide bombers, but also bring in inflammatory speakers, usually Imams, who also attack America and attack "Zionist Jews". My own campus at UC Irvine is a prime example.

Mr Horowitz is correct. We do want Muslims in America to stand with us, take a public stand against terrorism and support the War on Terror. I would hope that they do sign the petition. Of course, it is just a petition, and no one has to sign it. Probably none of them will.

Gary Fouse

PS Note to Mr Hack: You certainly sound like a nice young man. By the way, what is a radical transhumanist??!!?

Posted by fouse, gary c | September 30, 2007 9:27 PM

Horowitz launches a protest regarding the abuse of women and the left wails indignantly because it doesn't like the source or the target. How thoughtful.
I expect, however, lefties won't be burning their political haversacks of protest ribbons, petitions and placards. That would presume a level of intelligence capable of recognizing the concept of hypocrisy.

Posted by RPB | October 2, 2007 11:00 AM

Pretty surprised at the casual anti-Semetism and violent threats here. I thought this was the Thoughtful Left? Oh well, guess there is no such thing. On the topic, is it not constantly trumpeted to us kuffir that Islam and Islamic Terrorism are two different things? And that discrimination (you'll pardon) betwixt is vital to the struggle? If the Muslim Student Unions really are anti-terror as they frequently claim they take the opportunity to demonstrate such. If they don't like this petition's wording, they can circulate their own; and they have but these invariably exclude the Zionist Entity and Crusaders and other infidels. I notice you do not address the authors' assertion that administrators and student gov types would also be disinclined to sign. We know this is true. Any thoughts on why? Maybe they are not anti-war but, how to put this? On the other side? Oh yes.

Posted by megapotamus | October 2, 2007 2:29 PM

Hmm, closer reading reveals the violent threats are not so casual. Well, as a pretty good guy once said, "Bring it on!" freaks. And I hope you've been attentive to your marksmanship. Have you? Cheers. See you on the street. But you won't see me.

Posted by megapotamus | October 2, 2007 2:40 PM

"Horowitz launches a protest regarding the abuse of women" is a bit of a generous statement. After all, most of us "leftists" are already aware of (or even involved with) numerous womens' rights organizations which (a) already have networks of volunteers and (b) are actually *about* rights.

And what's wrong with not liking the source? If Osama bin Laden asked you (by mail) to donate money to adorable puppies at the animal shelter, would you do that?

Posted by Doctorb Science | October 2, 2007 4:51 PM

And what say those numerous womens' rights organizations on the status of women in Iran, eh? Or in Saddam's Iraq? Has NOW spared a breath to comment negatively on, say, the stoning of adultresses? Or the ejection of homosexuals from housetops? Oh, Doctorb. Oh.

Posted by megapotamus | October 2, 2007 4:57 PM