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Media Cite Professor Bagby, Not CAIR Bigshot Bagby

Would any journalist portray a BP board member, even one who also holds an academic job, as a dispassionate observer of oil and reprint his industry-aligned remarks without noting his corporate affiliation? Not likely. So why should it be acceptable for reporters to quote an Islamic studies professor regarding Islam in America, but fail to mention his roles in Islamist organizations — especially when he parrots their talking points under the guise of scholarship?

Ihsan Bagby is an associate professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky. He also sits on the board of CAIR, serves as a board member at large for ISNA, and is the general secretary of MANA — terror-stained Islamist groups, one and all. A Muslim convert who once asserted that "there is no way we can be fully committed to the institutions and ideologies of this country," he frequently appears in articles voicing views typical of CAIR, ISNA, and MANA. However, more often than not, reporters identify him by his academic title only, thus giving an Islamist perspective the air of objectivity and keeping readers in the dark about his unsavory ties.

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By David J. Rusin | August 31, 2010 at 12:54 pm | Permalink

Professor Prothero, Meet the Burqa Bandits

In a piece for USA Today on August 2, Stephen Prothero, a Boston University professor and CNN blogger, laments the burqa bans being debated in Europe and mocks those who harbor concerns — hilariously unfounded in his view — about the "possibility of cross-dressing criminals concealed behind burqas starting a spate of bank robberies from London to Rome." "To paraphrase The Shadow," he writes, "who knows what evil lurks behind the jihab?"

"Possibility"? Besides failing to enlighten readers about what a "jihab" is, Prothero blissfully ignores the litany of terrorist attacks and mundane crimes, including many "from London to Rome," carried out by men in face-covering Islamic veils and compiled by Daniel Pipes. More unfortunate for Prothero's article, two stories appeared soon after to underscore the security threat of burqas and niqabs — and to demonstrate the danger right here in the U.S.

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By David J. Rusin | August 27, 2010 at 10:30 am | Permalink

The Ground Zero Mosque: Counterproductive to Islamists?

Raymond Ibrahim recently published a thoughtful piece asserting that Cordoba House / Park51, the planned Islamic center near Ground Zero, will be counterproductive to Islamists by bringing unwanted notice to them and their goals. Even now, he argues, stories peppered with words like "jihad" and "Shari'a" are inspiring people "to wonder what all the ruckus is about" and to look more deeply into Islamists' stealth campaign, thus slowly undermining it. Ibrahim concludes:

Based on the amount of controversy it has already generated, there is reason to believe that it will be a permanent source of attention, provocation, and scrutiny — that is, a permanent Achilles' heel for the Islamist movement.

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By David J. Rusin | August 20, 2010 at 11:17 am | Permalink

CAIR Becomes a Political Hot Potato

In a saner world, the terrorist ties and Islamist agenda of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) would render it politically untouchable, with candidates for office shunning the organization and chastising those rare opponents who back it. Controversies from two ongoing election campaigns offer provocative hints that such a world may be closer to reality.

First, Kevin Calvey, a Republican running for one of Oklahoma's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, proudly refused a $25 personal donation from CAIR's statewide executive director Razi Hashmi (misspelled at the above link). Why? Because Calvey has taken the time to educate himself about the group's history, such as its status as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial, in which five defendants — including an original board member of CAIR's Texas chapter — were convicted of funneling money to Hamas. Calvey summarized his views of CAIR in this refreshingly blunt manner:

I haven't met with them, nor will I. CAIR is the moral equivalent of the Ku Klux Klan. I wouldn't meet with them either.

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By David J. Rusin | August 6, 2010 at 12:31 pm | Permalink

Ramadan Controversies Start Early

The new moon that signals the dawn of Ramadan remains a week and a half away, but wrangling over accommodations during the Islamic holy month is already in full swing.

First, the city council of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England, has offered guidance to schools regarding Muslim students who partake of the daytime fast covering both food and drink. Believe it or not, its official recommendations are cribbed from Towards Greater Understanding, a brazenly Islamist document on "meeting the needs of Muslim pupils in state schools," issued in 2007 by the increasingly radical Muslim Council of Britain.

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By David J. Rusin | July 30, 2010 at 10:35 am | Permalink

Pandering to Muslims at Taxpayer Expense

Western governments may be swimming in red ink, but there has been no slowdown in public resources being devoted to placating Muslims and conducting comical exercises in multicultural outreach. A few recent lowlights spanning three countries:

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By David J. Rusin | July 26, 2010 at 10:47 am | Permalink

Self-Censorship: Et Tu, Penn Jillette?

The path to self-censorship now runs through Las Vegas. Last month, a magazine named Penn Jillette — half of Penn and Teller, the duo known for their hybrid magic-comedy act and their sacred-cow-goring TV series — as the celeb who most personifies that city. In the accompanying interview, however, Jillette's damn-the-torpedoes, truth-telling image falls apart faster than an ill-conceived Vegas wedding when he reveals his show's approach to religion:

Are there any groups you won't go after? We haven't tackled Scientology because Showtime doesn't want us to. Maybe they have deals with individual Scientologists — I'm not sure. And we haven't tackled Islam because we have families.

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By David J. Rusin | July 12, 2010 at 10:04 am | Permalink

The European June: Riots, Stonings, and Brawls

Islamists' long march through the West involves three interlocking campaigns, each of which can be advanced violently or nonviolently: provoking conflicts with authorities (governments, courts, police, etc.), intimidating the non-Muslim public, and bullying insufficiently radical Muslims. All three facets were on display in Europe over the past month, as tensions enabled by shortsighted policies erupted into physical altercations:

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By David J. Rusin | June 30, 2010 at 3:02 pm | Permalink

Islamic Dress and No-Win Situations

Accommodation of Islamic norms must be weighed against the cost. On the societal level, granting Muslims special privileges comes at the price of not just equality, but also cultural integrity. The tradeoffs can be more personal and immediate on smaller scales.

Consider this no-win scenario: A business owner fears that permitting Islamic garb at his establishment might leave the wearer susceptible to injury. Faced with a covered client, he has to choose between a pair of harrowing options: decline to apply the proper dress code and risk being accused of negligence, or enforce it and risk being accused of discrimination.

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By David J. Rusin | June 25, 2010 at 10:24 am | Permalink

Virgin Mary Gets Dragged into the Burqa Fray

With efforts to outlaw face-covering attire now gathering speed across the West, some Muslims have begun grasping at straws. Their desperation is reflected in the cynical attempt to turn Mary, the mother of Jesus, into a poster girl for the pro-burqa crowd.

When Amel Marmouri was fined for refusing to reveal her face to policemen in the northern Italian town of Novara, Izzedin Elzir, president of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, mused that Muslim women covered to the max are not only following the lead of the Virgin Mary, but also fortifying Western culture:

If we go and see the beautiful artistic representations of the Madonna, we see her with the veil. We don't see her semi-naked, I think.

For that reason, I believe it is the Muslims who are protecting the traditions of our country.

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By David J. Rusin | June 4, 2010 at 9:46 am | Permalink