Geller, Spencer, & the Cordoba House: Fear and Loathing in New York

by Sheila Musaji

Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller just can’t restrain themselves from promoting fear and hatred.  We have chronicled their views in the articles The Politically Incorrect Guide to Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller Attempts to Make a Point, Muslims Shrug.  We attempt to keep these articles updated, but these two are so prolific that doing so would require a full time staff.

In a recent jointly written article The 9/11 Mosque’s Peace Charade they continue to vent their anti-Muslim hatred.  Geller also penned a “heartfelt appeal” to Imam Feisal and Daisy Khan.  In this Islamophobic screed disguised as a courteous appeal her genuine attitudes toward Islam and Muslims show throughout.  They have been at the center of the debate about this project.

“How does this mosque honor those who were “harmed” - i.e., brutally murdered - on September 11?” Geller expanded on this in her “heartfelt appeal”.  She said “you must understand the pain this is causing for the victims who mourn their dead, for Americans who mourn their country’s losses”  And, she expanded even further in a statement at a protest against the mosque:  “Building a mosque just several blocks away from Ground Zero is an insult and an affront to every single person that was killed on 9/11, to their families, to the first responders and every concerned American who cherishes liberty, democracy and freedom.”

 
Are American Muslims not Americans who mourn our country’s losses just like all other Americans?  Are the families of the Muslim victims who died in the 9/11 attacks not mourning?  Do all of us as Americans not mourn all of the dead?  Do the Muslim victims and first responders have no value?  Are all Muslims collectively guilty for this terrible crime?  Do American Muslims not cherish liberty, democracy and freedom?

The terrorist act that brought down the World Trade Center in NYC on 9/11/2001 was a terrible tragedy for all Americans of whatever religion.  There were 2,749 victims, including 320 foreign nationals from more than 90 countries who died on 9/11.  Those who died were from all ethnic groups and religions.  The exact number of Muslim victims is unknown, but many have estimated about 300 Muslims who died on 9/11.  In this tragedy as well as in many past historical events, Muslims are a part of America.  [Note:  A list of all victims is here, more on this topic here].  The Cordoba House will honor all of the victims, Muslim and non-Muslim.

Daisy Khan has said “The center will “serve as a major platform for amplifying the silent voice of the majority of Muslims who have nothing to do with extremist ideologies.  It will counter the extremist momentum.  ...  three hundred of the victims were Muslim, that’s 10 percent of the victims.” “We are Americans too. The 9/11 tragedy hurt everybody including the Muslim community.”

“How will a mosque, the place where jihadis go for spiritual sustenance, at Ground Zero help stop jihad terrorism?” In her “heartfelt appeal” Geller calls 9/11 “the largest jihadist attack”. 

This is pure statement of hatred towards all of Islam and all Muslims.  Are they claiming that every mosque is involved in teaching extremism?  Are they claiming that on the off chance that among the worshippers who might come to any mosque over time, there might be one who was a criminal or an extremist, and that criminal might gain some “spiritual sustenance” from attending prayers, then it would be better to have no mosques? 

A mosque is a place where Muslims promoting non-violence go for spiritual sustenance.

Imam Feisal has said:  “There’s nothing like this that we know of in the United States.  This will be a community center for everyone, not just for Muslims, but non-Muslims.  ...  It’s about building an American Islamic identity, because we have second-, third-generation Muslims who don’t feel they are part of (the country).  The complaint throughout the years has been: ‘Where’s the voice of the moderate Muslims?’” Rauf said. “Well, here we are.”  He also said: “This space [Ground Zero] has very powerful symbolism in the perception of the world.  It is important for us to be stakeholders in what this symbolism means.  What better place to show that we, as Muslims, condemn the acts of 9/11 than making this stand and making this statement here. When we say it here, we will be heard.”   Ane, he said  “We are a threat to the radicals ... [Moderate Muslims] are the most articulate advocates for combating radicalism.”

The 9/11 attack was a criminal act of “HIRABA” not jihad.  The only Muslims who consider such attacks on civilians as a legitimate part of jihad are extremists.  Geller at least seems to agree with Osama bin Laden. 

In her “heartfelt appeal” Geller calls al qaeda - “the military arm of Islam”.

Al Qaeda is an extremist, political, terrorist organization that defies Islam.  To claim that Al Qaeda is a legitimate component of the religion of Islam is an insult to all Muslims.

“moderate Muslims not speaking out against terrorism”

This again shows the deep seated hatred towards Muslims that is regularly expressed by Spencer and Geller.  Muslims have clearly and regularly denounced terrorism generally, and denounced specific instances of terrorism, including 9/11.  Their voices are simply drowned out by those who see Islam as a monolith and Muslims as something like the Borg, not individual human beings.  Anyone who claims some knowledge about Islam and about the Muslim community in America is being deceptive if they refuse to acknowledge this, or if they attempt to simply dismiss all such clear statements as “taqqiyah” (lying or deception).  In this article Geller/Spencer don’t use the word taqiyyah as they do in many of their other articles but refer instead to Imam Rauf as “patently dishonest” in his public statements.  We have discussed this Taqiyyah libel against Muslims at length here in an article that includes information about Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal and theological discussions about lying.

“So anxious were they to secure the location at Ground Zero ...  It is unnerving - the deliberate speed and anxiousness that the leader of the American Society for Muslim Advancement has demonstrated in working to open a mosque at the gaping wound of Ground Zero.”

This is ludicrous.  This site was vacant and shuttered for 9 years before it was purchased with the hope of building Cordoba House.  The immediate neighborhood also currently has a strip joint, a porno house, and an off track betting parlor.  Would it be better to see the neighborhood continue its downhill slide?  On a family trip to NYC would you rather have your children exposed to pornography, gambling, and public nudity than to have a community center open to all to visit?

