In the comments below, beetlejuice suggested I take a look at Little Green Footballs. Little does s/he know, I check that site (and many others) out pretty regularly. Fox News is also essential watching for me too. I’m being completely honest here. I love trying to understand what’s going on out there in all aspects of politics. So at beetlejuice’s request, I checked out LGF this evening. What I found is what I always find on such sites…fear.
There’s this interesting fear in the right-blogosphere which worries that Muslims are going to take over the world and make us live under shari’a law. You might say Jihad Watch leads the way. (Yes, it’s real site.) From this morning:
Al-Qaida leader calls on Muslims worldwide to back Hamas with weapons, money and attacks on U.S. and Israeli interests
Here’s a golden opportunity for Ibrahim Hooper, Salam al-Marayati, and all other American Muslim spokesmen to issue a stern rebuke to al-Zawahri, condemning both Hamas and Al-Qaeda as terrorist groups and declaring that civilians in Israel are indeed innocent, as jihadists have denied, and thus must not be targeted. Ibrahim? Salam? Anyone? Anyone?
Other sites like Little Green Footballs and Michelle Malkin push this same line of fear. Specifically, they argue that the extremists of the Muslim faith represents all Muslims. When al-Zawahri, one of the original gangsta’s of the Muslim Brotherhood, speaks of taking over Gaza and turning it into terrorist a training camp, they fear this is one more front that we are going to have to fight back against in order to beat the Jihadists.
What I don’t get is why are those that propagate this fear think that extremists speak for everyone? I assume that they don’t think they are “extremist” but rather they represent a larger portion of the Muslim faith than I do, but that’s not good enough for me. Jihad Watch is calling on American Muslims, almost six years after 9/11, to publicly claim they don’t support Muslim extremist. That’s absurd.
What I think is taking place, and please challenge me on this, is that extremist Christians in the U.S. are the ones most fearful of shari’a law. Because they themselves view the world through an apocalyptic religious lens, they view Muslims as a direct threat to their Truth. Little Green Footballs has a youtube video today demonstrating how Dr. Zakir Naik believes he “know the “truth” and infidels do not.”
In my view, I don’t think anyone knows the truth. Only if you believe you know what is true would you also be threatened by someone else saying they know “the truth”.
Let me be clear…I am by no means associating this extremist ideology to Christians as a whole. Just like I don’t think al-Zawahri is representative of Muslims, I don’t believe Michelle Malkin represents Christians. But what’s taking place in the right-blogosphere is the same technique al-Zawahri uses…over exaggerate other religious motives to stroke fear in their followers.
-i-
well said.
Good one.
What a politician!
I don’t think this person knew he was dealing with a very well-read student of information from all sides.
It’s sounds like you made him actually think about the sound bites he casually threw out earlier.
And good for him as well for listening.
Having trouble mailing both yous?
new address?
send me a blank.
s