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Hatewatch is managed by the staff of the Intelligence Report, an investigative magazine published by the Alabama-based civil rights group Southern Poverty Law Center.
Hatewatch Headlines
[USA]
Newspapers Criticized For Carrying Muslim-Bashing DVD
The Boston Globe
/October 4, 2008
Daily newspaper editors nationwide are receiving heavy negative feedback for distributing a paid advertising insert containing DVD copies of “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West,” a film that’s been widely denounced as anti-Muslim propaganda.
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on October 9th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Why can not there be laws that are enforceable for spreading this type of hateful propaganda? Mainstream media and its long reaching tentacles contribute to inciting hatred. These ARE necessarily the perspectives of the owners of the newspapers otherwise they would not associate with these radicals AND not turn a blind eye!
on October 9th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Are You Kidding Me.. Have you seen the film? Just because a film highlights negative “and true” aspects regarding a group or religion or anything for that matter, does not make it hateful propaganda. The media is supposed to be UN BIAS, that means it should tell both sides. If it only chooses to distribute one side it too becomes prpaganda.
You may not be aware, or choose to turn a blind eye yourself, but the fact is that there are these people out there who want to hurt us because of OUR religin, Our way of life, Our ethnicity. Isn’t that
radical. Isn’t that extreme. All we are doing is talking about them. THEY are killing us.
I am not going to die, or allow my way of life to cease to exist so that you and your kind can feel good about yourselves for being politcally correct.
on October 9th, 2008 at 11:06 am
As always, the issue is, “Who decides what is censorable?” What is intolerably offensive to me may, to you, be merely the presentation of facts or exploration of ideas. Consider, for example, a news report describing the tolerance of “honor killings” of women in Islamic societies, the printing of the “Mohammed cartoons,” or an article which includes examples of anti-gay or anti-semitic rhetoric or cartoons.
Our society has decided, pretty much, to control behavior rather than thought. Therefore, speech which is considered imminently likely to produce violent behavior may be censored (as well as expression such as child pornography, the production of which involved a crime). Urging a crowd to take immediate violent action against individuals or members of a group would fall into this category.
Another issue, often commented on by our Founding Fathers, is that it is preferable to allow free expression and competition of ideas, even ideas which the majority of us may find either hateful or ridiculous. Shine light on these ideas, reasonably and without overt rancor (even though you may indeed be repulsed).
This underlines the importance of one of our responsibilities as citizens: to inform ourselves and participate in these public discussions—also in private discussions, as when someone says in your presence that all members of group A are stupid/terrorists/child molesters/anti-American/etc. A calm and reasonable response, or a question as to “What facts or experiences lead you to that conclusion?” may open a discussion that at least lets the other person know his/her opinion is not shared by other reasonable people. Other people who are present will be positively affected too, we hope. Everybody, including you, may learn something.
Please note, I do realize that such discussions may not always be possible or productive—some people with extreme and negative ideas reject anyone who disagrees, and are angered by inquiries into why they think the way they do. Don’t put yourself at risk, or persist, in such a case.
As with all the precepts of civilized society, your espousal of civil reasoned discourse may not get a positive result. But that’s life, we keep on trying.
I think that my viewpoint here is at odds with much of the illegalization of “hate speech” which the SPLC supports. To me, many violent crimes are hate crimes, and singling out a few types obscures the issue. Many rapes and attacks against women are hate crimes, even though the perpetrator may not utter a manifesto while perpetrating the crime.
Similarly, I think it is far better to teach our children respect for all people, instead of teaching them specifically not to insult this group or that group. Children who are bullied at school often are singled out for certain characteristics ranging from unfashionable clothing to nerdishness or being too fat/thin/tall/short/poor/rich/white/brown. Is it better to add lessons specifically about not being rude to people with all these characteristics, or is it better to teach a single principle of civil behavior toward all, and try always to encourage kindness and empathy?
on October 9th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Quick postscript:
My rural newspaper didn’t carry the DVD referred to and I have not seen it. If it incites imminent violence against muslims then ti may fall into the area which our laws do rightfully restrict.
on October 9th, 2008 at 11:34 am
It’s unfortunate that Islam is practiced at street-level in many middle-eastern and south-asian nations in the manner portrayed in the film, but it isn’t false. Bigotry and hatred are in service to opportunistic and benighted souls everywhere. It’s also true that awareness of the complete reality of Islam in practice is our only genuine means for changing our world. The best weapon against hatred isn’t avoidance, denial, or suppression, but the same commitment to it’s detection, prosecution, and subjugation to true human values that has served the SPLC so well.
on October 9th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I don’t care to see the “film” if that is what you call it! Either way, MSM does turn a blind eye and you can believe whatever you want – that is the beauty of this country. But, it does not mean you have to accept this type of propaganda either way. I am not talking about being pc. PC is what is the problem with this country. I am saying don’t spread terrorism…starting with OUR country! Wake up, son! Both sides have a story to tell…just tell it truthfully without any hidden agendas to incite hatred.
on October 9th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I think it is very heartening and encouraging to think that the Southern Poverty Law Center is taking a stand in exposing anti Muslim sentiment in the mainstream media.
