Sunday, August 22, 2010

Are protests against the building of the Islamic cultural center in New York inflaming Islamic radicals overseas?

From the Wall Street Journal:

Islamic radicals are seizing on protests against a planned Islamic community center near Manhattan's Ground Zero and anti-Muslim rhetoric elsewhere as a propaganda opportunity and are stepping up anti-U.S. chatter and threats on their websites.

One jihadist site vowed to conduct suicide bombings in Florida to avenge a threatened Koran burning, while others predicted an increase in terrorist recruits as a result of such actions.

"By Allah, the wars are heated and you Americans are the ones who…enflamed it," says one such posting. "By Allah you will be the first to taste its flames."

A U.S. official on Sunday said the administration was taking the upswing in anti-U.S. chatter seriously. "Terrorists like al-Qaeda and its violent allies are motivated already to try to attack the United States, but when it comes to propaganda, extremists are pure opportunists. They'll use whatever they can," the official said.

Many opponents of the planned Muslim community center say they have no bias against Muslims but that putting the building so close to Ground Zero shows an insensitivity toward the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Jarret Brachman, director of Cronus Global, a security consulting firm, and author of the book Global Jihadism, said al Qaeda and other groups have long used imagery from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to recruit new members. But the U.S. position has been that those wars are not against Islam and that the U.S. has Muslim allies in the fight.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric in the U.S is different, since jihadists can use Americans' words to make the case that the U.S. is indeed at war with Islam. The violent postings are not just on al Qaeda-linked websites but on prominent, mainstream Muslim chat forums, Mr. Brachman said.

The most violent threats stem not from the debate over the Islamic center but more fringe issues, such as a declaration by Terry Jones, pastor at the Dove World Outreach Center, a mega-church in Gainesville, Fla., that Sept. 11 be an "International Burn a Koran Day."

As cynical as this sounds I am becoming more, and more convinced that if this protest were to result in an actual terrorist plot being carried out in this country by somebody calling themselves a Muslim it would play right into the hands of the conservative right.

If there IS an attack the radical right wing will get what they want by creating a religious war that will satisfy their desire to use America's military might to force democracy down the throats of Islamic countries, and the radical Islamics will get what they want by provoking the United States into attacking their people and proving once adn for all that Christians want to stamp out their religious beliefs.

The losers are the military families caught in the middle who are forced to, once again, risk the sacrifice of their loved ones because of the intolerance and hateful rhetoric of a few on the fringe in BOTH religions.

27 comments:

  1. To answer your headline question. . . most likely, yes.

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  2. Anonymous7:05 PM

    Another 9/11. By the GOP again.

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  3. Anonymous7:14 PM

    Around the world, you only have to show clips of these anti-muslim protesters and it's clear that America's "We're not at war with Islam" is 100% bullshit.

    This is great PR material for the Taleban, Iraq, and anywhere else where we pretended to sell the message of tolerance and peddled the crap about wanting to win "hearts and minds".

    The Park 51 protesters have done US military people overseas in action no favors. In fact, they've made their jobs more dangerous.

    Be happy you rubes. You even voted down health care benefits to the first responders on your "Hallowed ground".

    America and it's ugly history.

    The Blacks
    The Jews
    The Japanese
    The Catholics

    ..why did I think the Muslims would be any different.

    Sadly, this story will not end well.

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  4. You hit the nail on the head: these idiots want a religious war.

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  5. I look at that picture, hundreds of protesters inflamed at something they don't know anything about, fueled by hate and ignorance ....... imagine for a moment what a great propaganda tool this is for those who are looking for justification to 'do something'.

    These protesters would say they are not 'violent' .... true enough.

    In the same way that an abusive spouse/parent doesn't consider verbal abuse to be 'abuse' if there is no physical threat.

    Ask a victim of years of verbal abuse if it's less harmful, less demeaning, less frightening, less stressful than a smack across the face.

    That picture shows an intolerant, ignorant side of America that can only hurt its message to the very people it wants to convince are mistaken about America.

    ......... it's a sad day, seeing this.

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  6. Mary in San Antonio7:25 PM

    All this cr*p about "hallowed ground" at a proposed Islamic community center is getting out of hand. Why is no one protesting the office building that is actually being built at Ground Zero? Hmmmm....that would be more likely to be hallowed ground rather than a site two city blocks away. And office building compared to mosque? Capitalism versus religion. Just sayin'...

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  7. Anonymous7:32 PM

    And don't forget that the right wing has long been talking about wishing another terror attack so that they can bring down President Obama ("He didn't keep us safe!).
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQJVhNH99c

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  8. Anonymous7:38 PM

    The attack on 9-11 did more than kill innocent people. It has inadvertently toppled one of the largest economies with its wars of retaliation.

    Whoever planned 9-11 got way more than they planned & if a religious war erupts, it is just icing on the cake.

    Ms. Palin is a tool in all of this. She has fallen right into their hands. Maybe someday she can ditch Todd & ride off into the sunset with her Saudi Prince.

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  9. This country can easily return to the days of lynching,, thanks to Palin and her ilk who ramp up the hatred.

    The anti-mosque protest today at ground zero shows a large crowd, all white. A black man walked by (on his way to work) and the mob surrounded and threatened him - his "crime" was that the HATRIOTS said he looked Muslim", due to his dark skin.

