Spencer and Geller’s “Defense”: Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing - update 10/4/12

Sheila Musaji

Posted Aug 8, 2011      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version
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Spencer, Geller, et al’s “Defense”: Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing

by Sheila Musaji

Robert Spencer has penned yet another article defending himself and his fellow “freedom fighters” against charges that they might be bigots, and enablers of bigotry.  This time he is particularly upset with a New York Times article by Scott Shane.  Geller and Spencer also posted a defense written by both of them that they are surprised that no respectable newspaper has accepted for publication.

Spencer insists on sticking to the lie that the only non-Muslim nutcases who have carried out violent attacks are Breivik and McVeigh.  That lie is disproven here.  He also insists on repeating the lie that there have been 17,000 terrorist attacks by Muslims since 9/11.  That is disproven here.

Spencer says ”... no one has come up with any gotcha quote from me — no incitement to violence, no broad-brush demonization of all Muslims (although it is routinely alleged that I do this), and not even anything false. “

Spencer says “No one I know has ever accused the “entire Muslim community of complicity in terrorism.” I have never done that, and challenge Scott Shane or anyone else to show that I have.”

Spencer and Geller close their joint article with The constitutional protection of the freedom of speech is designed to protect controversial speech, including political dissent.  Innocuous speech needs no protection.  The truths that we enunciate are inconvenient for many to acknowledge, and the principles of freedom for which we stand are increasingly assailed.  For that reason alone, the international media should be more circumspect in its demonization of us and our perspective; otherwise they may find, after having silenced all dissenting voices, that there is no one left who is able to stand up for the freedoms they now enjoy.


Let’s look at the facts, and see if these claims stand up.

 

NOT EVEN ANYTHING FALSE?

In the article Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller Attempt to Conceal Evidence of “Truth-Telling” numerous examples are given of instances where false, inaccurate, or damning information was simply altered, scrubbed, or disappeared from their sites. 

Geller and Spencer both see an awful lot that doesn’t exist anywhere except in their fevered minds.  The problem is that they pass these bigoted assumptions on to their readers as “facts”.  They are responsible for most of the false - what everyone “knows” ideas about Islam and Muslims that are causing so many to look at every Muslim with suspicion.  Answers to these false claims here

Geller and Spencer have made false claims to having “discovered” a lot of things that are untrue:
— Iranian yellow badge story 
— August 22, 2006 Iranian “Doomsday” story 
all rapists in Norway are Muslims,
nefarious plot by New York City cabdrivers to impose Sharia on America. 
spit jihad,
employment jihad,
vehicular jihad
marriage to important men jihad plots.
Muslim plot to kill the Pope

There are so many of these false claims that it would take a book to list them all.  Responses to many of Spencers claims can be found here

 

NO GOTCHA QUOTES, NO BROADBRUSH DEMONIZATION OF ALL MUSLIMS?

A FEW GELLER QUOTES: [see here for links to sources]

— ”Devout Muslims should be prohibited from military service. Would Patton have recruited Nazis into his army?” 
— “Al-Qaeda is a manifestation of devout Islam ... It is Islam.  And by refusing to name the enemy, Obama has perpetrated yet another devastating attack on American security.”
— “We are witnessing an Islamized America. This is well beyond political correctness. We are enforcing Shariah. We will not insult Islam. That is Shariah. We self censor. That is Shariah. We disrespect ourselves, our nation, so that we might respect Islam. This is dhimmitude.” 
— Gen. Petraeus was pushing “jihadist rhetoric of Islamic anti-semitism”. 
— She called Obama “President Jihad” and said about him “America has no clue what she is dealing with. The President of the United States is advancing jihad against the oath of office that he took. If he is agitating Muslims against Jews, will he declare war on Israel?” 
— “I would like to feel all warm and fuzzy and embrace the moderate Muslim/ meme but they show no evidence of their existence - not in any real number anyway. The only voices of reason in the Muslim world are lapsed Muslims or apostates.  Many of Pipes’ “moderates” speak out of both sides of their mouths and if perhaps we could point to one rally, one incident, one moment when we saw Muslims in any number come out and protest against terror, jihadi violence - perhaps then we might believe in Muslim miracles. Why hasn’t there been one, ONE, Muslim rally denouncing the attacks of 9/11?  We can pretend or we can strategize on how to defeat our mortal enemy.”
— ”Muslims have no right to invoke Moses and Abraham. This is a delegitimization of Judaism. It is offensive and vile. And while Jesus is not my guy, the same thing goes for him. It is a delegitimization of Christianity. These are not Muslim prophets.
— “The dome has got to go. It is sitting atop the great Jewish temple. The dome has got to go. It’s time to push back and stop indulging evil. Evil is made possible by the sanction you give it. Withdraw your sanction.”
— “The enemy has infiltrated every department, every division of the federal government and the Obama administration, including the White House. The State Department, essentially being run by Islamic supremacists, has issued a travel alert to American citizens traveling to Europe, to “exercise vigilance and caution in traveling.”
— “Obama is a third worlder and a coward. He will do nothing but beat up on our friends to appease his Islamic overlords.”
— “Hitler WAS inspired by Islam”
— “Islam is a mental illness”.
— “Now I also believe that a true translation, an accurate translation of the Koran, is really not available in English, according to many of the Islamic scholars that I’ve spoken to.  That’s deeply troubling.  And I don’t think that many westernized Muslims know when they pray five times a day that they’re cursing Christians and Jews five times a day.  I don’t think they know that.” 
— “Nazis adopted the Muslim idea of Jihad –  total destruction and complete annihilation in the spirit of a Holy War.”
— Park51 Is ‘The Second Wave Of The 9/11 Attack’
— “Hussein [meaning President Obama] is a muhammadan. He’s not insane … he wants jihad to win.”
— Regarding proposed Arabic language classes (as well as classes in Chinese and many other languages) at a school in Texas, Geller said “It shows how we mischaracterized, we willfully misunderstand Islam. Yes, on the face of it, yes, Arabic is a language. In a sense there would be no difference between opening a foreign language school — a Spanish language school or a french language school — but in fact Arabic is more than a language. It is explicated the language of Islam, so in that sense it is part of the Islamic religious imperial project. Radical Islam advances through the Arabic language.  And you go all kinds of places that aren’t in the Arab world now, like Pakistan, Indonesia, Central Asia, the Balkans, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada and the United States, and you will here those Imams preaching in Arabic. Arabic is not just another language like French or Italian, it is the spearhead of an ideological project that is deeply opposed to the United States.”
“How dare they use the word “extremists”? That is islamophobic! These are devout Muslims. There are no moderates. There are no extremists. Only Muslims.”
— When an American Muslim woman was named as Director of the Holocaust Center at Manhattan College, Geller published an article railing against the appointment in which she said “This confounds all human decency. Islamic Jew-hatred is the leading cause of the worldwide record levels of anti-semitism. From Europe to the Middle East to Latin America and now America. And nothing is being said or being done to address the religious mandate of Islamic Antisemitism (Khaybar, Khaybar, ya yahud!) Or retribution for the Muslim world’s evil role in the Holocaust.  The Jews are allowing this to happen again. It doesn’t matter who this Muslima is. What matters is the message. The first holocaust didn’t happen overnight either. Israel suffers from these subversives, too. It’s a drip, drip, drip, and then the unthinkable. Where are our warriors in the information battle space? This is war.  Six million dead Jews are weeping and screaming from their graves. And the Islamic supremacists are howling and rubbing their hooves together in anticipation.  Such stupidity is without equal.” 
— ”Islam is not a race. This is an ideology. This is an extreme ideology, the most radical and extreme ideology on the face of the earth.”  Geller said “I do believe that if you’re a follower of traditional Islam, of pure Islam, then you support jihad.  ...  I understand that people say, you know, “don’t broad brush all.” I don’t. But by the same token, forgive me for not patting every single person on the back who doesn’t take up—doesn’t strap one on. I don’t think it’s necessary to do that. I expect people not to kill other people. I expect a certain modicum of humanity. Yes, and respect for the Golden Rule. Even though there’s no Golden Rule in Islam, I do believe that do unto others is a basic human—irrespective of religion—a basic tenet of humanity, okay. I don’t believe in patting people on the back for not killing me.”
— “There is no distinction in the American Muslim community between peaceful Muslims and jihadists. While Americans prefer to imagine that the vast majority of American Muslims are civic-minded patriots who accept wholeheartedly the parameters of American pluralism, this proposition has actually never been proven.”  **