Of course, intolerance against various groups of people in the US is not a new phenomenon at all, but anti Muslim incitement is a relatively new and insidious phenomenon. To understand just how hateful it can get, one can try watching the comically bigoted Glenn Beck show, or the hate sermons of Pat Robertson on the Club 700.
Terrorist actions, especially, though not exclusively by extremist Muslims represents a global menace and a mortal danger to the whole world, not just the US. By failing to distinguish between the innocent and the guilty, however, and by delegitimizing criticisms of US policies as “radicalism”, however, the far right ideologues responsible for films like “Obsession” prove the hateful and obfuscatory nature of anti Muslim sentiment.
To see why some of the views and sentiments on Obsession are every bit as malignant as the SPLC would like us to believe, we need to look no further than some of the people interviewed in the film. They include people like the virulently anti immigrant Pres candidate Tom Tancredo who mulled using nuclear bombs against Mecca and Medina, as well as a character by the name of Walid Shoebat who claims to be a “former terrorist” now an ideological bed partner for the likes of fundamentalist preacher John Hagee who recently was quoted as asserting the Holocaust was “God’s Plan”.
Excuse me, but guess who is being radical now ?
Kudos to the SPLC for exposing this piece of hateful scaremongering for what it is.
on October 10th, 2008 at 3:08 am
While I’m opposed to censorship in general, I think it’s pretty clear that this is likely to incite violence, and should have been rejected on that basis. We have already seen much anti-Muslim violence in this country, this DVD is sure to produce more.
The idea that this was just being given equal treatment to other political, religious, or anti-religious speech is ridiculous. If someone tried to do this with a DVD about Jews and the “Zionist Conspiracy” (but they mentioned that not all Jews are Zionists), do you really think they could get it published? How about one that called Mormons child molesters, do you think that would fly?
The truth is that Islamic people have been demonized by the political establishment and the mass media, not many think twice about publishing such hateful propaganda – and Islamic people (plus those who look like they might be) will continue to suffer because of it.
on October 10th, 2008 at 7:44 am
It is no secret that this Islam-bashing piece of garbage is intentionally released before the election to sway voters to McCain. Fear and smear.
McCain and Palin are allowing, even encouraging, people at their speeches to shout racist, bigoted smears against Obama.
They’re ratcheting up the hate, which is particular ly dangerous in today’s economic crisis.
And ignoranuses like John Robie eat it up and go out andommit hate crimes.
on October 10th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I have seen this video and from my perspective I believe the makers of the video are trying to expose a very small amount of people who have hijacked a beautiful and peaceful religion. The first thing it shows and says in the film is that “MOST MUSLIUMS ARE PEACFUL AND DO NOT SUPPORT TERROR,THIS IS NOT A FILM ABOUT THEM.” Comparing this movie to anti muslium propaganda is like comparing a film denouncing nazism and hitler anti german propaganda.
on October 20th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Wait I am confused, why is a DVD about RADICAL Islam (a very small, very nasty and hateful segment of a otherwise peaceful legitimate religion) anti Muslim? NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE RADICAL MUSLIMS! I find the lumping the two together to be shameful!
Radical Islam is to Islam what Christian Identity is to Christianity! Both are extremely far right at hateful segments of a mainstream religion that preaches peace and love.
on October 24th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
The newspaper has the right to distribute whatever dvd they want.
Don’t like it, don’t watch it.
Problem solved.
Now quit whining.
on November 14th, 2008 at 2:32 am
I’ve been a member of SPLC since 1993. For 2 years I’ve had an intense interest in Islam/Middle East issues. There is an Islamic practice that has been going on for hundreds of years and is approved by the religious leaders. It is Taqiyya, (tah-KEY-yah), which is the use of deceiption and lies on unbelievers to help spread Islam. Every word spoken or written by a Muslim has to be questioned. It could be 100% true, 100% false, or more deceitful-partially true and partially false. True Islam is violent. The belief that “Islam is a religion of peace hijacked by a few extremists” is unfortunately taqiyya.
on November 26th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
It’s interesting how stopping hate can be a guise for openly practicing racism against Arabs and Muslims. The DVD claims that it is only targeting “radical” Islam, but in fact the overall impression left by watching it is that something called “Islam” or “Islamofascism” (imagine saying this about Judaism or Hinduism) is a threat to “our way of life”–whatever that means. This is just a deflection of reality. First, Al-Qaeda was trained by the C.I.A. as our proxy in the Cold War–we funded them to fight the Soviets and bleed the latter, so that the former Soviet Union would be destroyed. After the first Gulf War, Osama bin Laden turned his guns on us due to the heavy presence of the US military in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. This is not to justify Al-Qaeda; it’s to note that what happened on 9/11 was not about a unified ideology or “clash” of good and evil let alone “civilizations” but blowback from the Cold War.
The U.S. has practiced racial profiling against Muslim and Arab men, rounding them up en masse on the basis of national origin. This is racism of a kind that is extremely unhelpful in figuring out who hit us, why, how to respond to the attacks (invading and destroying another country, even when they are no imminent threat to your own security and that’s not racism but “spreading democracy”????) Trying to legalize torture itself a practice that rests on racism?? All of this illegal targeting of Muslims and Arabs simply for their national origins has created an environment in which it is not only okay but “necessary” to not just discriminate against them but make them legal castoffs, and thus subject them to brutality and horrors that would raise a hue and cry in this country if they were aimed at any other group.