Is the recent “Islamophobia” in America an episode of media gone wild or an indicator that America is becoming increasingly xenophobic?
If you’ve been keeping up with 24-hour news, you probably heard all about the back and forth this weekend of a particular Florida church’s threats to burn Qurans unless the “Ground Zero mosque” was relocated.
The big question here is how this became such a media firestorm in the first place, culminating in a recent CNN poll that reports a staggering 68 percent of Americans oppose the construction of the mosque.
Few seem to care that a mosque already exists within the same proximity of Ground Zero as the proposed Cordoba House (the true name of the “Ground Zero mosque”), or that the lead organizer of Cordoba, Imam Abdul Feisal Rauf, worked with the Bush administration to improve relations with Muslims abroad.
Salon.com’s Justin Elliott examined how the “Ground Zero mosque” came to dominate headlines in his Aug. 16 column.
He reveals how the mosque initially was not a controversial topic at all. The New York Times ran an article on the mosque in December 2009, to no uproar.
Later that month, guest host of Fox News’s “The O’Reilly Factor,” Laura Ingraham, even voiced support for it. Yes, Fox News once supported the Cordoba House.
Islamophobia was finally given center stage in mainstream media five months later when New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser gave voice to crazy conservative activist, Pamela Geller. We say crazy because she is a well-known conspiracy theorist who has even speculated that Malcolm X is President Barack Obama’s father.
Geller, the leader of a self-described “human-rights” group, Stop Islamization of America, had encouraged readers of her blog to call the mayor of New York and the organizers of the Cordoba House and express opposition to the mosque.
The New York Post’s coverage of Geller’s efforts paved the way for mainstream media coverage of the contrived controversy when conservative leaders like Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani began using the issue as political leverage.
Where does Quran burning enter the picture? Jason Linkins of the Huffington Post argues in his Sept. 10 blog that the media jumped on this story “because of the shame” that media producers felt at “telling both sides of the story,” because this simply resulted in increasing marginalization of America’s Muslims.
To prove that America is not made up of Islamophobes, they gave pastor Terry Jones, the instigator of Quran burning, the spotlight, because everyone could agree that this man is a bigot.
However, this simply allowed those who opposed the mosque in the first place a chance to redeem themselves. When Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck condemned Quran burning, they somehow used the issue to defend their opposition to the mosque, claiming the two are equal.
The two actions aren’t equal though. The mosque is being built by moderate Muslims who oppose extremism. Quran burning is extremism.
With his media-engineered fame, Jones began bargaining with Rauf, lying at first that the Imam had agreed to move the planned mosque in exchange for the cancellation of the Quran burning.
Rauf of course had not agreed with this, and Jones threatened to carry on with burning the holy book.
It finally took remarks from the president himself and a personal call from Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stop the madness.
Now that the anniversary of Sept. 11 has passed, not without its share of protestors on both sides of the mosque issue, and Jones has promised he won’t ever burn Qurans, we can only hope the fervor of Islamophobia will fade from mainstream media. If it doesn’t, then it would seem America is headed down a bleak path of increasing xenophobia.
Immanuel Wallerstein, a senior research scholar at Yale University, writes in a Sept. 1 commentary that xenophobia often occurs during hard economic times, because populist groups fear the values of their country are “in decline.”
Will Islamophobia die down when the economy improves and America is once again far more powerful than every country in the world?
Wallerstein concludes that the only way to combat xenophobia is if citizens and leaders truly “embrace egalitarian values, including the right of all kinds of communities to observe their autonomy.”
This is a difficult position to take, but as Wallerstein puts it, “it is probably the only one that offers any long-term hope for humanity’s survival.”
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Arafat 1 year, 8 months ago
Definition of Islamophobia: A non-Muslim who has studied Islam.
dio 1 year, 8 months ago
@Arafat,
mustafa is afflicted with an acute mental derangement, maybe paranoid schizophrenia. He has been trolling here for at least a couple of years, as well as sending quite a few uncalled threats by PMs himself.
Anyway, I made a Greasemonkey script that automagically blast his comments away from the OU Daily's website. I am pleased to inform you that I am going to add your name on it.
Anon 1 year, 8 months ago
Please, Daily, get it right: the "Ground Zero Mosque" is not called "Cordoba House," it is "Park51." There was a huge backlash against naming it the Cordoba House, and so it was renamed to give it a New York name for a New York place. Park51, not Cordoba House, not Ground Zero Mosque.
braceyourself 1 year, 8 months ago
Hey Mustafa,
You might sound more credible crying about the fact that I'm a "bully" if you didn't attack EVERY single group of people that's not just like you. Stop being a jerk to EVERYONE, and maybe you won't have so many people that can't stand you.
mustafa 1 year, 8 months ago
The Mosque At Ground is how the Islamics view it and that is how Raul is selling it to them. Is presence is meant as an insult.
Moslums unfortunately cannot be trusted not to lie.
As far as people like Beck and O'Rielly be giving a chance to take political cover, it doesn't explain the incredible zeal they showing in attacking this man. They go on and on, using long stings of vile name on this man. It is like they are obsessed. Even after the pastor called the burning they still laid it on with a trowl.
This hasn't been a religion friendly country for 60 years. It should stay that way, especially for this uncivilized pseudo-religion.
We should be calling for a showdown with Islam rather that all this appeasement.
chas036 1 year, 8 months ago
When Saudi Arabia allows a christian church or Jewish temple to be built in Mecca, then we will allow a mosque in NYC. Case closed!
mythman 1 year, 8 months ago
chas036,
Why would we want to follow the example of Saudi Arabia?
