America’s War on
Islam 2.0
By
Stephen Lendman on April 21, 2013
Waging war at home or abroad requires
enemies. America creates them when none exist. Imperial strategy demands
them.
Post-9/11, Muslims were targeted for
political advantage. Post-Boston bombings, America’s war on Islam
continues.
Muslims are “war on terror” scapegoats.
Washington’s Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia wars rage.
It’s the wrong time to be Muslims in
America. They’re persecuted for their faith and ethnicity. At times it’s for
their activism, prominence, and/or charity.
They’re dehumanized, spied on, set up
as patsies, hunted down, rounded up, held in detention, kept in isolation,
denied bail, restricted in their right to counsel, tried on secret evidence,
convicted on bogus charges, given long sentences, and treated harshly as
political prisoners.
The term “Islamofascism” was
popularized. Some call it Islamic radicalism or jihadism. The New Oxford
American Dictionary calls it “a controversial term equating some modern Islamic
movements with the European fascist movements of the early twentieth
century.”
The Urban Dictionary says it “refers to
the notion that Islam is not so much a religion as it is a political ideology
that in many ways resembles ‘fascism.’ ”
“An Islamofascist can either be an
Islamic fundamentalist, or someone who uses violence or bullying tactics to
impose Islamic principles on others….”
FAIR called David Horowitz its “premier
promoter.” His 2007 “Islamofascism Awareness Week” attracted leading Muslim
haters.
Author Robert Spencer was called a
prominent Islam-basher. He publishes the “notoriously Islamophobic website”
“Jihad Watch.”
Daniel Pipes founded the Middle East
Forum think tank. Media scoundrels mischaracterize him as an Islamic “scholar.”
He defends racially profiling Arab Americans. He calls their presence a “true
danger” for Jews.
Michael Savage hosts “The Savage
Nation.” It’s a nationally syndicated radio talk show. He relentlessly uses
hateful language. He once endorsed killing a hundred million Muslims. He did so
on air.
Pat Robertson calls Islam violent and
irrational. It’s “not a religion,” he says. It’s a “worldwide political
movement.” It’s “meant to subjugate all people under Islamic law.” It’s a
“bloody, brutal type of religion.”
Others on FAIR’s list included Fox
News’ Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, conservative political commentator Mark
Steyn, self-styled Islamic terrorist expert Steven Emerson, conservative
blogger/commentator Michelle Malkin, former Fox News host Glenn Beck, and
political commentator Debbie Schlussel.
Connect the dots. The Boston bombings
connect eerily to 9/11. Muslims were blamed both times. America’s war on terror
targets them. It continues at home and abroad.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s a naturalized US
citizen. Senators Lindsey Graham (R. SC), John McCain (R. AZ) and Kelly Ayotte
(R. NH), as well as Rep. Peter King (R. NY) want him held as an “enemy
combatant.” They want him denied fundamental rights.
King chairs the House Homeland Security
Committee. He’s also an Intelligence Committee member. He wants more
surveillance. “It keeps us ahead of the terrorists who are constantly trying to
kill us,” he said.
Big Brother no longer is fiction. Total
surveillance is possible. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, Boston,
and other cities use growing numbers of video cameras.
They monitor streets, commercial areas,
airports, highways, public and private transportation, shopping malls,
government and business buildings, as well as other places where people
congregate, work, reside, recreate, or inhabit for any reason.
King and others want more. Drone
surveillance may be expedited. Legislation authorized eye in the sky spying.
Civil libertarians call all forms of surveillance an unregulated privacy
threat.
In his April 20 weekly address, Obama
suggested perhaps what’s coming. He called Monday’s incident “an act of
terror….But in the days since….Americans refuse to be terrorized.”
“….Boston’s spirit remains undaunted.
America’s spirit remains undimmed….That’s what makes us strong. That’s why we
endure.”
“In the days to come, we will remain
vigilant as a nation.” Expect the worst to follow.
Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are
called Islamic terrorists. Media scoundrels characterize them that
way.
Round-the-clock coverage pronounced
guilt by accusation. What’s most important to know is suppressed. Managed news
misinformation substitutes.
Both brothers were set up as patsies.
One’s dead. The other’s seriously wounded. He remains hospitalized. He’s at
Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He’s under heavy
guard.
He’ll be interrogated when able to
respond. He won’t be read his Miranda rights. On April 20, the ACLU headlined a
“Statement on Miranda Rights of Boston Bombings Suspect,” saying:
“The American Civil Liberties Union
reacted to the apprehension of the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing and
statements from federal officials that he would be questioned without being
read his Miranda rights.”
“Every criminal defendant is entitled
to be read Miranda rights. The public safety exception should be read
narrowly. It applies only when there is a continued threat to public safety
and is not an open-ended exception to the Miranda rule.”
“Additionally, every criminal
defendant has a right to be brought before a judge and to have access to
counsel. We must not waver from our tried-and-true justice system, even in the
most difficult of times. Denial of rights is un-American and will only make it
harder to obtain fair convictions.”
The Center for Constitutional Rights
headlined “CCR Condemns Miranda Exception in Boston Marathon Suspect Case,”
saying:
“The Miranda warnings were put in
place because police officers were beating and torturing ‘confessions’ out of
people who hadn’t even been formally accused of a crime.”
“We cannot afford to repeat our
mistakes. If officials require suspects to incriminate themselves, they are
making fair trials and due process merely option and not a requirement. To
venture down that road again will make law enforcement accountable to no
one.”