“Even the name of the initiative - Cordoba - speaks volumes. While Islamic Spain is held up today as a proto-multiculturalist paradise, in reality non-Muslims there suffered under the discrimination prescribed in Islamic law for dhimmis, non-believers who were subjugated as inferiors and denied equality of rights.”  In her “heartfelt appeal” she repeated this claim when she said “the name itself (evoking Islamic conquest over the West)”. 

If Spencer and Geller choose to believe in this selective version of history, that places them in a minority.  It also ignores any context of the time period.  For the time, Cordoba was strikingly more tolerant of minorities than other cities or countries.  Discrimination and inequality may have existed (as compared with 20th and 21st century standards) but even the worst case scenario meant discrimination as opposed to outright persecution and regular violent pogroms in addition to daily discrimination and inequality elsewhere, especially in Christian Europe.

”... seeing the Ground Zero mosque as a demonstration of supremacism and triumphalism.”

Actually, the Cordoba mosque in Spain was originally built as a mosque on a site which had been a Visigothic church and which was purchased by the Muslim ruler in order to build the mosque.  After the Reconquista, the mosque was turned into a church and since that time Muslims are forbidden to pray there.

Roger Boase notes in the article The Muslim Expulsion from Spain:  An Early Example of Religious and Ethnic Cleansing “According to the terms of the treaty drawn up by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492 when the Christian troops entered Granada, the new subjects of the Crown were promised that they would be allowed to preserve their mosques and religious institutions, to retain the use of their language and to continue to abide by their own laws and customs. [4]  But within the space of seven years these generous terms had been broken. When the moderate missionary approach of Hernando de Talavera (1428-1507), Archbishop of Granada, was replaced by the fanaticism of Cardinal Cisneros (1436-1518), who organised mass conversions and the burning of all religious texts in Arabic, these events resulted in the First Rebellion of the Alpujarras (1499-1500) and the assassination of one of the Cardinal’s agents. This in turn gave the Catholic Monarchs an excuse to revoke their promises. In 1499, according to Cisneros’ biographer, the Muslim religious leaders were persuaded to hand over more than 5000 priceless books with ornamental bindings, which were then consigned to the flames; only some books on medicine were spared. [5] In Andalusia after 1502, and in Valencia, Catalonia and Aragon after 1526, the Moors were given a choice between baptism and exile. For the majority, baptism was the easier and only practical option. Henceforward the Spanish Moors became theoretically New Christians and, as such, subject to the jurisdiction of the Inquisition, which had been authorised by Pope Sixtus IV in 1478.”

David Shasha notes in an article Jews and Arabs Representing One Another in Muslim Spain “As I have continually remarked in my writings, the history of Sephardic Jews remains a contested battleground of historical interpretations.  Aside from the voluminous and extensive literary, philosophical and scientific writings of Sephardic Jewry, a Jewry that in the early Middle Ages encompassed the communities of the Islamic world both East and West, there is a commonplace, everyday history of the community under Muslim rule that has been debated, in a sometimes heated manner, between its positive and negative polarities; there are scholars who have sought to link Sephardic Jewish history to the tortuous history of Gentile anti-Semitism, while others seek to isolate Sephardic Jewish history as a rare bright spot within a much larger context of (mostly) Christian Jew-hatred.”

[Note:  See also:  The Expulsion of Muslims from Spain, Professor T.B. Irving; VIDEO:  When Muslims Ruled Spain; Restoring the Andalusian-Arabic Tradition in Western Civilization: An Homage to Maria Rosa Menocal, David Shasha;  Andalusia: Finally remembering centuries of Muslims, Jews, Christians thriving together, Len Traubman]

“There is ample support for the idea that this Islamic Center is an insult to the victims of the 9/11 attacks”

It is an insult to bigots.  As Kamran Pasha noted “So when a progressive Muslim group like the Cordoba Initiative arises, its existence is problematic for the black-and-white worldview of the Islamophobes. When a Muslim group stands tall and says it rejects terrorism and wants to create an Islamic Center dedicated to building bridges of love and community between people of faiths, its existence provokes outrage. For the very presence of a progressive, peaceful mosque near Ground Zero invalidates the claim by both the Muslim fanatics and their mirror images among the anti-Muslim bigots that America and Islam are enemies.”

There is also ample support for the idea that this Islamic Center is a sign of hope - Bruce Maiman, Joshua Stanton, The Villager, two mothers of 9/11 first responders: Talat Hamdani and Adele Welty , Lynn Rasic, a spokeswoman for the National September 11 Memorial, NY Politicians including Councilman Robert Jackson, Councilwoman Margaret Chin, State Sen. Daniel Squadron, City Comptroller John Liu and Borough President Scott Stringer,  Reverend Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ, NYC Community Board, Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Mayor Bloomberg, Joe Klein, and many others approve of this project.

They bring up Imam Feisal’s statement that “Western active involvement in shaping the internal affairs of Islamic societies have contributed to the creation of terrorism done in the name of Islam.”  They twist the statement’s meaning on it’s head in order to prove that what he really said was: “In other words, stop fighting back. Let the jihadis do as they please.”

It would seem that Pat Buchanan, Ray McGovern, Graham Fuller, Doug Bandow, Glenn Greenwald, Jim Lobe, Zbigniew Brzezinski, John Pilger, and many other individuals who have attempted to understand the why behind the radicals actions, or who have suggested that there may have been some mistakes in America’s foreign policy decisions over the years, are justifying the criminal actions of the extremists and encouraging them.  TAM has a collection of articles by many individuals who have raised the same issues as Imam Abdul Rauf at Why do they hate us?. 

