Post-Dispatch refuses to distribute DVD offensive to American Muslims
Despite the perilous state of American newspapers, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch advertising department took an ethical stand and refused to distribute the DVD of a film that for two years has troubled American Muslims.
The film, called “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West,” was distributed to an estimated 28 million people via 70 American newspapers, primarily in states crucial to the coming presidential election. The only other newspaper reported to have refused the DVD was the News & Record in Greensboro, NC.
The Miami Herald reported that its own decision to distribute the DVD angered the Muslim community there:
We feel that it’s going to incite more hate and bigotry against our community,” said Altaf Ali, Florida chapter director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The DVD does not do enough to differentiate between terrorists and mainstream Muslims, he said.
The Herald’s description of the DVD says it includes…
…montages of terrorist training camps and suicide bombers paired with narration by commentators such as Daniel Pipes, founder of the conservative Middle East Forum think tank. Many of the film’s pundits are known for controversial views on Islam. In one part of the DVD, clips of Muslim children being recruited as suicide bombers are interspersed with images of Nazis.
Jen Wood, the Post-Dispatch’s vice president of advertising, said her department received the request to include the DVD as an insert at the beginning of the summer. She said the advertiser provided the newspaper only with a trailer, and refused when Wood asked to see a copy of the entire film - something she described as “not an unusual request.”"I didn’t have enough information to make a decision, so I said ‘no thank you,’” said Wood. “It wasn’t clear what exact message they were trying to send.”
The Herald reported that the nonprofit Clarion Fund, which promotes “national security through education,” sent the DVD to 28 million households, “many in election swing states such as Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.”
In Florida, the DVD was distributed in the Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the St. Petersburg Times, the Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville and the News-Press of Fort Myers.
In October 2006 (another election year) I wrote a story about how besieged the St. Louis Muslim community was feeling- the worst, many told me, since just after Sept. 11, 2001. A St. Louis screening of the “Obesession” movie featured in that story:
At the end of August, a thousand people — about half of them Jewish and half Christian, according to organizers — attended a screening of the movie “Obsession: What the War on Terror is Really About” at the Frontenac Hilton Hotel. The group’s sponsors promoted the movie with a provocative billboard featuring a dark-skinned man whose head was wrapped in a kuffiyeh and the words, “Confessions of a Terrorist.”
The terrorist in question was Walid Shoebat, who said he was a former member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Shoebat appeared in the hourlong movie and then spoke to the audience.
Muslims who were there said they were horrified by what they believed was the movie’s inference that Islam, terrorism and Nazism were one and the same, despite a disclaimer that ran at the beginning and end of the movie that said “most Muslims are peaceful and do not support terror.”
Far more upsetting, they said, was the reaction of the audience.
Writing in “The American Muslim” two weeks after the screening, [Sheila] Musaji said those Muslims who attended were “still experiencing physical and emotional distress primarily due to the positive reaction of the audience — including applause and standing ovations — and to some of the hateful comments we overheard from individuals sitting around us.”
Fatemeh Keshavarz, head of Washington University’s department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages, who was at the screening, said: “This was hate speech, pure and simple. … being in that room, I felt threatened.”
The movie was made by Honest Reporting, “a grass-roots movement dedicated to ensuring that Israel receives fair media coverage,” according to its website. Honest Reporting is an arm of Aish HaTorah, an orthodox Jewish education network based in Jerusalem.
Richard Senturia, executive director of Citizens for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Middle East, which co-sponsored the screening, said that the Muslims who attended “saw what they saw and heard what they heard. I’m not going to deny their feelings.”
Karen J. Aroesty, the Anti-Defamation League’s regional director for Missouri and Southern Illinois, was also in the “Obsession” audience and said she was disturbed by what she saw in the crowd’s reaction. She is now working with Muslims on an effort to re-screen “Obsession,” but this time to also provide a forum for people to discuss their feelings about the movie.
“Frankly, things are getting out of hand,” Aroesty said about the sequence of events that have frightened many St. Louis Muslims. “All these things happen, and they converge in different ways in a community like St. Louis.”
Wood said her department needs to have a full understanding of what is being advertised in the newspaper, otherwise, it “reserves the right” to decline an ad. “I exercised my right not to accept [the DVD],” she said.
Tim Townsend has been the religion reporter at the Post-Dispatch since June 2004. He previously covered personal finance and consumer news for The Wall Street Journal. He holds master's degrees from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Yale Divinity School. In 2005 he won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, given by the Religion Newswriters Association. 
What a pitiful decision — to keep opinions and ideas away from readers. The only cause I can find in the story is that it “has troubled American Muslims.” Is that the sole reason? Seems flimsy. C’mon, Post-Dispatch: this deserves greater scrutiny. And scorn.
Tim: I am troubled by Muslims.
There. We’re even..
The reality of Islamic terrorism should be shown to all people. Islamic demonstrators in England carry signs that say these things, “The Real Holocaust is coming”. “Islam will conquer England”. “Israel will be destroyed.” Islamic leaders have already bragged that they will conquer Europe starting with England. The Post-Dispatch is not being brave, they fear the repercussions from terrorists who will retaliate violently. The media has lost its courage.
If the ad was offensive to Christians - you’d not only run it, you’d give them a break on the price. Just saying.
Is it any wonder that the newspaper business is going down the tubes?
Muslims should stop being offended and start being outraged about what is being done in the name of their so-called religion of peace. End of story. Until they do, their cries of victimhood ring hollow and should not be used as an excuse to suppress the truth.
“Muslims who attended were “still experiencing physical and emotional distress primarily due to the positive reaction of the audience — including applause and standing ovations — and to some of the hateful comments we overheard from individuals sitting around us.”
Oddly enough, friends and family of 9/11 victims are still experiencing physical and emotional distress due to the positive reaction of muslims worldwide to the hateful, violent, horrific attacks of 9/11 (and say about 11915 other deadly attacks since).
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
This is why newspapers are becoming an endangered species.
I’m just wondering why muslims would be offended by the contents of this DVD. I’m offend they’re not doing anything to reform this religion of murder, terror and mayhem. If they truly care why don’t they offer an oppossing documentary addressing all the issues in Obsession.
I saw the movie. It explicitly makes the point that the radical Islamist terrorists have actually killed more innocent Muslims than non-Muslims. In some countries, moderate Muslims who speak out or oppose the Islamist radicals and terrorists are themselves targeted for assassination, along with their families.
To claim that this movie is “hate speech” against Muslims would be like claiming that a movie that presents Jewish gangsters Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel in a negative light is “hate speech” against Jews.
Actually, when they used to broadcast “The Godfather” on TV, they used to need to put a disclaimer on it that it’s not supposed to be representative of Italian-Americans–as if we didn’t know that already!
It’s all political correctness run amok. There actually were Italian-American gangsters and murderers, there actually were Jewish gangsters and murderers, and there actually are Muslim terrorists. It’s political correctness to dodge this.
