Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

Islam is now the most negatively viewed religion in America, due in part to the relentless efforts of a small group of individuals and organizations.

This new report shines a light on the Islamophobia network that manufactures, produces and distributes an irrational fear of Islam and Muslims. This network’s ability to influence politicians’ talking points and create a wedge issue for the upcoming 2012 elections has mainstreamed what was once considered extremist rhetoric.

We definitely need more people like this to help stop the bigoted and racist witchhunt taking place against Islam in the States curently.

From Patrol:

Surely you've all heard by now that Sufjan Stevens has released a new EP online. This is exciting news for Sufjan fans everywhere, but I would urge you to think twice before paying the 5 dollars to download the music. It was not even 10 years ago when Islamic radical extremists destroyed the World Trade Center on September 11th, and already we're going to support a man named "Sufjan" as if nothing happened on that tragic day?

It may sound like a good idea at first. Many believe that supporting this man's music will help heal the wounds left by the terrorists, but come on people, we do not live in a vacuum. The fact of the matter is that this album should be released under another name, something with less Islamic connotation than "Sufjan." Or, the album should be released in a different format. EP also brings to mind other Islamic names. Ep Shiraa. Ep Sadaar. It just hits a little too close to home.

Think of the families who suffered and lost their loved ones in that tragedy. Out of sensitivity towards them, refrain from supporting this so-called Stevens. And be warned, some sources have indicated that Sufjan's middle name is Usama. Sufjan Usama Stevens? Doesn't sound like the kind of artist I want singing our national anthem before a baseball game.

Many of you may be asking, "but is Sufjan a terrorist?" The facts here are foggier than we should be comfortable with. First of all, he has never outright condemned Hamas. Should we support someone who isn't clear in his separation from terrorism?

And many of us have heard that Sufjan is actually a Christian. Well to that point, where is his birth certificate?

Look at the last two tracks on All Delighted People, Arnika and Djohariah. Does anybody know what those words mean? I don't, but I'm not sure if I want to find out.

It's too soon, Sufjan. Even if you and your album have no connection at all to terrorism, your name reminds of Muslims, which in turn reminds of 9/11. So please, for the sake of the families still having nightmares about towelheads riding camels into their homes and stabbing their children with those big curved swords from the movie Aladdin (by the way, Sufjan's name actually means "comes with a sword." Coincidence?), please, change your plans and release your album somewhere else.

As a New Yorker, you'd think Sufjan wouldn't be acting in such poor taste on this issue. He lives in Brooklyn, practically two blocks away from Ground Zero! Is he even an American? Was this 50 States project all a huge cover-up for his Islamic plan to take over the music industry and lull us all into submission with his indie-folk-pop harmonies and "beautiful" melodies.

And if I can speak to Sufjan directly for just a moment. Mr. Stevens, have some tact! If you really love your fellow New Yorkers, you'll change your name. Sure you have a constitutional right to whatever name you want, but this issue goes deeper than political freedoms. This is an issue of the heart, and with the release of this album your heart seems to say "This is an issue of freedom, not misguidedly ignorant and possibly racist emotions." And to that I say, boo. Boo to you, Sufjan.

We had to kick a different folk-singer "Stevens" out of the country, and if Sufjan doesn't change his tune, he'll be joining Cat Stevens with Uncle Sam's boot print on his ass. Take your Islamic propaganda somewhere else, YuSuf.

• Henry Siegman: Is Israel's Legitimacy Under Challenge?

  "There is therefore something bizarre in Israel's insistence that condemnations of its violations of international law are not intended to challenge the illegality of its settlements and continuing occupation but the legitimacy of its very existence. If Israel keeps it up, that insistence may well turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps Israel's right wing government believes that by accusing the international community of seeking to undermine its existence it will distract attention from an increasingly untenable claim that Israel is a model democracy that also enshrines Jewish values. Both claims have been undermined by its settlements policy and its determination to maintain the status quo, bringing into question the very foundation of America's "special relationship" with Israel."

• Work on 3rd Metro line causes sinkhole in Attaba | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt

  "A new digging machine--dubbed the "Nefertari"--has caused a 5-centimeter deep, 2.25-meter long sinkhole on al-Geish Street in the downtown Cairo district of Attaba. The machine had been in the process of digging a tunnel for Cairo's third subway line."

