On Monday, the St. Petersburg Times ran an article on bloggers who incite hate against Muslims. Seems these people either were picked on in high school and are now taking it out on others, or just have overblown notions of the value of their contributions to society.
The main blogger featured, Joe Kaufman, of the ironically titled Americans Against Hate, called
a Tampa Muslim religious retreat a "jihad camp for children" and wrote that the speakers were "linked to al-Qaida." [D]eath threats poured in to the Presbyterian camp hosting the event.
Even so, Joe just can't stop vilifying Muslims blogging,
"I can't let it stop me from what I'm doing. ... I'm assisting in the safety and security of the American people."
His fanatical friends feel the same way.
Robert Spencer of JihadWatch.com said his blog sometimes attracts racists. He bans them, he said.
But he won't stop blogging.
"If I give it up and go away and take up the saxophone, then what the heck is going to happen to society and to the rest of the world?" he asked.
Too bad Spencer's site appears to foster the hatred of Muslims, as witnessed by the comments celebrating the death of Muslims on Hajj.
A blogger I've had more personal experience with is Bill Levinson. Not only does he run the incredibly bizarre and horribly racist site Omdurman.org, but he also posts for Israpundit where, among other things, he plays with Photoshop and calls for the nuking of Iran, using supporting arguments such as:
Long before he became dictator of Iran, Ahmadinejad has been conducting a well-orchestrated campaign to prepare for the coming of the Mahdi or Islamic Messiah. This fits exactly the role of the Antichrist of Revelations, a messianic demagogue who will claim a divine origin or connection to rally hordes of mindless fanatics behind him.
Levinson, like Lee Kaplan, appears to have a Palestine Solidarity Movement fetish. Not content railing against them on Israpundit, he also sends student groups and university administration officials emails filled with outright lies about PSM from the address rachel_golem@hotmail.com, in an attempt to get them to cancel their events. I bet some of you have received them, too.
Nadeem Muaddi, a spokesperson for PSM, is filing a lawsuit against Levinson for some of his outrageous statements.
Finally, to bring this to a close, these few clearly aren't the only bloggers without rational thinking capabilities. Next time they're out condemning Muslims and, as it usually goes, vocally supporting Israel, ask them about the hate in this Hebrew-only news article came out on Jan. 10. A few Rabbis had choice words regarding the Palestinians. Luckily for us, peacepalestine caught it and translated it.
The (ha-mekubal) Rabbi David Bazri said:..."They are a disease, a disaster, a devil. The Arabs are asses, and the question must be asked, why did God did not create them walking on their fours? The answer is that they need to build and wash. They have no place in our school."
Hmm. I wonder why Haaretz didn't translate that one into English? Now that it's out, I wonder if any of these bloggers who are against "hate" will denounce such a statement. Or instead, will they post it with glee while their commenters celebrate?
1/20 UPDATE: A couple more haters are being (self-)nominated to the list - LGF, of course, and Islam is the Problem. (He's a professional, don't ya know?)
And on the topic of Lee Kaplan, a group he sits on the advisory board of, the Bruin Alumni Association, made news today by launching a Campus Watch-esque campaign against "radical" professors at UCLA.
Haters who hate hate. I love it. That Omdurman is something else!...
"Hitler is back and he is wearing a headscarf"
Posted by: comandante agi | January 19, 2006 at 11:00 PM
If you're going to fault someone for comments other people leave on their blog, you better remember the Nazi traffic through your own department.
Posted by: Womble | January 20, 2006 at 04:51 AM
I wrote a couple of posts on my blog in June about Lee Kaplan and some of his co-goons. Various "anonymous" people, all of whom write exactly like Kaplan (including the use of specific phrases, like "you talk in ellipses"), responded with all sorts of nasty comments. Have you ever met Kaplan in person, Scott? I had the displeasure of sitting next to him once while he disrupted a panel of Israeli refuseniks as a stunt for some trashy Arutz Sheva radio show.
Posted by: Ehud | January 20, 2006 at 11:01 AM
ever thought about focusing on islamic sites that focus on preaching hate against the west?
just wondering.
Posted by: moonbat monitor | January 20, 2006 at 11:17 AM
theres already plenty enough of those sites Moonbat Moniturd,
Visit the always creepy Little Green Footballs for more hate if thats what youre looking for.
Posted by: Pablo | January 20, 2006 at 12:59 PM
Womble, it's not nearly the same thing. I have refuted and denounced the Nazis, as opposed to fostering their hate, as Spencer and others do.
Hi Ehud. Glad that you've taken on Kaplan. He needs to be exposed. I haven't met him - thankfully - but have friends who have - including his appearance in blackface at the PSM conference.
As Pablo noted, folks should check out LGF as a prime example of blogging hatred. The good folks at LGF Watch have pointed out I failed to mention Charles in my post. He shouldn't escape any mention when it comes to fomenting hatred of all things Arab and/or Muslim.