Tim, I respect the newspaper’s right to make a decision as to whether to include the DVD or not. But I think one of the roles newspapers have is to educate and foster intellectual debate. The complaints I have heard raised against this film is that it is “divisive” and “controversial” - but so are most things worth discussing. I’ve not heard anyone complain that it is inaccurate.
The author may think the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “took an ethical stand” by refusing to distribute this DVD. I don’t. I’ve seen “Obsession” in its entirety - twice. The movie’s disclaimer does make clear they are not attributing murderous intent on all Muslims, but apparently that isn’t enough for some. But given that over 11,000 attacks have taken place in the name of Islam since 9/11 - yes, that number is correct - excuse those of us who don’t join those ever sensitive to the “feelings” of Muslims. They’d rather hide their heads in the sand than face the very real war being waged against the West. I should add that “Obsession” only deals with the “hard” jihad of violence; it does not deal with the “soft” jihad being waged by the radicals of ISNA, CAIR, MSA and other such “mainstream” Islamic groups. But it’s a start.
The decision of the Post-Dispatch is a wise one. Demonizing any group by mixing together unrelated events and creating a message of fear is what propoganda and ultimately holocausts are all about. While ordinary Americans are consumed by terror, our nation collectively is ignoring other critical issues such as financial market regulation. Our own biggest worry should be ourselves.
I guess that is not the same as when the Post ran an ad for the 7th Day Adventists during the Pope John Paul visit to St. Louis. In the ad they described the Pope as evil and Catholicism as a false religion.
It was bright yellow and the intent of the ad was to attract attention.
I would imagine that area Catholics were more than a little angry at the advertisement.
Double standard? Yes, indeed. Just not according to the Post Dispatch!
The way I read this article, Jen Wood refused the DVD because the advertiser did not provide a complete version of the documentary for her to view. I think it perfectly understandable that she deny the advertisement if she doesn’t feel like she has enough information to fairly evaluate it.
“We feel that it’s going to incite more hate and bigotry against our community, said Altaf Ali, Florida chapter director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.”
How many hundreds of times have we heard that over the past 7 years? It’s almost like he’s reading from a script. Oh, wait. He is.
Funny how these supposed incitements regularly fail to occur. Speaking of which, how’s that FBI investigation into the alleged bomb threats at the Lemay mosque coming along?
“The DVD does not do enough to differentiate between terrorists and mainstream Muslims, he said.”
Um, Mr. Ali, you work for CAIR. Isn’t that your job?
I support completely the Post-Dispatch’s right to run whatever advertisements it sees fit. Just don’t insult reader’s intelligence by pretending it’s done for ethical reasons.
We’re talking about radical Islam, not Islam itself. Has the Post ever distributed movies on radical Christianity? I’m sure. We’re living in this ultra-sensitive, touchy-feely society now, and the truth gets silenced. Liberalism at its finest. Oh, and everyone: be sure NOT to wish your fellow Americans a “Merry Christmas” this year. It might offend a Muslim.
These comments are very interesting and reflect the misguided views of the middle America. I too have seen the DVD and quite frankly, it was sickening.
It was as sickening as any of the anti-Semitic or anti-negro hate speech as I have ever heard (and still hear when some of you let your guard down!). You know what I am talking about!
Disclaimers in the movie! Are you guys serious? So can you call the Jews and African-Americans derogatory names in a movie and then have a disclaimer that “oh, we weren’t talking about you, just talking about the bad ones”.
The movie is patently inaccurate on a number of issues. No doubt the terrorists have killed more Muslims than ‘westerners’. Did you know that the number of civilians killed by the ‘west’ over the last 10 years is 100-1000 times higher than death toll in the west (you can look it up)?
It has become socially unacceptable to denigrate other minorities or religions. But America is starved for a nemesis so the Muslims have become the new Negroes and Jews and Islam, the new communism.
Did anyone wonder why was this movie made and distributed and by whom? Why is this a ‘free ad’ by a shady organization and not a rigorously vetted documentary by some respected journalist? It’s a sorry state of affairs when we have to rely on pure, free, hate materials as our source of “education”.
The Post-Dispatch showed some real strength in its character by taking an unpopular (but righteous) stance. This free hate speech has no place in America.
Congratulations, Tim!
The Post-Dispatch do not set the freedom of speech-the people of this country do.The PD is trying to be so politcally correct that it is stiffling the voices of all that needs to be heard,aggreable,or not!
“…the St. Louis Post-Dispatch advertising department took an ethical stand and refused to distribute the DVD of a film that for two years has troubled American Muslims.”
Since when is keeping the truth from your subscribers an ‘ethical stand? Can St. Louis Today no longer be trusted to give accurate information if someone might become offended by that information?
I apologize. I meant the Post-Dispatch, not St. Louis Today.
A response to — bmm
1:53 pm September 23rd, 2008
“The Post-Dispatch showed some real strength in its character by taking an unpopular (but righteous) stance. This free hate speech has no place in America. Congratulations, Tim!”
bmm…Read my comment @ 12:29
So tell me, how do you feel about the Seventh Day Adventists advertisement during the Pope’s visit? The Post has 2 sets of standards. One standard says it is okay to bash the ENTIRE Catholic religion and the other says it is NOT okay to criticise Muslim extremism.
Thanks for bringing this to light Tim, otherwise we wouldn’t have known about it.
I can understand the trepidation by the Post for not wanting to publish this add, although the comments made before me about similiar things by anti-Pope groups and so forth ARE very relevant.
As to the terrorism-Islam connection: I’ve seen all kinds of press releases by Catholic groups criticizing the Church’s handling of child abuse by priests. I’ve seen all kinds of things published by Jewish groups critical of some Isreal actions in Palestine. Another embassy bombing last week and nothing. If Muslims don’t want this image then they have to fight it. Simply not talking about it will not make it go away.
Islam has a very violent and idological group in it that promotes this stuff. The rest of the religion needs to voice their displeasure…
When did the P-D refuse to send this movie? This article is a little unclear–it seems to be a recent decision, but it says Wood declined because she couldn’t get a full copy and didn’t know what the intent behind the movie is, but then goes on to list many different places where the movie was screened and described, including an article in the P-D.
I don’t think refusing to accept an advertisement is the same as keeping opinions and ideas away from readers, especially since the paper is in fact reporting on the DVD and events surrounding it.
When did the P-D refuse to send this movie? This article is a little unclear–it seems to be a recent decision, but it says Wood declined because she couldn’t get a full copy and didn’t know what the intent behind the movie is, but then goes on to list many different places where the movie was screened and described, including an article in the P-D.
I don’t think refusing to accept an advertisement is the same as keeping opinions and ideas away from readers, especially since the paper is in fact reporting on the DVD and events surrounding it.
Sorry, didn’t mean to post twice–the website told me it didn’t post the first time, but it obviously did.
