A Closer Look At Islamophobia In The U.S.

The attack on the American embassy in Libya that killed four U.S. diplomats, including 52-year-old ambassador Christopher Stevens, was apparently carried out by religious extremists upset by an American film that mocks the Muslim Prophet Muhammad and characterizes Muslims as hoodlums.

The film was made by an Israeli-American who has called Islam a “cancer,” but the movie had attracted little attention until an Egyptian-American Christian blogger, known for his attacks on Islam, called attention to it.

The blogger, Morris Sadek, is an ally of the Florida pastor Terry Jones, the man who burned a copy of the Koran in March of 2011, which triggered protests that killed seven foreigners in Afghanistan.

Tuesday, Jones had scheduled what he called an “international trial” for the Prophet Muhammad.

Guest:

Nathan Lean, editor-in-chief of Aslan Media, author of “The Islamophobia Industry: How The Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims”

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

http://www.facebook.com/jimhfoster Jim Foster

So let me see if I have this right – A right wing jerk puts together a hack job movie that deliberately defames the prophet Mohammed and the religion of hundreds of millions of peaceful adherents. A crazy mob reacts and kills the U.S. Ambassador, apparently accidentally. Pres. Obama says the U.S. Government is opposed to both religious extremism and mob violence. And Mitt Romney and the right wing react by blaming this all on the Obama Administration. Looks to me like someone is getting nervous about being 5 points down in all of the recent polls!
- It
  
  “peaceful adherents. A crazy mob reacts and kills” … Do you even think before you respond or is it just an impulse?
BostonGreek

I am an American Greek Orthodox Christian who has lived in Saudi Arabia for an extended period.

While I don’t condone Basil’s (sp?) movie I take exception with your guest’s view that intolerant Islamics are but a small group.

While in Saudi under the Wahabist regime I saw very little tolerance for other religions. Unlike here, where we have mosques, Buddhist Jewish and Hindu temples, as well as a multitude of churches of different denominations, you won’t find anything but mosques there. Muslims who convert to christianity are subject to the death penalty.

Unfortunately the wealth accumulated through oil revenues has allowed this remote dessert tribe to export their intolerant Wahabist ideas far and wide within the Islamic world. The Saudis even support mosques in America, something they would never let us do with churches in their country.

Your guest should do a little more research on Islamic denominations so he can see exactly how intolerant they can be..

Boston Greek
Jon eden

Before anyone here in the US casts too many stones, why not first carry around a sign with you for a few days that say “Jesus is slime” and find out how that works out for you.
- BostonGreek
  
  Jon – appreciate that the person carrying that sign in the USA, depending on where he carried it, would be frowned on by many, yelled at by a few and maybe even accosted by someone. In New York, Boston, or San Francisco would most likely be ignored.
  
  He certainly would not be arrested by the Government, would not be tried, and definitely would not be sentenced to death or to a flogging by the Government as would be the case in many Islamic Nations should he do the same replacing the word ” Jesus” with “Mohammed.”
It

I would have like for you to ask your guest what he thought about the South Park Book of Mormon episode and broadway show. Can you recall the riots and killings in Utah when that came out?
Neponak

I have studied Islam for many years. One of the best Islamic scholars is Robert Spencer. He has written 11 books, 2 of which are New York Times bestsellers. He has a thorough knowledge of the Islamic texts: the Koran, Sunna, Sira, and Islamic Law (Shariah). The U.S. government has drawn upon his knowledge in order to inform our security services in the military, the FBI, and the U.S. intelligence community. Mr. Spencer has had many debates with Muslim clerics and various Muslim organization leaders, which have been broadcast.
It is very discouraging when a program such as yours contributes in defaming individuals such as Mr. Spencer, who has a vast amount of factual information to communicate to people who want to understand the ideology of Islam at a time when accurate information is critical.
Neponak

Here in America, we take for granted that the majority of Muslims share our American values: respect for all religions, and respect for all persons as equal before the law. No one in the media ever seems to question that assumption. Here is something to investigate and report. There have been four valid studies of American mosques conducted in 1999 (by Sheikh Mohammed Hisham Kabbani) and reported to the U.S. State Dept.; in 2005 by the Center for Relgious Freedom; in 2008 (The Mapping Sharia Project); and in 2011, as reported the the Summer 2011 issue of Middle East Quarterly. All four of these independent studies came to the same conclusion, which is that 80 percent of American mosques are teaching in their texts hatred of Jews and Christians, anti-Americanism, and Islamic supremacism. The latter involves teaching the necessity of eventually imposing Islamic rule over America. “Fifty-one percent of America’s (approximately 3000 mosques) have texts that either advocated the use of violence in the pursuit of a Sharia-based political order or advocated violent jihad as a duty that should be of paramount importance to a Muslim.” (See Middle East Quarterly mentioned above.)
Let’s please have discussions out in the open about what American young people are being taught right here in our midst, perhaps on programs like yours.
Robert

Ironic, isn’t it? Politically correct NPR defending a religion noted for intolerance of nonbelievers, oppression of women, and persecution of homosexuals.
- Schnezana
  
  Yes, Robert it is sickeningly ironic! God save us from Political Correctness!
TerrifficTerry

Spencer is really a FRAUD!. Here is the proof, straight from his book where he edits the Quran to suit his purpose: (Page 161 of Spencer’s 2006 book, “The Truth about Muhammad”).“If they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. “ (Qur’an 9:4-6)–Spencer, Robert (2006) The Truth about Muhammad: Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion. p161Spencer then goes on to give this propaganda of an opinion to his readers on what the above passage means: “Only conversion to Islam would save the lives of the unbelievers, and only the hope that they would accept Islam would gain them mercy. “ But, is that what the Quran passage (Chapter 9, verses 4-6) really says? Spencer fraudently edits the passage to get his purpose across. The passage only refers to an event where the enemies of Muslims had broken the peace treaty and refused to hand over the culprits. Even in that defensive case, Muslims were told by God to (in verse 6 of the passage) to offer them safe passage should any of them ask for it.