    Film is here:

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/8/22/895420/-Anti-Park51ers-threaten-black-man-in-hat-for-looking-Muslim

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  10. Anonymous7:50 PM

    Gryphen you should post this as well.

    The Screeching, Fire-Eating Mob

    "This video is disgraceful and makes me ashamed to be an American. Here we see a throng of ignorant fire-eaters protesting against Park 51 and subsequently accosting an African-American man who made the mistake of looking vaguely "Muslim-ish" (John Cole's word)."

    http://www.bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2010/08/the_screeching.html

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  11. Well, of course it's a rightwing plot against Obama.

    First fan the flames of intolerance, cause the terrorists to strike on Obama's watch, then proclaim that Obama can't keep our country safe.

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  12. Unfortunately I agree with you. Some, in the military, and the right wing have already called this a crusade to wipe out Islam. The two sides extremists appear to be just itching for a fight. It we don't damp down our side, we could be in for real trouble.

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  13. Anonymous8:00 PM

    Is the whole issue DESIGNED to inflame Islamic radicals against the USA?

    You betcha!

    What the F do you think this is all about?

    The industrial military complexc and the christain extermists are out to bring about the end of the world as we know it....all in the name of God.

    Little do they realize that these things are not directed by mere humans....the supreme being makes those decisions not them or us. May they be forgiven for their sins.

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  14. Erica from Texas8:12 PM

    Whether we like it or not Muslims have the same rights as any other religion.Anybody that tries to violently prevent or intimidate our citizens from having this freedom is a terrorist.I am very concerned about this insanity.
    The US Constitution Amendment 1 Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.
    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.

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  15. Anonymous8:30 PM

    Paid to protest.

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  16. Anonymous8:40 PM

    I have tried not to hate her, but now I do. Damn Sarah Palin.

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  17. Anonymous12:31 AM

    Hey Sarah, if an attack happens, it will be YOUR fault, blood will be on your hands.

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  18. Anonymous3:18 AM

    I was talking with a neighbor the other night and he was spewing Glenn Beck chalkboard BS. I didn't get irate until he stood up, pointed his bigoted, "Christian," Republican finger in my liberal face and said "I oughta slap you." Then I lost my fucking mind and called him everything but a man. Then he pulls the I was in the service card and fought for my country thing, which frankly, I suspect is a total line of shit (my suspicion arose when he started telling me all the people he killed while shaking his finger in my face).
    Two dudes had to put him in his seat and stop the conversation. They asked me if I was out of my mind, a 5'5" woman facing off a
    6'5" crazy guy. Yeah, maybe, but when this f-er stuck his finger in my face I wasn't backing down.
    Violence & intimidation is always their answer when you disagree. This honey doesn't take that very well. He can smack me if he wants but he can't make me agree through violence and intimidation. Ever.
    Sarah and her cronies can eat that, because Democrats can reload, too. Suck on that barrel Republitards!

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  19. Anonymous3:26 AM

    Absolutely, and it is deep and abiding shame that extremists in our own country will bring us down.

    I believe we could honestly define these protesters as traitors to the standards and ideals America is supposed to represent.

    Where are the political leaders who have something to lose stepping up to denounce this?

    These protesters, behaving as they are, are desecrating the "hallowed ground" they supposedly are there to save.

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  20. Anonymous3:26 AM

    If they had just been able to build the Community Center without the media attention, I doubt anyone would have noticed. New Yorkers would have walked past it daily without feeling "stabbed in the heart".

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  21. Anonymous3:46 AM

    Maybe those scary Muslims will decide to sell their oil to China , Russia, India or Brazil rather than the US.

    Maybe those scary Muslims will stop buying our Treasury Bonds that allow the US to fund pointless wars.

    These rubes don't realize that actions have consequences.

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  22. Anonymous4:11 AM

    This isn't a stand alone.

    What do you think Becky's "rally" at the MLK Memorial is all about?

    The rightwing should all be wearing white sheets and pointy hats.

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  23. Anonymous4:44 AM

    "... the pox on both their houses..."
    make that all three of them!
    The fanatics of all three paternalistic religions are used by the international financial power elite to the detriment of all of those not in that vicious circle.
    Democracy cannot be forced down nations' collective throats. Invasions merely result in changes at the top to the benefit of the victors, which at this time appear to be the overall Global Corporate Interests. Religions and governments historically have been used as tools to achieve the goals of the shadowy puppeteers behind the curtains who pull the strings of the events of their day.
    fromthediagonal

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  24. Anonymous4:56 AM

    Very glad to say that the "fastest growing religion" are people who no longer want to have anything to do with organized religion.

    Jesus would have nothing to do with these hateful people.

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  25. To Anonymous @7:14. Blacks? Jews? Japanese? Catholics? Didn't the U. S. government practice first on Indians? [some of whom were Catholic as well]

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  26. Anonymous5:20 AM

    I'd like to hear the Subliminal Message Man's (Kevin Nealon's SNL character from a while back) take on this whole "I recognize your rights but not here, not now" meme.

    For instance, wouldn't he say something like this --- "I recognize your rights (have to because those damn Founding Fathers HAD to put that nonsense in there - for what reason, I don't know!) but not here, not now (like Eric Cantor in effect said 'Come on! Know your place!')".

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  27. majii1:56 PM

    Are we angry enough yet?

    I know I am.

    Time to mobilize and fund our troops for our November GOTV efforts.

    These freaks MUST be stopped.

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