• Chris Christie warns GOP on mosque - Maggie Haberman - POLITICO.com

  **Finally, one (relatively) sane Republican** "New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a new national icon for the Republican Party thanks in part to his push for pension reforms, on Monday became the most prominent GOP figure to warn against "overreacting" to the threat of terror and painting "all of Islam" with the brush of terrorism amid the swirling controversy about the ground zero-area mosque. "

• Palin: Obama 'doesn't get' mosque - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com

  **No, Palin doesn't get it. She's a bigot** "“It sounds cliched to say that the president is disconnected from the American people on this issue, but how else do you describe it,” the former Alaska GOP governor said on Fox News. “He just doesn't get it, that this is an insensitive move on the part of those Muslims who want to build that mosque in this location. It feels like a stab in the heart to, collectively, Americans who still have that lingering pain from 9/11.” "

The mass Islamaphobic, racist and irrational hysteria against the building of an alleged "big mosque" at the site of the World Trade Center is ridiculous. The media's role in stoking the fires of prejudice is even more disgraceful. Even worse is the ADL's opposition to its building under the pretext that it may offend someone (Well, ADL, you offend me. Can we shut you down?). Anyone against the building of the Islamic complex, is, in my opinion, prejudiced against Islam, irrational and xenophobic.
The fact that Jewish groups in Manhattan, a Jewish mayor in New York, a majority of people living in Manhattan, the Manhattan zoning board and numerous other Christian, Jewish and Islamic organizations support the Cordoba Center, or at the least, don't oppose it, suggests to me that "real America" (read bigots in Alaska and elsewhere) is simply racist and dumb.

Here is a map showing the planned location, the center is in red.

• 'UN court to implicate Hezbollah' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

  "The Hezbollah leader has said that members of his group are expected to be charged by a UN court probing the murder of Rafiq al-Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon."

• Lebanon plans 'spying' complaint - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

  "Lebanon plans to file a complaint about Israeli "espionage" at the United Nations, according to the country's information minister. More than 50 people have been arrested since an investigation was launched into allegations of spying by Israeli agents inside Lebanon in April 2009."

• Argentina prison's dummy sentinel allows two inmates to escape | World news | The Guardian

  "The only flaw in the innovation was that Wilson did not demur when two convicted armed robbers escaped, an oversight owing more to Mr Bean than Prison Break. Walter Pozo, 33, and Cesar Andres, 26, merged into a crowd of departing visitors last Saturday and vanished to freedom in Neuquén, a small city in Argentina's vast Patagonian wilderness."

• RNC fails to report $7M in debt to FEC - Washington Times

  "The Republican National Committee failed to report more than $7 million in debt to the Federal Election Commission in recent months - a move that made its bottom line appear healthier than it is heading into the midterm elections and that also raises the prospect of a hefty fine."

• Israeli Forces Kill Unarmed Palestinian - NYTimes.com

  "Israeli forces shot to death an unarmed Palestinian man early on Thursday at the edge of a Jewish settlement in the northern West Bank, Israeli military and Palestinian officials said. The Palestinian Authority government condemned the killing, calling it a "breach of the rule of law." "

• He impersonated a human - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

  "Now the respected judges have to be asked: If the man was really Dudu posing as Sabbar, a Jew pretending to be an Arab so he could sleep with an Arab woman, would he then be convicted of rape? And do the eminent judges understand the social and racist meaning of their florid verdict? Don't they realize that their verdict has the uncomfortable smell of racial purity, of "don't touch our daughters"? That it expresses the yearning of the extensive segments of society that would like to ban sexual relations between Arabs and Jews? It was no coincidence that this verdict attracted the attention of foreign correspondents in Israel, temporary visitors who see every blemish. Yes, in German or Afrikaans this disgraceful verdict would have sounded much worse. "

• 'Arab man attacked for talking to Jewish girl' - Israel News, Ynetnews

  "A 23-year-old Arab man sustained serious injuries after being attacked in Tiberias, allegedly for talking to a young Jewish woman. Police are still searching for the suspected assailant, a 19-year-old who fled the scene. "

• Why the Clash of Civilizations Won't Go Away | Marc Lynch

  "The resilence of the clash of civilizations frame is enabled by the inability of advocates of a new approach, including the Obama administration and many progressive foreign policy thinkers, to develop and defend a powerful alternative frame. The best argument, and certainly one which I've made often, is that the U.S. has a vital national security interest in preventing a spiral towards a "clash of civilizations" which would strengthen al-Qaeda's appeal and narrative. That's right --- but it's also a negative message, about what should not happen, rather than a positive one about Islam or about America's relationship with Muslims around the world."

This is just one more reason why anyone with half a brain and any sense of decency should stay as far away as possible from the nutjob teabagger movement.

Mark Williams, unofficial tea party leader, says Muslims worship a monkey god. He later apologizes to Hindus for confusing their religion with Islam. No apology appears to be forthcoming to Muslims. The fact that the tea party movement is looking to jack-ses like this to lead their political movements demonstrates just how ridiculous and backwards American politics has become, and how racist, xenophobic, myopic and idiotic the Tea Party movement actually is.

Thought-provoking post from the following site examining the implications of a recent report from Duke University examining acts of terrorism in the United States. Examining incidents from 1980 to 2005 the report found that 42% of the acts were committed by Latinos, 24% by leftists, 7% by Jews and 6% by Muslims.