[Note: See also:  Why they hate us (II): How many Muslims has the U.S. killed in the past 30 years?,  Stephen M. Walt; Why they want to do us harm, Imam Zaid Shakir, Why they are at war with us, Pat Buchanan;  Answering Helen Thomas on Why, Ray McGovern; ‘Why Do They Hate Us?’, Mohsin Hamid; America’s Policy Has Consequences, Right or Wrong, Kristina M. Gronquist; A truce with Muslims, Mark LeVine; series of articles on the role of U.S. Foreign Policy and the Middle East, PBS Global Connections] 
 

“Abdul Rauf has also called Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams’ endorsement of the implementation of Sharia courts in Britain “forward thinking” - despite Sharia’s denial of basic freedoms including the freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and equality of rights of all people before the law. He has called upon Barack Obama to emphasize “the commonality of Western and Islamic values,” claiming that “if the United States lives up to the values in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and if Muslims can live up to the principles of Islamic law, then we will find we have fewer points of conflict and more common ground.” Then all will be well: “Muslims no longer will fear Western domination and the West no longer will fear Islamic expansion.”“

Geller and Spencer have spilt a lot of ink on the subject of Sharia, all of it attempting to prove that the entire concept of Sharia is something that must be rejected outright, not that it needs to be reformed. 

In an article Islamic Sharia and Jewish Halakha Arbitration Courts I have discussed this distorted view of Sharia at length and compare it with Jewish and Christian religious law.  In that article I noted Robert Spencer has found another opportunity to promote his hatred of all things Islamic.  He is vocally opposed to the building of The Cordoba House, an Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque in NYC, and appeared on the Sean Hannity program to once again suggest that any Muslim, in this case Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is not opposed to the entire concept of Sharia (Islamic law) is actually calling for “the subjugation of non-Muslims”.  Fox News own transcript of this Hannity program quotes Spencer as saying “SPENCER: Dala (sic) is Islamic proselytizing. And in the Islamic law, dala (sic) precedes jihad. You call the nonbelievers to Islam. And if they refuse to accept it, then you initiate the jihad against them. But the whole goal of both dala (sic) and jihad is to impose Islamic law or Sharia upon the nonbelievers as a political system, not as a religious one.”  Spencer shares his peculiar interpretations of Islam, the Qur’an, Dawa, Sharia, Fiqh, and all things Islamic with such “luminaries” as Osama bin Laden.  He totally rejects all Muslim attempts at reform, re-interpretation of specific texts and of particular interpretations of Sharia as either somehow not correct Islamically, or an attempt to deceive non-Muslims.”

Geller also dramatically distorted the facts about Elena Kagan’s Princeton thesis and printed a doctored photo of Kagan in a Nazi uniform in one particularly hateful recent article, and called Kagan “Sharia Compliant” in another hateful article  which falsely claimed Kagan had brought Sharia to Harvard.  Kagan, by the way, is Jewish.  Geller has also accused Obama of speaking “like an ... anti-Semitic Muslim terrorist” and claimed that he “wants Jihad to win” 

Geller and Spencer have a problem, they, like Andrew Breitbart and Tucker Carlson whose recent “exposes” have been shown to have no basis in fact, are very simply lying.

[Note:  See also:  SHARIAH - FIQH - ISLAMIC LAW - ETHICAL & MORAL ISSUES - article collection;  Discussion of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s views on Sharia, Enver Masud; Interview with Imam Feisal on Sharia, Laura Sheahen; What Shariah Law Is All About, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf; The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Sharia Debate, Sheila Musaji (with a lengthy collection of articles); Islamic sharia and Jewish halakha arbitration courts, Sheila Musaji (written when debate was happening in Canada)  .

They claim about Imam Feisal that

“He has criticized the Swiss ban on minarets as a restriction on religious freedom, without saying a word about the severe restrictions on non-Muslim religious practice in Islamic states such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, and Sudan.”

Have these people not read any of Imam Feisal’s published writings?  Are they not aware of the Cordoba Initiative’s efforts in Sudan?  Cordoba Initiative Announces Mission to Sudan During Historic Elections; Cordoba Initiative Unveils New Push in Sudan.

They also claim

“In many of his public statements, Abdul Rauf is patently dishonest. After the Fort Hood jihad massacre, he claimed that the shootings were “against the laws of Islam” - a claim that looked ridiculous and deceitful after Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan’s writings came to light, explaining (with copious references to the Koran) the Islamic requirement to wage war against infidels. If Hasan was wrong and Abdul Rauf right about Islam, Abdul Rauf, as a leading American “moderate,” could have and should have seized the opportunity to explain exactly how, so as to allay the legitimate concerns of non-Muslims and emphasize to Muslims in America how and why they should be unreservedly patriotic Americans. He did not.”

For people who want to be seen as “experts” they do remarkably little basic fact checking.  However, as propagandists, they are expert in the art of telling a big enough lie often enough that it becomes believable to some.  Imam Feisal is saying (and teaching to Muslims) that such terrorist acts are against the laws of Islam, that this is not “jihad”, that any interpretation of Islamic teachings that would claim a sanction for such acts is wrong.  He is countering the extremist message. 

To even suggest that Nidal Hassan might have a better understanding of Islam that Imam Rauf is laughable.  However, Geller and Spencer both seem to share a view that falls right in line with Muslim extremists.  At a protest they organized against the Cordoba House, Geller said

“The only Muslim center that should be built in the shadow of the World Trade Center is one that is devoted to expunging the Quran and all Islamic teachings of the violent jihad that they prescribe, as well as all hateful texts and incitement to violence.”

This, as Richard Bartholomew has pointed out “... isn’t a statement made in good faith:  a Muslim center with an “expunged” Quran makes about as much sense as a church with the anti-Jewish parts of the New Testament expunged or a synagogue with the more sanguinary passages of the Torah expunged—ancient religious texts may be re-interpreted or contextualised in ways that make them more amenable to the modern world, but they are seldom repudiated by adherents.”

For more on this spurious methodology of mining scriptures see Throwing Stones at the Qur’an From a Glass House and The Use and Abuse of Scriptures. 