Denial is not a river in Egypt even if the Post Dispatch so believes. We will face the reality of radical Islam - remember 9/11 - or pay further consequences. OBSESSION is disturbing, but it is the war on terrorism we must face
It’s funny how some of keep harping on “keeping the truth from readers”!
Was that DVD the “truth”? Have you convinced yourselves of that?
Really!
Cowardly ignorance has now become a synonym for ethical.
Wonderful.
Why would anybody take anything said by Daniel Pipes seriously.
The “Clarion Fund” and the movie was created by a group called
“Honest Reporting”, honestly I can’t stop laughing…..such a misnomer
kind of like….”Fox News”
Just a repsonse to a couple of the posts above:
Yes, the radicals may justify his actions based on some perverse religious interpretation, but it really doesn’t make it so.
The “radicals” don’t have a religion and a radical, by nature, is godless. Be it the west-hating Islamic terrorist, or focibly settling Jewish radical or hate-mongerig KKK or abortion doctor killing right-wing radicals.
Having said that, most of this is in fact political and not religious at all!
It’s funny how some of keep harping on “keeping the truth from readers”!
Was that DVD the “truth”? Have you convinced yourselves of that?
Really!
— bmm
2:49 pm September 23rd, 2008
Not necessarily, but in reality bmm, you have made up your mind and have seen fit to make a judgement based on morality, that this movie is “hate” and therefore should not be distributed and seen, regardless of the truth encapsulated within it.
Thanks, but I would rather think for myself and not take your word for it. Making moral equivalence arguments about Muslims killing more Muslims than non-muslims or the casualties due to “American imperialism” does not preclude the inherently violent and intolerant nature of Islam.
Those with even a modicum of education, those not prone to ingesting PC, leftist, Islamic apologia in totality, are already well aware of this unfortunate reality.
wow. Listen to some of you people. You all sound like a bunch of Jew-hating Germans back in the early 20th century… yep, I said it.
Fatemeh Keshavarz said: “This was hate speech, pure and simple. … being in that room, I felt threatened.”
It would have been kind of her to specify what exactly in the film was “hate speech.” The only obvious hate speech was the exhortations to jihad violence and hatred of the Jews coming from jihadist preachers. But they were on film, and were filmed not by the producers of Obsession but by TV cameras in their own countries, where their hateful messages were broadcast approvingly.
There is not a problem with “hate speech” here. It’s the TRUTH speech that some are afraid to confront that is contained in this DVD.
I’m not sure why the newspapers would distribute this in the first place. They are not in the business of distributing DVDs for anyone who asks. I’m not sure how the maker of the DVD convinced so many newspapers to give it out with their regular paper. It seems very strange to me.
It seems like a clear case of propaganda.
Why doesn’t the post make the DVD available at their office for free for every reader that wants it?
“…..does not preclude the inherently violent and intolerant nature of Islam.
Those with even a modicum of education, those not prone to ingesting PC, leftist, Islamic apologia in totality, are already well aware of this unfortunate reality.”
If you were really “Awake”, you’d know that most of what’s happened in the last 50 years is religious, but rather political, social and economic.
But then you of course “are already aware” of “the inherently violent and intolerant nature of Islam”!
No doubt by watching DVDs similar to this one which appeal more to your right-wing sensibilities!
Yeah, you sound really educated!
They are PC cowards- Michae Savage is right liberalism is a mental disorder so they cannot help it. Islam is an ideaology and not a race but of course the American Defamation league will call it racism. When it is too late they will wish they had heeded the warning of Obsession.
I’m not sure what I think about all this. There is a true ethical dilemma here, and not many see it.
For many in America, the face of Islam IS a terrorist covering his or her face and carrying an AK-47. That is what we’ve been shown, and what we believe to be an accurate portrayal of Islam in our day. For many of these, a documentary that shows these images and purports to explain the background will be believed without question, and any disclaimers will be ignored.
I could see why an individual Moslem, sitting through a screening of this film in a theater full of white americans would wind up feeling scared and threatened…and want to stand up and shout that it doesn’t apply to THEM.
Unfortunately, the voices of moderate Islam are either ignored or shouted down, and so they keep silent.
I know that the answer is education and serious conversation. But what of those who refuse to listen? What if they are the majority? (and it appears that they are).
I would like to know when this ad campaign surfaced, and when all this took place. What exactly happened? It sounds like this organization wanted to run an ad promoting this DVD. Did they actually also want the P-D to distribute free copies rolled up in the paper? That, to me, does cross the line between an advertisement and a tacit endorsement of the material on the DVD.
for OverEmphasisOnTerror,
UNRELATED events? I saw this video long before this distribution, having been a long time watcher of JihadWatch.org (Go there, you might be surprised). The point being made in the DVD is that radical Islamists use the core texts of Islam, the Koran, Hadith and Sura, to justify violence against Jews, women and non-believers, as well as other members of the Muslim community that don’t necessarily agree with their radical interpretation. Until the “moderate” Muslim community openly rejects these interpretations, all non-Muslims will feel a wholly justified suspicion of all members of the “religion of peace”.
for OverEmphasisOnTerror,
UNRELATED events? I saw this video long before this distribution, having been a long time watcher of JihadWatch.org (Go there, you might be surprised). The point being made in the DVD is that radical Islamists use the core texts of Islam, the Koran, Hadith and Sura, to justify violence against Jews, women and non-believers, as well as other members of the Muslim community that don’t necessarily agree with their radical interpretation. Until the ”moderate” Muslim community openly rejects these interpretations, all non-Muslims will feel a wholly justified suspicion of all members of the ”religion of peace”.
Muslims believe the Qur’an to be God’s literal, unchangeable and eternal word. Every single word of it; including its most violent passages. No ifs, ands, or buts.
So, in attempting to follow every passage of that book to the letter (as Islam demands of them) why would such Muslims deserve the ‘radical’ or ‘extremist’ label?
It’s because those who use those labels are either ignorant of what the Qur’an actually states - and of what Islam really teaches - or they are being deceitful.
Do we generally refer to Orthodox Jews as extremists?
Muslims, themselves, will tell you that Islam is not a religion. It is a complete way of life in which religion is but one part. It is a supremacist ideology in which Muslims are considered superior to everyone else and in which no separation of mosque and state exists. As a theocracy, like all theocracies, it is both antithetical to our Constitution and is in conflict with it.
Democracy, individual rights, and man made laws which permit what Allah and Muhammad have prohibited are the ‘modernity’ about which we so often hear.
If Islam really were ‘the religion of peace’, we would welcome Muslim fundamentalists into our society. But it’s not.
Is every Muslim a terrorist? No. But every Muslim is a member of that same ‘complete way of life’. A ‘radical’ Muslim in Dearborn would be a mainstream Muslim in Waziristan. Does anyone here really believe the Taliban, whose stated goal was the establishment of ‘a pure Islamic state’, has twisted or perverted the teachings of Islam? If so, please provide specific arguments.