Posted by: scott | January 20, 2006 at 04:18 PM
I've gotta confess that I am one of those who blog "hate" against Muslims. Contrary to notions that I was "picked on in high school and [am] now taking it out on others, or just have overblown notions of the value of [his] contributions to society" I am a professional who is genuinely concerned about this vile belief system becoming more entrenched in this world and in my country.
Islam is clearly not in the same league or importance as any other religion in the world. While I disapprove of Islam and look forward to doing all in my power to rid it from my country and my world, I am not a racist. I disapprove of anyone who affiliates themselves with an Islamic organization regardless of their sex, race, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Posted by: Rob | January 20, 2006 at 10:09 PM
It's really getting hard to tell what's satire.
Rob's a professional therefore his bigoted opinions are validated?
No Rob if anything it makes you more of a slimeball.
And for the record, it's not just your fucking country, bitch.
Posted by: elemental | January 20, 2006 at 10:16 PM
Rob,
The Crusaders tried, they failed.
So, the problem is Islam,urgh?The very religion that set the vanguard for Western Civilization.Oucch, that would make you go wild. Islam is evil,for you, nothing less and nothing more.They killed people.But,what about us?
Oh,did you take a look what we have done in Vietnam and the list my fren, goes on.
Western Civilization in not built by reference to Bible,if we did, we are doomed.
Imagine how many Muslims are spewing this: Americans hate us because of our religion,they all came to kill us in the name of terror.We should stop them now.
Sure, those Muslims just like you, hmmm,i surmise, are not racists. Just another concern believer of one's faith.
Posted by: another person | January 20, 2006 at 10:59 PM
I have to add:
Rob wrote: While I disapprove of Islam and look forward to doing all in my power to rid it from my country and my world, I am not a racist. I disapprove of anyone who affiliates themselves with an Islamic organization regardless of their sex, race, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Well, we now one valuable candidate to be an american insurgent.Minuteman,hire him now.
Posted by: | January 20, 2006 at 11:04 PM
Well, we now HAVE one valuable candidate to be an american insurgent.Minuteman,hire him now.
better yet Rob, why aren't you in Iraq and killing the Muslims ?If you have fetish seeing Islam ceased to exist,Iraq will be a trampoline to hop in.
I shudder to think what's inside your cortex.
Posted by: | January 20, 2006 at 11:11 PM
Apparently non-racist professionals who blog against Islam write professional blog entries such as "More fun with retards in Iran."
So what are you a professional of? Ignorance? Bigotry? Intolerance?
Indeed, you should go join the Minutemen, or the military, or why don't you just be an army of one and go invade Iran by yourself?
Posted by: scott | January 21, 2006 at 02:10 AM
While I disapprove of Islam and look forward to doing all in my power to rid it from my country
Rob, you might not be familiar with this:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Racist or not, you're still an unAmerican little twit.
Posted by: Stanley W. Rogouski | January 21, 2006 at 11:05 AM
Using the "I'm not a racist because Islam is not a race" excuse still makes you a bigot and an asshole Rob.
Posted by: elemental | January 21, 2006 at 03:01 PM
Rob, Islam ISN'T a race, but it might as well be, because not one Muslim population has ever abandoned Islam. French colonial rule didn't destroy Islam in Algeria, Tsarist and Soviet colonial rule didn't destroy Islam in Central Asia, and the Spanish only eliminated Islam from their own country by outright ethnic cleansing.
Posted by: George Carty | January 22, 2006 at 08:59 AM
About Bill Levinson, I think it is bizarre that he, a Jew, should prominently celebrate the Christian victory at Tours.
Better a dhimmi, than a Jew in medieval Christendom. Today's West is only tolerant because it is secular.
Posted by: George Carty | January 22, 2006 at 09:09 AM
It seems I have created quite a stir. ;-)
Let me respond to some of the points raised:
Islam is not the "vanguard for Western Civilization." I have heard that before, but I disagree. Islamic countries by and large are poor and backward. There is not much you can do in a tent in the middle of the desert. Muslim contributions to the world are strikingly minimal. Supplying the world with gaudy rugs and giant copper bongs does not make a major impact on world culture.
I do not want to go and kill Muslims. I want them to discard their poorly-conceived beliefs and habits. I do think, however, that we are being soft on Muslims in Iraq. We forced Japan to modernize after WW2, we need to do the same in Iraq.
Yes, the Iranian leadership is "retarded." ;-D Anyone who seriously doubts the Holocaust is retarded (or is the PC word "developmentally disabled"?).
Stanley, I am not asking the U.S. government to establish anti-Islamic practices. That ought to be left up to the people. If you saw a klansman shopping at a store in his white sheet, you would tell him that he is acting inappropriately. Similarly, if a woman wears a black sheet over herself, it is appropriate to tell her that her expression of belief is inappropriate as well. (BTW -- yes I have told Muslims that it is not appropriate to dress like terrorists in this country.)
You are right George, Islam is quite the stubborn pest throughout history. I suggest healthy doses or ridicule and reeducation of Muslims to see to it that it does not get more of a hold in this country than it already has.
