CAIR and the New York Times stifle free speech

Peter Bella

The Washington Times

2/23/12

"This is not a film about Islam. It is about the threat of radical Islam. Only a small percentage of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims are radical." (The Third Jihad/Dr. Zuhdi Jasser- narrator)

CHICAGO, February 23, 2012- The producers of the critically acclaimed documentary, The Third Jihad: Radical Islam's Vision for America, have produced an editorial video to fight a joint New York Times and Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) smear campaign against the film. The editorial is called, appropriately, TheAnatomy of a Smear.

It seems the New York Times and CAIR teamed up to shred the First amendment while hiding behind it.

According to the editorial producers, the NYT and CAIR are using the theory of Islamophobia to criticize the documentary.

Yet the documentary is not just critically acclaimed; it has received significant praise by American Muslim leaders:

"We have viewed The Third Jihad, and regard the information presented therein to be both factually accurate, and important for our fellow Muslim and non-Muslim citizens to understand, debate and address. The Third Jihad explicitly distinguishes between the religion of Islam, and the highly politicized ideology of religious hatred, supremacy and violence characteristic of political Islam, often referred to as 'Islamism." (American Islamic Leadership Council)

CAIR and the NYT started the smear campaign against the film late last month. CAIR is also incensed that the film was used to train the New York Police Department. They are demanding Commissioner Ray Kelly be fired.

Anatomy of a Smear, details the distortions of the smear campaign waged by CAIR and the New York Times against the documentary and its creators.

CAIR is a supposed civil rights organization. When groups cloak themselves under the banner of civil rights, they often are afforded more credibility than they deserve. They are given a cachet of immunity. When the New York Times supports you, you get star power.

The fact that the documentary is critical of CAIR may have something to do with the smear campaign too. The New York Times is a major media supporter of CAIR.

CAIR and other like minded organizations suppress free speech by using their right to free speech to spread distortions and misinformation about extremism. CAIR is not alone in this. There are myriad groups who do the same thing- pro-life, pro-choice, environmental, religious, cultural, ethnic, and racial.

Washington Times contributor Frank Gaffney made the best statement regarding CAIR- they seek to "suppress information that "offends Muslims" or otherwise puts them, their agenda or their behavior in a negative light - no matter how accurately".

CAIR has been strangely silent on the violent religious persecution of Christians in Muslim countries. Muslims are committing this persecution with government backing or willful blindness.

CAIR is also silent on Anti-Semitism practiced by Muslim countries while promoting their own theory of Islamophobia. They are critical of the special relationship between America and Israel, blaming it for many of the problems and so-called misunderstandings between Muslims and America.

The New York Times is the worst offender in this particular incident. They, like CAIR, are hiding behind the First Amendment to stifle free speech, expression, and open public dialogue and debate. They are taking sides instead of being objective and balanced.

The NYT used to be the nation's paper of record. Now, it resembles a sad propaganda sheet giving McCarthyism a good name.

Here is something to consider. The New York Times and the rest of the progressive movement are pro-choice, pro-feminist, and pro-gay rights. They stand up for the right to protest wherever and whenever they want, including at churches during services.

When was the last time you saw pro-choice, women's rights, or pro-gay protesters at a Mosque? Has there ever been a mass protest at a Mosque over any of these issues? If it ever happened, you can be sure the New York Times would condemn the protesters for being Islamophobes.

When was the last time the New York Times castigated Islam extremists for their virulent anti-gay and pro-life positions, or their treatment of women?

I challenge any pro-choice, feminist, or pro-gay group to protest at Mosques continually during their services. Go on. Put your so-called courage, time, and effort where your mouth is. Radical Islam is vehemently and violently anti-gay, oppressive to women, and pro-life.

Why don't progressives, liberals, and women's rights and women's health fanatics, condemn and protest Islam like they do Catholicism or Christianity?

It seems perfectly acceptable for extremist Muslims to be Anti-Semitic, Anti-Christian, Anti-Gay, oppressive to women, or more pro- life than Christians. It is not acceptable for other Americans to adhere to these opinions.

If liberals, progressives, and radical leftists were sincere and secure in their beliefs they would be damning radical Islam for its violations of human rights. They would be demanding Islam celebrate diversity and multi-culturalism- whatever that is.

This is the new hypocrisy in America. Everyone is forced to accept certain values and treat all as equals, except for Muslims. They can do whatever they want, preach whatever they want, and suffer no repercussions from the left, or the New York Times.

The New York Times would probably condemn any protests at Mosques as insensitive, politically incorrect, and violating their so-called laws of multi-culturalism. They would claim the protests would just incite purposeless violence, threatening our security.

It is time for America to wake up to the hypocrisy of the left, the progressives, CAIR, and the New York Times.

In a world where we are being torn apart by political polarization, we are being led and misinformed by hypocrites.