Geller posted another article on her site in which she refers her readers to an article on another site which quotes a translated small section of an interview with Imam Feisal in Arabic, translated as “This phrase is inaccurate. Religious dialogue as customarily understood is a set of events with discussions in large hotels that result in nothing. Religions do not dialogue and dialogue is not present in the attitudes of the followers, regardless of being Muslim or Christian. The image of Muslims in the West is complex which needs to be remedied.”  She sees this as proof that Imam Feisal doesn’t believe in religious dialogue.

In an article Using Qur’anic Narratives in Pursuit of Peace, Imam Feisal discussed dialogue, and I believe his comments relate directly to this distortion of his words taken out of context.  “O People of the Book! Let us now come together under a fair principle common to all of us – that we worship none but God, that we associate nothing with Him, and that we take not one another as lords beside God,” (The Qur’an, 3:64). This passage and others provide profound inspiration for dialogue, collaboration and, ultimately, peace.  Dialogue, the first step, offers the opportunity for uncovering the common ground of the shared values and goals that resonate in each of our faiths and forge personal bonds and relationships of trust, which carry the potential to enable collaborative efforts. I advocate for such an action-oriented dialogue that moves beyond talk.
 
In this particular article, as well as in their other writings Geller and Spencer use techniques that are strikingly reminiscent of anti-Semitic polemics.  Hussein Ibish has written an excellent article about this entitled Religion and violence: another look at Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.  The entire article is a “must read”, but here are some critical points that he makes:

• ... In the past, I’ve argued strongly that the best way to understand the structure, strategies and mechanisms of Islamophobia is to study the essential elements of anti-Semitic rhetoric, because the parallels between the two are uncanny and exact and because Americans are familiar with the ugliness and unfairness of anti-Semitism. Since it can easily be shown that Islamophobia is without doubt in most instances a virtually exact replication of anti-Semitism, this ought to prove a decisive platform for exposing and counteracting its pernicious effects. ...

• ... A 2003 report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), The Talmud in Anti-Semitic Polemics, explains how this process of selectively quoting from and misrepresenting Jewish scripture is being used by anti-Jewish bigots in their campaigns of defamation in exactly the same way in which Islamophobes use the Quran and Hadith to slander and systematically misrepresent Islam and Muslims. The report opens with this telling passage: Recently there has been a renewal of attacks on Judaism and Jews through recycling of old accusations and distortions about the Talmud. Anti-Talmud tracts were originally developed in the Middle Ages as Christian polemics against Judaism, but today they emanate from a variety of Christian, Moslem and secular sources. Sometimes such “studies” have blatantly anti-Semitic tones; sometimes they are more subtle. Yet all of them remain as false and pernicious today as they did in the Middle Ages.

•  Obviously, all it takes is a simple transposition of nouns to find in this a precise and exact description of the way in which Islamophobes like Robert Spencer, Andrew Bostom and the like go about casting Islam and Muslims in the worst possible light. As the ADL’s report points out, In distorting the normative meanings of rabbinic texts, anti-Talmud writers frequently remove passages from their textual and historical contexts. Even when they present their citations accurately, they judge the passages based on contemporary moral standards, ignoring the fact that the majority of these passages were composed close to two thousand years ago by people living in cultures radically different from our own. They are thus able to ignore Judaism’s long history of social progress and paint it instead as a primitive and parochial religion. Those who attack the Talmud frequently cite ancient rabbinic sources without noting subsequent developments in Jewish thought, and without making a good-faith effort to consult with contemporary Jewish authorities who can explain the role of these sources in normative Jewish thought and practice.

•  I don’t think there can be a better description of the methods used by contemporary American Islamophobes to defame Muslims, as exemplified in the dispute I had with Robert Spencer about whether or not the Quran calls Christians and Jews apes and swine, and whether or not therefore Muslims view their fellow monotheists in this light. The passage in the Quran in question does not contain the words Christians or Jews, and while both Islamophobes and Muslim extremists have interpreted it in this intolerant, mean-spirited manner it plainly requires an interpretive leap since it simply does not literally say anything of the kind. Moreover, it’s certainly and obviously not the case by any means that mainstream Islam or anything but a tiny fraction of Muslims in our era and historically have viewed Christians and Jews as apes and swine. The total disregard for both mainstream and traditional interpretations of Islamic doctrine by most Muslim scholars and commentators is the hallmark of the work of Spencer and his ilk, who present passages of scripture ripped from their context and traditional meaning as proof of Islam being violent, intolerant and bent on world domination. This is why, of course, their work garners absolutely no respect whatsoever from the qualified and trained academic and intellectual communities that actually study Islam, and can only appeal to the ignorant or the enraged. Unfortunately, that’s a significant constituency.

•  “Are the polemicists anti-Semites?” the ADL report asks, and answers, quite rightly, “by and large, yes” (they are clearly leaving themselves some wiggle room on the issue of Israel Shahak, who is cited in the report but is almost certainly not vulnerable to such an accusation). It cites as tell-tale signs of bigotry and malevolence, their systematic distortions of the ancient texts, always in the direction of portraying Judaism negatively, their lack of interest in good-faith efforts to understand contemporary Judaism from contemporary Jews, and their dismissal of any voices opposing their own, [which] suggests that their goal in reading ancient rabbinic literature is to produce the Frankenstein version of Judaism that they invariably claim to have uncovered.

•  In just this manner, Islamophobes dismiss what contemporary and mainstream Muslims say their faith means to them and systematically misrepresent the common understanding of complex ancient texts written in both a language and a style very foreign to the present-day American manner of expression. They too dismiss any voices other than their own, such as renowned academic experts on Islam, even non-Muslims scholars and experts, and denounce them as “apologists” and supporters of extremism. In these cases too, it is clear to any impartial observer that the goal is in no way a good-faith effort to examine honestly what Muslims believe but rather to create “the Frankenstein version of Islam.”