We’re not at war with ‘terror’. Muslim fundamentalists have been at war with ‘unbelievers’ since Muhammad traveled to Medina.
The movie ‘Obsession’ got it wrong in attempting to separate ‘radical’ Islam from everyday, run-of-the-mill Islam, for there is no such demarcation. The issue is what Islam teaches and how each Muslim interpretes it, and there is no unifying voice in Islam.
And the Post-Dispatch got it wrong, too, in not providing their viewers the opportunity to see Muslim fundamentalists practicing Islam as Muhammad intended it to be.
I am extremely impressed and thankful that the Post-Dispatch made a decision to refuse to distribute this hate film. Gives a person much hope for St. Louis and Missouri in the department of consciousness.
The old saying “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel” needs to be updated for situations like this. High-minded scoundrels with low-level courage hide behind applause-seeking ‘ethical decisions.’
Members of the advertising department in the paper I worked for were salespeople. They worked on commission selling space for advertisments and the major, if not only thing they considered was the amount of money they could get for the white space.
Why would Post-Dispatch ad sellers be any different? I could see them turning ad space down if they thought it would backfire and cause some kind of boycott from vocal minorities of activists… maybe that would stop them from selling as much ad space as possible. I’d like to hear a better explanation of why they’d choose to turn down good money at a time when the Post-Dispatch is cutting out copy from the daily issues, dropping content in non-essential sections and laying of 10% or more of the editorial staff. Refusing ads doesn’t seem to make sense to willingly give up money during hard times for the paper. I don’t think management would allow it to happen for any other reasons than
a) agreement in principle from management that the ideas and product should be kept out of the paper
b) fear that taking money and running the ad would backfire with some kind of advocacy action against management/paper.
Neither is high-minded or deals with ethics at all.
Ads for all kinds of offensive things are in the papers every day, and the Post runs things offensive to members of its community all the time ( read the Letters to the Editor and blog posts) yet this movie, labeled offensive, is held to a higher ethical standard… by salespeople?
Cute but transparent. Nice try… but people in Saint Louis can see through that kind of smokescreen I bet.
Thank goodness we have the Post Dispatch to keep us all ethically pure.
Note that Tim Townsend is totally silent on the substance of this film yet he claims that the P-D has, quite nobly, taken an “ethical stand”. That is, he does not, because he cannot, challenge the veracity of this film. Did Tim Townsend even watch this film? If so, why can’t he exhibit a little courage and tell us what exactly in this film is inaccurate or untruthful, or “unethical”. Nor has anyone who supports the P-Ds decision to act as censor for its’ readership indicate what specific facts were inaccurate.
Did Townsend bother to note the part of the film where it specifically states that the depictions of Islamic violence are not attributed to ALL muslims?
Those of you who would like to know more about the threat of radical Islam, go to where you won’t have to worry about having the information you need to decide on your own censored, please visit the http://www.JihadWatch.org blog and decide on your own what, if anything, America needs to worry about. Otherwise, you rely on the P-D to decide what is and what is not ethical for you and your family, at your own peril.
I’m extremely distraught at some of the replies to this article. The issue at hand here is that the movie is clearly BIASED (its content, source, producers all indicate that), foments an obvious anti-Muslim sentiment (as noted by the “audience comments” and the directly caused Muslim hate events that have been reported), and finally, it is being used as a VOTER CAMPAIGN tool! (= sent to swing states only, and viewers received automated phone calls asking them to “keep the movie in mind at the voting booth.”) THat is the most appalling part of the story! And THAT is a major reason why the movie Should be held back.
It is just scary to see how ignorant people in this country can be. They blame an entire religion and over 1.5 Billion followers for the evil work of few. It is like to blame the American culture and poeple for all the evil that happens in this country, from school shootings, to crimes and murders, to child molestation by priests, to drinking and driving and the list goes on. To justify it is okay to promote hate and prejudice in the name of truth, what truth? 99% of muslims are normal citizens just like you and I. To condemn all of them only shows our true colors of intolerance and deep hatred toward them. The terrorists who commit acts of violence and murder do not listen to ordinary muslim nor they seek their approval. They happen to be against the muslim governments and have killed scores of muslims. Just think how many innocent muslims in Iraq have died when we invaded them, in the hundreds of thousands!!
the post-dispatch congratulates itself for not distributing a film that makes a DISTINCTION between moderate and extremist islam. we are not allowed to know even a shadow of the true story.
what is not admitted is that the beliefs considered to be islamic extremist are islamic mainstream, are held by a large (even if minority) percentage of muslims in the west, and reflect the teaching of the koran and the reliable hadiths (the commentary on the koran). the notion here is that mohammed, although a man, was the exemplar for all mankind and reflected Allah’s literal teachings. given the centrality of mohamed and the literalness of Allah’s word …. is it appropriate to ask what sort of man was mohammed, and what sort of teachings? or are the questions themselves out of bounds, “un-American,” a private matter for the private faith that some imagine islam to be?
you may not know that the historically later verses (suras) in the koran take precedence over earlier ones. (that’s one reason that the verse “there is no compulsion in religion” does not mean what it seems to mean.) there is no compulsion in the internal experience of religion, perhaps — but the verse of the sword — sura 9– has a far different message; and that verse and others are used, not only as justification by terrorists, but as persuasive verses used to recruit other muslims to aggressive defense of the faith and the umma (the community of believers). jihad is not only violence, but the use of the legal system to undermine the country, the conversion of prisoners (as is ongoing), and other steps.
what benefit could america possible gain from this immigration, compared to the negatives? we have see nothing like this in american history, except perhaps the battle with the barbary pirates, who were jihadis. people do not perceive — often are not willing to consider the possibility — that this immigration is different; not like the chinese (”they’re taking our railroad jobs!”), not like the catholics (”they will heed only the pope”), not like anyone. the worldview of islam is “them against us”– the word “kufar” (infidel) has every bit the denigration of the “n” word — and while religious catholics or jews or hindus do not cause problems — or perhaps only aesthetic problems, for some — the more religious a muslim is, the more (in a good number of cases) the believer tends toward the dark side. one reason that the pakistani army has had trouble in the tribal areas is that the soldiers say, “well.. is it right to fight our fellow muslims?”
You say, “but the muslims i meet are decent.” the problem is twofold. first, with greater numbers will be a greater pressure to conform to traditional norms. second, in times of personal or social stress, people get religious. we are not only accepting the pleasant professor or guy at 7-11, we are accepting his posterity… and for a muslim to leave the fold is unusual, because deadly.
it is quite american to understand ourselves as standing for a particular kind of civilization. any argument we are having is nothing compared to the difference that you will have with an energized, growing islamic population.
I live in Saint Paul, MN and do not subscribe to this paper. In fact, I was not even aware of its existence until today when I was referred to this article from another website.
I doubt that the Minneapolis Star Tribune or Saint Paul Pioneer Press would allow this DVD to be inserted into their paper, even though MN is a potential swing state in this presidential election.