Posted by: Rob | January 22, 2006 at 08:19 PM
I do not want to go and kill Muslims. I want them to discard their poorly-conceived beliefs and habits. I do think, however, that we are being soft on Muslims in Iraq. We forced Japan to modernize after WW2, we need to do the same in Iraq.
What do you mean about "forcing Japan to modernize"? I always thought Japan "modernized" during the Meiji era, not during the American occupation.
Anyway, comparing Iraq today with post-WWII Germany and Japan is a false analogy. Firstly, we haven't inflicted anything like as much devastation on Iraq as we did on Germany and Japan. Massive deliberate attacks on German and Japanese civilians could be viewed as morally justified because the Nazis and Japanese militarists were highly popular in their own countries and had inflicted horrific suffering on foreigners (barbaric Nazi occupation of Poland, bombing of Rotterdam, bombing of Coventry, siege of Leningrad, battle of Stalingrad, Rape of Nanking, Bataan Death March).
By contrast Saddam Hussein was a thug who slaughtered his way to power, ruled a sullen Iraqi people by fear alone, and only launched wars against Iran (an Islamist theocracy which at the time had almost no friends in the west) and against Kuwait (an itty-bitty state carved artificially out of Iraq by Western imperialists). If we had carpet-bombed Iraqi civilians world opinion would have compared us to the Axis aggressors, not to the Allies responding to Axis aggression.
Secondly, the Germans and Japanese post-WWII couldn't possibly turn against the Anglo-Americans without tossing themselves into Stalin's jaws, while in Iraq there is no enemy scary enough to the Iraqi people to make them accept American occupation as a lesser evil.
Posted by: George Carty | January 23, 2006 at 03:57 AM
Islam is not the "vanguard for Western Civilization." I have heard that before, but I disagree. Islamic countries by and large are poor and backward. There is not much you can do in a tent in the middle of the desert. Muslim contributions to the world are strikingly minimal. Supplying the world with gaudy rugs and giant copper bongs does not make a major impact on world culture.
That poses a thought-experiment. If the Muslims had had Western Europe and the Christians had had the Middle East, who would have gone on to dominate the world? I suspect the Muslims...
Posted by: George Carty | January 23, 2006 at 04:02 AM
Stanley, I am not asking the U.S. government to establish anti-Islamic practices. That ought to be left up to the people. If you saw a klansman shopping at a store in his white sheet, you would tell him that he is acting inappropriately. Similarly, if a woman wears a black sheet over herself, it is appropriate to tell her that her expression of belief is inappropriate as well. (BTW -- yes I have told Muslims that it is not appropriate to dress like terrorists in this country.)
Rob,
try saying that to my Muslim friends,they'll kick your crotch till you bleed.
some people need to teach you a lesson on how to behave. If a Muslim woman chooses to wear a hijab, shouldn't it be her choice?If our nuns can wear clothes like terrorists in our churches, why the Muslim women can't do the same?
Rob, just shut up.you make me so mad that I just want to kick your ass.
Posted by: another person | January 24, 2006 at 03:17 PM
Tut, tut, tut...poor (sideshow) Bob, sorry, I mean Rob...you are obviously a tragic victim of a cultural superiority complex. Your vast array of laugh-a-minute hysterical comments makes me wonder whether you just want to provoke or whether you firmly believe what you say...One prime example: "Islam is not the "vanguard for Western Civilization." I have heard that before, but I disagree. Islamic countries by and large are poor and backward. There is not much you can do in a tent in the middle of the desert. Muslim contributions to the world are strikingly minimal. Supplying the world with gaudy rugs and giant copper bongs does not make a major impact on world culture."
Here you fall into so many traps, suga-pie,it is going to be hard to try to extricate you from them, but let me try to help you out of just one of them...Rob, the point made was that Islam WAS at the vanguard of Western Civilisation, not IS...which historically cannot be denied. If you still want to insist on your strange unreferenced belief that history was otherwise, I suggest you immediately start finding yourself an alternative numerical system, because the numbers WE civilised people in THE WEST use were a direct contribution to "Western Civilisation" by Muslim mathematics back in the day (or maybe you'd like to claim that this did "not make a major impact on world culture."????) ... If you claim that in this day and age, the US is supposedly flying the flag of "Western civilisation" (especially in Iraq and Afghanistan), then I think we have a definition problem here... I would say that the government of YOUR country (as you so put it)are at the vanguard of Western Barbarity, because there is nothing civilised about what they are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan (overtly and in many other places around the world in recent years, covertly)
I would be interested to know in fact what your definition of Western Civilisation is...
Posted by: maconami | January 24, 2006 at 06:35 PM
On the subject of numerals, why are the numerals used in the West known as Arabic numerals, when most Arabs use a different set of symbols?
The basic idea of positional base-10 notation was a Hindu one, while the specific forms of numerals used in the West had their origins in al-Andalus. Should we really be calling them "Andalusian numerals"?
Posted by: George Carty | January 25, 2006 at 05:53 AM