•  ... The parallels between the calumnies the ADL cites against Jews in anti-Semitic literature and those currently being promoting in contemporary American Islamophobia are striking indeed (all of the following in bold are direct quotes from the ADL report):

• “Jews are intent on subjugating non-Jews around the world and even on committing genocide against them” – this finds obvious and clear parallels in the constant refrain that Islam is bent on world conquest and the subjugation of all non-Muslims as “dhimmis” or worse, and in the frequent allegation that Islam has a genocidal attitude towards non-Muslims.

• “Jewish law enjoins or permits Jews to murder non-Jews whenever feasible” – one of the most familiar charges against Islam and Muslims is that “infidels” may or must be killed.

• “Jews are permitted to lie without moral or religious compunction” – Islamophobes frequently claim that Islam authorizes, permits or even encourages Muslims to deceive non-Muslims, as in the calumnies about taqiyyah I have written about in previous Ibishblog postings.

• “Judaism condones the sexual molestation of young girls” – obviously the charge of pedophilia against the Prophet Muhammad is closely echoed here, as are a whole slew of charges that Islam permits, mandates or does not forbid a wide range of sexual perversions and abuses. More on this from the Ibishblog will be forthcoming.

• “Judaism is ‘more of a crime syndicate than a religion.’” – in Islamophobic discourse, it is frequently alleged that Islam is “more of an extremist political movement” (recall statements to this effect by Ayaan Hirsi Ali cited In a recent Ibishblog post, for example) or some such bizarre formulation, than a religion.

• I think I’ve made my point very clearly. Islamophobia is a barely warmed over, 20 seconds in the microwave, version of traditional anti-Semitism, and I’m sorry that the reader has fallen for it. If we were transported to the 1920s and 30s, I’m sure he’d be demanding to know if anyone really thought “those people” (the Jews) were really reasonable and decent given what they supposedly believe and what is supposedly in their holy books, etc. Can’t we ever learn our lesson?

Geller also widely promoted the made up “fact”, i.e. lie that the Cordoba House was scheduled to open on the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attack.  She falsely claimed that Imam Rauf had made a comment blaming the Jews for 9/11. 

I believe that Geller and Spencer have proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that they are not reliable sources for anything except propoganda.  They are exemplars of what I have called the what everyone knows school of Islam:

There is a long list of bigoted propoganda stating some “fact” that “everyone knows” which are all, quite simply, not facts at all. 

The most commonly repeated claims about Muslims are that “everyone knows” that most or all terrorists are Muslims, and there are no Christian and no Jewish terrorists (or terrorists of any other religious stripe), and that Muslims are inherently violent.  Everyone also knows that Muslims are not equivalent to real Americans, that they are the enemy within, and a fifth column,  that good Muslims can’t be good Americans, that they are not a part of our American heritage, that they are all militant,  that Islam makes Muslims “backward”, that Muslims have made no contribution to the West,  that Islam is “of the devil”, a Crescent menace, and an “evil encroaching on the United States”, and not a religion.  Everyone knows that this is a Christian nation, which everyone knows the Muslims are trying to take over, starting with getting an Eid stamp which is the first step towards shariah law, and by purposefully having more children than others to increase their numbers.  Everyone knows that Muslims have no respect for the Constitution.  Everyone knows that Muslims are given a pass by the elite media.  It’s “us versus them”.  They don’t speak out against extremism or terrorism, and even those Muslims who do speak up or seem moderate are simply lying or practicing taqiyyah.  The problem is that what “everyone knows” is wrong.  These self-righteous and incorrect statements are usually followed by a demand that the Muslim community do something about whatever is the false flag of the day or face the inevitable consequences.

In addition to these “everyone knows” statements of demonization and misrepresentation, there is also a whole industry of simply connecting with Islam or Muslims with any negative idea, event, or societal trend (even when there is no sane connection to make).  These I think of as “Through the Looking Glass” claims.  For example, lots of “news” items never happened, or are simply not true.

Arabs didn’t celebrate 9/11 at a Dunkin Donuts in New Jersey.  Budweiser did not pull all its product from the shelves of a convenience store where there was celebration of the terrorist attacks - this never happened.  The Muslim statement of faith (Shahada) is not an expression of hate.  An American Missionary in Africa didn’t face possible murder charges and hanging because of a traffic accident.  There is no verse of the Qur’an on “The Wrath of the Eagle”.  The supposed bomb threat made by an Arizona student that led to an evacuation of the school was a hoax by non-Muslim students.  The story that Iran was considering forcing Jews to wear a yellow star appeared in several publications and it was totally false.  The slaying of the New Jersey Coptic family was falsely charged to Muslims.  The story about the British banks banning piggy banks so as not to offend Muslims never happened.  Muslims are not more likely to support terrorism and violence than Christians or Jews.  Muslims did not destroy the Library of Alexandria.  Nurses in Britain were not “ordered to drop everything and turn Muslims’ beds toward Mecca five times daily”.  There is no  Muslim sword through the 41-cents mark on the U.S. Eid stamp.  Sirhan Sirhan is a Christian, not a Muslim.  The Virginia Tech massacre had no connection with Islam.  A bus driver in Britain didn’t tell passengers to get off the bus so he could pray.  Rachel Ray’s Paisley scarf is not a symbol of “murderous Palestinian Jihad” (and neither is a Keffiyah).  A Muslim student in Florida did not refuse to stand for the pledge of allegiance.  There were no Muslims acting suspiciously on Air Tran flight 297. Wearing a tee-shirt with Arabic writing on it does not make a person dangerous.  A Madrassah is simply a school.  The zebibah (prayer bruise) on some Muslims foreheads is not a sign of a “commitment to jihad”.  Jihad is not terrorism. Ashura is not a “Muslim blood festival”.  Muslims are not forbidden to have non-Muslims as friends.  The Nuclear Security Summit logo is an atom on a circular path, not an Islamic symbol, the U.S. Missile Defense Logo is not evidence of Obama’s ‘Submission To Shariah’, and neither is the Flight 93 memorial.  Barack Obama is not a Muslim, but so what if he was?  (Note: click on the links to see responses to particular claims or incidents