“Like Obama’s expanded killing
program and his perpetuation of indefinite detention without trial at
Guantanamo, this is yet another erosion of the Constitution to lay directly at
the President’s feet.”
“Obama’s Justice Department
unilaterally expanded the ‘public safety exception’ to Miranda in 2010 beyond
anything the Supreme Court ever authorized.”
“Each time the administration use
this exception, it stretches wider and longer. However horrific the crime,
continuing to erode constitutional rights invites continued abuse by law
enforcement, and walks us down a dangerous path that becomes nearly impossible
to reverse.”
Media scoundrels straightaway convicted
both brothers. They did so in the court of public opinion. Misreporting
continues. FAIR’s Peter Hart calls it a “rush to misjudgment,”
saying:
“We’ve seen reporting and commentary
that talked about the Muslim or jihadist character of the bombs themselves:
pressure cookers, ball bearings or nails used.”
“These are things that are not unique
to al-Qaeda or al-Qaeda-inspired terror attacks.”
“We saw references to the Times
Square bombing, trying to put this in the context of Islamic terror or
previous instances of what the media like to refer to as Islamic
terror.”
“We even saw references to the fact
that two bombs were there. It must have been a follow-up attack trying to hit
the rescue workers when they show up – again, a Middle Eastern trait, we’re
told.”
“This is actually what the United
States government has done in places like Iraq and in drone strikes in
Pakistan.”
“So we have seen this rush to
characterize this bombing, without necessarily saying precisely that we know
who the perpetrators are, but to put it in this context.”
“And I think that creates a climate
of fear and suspicion, particularly directed toward certain
communities.”
“We read headlines, you know, block
letters across the front page of the USA Today, the day afterwards, “Terror
Has Returned.”
“This idea that the United States has
not seen a terrorist attack since 9/11. This is a unique event right
now.”
On April 19, Media Matters headlined
“Boston And The Right-Wing Media’s Collapse,” saying:
Glenn Beck’s web site (The Blaze) got
it wrong saying a Saudi national student was “absolutely involved.” He called
him a “dirt bag, possibly the ringleader.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity claimed he
previously was “involved with a terrorist or terror activity.”
Media Matters said “too many players
opted to just make stuff up. Prompting witch hunts, they cast innocents as
would-be killers and then couldn’t be bothered with apologies.”
Murdoch’s New York Post “seemed
committed to getting as many stories wrong about the Boston attack as
possible.”
Before an arrest was made, CNN’s
breaking news headlined “Sources:
Arrest made in bombings case.” Reporter John King erroneously called him
“dark-skinned.”
NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous
responded, saying:
“Our concern is that CNN used an
overly broad, unhelpful and potentially racially inflammatory categorization
to describe the potential suspect. History teaches us that too often people of
color are unfairly targeted in the aftermath of acts of
terrorism.”
Post-Boston bombings, media
misreporting was deplorable. It didn’t surprise. “Rush to misjudgment” is
commonplace. Washington Post editors headlined “In pursuit of
terrorists.”
Official reports were accepted as
fact. The Tsarnaev brothers were blamed. A Chechen “extremist,” “Al Qaeda” or
other “foreign group” connection was suggested.
“Much as some in Washington might
wish it, the war against terrorism is not over….The Tszrnaevs….may have
intended more mayhem: They were reportedly carrying more bombs when they were
cornered Thursday.”
Note: Media misreporting said at least
older brother Tamerlan wore an explosives vest. Photos of his body showed him
riddled with bullets and shrapnel head to toe. All limbs were intact. He wasn’t
blown to pieces.
New York Post editors headlined “The
unfinished war,” saying:
“….These have been scary days. (It
was) chilling to see how successfully the suspects, Chechen Muslim immigrants,
were – not just in allegedly killing people, but in instilling widespread
fear, especially in the Northeast.”
“The week served as a painful
reminder that this nation remains in an ongoing fight against terror – and
that the homeland is still vulnerable.”
“The war on terror isn’t over. Alas,
far from it.”
Boston Globe editors headlined “Boston
after the bombings: a show of character,” saying:
“(L)aw-enforcement officials and
political leaders….put aside turf wars and expressions of egotism to focus on
the killers….”
“….Boston’s character needs no
further validation. The city is strong, and getting
stronger.”
Chicago Tribune editors headlined
“Accomplishing….nothing,” saying:
“….Boston bombing suspects (may) have
had no motivation more complex than joyful cruelty.”
“This level of preparation, though,
suggests that they had some motive more sophisticated than merely marauding
through the lives of innocents.”
“The Boston massacre no doubt will
help authorities worldwide rethink security preparations for mass
events.”
Numerous print and broadcast reports
highlighted a Chechen Muslim connection. The New York Times was typical
headlining “Boston Attacks Turn Spotlight on Troubled Region of Chechnya,”
saying:
Possible motivations of both brothers
aren’t yet known. “Yet, with at least one brother talking of Chechen
nationalism on the Internet, their reported involvement in the marathon attack
throws a spotlight on one of the darkest corners of nationalist and Islamic
militancy….”
“Whether the Boston bombing was tied
to it is still unclear, but a generation of young Chechen men have never known
a peaceful homeland (and have had) difficulties finding a place
abroad.”
America’s war on terror continues.
Perhaps last week’s Boston bombings advanced it. Muslims remain America’s enemy
of choice. Expect Obama and Congress to take full advantage. Expect the worst of
times to follow.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can
be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled “Banker
Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.” http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html.
Visit his blog site at
sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to
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Conflicting ideas A face-off between conservatives and atheists, Photo: AP