Flips88 1 year, 8 months ago
@Mustafa,
If you're so comfortable being a massive anti-Muslim, homophobic bigot, why not proudly tell us who you are, instead of being able to hide behind the cloak of anonymity. If you're proud of your views, you shouldn't be afraid to announce your name to us all.
eightbitgirl 1 year, 8 months ago
What's funny is that mustafa himself is Muslim.
chas, there are already plenty of mosques in NYC so I'm not quite sure where you're going with this.
braceyourself 1 year, 8 months ago
Mustafa just made a physical threat of violence. Please ban him from the message boards or take appropriate legal action, as you (OUDaily) have his email address.
mustafa 1 year, 8 months ago
Flip88- Like the others you look past what I've said and call names. I should reveal my identity to sc8m like you, who would then attack me or my property from the safety of anonymity?
Send ma a PM. I'll make it possible for you meet me. Whether you're male or female, I'll make you regret the day you drop out of your mother.
mustafa 1 year, 8 months ago
Braceyourself-You're like a typical bully. You act all tough, but when someone stands up to you go running to the teacher or to the cops claiming your some kind of victim.
There is absolutly no way you or anyone could show that my remarks were aimed at anyone in particular or that they necessarily would involve physical violence. You're a gutless weakling in politics and no doubt in real life.
Now go quiver in the corner because the big bad man spoke mean to you.
This is not a religion friendly country. Who says different?
braceyourself 1 year, 8 months ago
OUDaily-
You are willing to remove the comment containing the threat of physical violence, but you're not willing to ban someone from the boards that has threatened someone's well-being. All this did was remove any evidence of your indiscretion in filtering/moderating. Please take APPROPRIATE action and remove him from the boards. His hate speech and threats doesn't belong here, and it gives OU a bad name.
braceyourself 1 year, 8 months ago
OUDaily-
This...
"It should stay that way, especially for this uncivilized pseudo-religion."
...IS NOT OKAY. BY ALLOWING THESE COMMENTS, YOU ARE FOSTERING HATE SPEECH AND ENCOURAGING VIOLENCE.
dargus 1 year, 8 months ago
If mustafa really is a Muslim, we'd better see what books he's checked out of the library. Given the threat, it seems the only safe thing to do.
mustafa 1 year, 8 months ago
I'm told to give my anonymity by people who refuse to give theirs. Does that mean your not proud of your views. By and large I say things that I said on newspaper opinion pages.
Why don't we demand the Daily get rid of all pseudonyms. I'll still post here, will you?
One thing I said repeated is that typical liberals think they are loved and admired even by those they abuse and persecute.
You're not. You are hated, especially for what you are doing to the country since you elected Obama. I predicted last week if you are finally successful at bring down this country, either by destroying the economy or opening us up to another attack, a reign of terror will sweep the land with liberals as the chief target.
Look around you there is plenty of evidence that people are preparing for some cataclysmic occurrence. Are you Red Dirt Ready?
Arafat 1 year, 8 months ago
One compelling reason Mustafa should not post under his real name is because of likely threats leveled against him.
Many former Muslims (apostates) and many westerners who criticize Islam have been threatened by Muslims, and some have been killed by Muslims. Salman Rushdie is the most visibile example of a former Muslim who has spoken out against Islam and now lives under 24/7 security. Theo Van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim for publicly criticizing Islam.
One of the ways Islam controls people is the threat of physical violence which was a weapon first used by Mohammed.
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/012-apostasy.htm
mustafa 1 year, 8 months ago
I've lost count of the number of time I've heard liberals wish someone would shoot Limbaugh, Beck, Palin or some other person. They spent eight years in an orgasms of hatred against George Bush. Then they think their excrement does not stink. The rising political animosity in the country is of their making.
mustafa 1 year, 8 months ago
dio- talk about denial. It is never the fault of your liberal beliefs, there is always some other reason why people hate you. Your party massively betrays the public trust yet mental defectives like you can't understand where the anger comes from.
Arafat 1 year, 8 months ago
Guess which one of the following men were Islamophobes?
a) William Gladstone b) Patriarch Cyrus of Alexandria c) Gregory Palamus of Thessalonica d) John Quincy Adams e) All of the above
Answer: (e) See following posts for proof
Arafat 1 year, 8 months ago
“Qur’an… an accursed book… So long as there is this book there will be no peace in the world.” —William Gladstone (1809-1898) Prime Minister of Great Britain 1868 – 1894
Patriarch Cyrus of Alexandria on Islam "I am afraid that God has sent these men to lay waste the world".
Gregory Palamus of Thessalonica on Islam "For these impious people, hated by God and infamous, boast of having got the better of the Romans by their love of God...they live by the bow, the sword and debauchery, finding pleasure in taking slaves, devoting themselves to murder, pillage, spoil and not only do they commit these crimes, but even - what an aberration - they believe that God approves of them. This is what I think of them, now that I know precisely about their way of life."
John Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy Adams on Islam "The precept of the Koran is, perpetual war against all who deny, that Mahomet is the prophet of God. The vanquished may purchase their lives, by the payment of tribute; the victorious may be appeased by a false and delusive promise of peace; and the faithful follower of the prophet, may submit to the imperious necessities of defeat: but the command to propagate the Moslem creed by the sword is always obligatory, when it can be made effective. The commands of the prophet may be performed alike, by fraud, or by force."
mustafa 1 year, 8 months ago
You demand to have me banned which isn't really possible, You want me charged with crimes because I frightened you with mere words?
You selected "braceyourself" as your handle? Is that suppose to imply that you have a nack for provocative caustic remarks? Is that you? So far you've only whined and wet yourself. Using words I can make you load your pants every time.