Geller and Spencer may claim some sort of impartiality, and Geller has gone so far as to claim that she “loves Muslims” - but as Loonwatch says “Geller’s truthfulness can be gauged by a statement that I do not think even her die-hard supporters can believe.  It would be the equivalent of David Duke saying “I love blacks.”  On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being extremely dishonest and 10 being insanely dishonest), how dishonest do you think Geller is?” 

As Asma T. Uddin has noted Geller’s relegation of Islam to enemy status creates an Islam to be feared and abhorred. It is a conception that is not grounded in reality, but it is nonetheless propelling American society down the same road it has traveled many times before, to its own detriment. Reflecting upon this historical trajectory should help us see past the present environment, fraught with fear, and move to the next stage of coexistence, where we learn to look past two-dimensional stereotypes and generalizations and see the newcomer not as “other” but as “American.” 
For a regularly updated source of information on the Cordoba House and reactions to this proposal see Cordoba House:  Hope From the Ashes of Tragedy

UPDATE 8/23/2010

From our Cordoba House article: 

Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer engage in some serious fear and loathing in their continuing attacks on Cordoba House.  Geller also appeared on an RT News program to debate Robert Salaam on the Cordoba House.  The video of the confrontation and Robert Salaam’s excellent commentary can be viewed here.  6/9/10 Geller falsely claims Imam Rauf made comment blaming “the Jews” for 9-11.  Daniel Burke calls Geller Queen of Muslim Bashers.  Shahed Amanullah vs Pamela Geller on BBC radio  - Suhail Khan exposes Pam Geller and other insane Muslim haters on the Rachel Maddow program http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZfdiLNzXU&feature=player_embedded#!   

SIOA Protest About 1,000 people turned out for a protest against the Cordoba House organized by SIOA (Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer) on June 6th.  All sorts of inflated numbers have been thrown around for the total number of protestors - hundreds of thousands, two million, etc.  Ben Dimiero dissected these claims very well.  As he notes about Pamela Geller’s “count” - “It isn’t a good sign for the reliability of your numbers when you throw out three conflicting estimates in the same post. In the headline, Geller cites the crowd as “Upwards of Eight Thousand.” In the post itself, she says that she and Robert Spencer “were expecting 500,” but they were pleased when “close to 5,000 showed up.” She also says “some estimates ranged as high as 10,000.” Which estimates? Well, she doesn’t tell us, probably because had she linked to an actual news outlet’s estimate, it would have ruined her fantasy.”  The police needed to rescue two Christian Arabs who had come to join the protest, when the protestors heard them speaking Arabic and thought they were Muslims.  Richard Barthomemew did an excellent review of statements made by Pamela Geller at the rally.  6/6/10 See also:  Would Stop the Judaization of America (SJOA) Be Appropriate?, Loonwatch.  Beth Gilinsky, a pro-settler organizer was the organizer of this most recent protest.  M.J. Rosenberg has an interesting expose Why The Lobby Needs To Pull Plug On Anti-Muslim Hatefest.  This protest was so hateful that Even Pamela Geller denied any involvement or even knowledge that the event would happen.   

UPDATE 8/26/2010

In NYC this week, a Muslim cab driver was slashed a number of times with a knife by a passenger who had first asked him if he was a Muslim.  Not a lot is known yet, except that the accused attacker, Michael Enright is an art student who also worked for or volunteered for an organization called Intersections International, and that police had found a personal diary belonging to the accused that was filled with anti-Muslim comments.  He was drunk at the time of the attack according to the arresting officer.  He has been arrested and arraigned.

An ironic twist to the story is that Intersections International for whom Enright worked is devoted to cross-cultural understanding, and had recently released a statement supporting the building of the Cordoba House/Park 51 Islamic Center.  It would seem that this young man was very conflicted, and that he did not share the views of his employer regarding Muslims, or the Islamic Center.

Pamela Geller showed the limitless depths of her hatred towards Muslims, and her inability to tell the truth by running an article about this incident titled Set Up to Lynch Ground Zero Opposition: Muslim Cab Slasher Worked for Cordoba/Park 51. 

The title calls this attack on an innocent man a “set up” aimed at lynching the opposition, and tells the outright lie that the accused attacker worked for Cordoba/Park 51.  Two vicious lies before even getting into her distortion of the facts.  A few snippets from her “article”:  How deranged is the left? The slasher of Muslims works for the Cordoba/Park 51. This is what is building an Islamic supremacist mosque on Ground Zero.  ...  It’s no wonder the leftwing mainstream media is shushing up this story. And the Islamic supremacist, Hamas funder CAIR blasted it in their alert. Their whitewash will be interesting tomorrow. I wouldn’t be surprised if CAIR had a hand in it ............. the CAIR offices are right next door to Imam Rauf’s and Daisy the Con’s offices in Riverside. How convenient.  ...  Clearly this leftwing loon hoped to slash this poor man in pieces, get away, and have the opposition blamed for this heinous and vile crime. This is how low the mentally ill left will go.

Robert Spencer seemed offended that anyone might blame hate-mongers for this attack, but he at least got his facts straight about who Enright worked for.  Spencer seems to have also become an expert on psychology in addition to Islam as he says in his “article” that So whatever may have been his motivation in attacking this cab driver, one thing that almost certainly wasn’t motivating him was rage over the Islamic supremacist mega-mosque at Ground Zero.  Spencer closes his argument with Was this attack on a Muslim cab driver in New York yet another faked hate crime designed to tar opponents of Islamic supremacism as bigoted people who are fomenting hate? It cannot be ruled out. I hope that New York investigators are honest enough and brave enough to say so if that turns out to be the case.