I am sorry to hear that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has feigned taking the “road less traveled” by refusing to allow the documentary to be included in the paper.
I would highly recommend St. Louis Post-Dispatch subscribers to two things:
1) cancel your subscriptions to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
2) Purchase a copy of the documentary or download it off the internet; either way, watch it!
Anything about Islam that its apologists seek to censor is worth finding out about.
I have had the opportunity watch the entire documentary a couple of years ago when it was initially released. At the time I had been studying Islam for about a year, but had not yet acquired that acumen that I now possess. This made watching the film somewhat confusing. If Obsession has any flaw it is that the documentary only contains examples and anecdotage of Islamic terrorism, but fails to explain the theological foundations that inspire Islamic terrorists to commit their atrocities and cause non-terrorist Muslims to support those terrorist acts and to hate non-Muslims. If you are looking for a good starting point to learn about the theological foundations and justifications behind Islamic terrorism, the less graphic “Islam: what the west needs to know” is an excellent starting point. I recommend that newcomers to Islamic terrorism what Obsession first, then watch “Islam: what the west needs to know,” and then re-watch Obsession. It will all make much more sense to you then.
You say you are making an “ethical” stand and then you are saying the DVD was not submitted in whole and that was why it was rejected. Well, how can you make an “ethical” stand when you did not see the film? In fact you did not make a stand at all but you folded like a coward on the word of some Muslims who said they were “offended”. You’ve insulted the intelligence of your audience.
Were the poster bbm truly “awake” he/she would be aware of the non-distinction which exists within Islam between the “religious”, “political”, “social”, “economic”. Motives graciously offered up by that poster for “most of what’s happened in the last 50 years”, (And what were the motives for similar actions prior to 50 years ago or even prior to the foundation of the United States one wonders?) but which fail to pass the smell test.
The “inherently violent and intolerant nature of Islam” referenced is an attribution to the historical and ongoing track record of conquest and subjugation of non-Muslim minorities worldwide, many to this day in Sharia states or nations with a comparable Muslim populace, who have been unfortunate enough to suffer under the yoke of this ideology - a system predicated on a model of conduct the origin of which being derived from sources such as: Koran, Hadith, Sira, sources Muslims themselves cite and consider divinely inspired, unchanged and unmuted through time. A war is indeed brewing for the soul, and most vitally, the direction of Islam. A reformation has yet to occur and it is apostates along with brave souls such as Bat Yeor, Ibn Warraq, Ayaan Hirsi-Ali, Wafi Sultan, Brigette Gabriel, Serge Trifkovic who deserve the support of the free peoples of the world in this endeavor.
For those in St Louis who wish to obtain a free copy, I do want to note that it will be available.
The Conservative Leadership Association, a student group at Washington University that I am the Event Manager of, will be giving away copies throughout the month of October. Free Obsession DVDs will be available to students, staff, and community members during various distribution times, which remain to be determined. We intend to get started on October 2nd during the VP debates, which our school is hosting, and will continue at least through the end of IFAW III, which the CLA is our first major event of the year.
While we can, and will, order additional copies if the demand exists, we are starting out with just 1000 DVDs. So, if you want to get additional information about when we will be handing out the DVDs, want one set aside for you, or would like to be informed about IFAW III events being hosted on campus, you can send me an email via the contact form on my blog:
http://calebposnerarchives.wordpress.com/contact-me/
Do note though that we are based in St Louis. Thus, non-local residents should disregard this comment, as we cannot afford to mail out DVDs.
How could this possibly be offensive to Muslims? I would think peace loving Muslims would see what their radical brethren are doing in the name of their religion and denouncing it. Shame on you for not distributing this excellent documentary, which alerts the world, including the city of St Louis, to the threats it faces.
The double standard is alive and well. When will people wake up and realize that Islamofascism is the greatest danger we face today. I know there are Moslems that don’t agree but they never speak out against the fanatics. Obsession is an important DVD for every American regardless of religious affiliation to see who our real enemy is. Avoiding it for fear of upsetting terrorist groups like CAIR only strengthen the Islamic fanatics.
Why doesn’t the post make the DVD available at their office for free for every reader that wants it?
— Paul
5:13 pm September 23rd, 2008
Paul, why don’t you make it available at your home for everyone who wants it?
Whatever happened to Freedom of Speech at the Post-Dispatch? Censorship lives, as many comments have been deleted that might “offend” Mohammedans. The Post-Dispatch is becoming like Islam - no Free Speech or Free Press in Islam, and apparently none anymore at the P-D.
“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it doesn’t exist.” –Salman Rushdie
hs,
The issue that I see is not the fact that the voice of moderate islam is ignored, but that it is not spoken in any loud concise real sense. When you do hear it, you hear them trying to shut people up by classifying legitimate criticism as hate speach. I can’t speak to this film, but look up the UNHRC defamation of religion issue and you’ll see that they would like all non-positive speach regarding any religion (even the extremist brands) to be considered an internation human rights issue. This is outrageous - a muslim group in canada in fact has come out against their counterparts in the middle east and their support of such nonsense.
If you want to stop “hate” speach, come out against the bad parts of your religion. Christians should concisely say that the KKK, certain militant cults etc. are apostate to the religion and denounce their actions. The same should be true of Islam with radical terrorist branches.
Also, D. and others, be careful with this “hate speach” thing. It’s too often thrown around haphazardly where it’s not appropriate. It’s not hate speach to point out what radical Islam really is. I respect the desire to all get along, but there are bad people that need to be called out and have the truth about them brought to light (again, I haven’t seen the film, so I can’t really say whether it is or is not legit). Free speech is a good thing for moderate Islam, they should embrace it to their advantage.
By the way, the guy using the name Mike from yesterday was NOT me.
“To claim that this movie is “hate speech” against Muslims would be like claiming that a movie that presents Jewish gangsters Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel in a negative light is “hate speech” against Jews.” –sinz52
Really. Why don’t we just stop showing all documentary footage of Hitler, because that would be “hate speech” against Germans and Austrians (since Hitler was born in Austria). Ditto footage of Mussolini because that would be “hate speech” against Italians. And etc.
“Obsession” is a documentary showing actual footage of Jihadist/Terrorist Mohammedans. If some people want to bury their heads in the sand because they can’t face the reality of the Global Jihad threat in our time, that’s their business, but don’t stop the rest of us who CAN face reality from getting a copy of “Obsession.” I’d also like a copy of “Fitna,” please. And a copy of “Islam: What The West Needs To Know.” Actually, I’ve had my own copy of the latter for years now, and will also order “Obsession,” since the censorious “ethical” (since when did cowardice become a synonym for “ethical?”) Ad Dept of the Post has seen fit to bury it’s collective head in the sand and not face reality. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” - The Ad Dept at the Post, that’s who. Cowards, quivering under a cloak of “ethics!” Yeah, right. Fear is more like it.
