Denial"
by Sid Shahid
American Thinker
March 14, 2010
http://www.meforum.org/2606/islamists-terror-cases-denial
As homegrown terrorism grabbed headlines at the end of 2009, Islamist
pressure groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR),
Muslim American Society (MAS), and Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
felt the need to look as if they were responding forcefully. However, all
they offered was spin and denial of the very radicalism that they
themselves have helped breed.
First we witnessed the typical smokescreen that attempts to paint Muslims
as victims. For example, in a November 6 press release commenting on the
Fort Hood massacre, Mahdi Bray of the MAS Freedom Foundation strongly
condemned the actions of Major Nidal Hasan, but quickly segued into
warnings about an anti-Muslim backlash: "Let us be cautious, however, in
drawing conclusions based on the ethnicity of the perpetrator of this
tragic incident. … The perpetuation of negativity in such instances
often unwittingly serves as an equally unnecessary exacerbation of the
atmosphere of hate, violence, and Islamophobia under which the Muslim
community already exists."
Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director of CAIR, played a victim
card of his own on November 15. Participating in a discussion on TV One's
Washington Watch, Hooper asked, "Why can't the killer at Fort Hood just be
a crazy guy? Don't take it out on American Muslims because you're upset
about another issue." He then claimed that CAIR had received death
threats since the shooting. "Are those terrorist threats or is it only a
terrorist threat if a Muslim does it?" he added.
More obfuscation followed the terror-related arrests of five Virginia
Muslim men in Pakistan, as self-appointed Islamic spokesmen could not
bring themselves to acknowledge fully the roots of radicalization taking
place among America's Muslims. For example, at a December 9 press
conference about the detentions, Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR,
did grant that a "problem" exists in the Muslim community, yet he
remained in complete denial about its source: political Islam (Islamism).
Particularly illuminating is Awad's statement that there are no
"similarities or connection," ideological or otherwise, between the
disappearance of the jihadist Somali youths from Minneapolis and the
jihadist young men from Virginia. He was succeeded at the podium by
MPAC's Haris Tarin, who did little more than pay lip service to the
"problem" by calling for better Muslim community relations with law
enforcement.
The Islamist stage show continued two days later. Speaking to reporters at
the mosque that the young men attended, Mahdi Bray proclaimed: "We are
determined not to let religious extremists exploit the vulnerability of
our young children through slick propaganda on the Internet. We are
sending a message loud and clear that those days are over when we don't
respond. We are going to be active, proactive." However, Bray's denial --
or intentional avoidance -- of Islamism was most evident when, according
to AFP, he "acknowledged that the emotions of young Muslims were stirred
by 'injustices' they see unfolding in places like Iraq and Afghanistan."
Then, on December 17, barely more than a week after admitting to a vague
radicalization "problem," CAIR opened up the victimology playbook once
more with an email blast excerpting, among other things, a Salon.com
article from December 14 entitled "The Allegedly Growing Domestic Muslim
Threat." The piece sarcastically minimizes the danger of radical Islam to
the U.S. and instead pins the blame on American foreign policy in the
Middle East.
As expected, none of these so-called leaders addressed Islamism as a real
and thriving movement or recognized the fuel of anti-Americanism that
perpetuates it. How could they? If they did, they would have to concede
their own complicity in its spread. So they dissimulate.
Without addressing political Islam, anti-radicalization efforts like the
one announced by CAIR at the December 9 press conference are mere public
relations ploys. Worse, declaring that problems within Muslim-majority
countries are the sole result of American policies is not only factually
inaccurate, but dangerous. It should be no surprise that when such
unqualified anti-Americanism is fomented by Islamists with deep pockets,
some community members like Nidal Hasan crack under the pressure.
The contrast between the above groups and truly moderate Muslims was
especially pronounced in the wake of the Fort Hood massacre. Moderates
such as Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, founder and president of the American
Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), were out front on the fact that
Hasan's actions had been motivated by his Islamist ideology. Jasser and
other leading anti-Islamists consistently were featured on CNN, Fox,
MSNBC, and elsewhere, calling Hasan what he is: a radical Islamist.
Real anti-radicalization efforts from the Muslim community require a
balanced perspective that integrates our faith with our American
citizenship. One can debate U.S. foreign policy, human rights abuses
abroad, and democracy promotion without poisoning the minds of Muslims
and creating a childish and artificial barrier that separates them from
the Western world -- thus forcing men like Nidal Hasan to choose between
being a proud American and a proud Muslim.
Of course, CAIR, MAS, and MPAC are not likely to change. That is why the
time has come for true American Muslims -- along with politicians and the
mainstream media -- to stop promoting and legitimizing Islamist groups in
the United States as "Muslim civil rights organizations." They are
anything but.
Sid Shahid is the director of research and publications for the American
Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD). He can be reached at
sid@aifdemocracy.org. This article was sponsored by Islamist Watch.
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