This is some very sick and hate filled propoganda.  Loonwatch has more here

UPDATE 9/5/2010

On August 20th, Pamela Geller published an article breathlessly announcing that “Steve Emerson has unearthed 13 hours of audio tape of Imam Rauf. Emerson and his team of investigators has spent the past four weeks going through the newly found material. Rauf is a “radical extremist cleric who cloaks himself in sheep’s clothing.”   On September 5th, Richard Bartholomew posted an article asking Whatever Happened to Steve Emerson’s “13 Hours” of Rauf Audio? in which he debunks the nonsense that Emerson has produced and Geller’s take on what Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf meant by various statements.

At the protest planned by SIOA for September 11th opposing the Cordoba House/Park 51, it has been announced that Spencer and Geller will confiscate any signs brought by the protestors. As noted by Islamophobia Watch this is surprising for folks who have demanded absolute freedom of expression and freedom of speech.  IW notes:  ”“Confiscating signs”? Geller and Spencer have always portrayed themselves as uncompromising defenders of freedom of expression, notably in relation to Geert Wilders’s right to incite hatred against Muslims, yet here they are suppressing the freedom of their own supporters to express opposition to the Park51 development as they see fit.    Now, why do you suppose that might be? Well, it’s just a thought, but take a look at the signs above, which were brandished by participants at Stop Islamization of America’s last demonstration against Park51 in June – they rather expose Geller and Spencer’s pretence that SIOA’s events are anything other than an excuse to whip up fear and hatred against Muslims among ignorant racists, don’t they? To organise another such anti-Muslim hate-fest on the 11 September anniversary would be widely regarded as a sickening exploitation of a national tragedy, SIOA would be denounced by 9/11 families along with the mainstream media, and even Fox News might be less inclined to offer Geller a platform in future.”  It would seem that Geller and Spencer’s commitment to free speech ends where it might be uncomfortble for them.

More is coming out on the “shocking” non-story of the Cordoba Initiative having received funding from Prince al-Waleed bin Talal and the Kingdom Foundation who it turns out is a major shareholder of Fox News.  Jon Stewart has more on this Saudi that Fox News has accused of “terror funding”.  Oh what a tangled web they weave ...  See also:  Will Laura Ingraham Speak Out Against Fox News’ “Muslim Extremist” Shareholder? -  FOX Failed To Mention Co-Owner Is One They Accuse Of ‘Terror Funding’ (VIDEO)  -  Fox News shareholder funded ‘Ground Zero mosque’ imam  Surprisingly, even after all of this information had been made very public, Robert Spencer published an article in which he says about this discredited claim “What a surprise: the group dedicated in its own words to “eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within” has connections to the “moderate” Ground Zero mosque. “Mosque’s Saudi Patron,” from Investor’s Business Daily, August 26:” 

UPDATE 9/8/2010

An article by Bob Connors in a local Connecticut paper noted that due to all the furore over the Cordoba House/Park 51 proposal and the Qur’an burning plan, the Hartford City Council announced that their meetings during the month of September 2010 would begin with a prayer led by an Imam.  The article went on to say:

Council President Jo Winch called it an important move for the Council.

“I feel it is very important that, as a Council, we project a culture of inclusiveness in the City of Hartford. Too often it is our differences that divide us. In my opinion, it is our combination of differences that makes us strong,” Winch said.

On Facebook, Council Minority Leader Luis Cotto wrote: “We start every single council meeting with a prayer.  99% of the prayers are Christian based, and in three years I recall one Rabbi coming through.”  Emphasis mine.

Robert Spencer reacted to this article by posting an article on his site in which, as usual, he quotes selectively.  He doesn’t mention Luis Cotto’s statement from the article to which he refers.  And, how does Spencer see this reasonable act on the part of the Council? He says:  “Apparently the established religion of Hartford, Connecticut is now Islam. This shows what doors playing the victim card can open for you.”  Amazing, 99% of the prayers which are offered at these meetings over the years have been Christian prayers - and that does not seem to Spencer as if the established religion of Hartford is Christianity?  There is no established religion in the U.S., and thank God for the separation of church and state.  I hope that depending on the religious makeup of the population of Hartford, they will in the future include prayers by a representative of every faith representated in their community.  If there are Muslims who are residents of Hartford, then the doors should be as open to them already as they are for everyone else.

The wife of one of the victims of 9/11 Raina Wallens published an article today decrying Geller & Spencer’s protest planned for the anniversary.  9/11 Families Ask Mosque Protesters Not to Rally on Anniversary.  Pamela Geller however refuses to be sensitive to their feelings which is odd for someone who has spoken so loudly about the need for Muslims to be sensitive.  Even Abe Foxman of the ADL has denounced this planned rally as “un-American”.  Information about 9/11 families who both support and are opposed to the project here.