The Post Dispatch has shown great integrity in their decision not to accept the Obsession DVD insert. I have read many of the comments here with sadness as they show just how much animosity there is towards American Muslims. For a Muslim view of this film there is a series of articles available - An In-Depth Summary & Analysis of “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War on the West” http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/in_depth_summary_analysis_of_obsession_radical_islams_war_on_the_west/0016753 gives a point by point response to the films claims and gives references to other articles about the film including a background of the individuals and organizations behind the production and distribution of this film.
Mike, I agree with you. I would point out that mainstream Christianity in the US HAS consistently spoken out against the KKK, people like Matthew Hale, etc. Unfortunately, these groups have many supporters in American churches, some might even surprise you.
In the US, what could be called mainstream Islam has a real hard time getting heard publicly. The MSM ignores them, the right wing talking heads excoriate them and tells them they’re really a bunch of liars and the REAL Islam accurately represented by the radicals. The vocal Christian Right joins in the chorus, and the political extremists finish the job. From what I’ve seen, the moderates within Islam HAVE been reaching out for the last 7 years…and had every door they’ve knocked on slammed in their faces.
The only good thing about faceless, anonymous postings is that it really allows the the true nature of the persons trickle through (yes mien and yours).
Some posters just know for a ‘fact’ what Islam teaches. Really? Have you been to one of those ‘teaching’ sessions to learn first hand? No! You have just learned all of the truth about Islama and Moslems from your pastor or evangelical crusader or favorite radio jock!
Some posters have referred to the decision not to distribute a DVD as ‘censorship’ and ‘hidiing the truth’ and ‘attack on free speech’.
Unless some of you have some inside information, there is nothing particularly ‘true’ about the DVD, nor has it been censored since more than 28 million copies may have been distributed.
My conservative brethren ‘know for a fact’ that abortion is like taking a life, even if the birth takes the life of the mother OR that its OK to kill someone through the elctric chair.
Of course some of these things are justifiable at times, but I am not taking their word for it that this is the ‘true’ christianity.
And I dont take the radical Muslims’ description of Islam as the ‘true’ Islam.
This DVD is not a primer on Islam nor on terrorism. It’s an ugly, naked election year propaganda designed to prey upon the post-911 fears.
Don’t be lazy. Do the right thing. See this DVD AND see something else which may potentailly presnt you with a different view. Then make an informed judgement.
But you wont do that, will you. Becuase you already know all about the truth about the ideology of Islam and Muslims!
No you’d rather live with the mindset of the crusaders and further fan our fears of being eaten up by big, bad Muslims.
“…the St. Louis Post-Dispatch advertising department took an ethical stand and refused to distribute the DVD…”
Well, I’ve decided to take an ethical stand also - I am now an EX-SUBSCRIBER.
How shameful of an American newspaper to limit people’s understanding about the nature of the enemy during this current struggle that this world is facing.
visit:
http://actforamerica.com/
For years we in American have been told that the speech most in need of protection is speech that is offensive.So why is speech that offends Muslims suddenly off limits? You really don’t think anyone believes you would have rejected a DVD that offends Christians do you? I’m sure your paper would have proudly accepted the DVD and defended its distribution with high minded claims about the importance of freedom of speech and freedom of expression.Obsession is certainly not hate speech except for the hateful words spoken by the Muslims in the film. Obsession is a documentary that has been shown on FOX news and on various College campus by people concerned about the Jihad threat to America and to the West.The P-D and its subscribers should ask themselves this question. Why are Muslims and their apologists complaining about the distribution of the Obsession DVD and NOT complaining about the hateful views expressed by Muslims in the film?
It is puzzling that a number of people who have posted comments against the Post-Dispatch’s decision do so under the guise of “conservatism.” “Conservative” leadership over the past 8 years has:
1. presided over the biggest bailout in-the-making in history (as well as $500 Billion Savings and Loans Bailout of Reagan’s time - in which McCain was part of the Keating 5)
2. launched a pre-emptive Iraq war based on hysterical ideology
3. Watched the US Dollar go down the drain and as a result Anheuser-Busch can be easily bought out by foreigners
4. Watched China gain influence throughout Africa and Asia.
“Conservatives” need to stop blaming others for destroying the country and stop buying into and promoting hysteria.
Thought today about Sheila Musaji, the woman who wrote of her sadness about people’s attitude toward Islam. When Sheila prays, her notion of the Creator is powerfully affected by the assumptions given to her by culture and religion. She can barely imagine rejecting her own background in the best of cases and even less so because to reject Islam is so unacceptable among others of her faith that, conceivably, her loved ones will stab her.
What if she tried to pray, not to Allah — the impulsive god whose ways are revealed in mohammed’s acceptance of his followers’ killings (including the killing of a woman who had insulted the man and whose child was suckling) — but instead prayed to a higher power, to Truth. Could the still voice of reason come to her, could she at least begin to suspect that the poverty and despotism of Muslim society are caused by Islam? Could she come to the same conclusion as Ibn Warraq, as Hirsi Ali, as Wafa Sultan, and as unknown others who said, “Islam itself is the problem”?
“…the St. Louis Post-Dispatch advertising department took an ethical stand and refused to distribute the DVD…”
Well, I’ve decided to take an ethical stand also - I am now an EX-SUBSCRIBER.
How shameful of an American newspaper to limit people’s understanding about the nature of the enemy during this current struggle that the world is facing.
visit:
http://actforamerica.com/
Ditto, Ex-Subscriber. I will not subscribe to a newspaper that roots for the Enemy. How insane. The “Post” is ignorant and uninformed about evil Islam. See ya, Post, wouldn’t want to be ya, Dhimmis. Slaves to Islam.
Can you believe the author of this article went to Yale Divinity School?! He knows NOTHING about Islam! Total ignoramus!
Today a coworker brought a copy of the DVD to work. It had been mailed directly to his home. We talked about how unusual it was that a documentary is mailed free to an individuals home. What is the motivation behind it? Who is financing it? Why not just show it in theatres and let those who choose to watch it go see it? This is clearly a tactic consistent with the spread of propoganda. Terrorists are no more Muslim than the Pope. They are mercinaries whose business it is to make war. When you want to make war for a living, you have to pick an enemy who has the resources to make war in return. God and religion have nothing to do with it.
I told him if the DVD showed up at my home, I would write “Hate Mail” in big red letters on it and return it to the sender. This evening when I got home and found one in my own mailbox, I did exactly that.
I was one of those Muslim-Americans who attended the screening with an open mind. However, I was disappointed when I saw the majority of attendees were nothing but hate mongers. Similarly, most of the comments made on this blog, it is just as ignorant. Unfortunately some of our fellow citizens are ignorant about our history & religion and they don’t hesitate to show. If they were truly interested in learning, there are plenty of good references at Public libraries & the internet. “Obsession” is a DVD financed and promoted by hate mongers. The Post Dispatch is not ignorant, they did the right thing. Thanks PD.