The numbers are based on figures from the Federal Bureau of Investigation which can be found here. Therefore, Jewish and Islamic extremists in these categories committed the violent act due to their extreme positions in the religion. They were no simply categorized as Jewish or Islamic because it was their religion.

The point of the original blog and why I find these numbers so interesting, is that based on the media coverage of terrorism in the United States you would think all terrorist acts were perpetrated by Islamic extremists, not simply 6% of them. Thus the old maxim, "Not all Muslims/Arabs are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslim/Arab" is as ridiculous and racist as ever.

I know some of my readers will not be happy with this post... read it anyways. Below is a post from an anti-Zionist blog which I find rather entertaining. Even more so, because in my debates/arguments with Zionists, far-right Israelis, moderate Israelis, even relatively leftist Israelis, I've seen several of these debate techniques in use.

The original post can be found here.

July 18, 2008

How to make the case for Israel and win

To the benefit of the many not-very-bright zionist wannabe apologists who read this blog assiduously, I decided to offer a clear and simple method of arguing the case for Israel. This clear and simple method has been distilled from a life spent listening to and reading Zionist propaganda. It is easy to follow and results are guaranteed or your money back.

So don't hesitate! Take advantage NOW of this revolutionary rhetorical system that will make YOU a great apologist for Israel in less time than it takes to shoot a Palestinian toddler in the eye.

Ready? 1..2..3..GO!

You need to understand just one principle:

The case for Israel is made of four propositions that should always be presented in the correct escalating order.

1. We rock
2. They suck
3. You suck
4. Everything sucks

That's it. Now you know everything that it took me a lifetime to learn. The rest is details; filling in the dotted lines.

You begin by saying how great Israel is. Israel want peace; Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East; the desert blooms; kibutz; Israelis invented antibiotics, the wheel, the E minor scale; thanks to the occupation Palestinians no longer live in caves; Israel liberates Arab women; Israel has the most moral army in the world, etc.

This will win over 50% of your listeners immediately. Don't worry about the factual content. This is about brand identity, not writing a PhD. Do you really think BP is 'beyond petroleum'?

Then you go into the second point: They suck. Here you talk about the legal system of Saudi Arabia, gay rights in Iran, slave trade in the Sudan, Mohammad Atta, the burqa, Palestinians dancing after 9/11, Arafat's facial hair, etc.

There is only one additional principle you need to understand here. It will separate you from the amateurs. You need to know your audience. If you've got a crowd already disposed to racist logic, go for it with everything you have. But if you get a liberal crowd, you need to sugar coat the racism a bit. Focus on women rights, human rights, religious tolerance, "clash of civilizations", terrorism, they teach their children to hate, etc. Deep down your audience WANTS to enjoy racism and feel superior. They just need the proper encouragement so they can keep their sophisticated self-image. Give them what they crave and they'll adore you! But be careful not to 'mix n match,' because it will cost you credibility.

When you're done, there will always be dead-enders insisting that abuse of gays in Iran does not justify ethnic cleansing in Palestine. Take a deep breath, and pull the doomsday weapon: You suck!

You're a Jew-hater, Arab-lover, anti-Semite, you're a pinko, a commie, a dreamer, a naive, a self-hater, you have issues, your mother worked for the Nazis, Prince Bandar buys you cookies, you forgot you were responsible for the holocaust, etc. The more the merrier. By the time you end this barrage, only a handful would be left standing. For mopping them up, you use the ultimate postmodern wisdom: Everything sucks.

War, genocide, racism, oppression are everywhere. From the Roma in Italy to the Native-Americans in the U.S., the weak are victimized. Why pick on Israel? It's the way of the world. Look! Right is only in question between equals in power; the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. Ethics, schmethics. Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Eat, drink! Carpe diem! The Palestinians would throw us into the sea if they could. Ha ha!

Trust me, that's as far as words can go. If you followed this method faithfully, you've done your work. You should leave the few who are still unconvinced to the forces of order.

Congratulations!
You are now ready to
apologize for Israel like a pro.

1. Good piece by Mark LeVine at Al-Jazeera English discussing the ramifications of the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack, and the effect this will have on the US' poorly labeled "War on Terror". Excerpt:

Will the US ramp up its efforts in a new country each time there is an attempted attack, putting US "boots on the ground" against an enemy that is impossible to defeat?

Such a policy would fulfill al-Qaeda's wildest dreams, as the US suffers death by a thousand cuts, bleeding out in an ever wider web of interconnected and unsustainable global conflicts.

2. The shameless Egyptian government opens up the Rafah border crossing into Gaza for a whopping three days.

3. Israeli police arrest a teenage settler, believing him to be the arsonist who torched a West Bank mosque three weeks ago.

4. Higher rates of cancer have been found among Jews who immigrated to Israel after the Holocaust.

5. Decline in Palestinian/Jewish deaths in the West Bank, marked by a sharp increase in deaths in Gaza following the Gaza War.

I have read several cogent and well-written articles on Switzerland's recent r