SEE ALSO: (article collection updated 8/25/10)

The absurdity of the anti-mosque camp, Greg Sargent http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/08/the_absurdity_of_the_anti-mosq.html
Attention TV networks: Pam Geller is lying to your viewers http://mediamatters.org/research/201008190024 
Beck, Geller push falsehood that Ground Zero “mosque” will open on September 11 http://mediamatters.org/research/201008100011
Bigot or colorful activist? Washington Post is neutral on Islamophobes, Alex Kane http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/bigot-or-colorful-activist-washington-post-is-neutral-on-islamophobes.html
Cordoba Conspiracy Theory, Richard Bartholomew http://barthsnotes.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/cordoba-conspiracy-theory/
Despite long history of anti-Muslim activism, Geller insists, “I love Muslims” http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008040059
The End Result of Geller-Spencer Anti-Muslim Rhetoric: Violence http://www.loonwatch.com/?s=geller
Pamela Geller and the Right to Express What We Call Hatred http://www.clydefitchreport.com/2010/08/pamela-geller-and-the-right-to-express-what-the-rest-of-us-call-hatred/
Pamela Geller and her Ground Zero Mosque Extremists Declare Jihad on Pluralism, Moderates, Ambra Tareen http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6545164-pamela-geller-and-her-ground-zero-mosque-extremists-declare-jihad-on-pluralism-moderates
Geller, Anti-Islamic Center Activist, Brings Fight Against Islam To Chicago Cabs http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/23/pamela-geller-antiislamic_n_691844.html
Geller attacks Obama for support of mosque by saying that Pamela Geller: Obama ‘Stood With’ the 9/11 Hijackers http://www.chasingevil.org/2010/08/pamela-geller-obama-stood-with-911.html
Pamela Geller Called out for Being an “anti-Muslim Bigot” on CNN http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/08/pamela-geller-called-out-for-being-an-anti-muslim-bigot-on-cnn/
Geller claims NYC Islamic center “is not a religious liberties” or “First Amendment right issue” http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008230077
Geller claims Obama “wants jihad to win” http://mediamatters.org/blog/201004120001
Geller insists she ‘loves’ Muslims. Too bad they’re also the enemies of America, David Neiwart http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/pam-geller-insists-she-loves-muslims
Geller compares NYC mosque to building KKK “shrine” near Black Alabama church http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008110002
Geller distorts Rauf lecture to falsely paint him as a terrorist sympathizer http://mediamatters.org/research/201008230063
Geller falsely suggests Imam Rauf is promoting “radically intolerant” Sharia law in book http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008160058
Geller labels CNN the “Crescent News Network,” insults CNN viewers http://mediamatters.org/blog/201008180019
Pamela Geller, ‘Queen Of Muslim Bashers,’ At Center Of N.Y. ‘Mosque’ Debate , Daniel Burke http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/20/pamela-gellerqueen-of-mus_n_689709.html
Geller says that Hitler was inspired by Islam http://www.youtube.com/thealyonashow#p/u/5/HzPTkFTx98E
Geller Slams “Half-Assed” NY Anti-Mosque Protest where Black American was Misidentified as Muslim and Abused, Richard Bartholomew http://barthsnotes.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/geller-slams-half-assed-ny-anti-mosque-protest-where-black-american-was-misidentified-as-muslim-and-abused/
Pamela Geller won’t let the facts get in the way of her attacks on Muslims http://mediamatters.org/blog/201008070013
Pamela Geller’s Gang is Winning, Taylor Marsh http://www.taylormarsh.com/2010/08/19/washington-post-pamela-gellers-gang-is-winning/
Pamela Geller’s greatest hits, Ed Brayton http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/07/pamela_gellers_greatest_hits.php 
Pam Geller’s Muslim Crusade, Nick Baumann http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/08/pam-geller-obama-muslim-mosque
Pamela Geller’s Pretty Hate Machine, Terry Krepel http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-krepel/pamela-gellers-pretty-hat_b_386659.html 
Harbingers of violence in anti-mosque movement, Joe Conason http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joe_conason/2010/08/23/edl/index.html
Hate Blogger Pamela Geller Last Person on Earth to Ask Muslims to “Respect Sensitivities” http://goatmilkblog.com/2010/08/21/hate-blogger-pamela-geller-last-person-on-earth-to-ask-muslims-to-%E2%80%9Crespect-sensitivities%E2%80%9D/
How a Lunatic, Racist Blogger Is Fanning Hate Against Muslims—With the Help of Our Dumb Media, Joshua Holland http://www.alternet.org/news/147927/how_a_lunatic,_racist_blogger_is_fanning_hate_against_muslims_—_with_the_help_of_our_dumb_media/
How the “ground zero mosque” fear mongering began, Justin Elliott http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/16/ground_zero_mosque_origins/index.html
Islamophobia in New York, Redux: We should have seen the ‘ground zero’ furor coming, Alex Kane http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/islamophobia-in-new-york-redux-we-should-have-seen-the-ground-zero-furor-coming.html
Neocon Pogromist Pam Geller Attacks Her Allies And Supporters. Why?, Max Blumenthal http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/08/neocon-pogromist-pam-geller-attacks-her-allies-and-supporters/
The poison behind the Ground Zero mosque furore, Andrew Brown http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2010/aug/18/poison-behind-new-york-mosque-furore
Prime Islam-Basher Pam Geller Outdone by Colleague, Larry Keller http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2010/08/10/prime-islam-basher-pam-geller-outdone-by-colleague/
Pro-Israel extremists have campaigned against an Islamic cultural center before, Jeff Klein http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/pro-israel-extremists-have-campaigned-against-an-islamic-cultural-center-before.html
The Right’s Anti-Islam Extremists, John Guardiano http://www.frumforum.com/confronting-the-rights-anti-islam-extremists
The Rise of Shrieking Bigot Pamela Geller, Jeffrey Goldberg http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/the-rise-of-shrieking-bigot-pamela-geller/61704/
SIOA Co-Founder: “Buy Guns… You are Going to Have to Kill Folks… There Are No Innocent Muslims” http://barthsnotes.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/sioa-co-founder-buy-guns-you-are-going-to-have-to-kill-folks-there-are-no-innocent-muslims/
The US blogger on a mission to halt ‘Islamic takeover’, Chris McGreal http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/20/rightwing-blogs-islam-america
White Supremacists Find Common Cause with Pam Geller’s Anti-Islam Campaign http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2010/08/25/white-supremacists-find-common-cause-with-pam-gellers-anti-islam-campaign/