Muslims who are radical should be ashamed and feel emotional distress. Those who are not radical need to be ashamed and distressed for not speaking out against the radicals loud and clear. America is at a crossroads and we will not tolerate hatred of Jews and Christians and infidels. Muslims, get over it.
“Don’t be lazy. Do the right thing. See this DVD AND see something else which may potentailly presnt you with a different view. Then make an informed judgement.
But you wont do that, will you. Becuase you already know all about the truth about the ideology of Islam and Muslims!
No you’d rather live with the mindset of the crusaders and further fan our fears of being eaten up by big, bad Muslims.”
— bmm
1:36 pm September 24th, 2008
Typical unfounded paranoia from a Muslim, masquerding as an uninformed liberal.
Only Muslims refer to American conservatives as “Crusaders”. Just a head’s up for those not in the know.
bmm also wrote:
“Some posters just know for a ‘fact’ what Islam teaches. Really? Have you been to one of those ‘teaching’ sessions to learn first hand? No! You have just learned all of the truth about Islama and Moslems from your pastor or evangelical crusader or favorite radio jock!”
What is your background and expertise on Islam that you can arrogantly dismiss others?
“Terrorists are no more Muslim than the Pope.”
Far more terrorists are Muslim, and that fact is no coincidence.
Islam is a political system, a social order that is incompatible with Western ideals. We should be acting on that truth, not accepting the positive prejudice shown by the newspaper’s “ethical” decision.
The decision is not ethical; it is ignorant. The mindset that says “Islam is merely a faith” endangers us now and over the long term.
“Terrorists are no more Muslim than the Pope.”
That statement shows 100% ignorance about Islam. It shows a person who has never bothered to read the Qur’an. Imagine defending an ideology and not even bothering yourself to read the group’s primary text?!
jfmoyn, you are 100% ignorant about Islam. In fact, Islamic Terrorists are Muslim to the core. They are following EXACTLY the bloodthirsty commands of “allah,” a pagan moon deity that doesn’t exist, to “Kill the Infidels” and “Slay the Unbelievers” and with no mercy or compassion whatsoever. “allah,” like his Inventor, Warlord Mohamet, is merciless and compassionless.
If you had watched the documentary, you’d see it’s the Moslems who are the Haters. What do you think 9/11 was? A peace/love fest? And those 19 Moslem hijackers/mass-murderers were obeying the Qur’an - Kill the Infidel. Read the Qur’an why don’t you, and educate yourself?
One need to ask why this DVD is being distributed now and that too in swing states only. To give one pro war presidential candidate an edge by fearmongring.
It appears that the funding for the production, marketing and distribution of “Obsession” may have originated from Clarion Fund; Israel-based Aish HaTorah International.
It need to be investigated:
1. Whether or not an incorporated charitable organization made contributions and expenditures in connection with a federal election; and
2. Whether or not the Clarion Fund uses the contributions of foreign nationals in connection with a United States presidential election.
Let me ask you guys a question. Was it really necessary to include pictures of the Nazis in this “documentary”?
There are a persistent group of rapid anti-Islam posting. Propaganda is one thing, but for a people to start believing their own propaganda is another. That ultimately leads to misallocation of resources and disasterous policies. We can try to stomp out Islam and convert/kill all muslims who think might be radical. But it won’t work as it is not the underlying problem. The problems of terrorism are almost entirely POLITICAL and ignoring that fact will lead to complete failure and more terror.
“The problems of terrorism are almost entirely POLITICAL and ignoring that fact will lead to complete failure and more terror.”
Here’s the alternative, to which many posters subscribe: The problems of terrorism are almost entirely THEOLOGICAL (and political, in the sense that Islam is basically a political system). We are in danger of accepting a developing sedition. I do not wish to over-emphasize terror; I wish to live in a country that protects itself domestically.
My guess is that the following text (not yet published) will horrify the well-meaning, astute reader:
http://www.amazon.com/Stealth-Jihad-Radical-Subverting-America/dp/1596985569/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222386149&sr=1-1
Free of speech is a great right that any free society can have.
But what this DVD has to do with free of speech when it brought
hate and violence against a community living in that society!
We have already in South Florida a home of a Muslim have been stoned!
I assure you that this Muslim leader have promoted projects between
Muslims and non-Muslims.
The result of the newspapers who promoted the Obsession DVD!
Is it healthy in the name of free of speech to start to create DVDs
against Jews, against Christians, against Black, against Muslims by
mentioning a part of these groups are radicals! That means be a ware
of the whole population because we did not identify the part and we did
not identified the meaning of radicalism!
Yes we all support the free of speech but we should stand against any
plan or a plot made to create hate between communities living in the
same society. We should instead bring projects to build a healthier
Society to develop a stronger nation against all harms may comes
to our country America.
I stand with a great respect for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
They did the right thing to prevent harms to the
Muslim community in general.
Br. Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout
American Muslim Association of North America
http://www.al-amana.org
FreeSpeech,
Sorry, but I think a film of this nature simply ceases upon stereotypes to spread a message of hate. I just won’t buy into that, but I do respect your right to do so.
Dear Mr Tom Townsend,
I am a Muslim living in the Middle East. I read about the Obsession DVD and I would like to thank you for not distributing it. I am not against free speech, I have no problem people discussing or debating Islam, what I am against is hate speech and this DVD was simply hate speech.
Thank you for your decision.
Tareq
A heartfelt Thanks to Post-Dispatch and New & Records for taking their stands against these politically-directed activities.
These terrorists are complete fanatics, extremists and a part of world polity rather than some ideologies. Fuck them and their irrational ideologies. It’s all creating a mental block among educated Muslims and hampering their development.
If you go by the fact, Islam is the second largest religion in the world. Do you know why? No, not because of these Extremist’s nonsense ideologies but because Islam preached peace. Islam preached brotherhood. Islam told peoples to be at peace and let others be at peace.
Jihad and all that, what these terrorists call as their ideologies are simply not true. A Muslim youth quote these terrorists as, “They are not Jehadis but Fasadis (Arabic term for Rampagers)”.
Jihad is a way to make Islam alive among Muslims and it’s a way to peace, preached by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Nor Islam neither Prophet Mohammad ever preached hatred against followers of other religions and yet he’s misrepresented. He never asked anyone or malign any God’s religion to convert into Islam.
I have seen this movie too, the Palestinian woman was saying that Arabs want to feel they are always right and everyone else false. She forgot to mention that Arab is NOT = Muslim. Most Arabs are indeed Muslim, some Chrisitian and some Jew.
The problem facing the Middle East in Particular and the world in general has to do with one word: ISRAEL.
The best source of how it all came about can be found at none other than the Truman Online library. It is a compelling read, it is a must read. American Jews threatened Truman and they offered him bribes in exchange for Palestine. But Palestine did not belong to America but Palestinians, all Palestinians: Muslim, Christian and Jew. European Ashkenazi Jews and the European people made the Arab people to pay a heavy price by sending off Europe Jewry to Palestine. Herzl mentions in his diary that the Europeans were willing to pay a PREMIUM to get rid of their Jews. But the question that begs to be asked is: What have the Palestinians got to do with it?
Please search for EDWIN M WRIGHT INTERVIEW archived at the Truman Online Library.
It is interesting how, the collective spirit of the comments on this post kind of follow the same one of the reactions of the poeple in the screening. I am ok with that though, I’d rather have poeple express their true feelings than hide behind a false sense of political correctness. Muslims do not deserve to live in this world because ALL OF THEM are trying to hurt us, maybe we could gather all of them and isolate them in their own living area so that they do not harm us….or if they fight back, let’s nuke them all. This is a sarcastic post by the way….
Please note that the Dispatch stance on this issue is being recognized in other communities where discussion of this issue is going forward:
http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=213331
I firmly salute the Post-Dispatch decision for its refusal to participate in the spread of hatred propagated by Israeli funds on American soil. The “Obsession” distribution cost millions of US dollars in “advertisement” costs to change the possible outcome of election in swing states. These millions have not come from inside the US, but from Israel see: http://www.obsessionwithhate.com.
Thank you Post-Dispatch for your high ethical standards. You exemplary stand in refusing dirty money proved to be beyond and above many newspapers across the country.
Your paper has taken a most courageous stand. Apparently, the people who have criticized you will believe anything that parallels their own ignorance, never mind that the “experts” in the film are of dubious credibility.
Does anyone else think it is a coincidence that this was issued six weeks before the presidential election? Is anyone else disturbed that this clandestine organization obtained the home addresses of millions of Americans, despite its own secrecy? This organization chills me as much as al-Qaeda itself.
Thank you, PD. A wise and ethical decision to not distribute this nonsense. Unfortunately, the Clarion Fund sent one to me anyway, but I’m still glad that my hometown paper didn’t have a hand in spreading Hate.
I commend the newspaper for the courageous act to stay away from such low level media. Journalism is all about professional, objective, and constructive speech and not just any malicious jargon that is meant to channel voters from one candidate to another and incite hatred.
The DVD promoters attempt poorly to approach American public with the claim to educate before they have themselves educated. If you watched the movie as I did, figure it out yourself, the absence of reputable established Muslim scholar figures, the abundance of Islam-illiterates and hatefuls, massive free distribution of 28 million copies in specific locations of the country, this is not free speech, this is not education, this is against the good American values that preserved and will keep this great country for years. Does anybody have courage to tell us where the funding for this massive attack is coming from?
In this time of economic struggle, swing state debates and the awry American dream, one begs to think of either one of two things- “What can we do to make it better?” and “What else can possibly be added to make it worse?”
We live in a time where we are thrown so many ideologies, dissent, pop culture banality and lightning speed information that we tend to miss the actual threat- ourselves. Where were we when these houses started to foreclose by the dozen? Where were we when these extremist were taking flying lessons but not the landing courses? What were we thinking when we went into a country than never attacked us (and why is it not headlining the press anymore?) And the list can go on and on…
It’s unfortunate that we live in a society that leads you to believe that one group of people or another are only out for one thing and one thing only. The government has been doing it for years and will continue to do it because it’s easier to control a fearful crowd than it is and educated and well informed one. Propaganda is the push broom of all fear.
Hitler did it so much that his propaganda administrator Josef Goebbels spun a web so big that they actually began believing their own lies. Not only did they kill Jews- but many of their own “pure blood” Germans. Hitler, so convinced he was on the right track, once was quoted as saying, “The bigger the lie, the more will believe it.”- His first weapon of choice? Fear.
Jim Jones- a terrorist in his own reich- believed he was actually God to the point where he convinced 900 people to follow him to South America in order to establish a new society of living that made him control their every move in order to escape the socialistic tyranny of man. When the shit finally hit the fan, you can hear on the muddled audio tape, “HURRY CHILDREN! THEY’RE COMING!!!”- Weapon of choice? Fear.
Tim McVeigh (a Desert Storm Veteran) and Terry Nichols so much believed in their cause that they loaded up a U-Haul van with ammonium nitrate and nitromethane and took it to Oklahoma City in order to prove that Americans weren’t safe from even Americans themselves. When the police finally caught McVeigh in a car that had no license plates- they found a copy of “The Turner Diaries”- a fictional book based on a southerner Turner and his militant group seizing Vandenberg Air Force Base and the course of ethnic cleansing. Book’s core focus? Fear for the white race.
Tyrants and leaders alike have all used the skillful Art of War method to accomplish their gains. Saddam Hussein used it perfectly- insurgency continues on to this day even a few short years after his death. Where were those weapons of mass destruction? He said they weren’t there to begin with- But for some strange reason or another, no one was convinced- At least, not our forty-third president that is. His first and last weapon? Not WMDs- Fear.
Bin Laden used the fanatic way to get his point across- now we live in the fear that it could happen again- Will it? We’ll always wonder and keep guessing.
If the human mind was able to conceive the actual encapsulation of spirituality, one would truly go insane and be confined to a rubber room- which often does happen. We’ve been lead to believe so much that it’s hard to actually determine what is really true. Extremest Muslims (not all Muslims all murderers) use the same tactics our government- and many other governments- use to control the weather. They lead you to believe that they’re out to conquer the world- and that hogwash about England and Israel being converted into a soul Islamic state is a scare tactic used by the same extremist groups and the government alike. The fact of the matter is if it hasn’t happened by now- it isn’t going to happen. I compare these people to the same folks who stand on street corners who tell you that “..the end is near!”- and they’re the same kind of people who lead most of this country to believe that we lived with a “communist threat”. The core ingredient in all these tactics? Fear.
I believe in myself- and I suggest you do too.
Keep the Love Going- and take care of yourselves,
Love,
Quinn
To counter hate filled propaganda, American public needs to be educated about true Islam. Muslim organization need to take the lead. However, the media need to do their share in protraying tru islam, which is a peaceful religion. The newspapers that disrtributed the DVD have a moral responsibility to undo the harm. The perpeterators of the propaganda DVD need to be investigated by appropriate government agencies to ascertain if civil rights of violations occured, or election laws were violated. Simly doing nothing will be worse than the original wrong that was committed.
It didn’t matter. I still got the DVD in the mail anyways. That will probably be the case with many of your subscribers anyways. I still can’t figure out how they got my name though and that troubles me. I understand your decision but then again if they are just going to mail it. You might as well distribute it anyways.
You made a mistake by NOT distributing the paid insert for the documentary movie “Obsession”. That documentary and discussion makes it perfectly clear that the danger comes from the radical Muslims and not from the masses of Muslims. The danger is real; and the public should become aware of it. Your censorship did a disservice to your readers by preventing them from becoming aware of the danger which threatens us all.