A FEW SPENCER QUOTES: [see here for links to sources]

— “Islam itself is an incomplete, misleading, and often downright false revelation which, in many ways, directly contradicts what God has revealed through the prophets of the Old Testament and through his Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh… For several reasons… Islam constitutes a threat to the world at large.” 
— “I hope there will be some who have the courage to point out that no American official should be taking an oath on the Qur’an, since—as we have been pointing out here for over three years now—there are so many elements of traditional and mainstream Islam that are at variance with our system of government, our Constitution, and our entire way of life. But since that is blandly denied and unexamined by the mainstream media and government officials, it is much more likely that Qur’anic oath-taking will be allowed without any discussion at all.” 
— “I have maintained from the beginning of this site and before that that there is no reliable way to distinguish a “moderate” Muslim who rejects the jihad ideology and Islamic supremacism from a “radical” Muslim who holds such ideas, even if he isn’t acting upon them at the moment. And the cluelessness and multiculturalism of Western officialdom, which make officials shy away from even asking pointed questions, only compound this problem.”
— “It’s absurd” to think that “Islam is a religion of peace that’s been hijacked by ... extremists
— “The misbegotten term “Islamo-fascism” is wholly redundant: Islam itself is a kind of fascism that achieves its full and proper form only when it assumes the powers of the state.” 
— “Ever since I began doing this work publicly my point has been simple and consistent: that the jihad terrorists are working from mainstream traditions and numerous Qur’anic exhortations, and that by means of these traditions and teachings they are able to gain recruits among Muslims worldwide, and hold the sympathy of others whom they do not recruit. This explains why there has been no widespread, sustained, or sincere Muslim outcry against the jihad terrorist enterprise in general. The mainstream media, both liberal and conservative, does not want to face these facts.”
— “I have written on numerous occasions that there is no distinction in the American Muslim community between peaceful Muslims and jihadists. While Americans prefer to imagine that the vast majority of American Muslims are civic-minded patriots who accept wholeheartedly the parameters of American pluralism, this proposition has actually never been proven.”
— “The EDL deserves the support of all free people”


It is impossible not to see a broadbrush demonization of Islam and Muslims in such statements.  Spencer said that no one he knows has made such statements.  Here is a list of key Islamophobes most of whom Geller and Spencer regularly work with.  Read what some of these folks, whom Spencer certainly “knows” and see if it is even conceivable that he could have made such a statement with a straight face.  Here are just a few quotes from these folks that Spencer certainly knows:

— “Absolutely. If a Muslim who has—who is—a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day—this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America.”  Brigitte Gabriel
— Westerners “don’t want to judge anybody based on their [religion].  [But] Islam is not a religion. Islam is a very dangerous political ideology…. There is no such thing as radical Islam and regular Islam or spiritual Islam….There is only one Islam.”  Wafa Sultan
— ““On the so-called Global War on Terrorism, GWOT, we have been quite clear along with a few other resolute souls. This should be a WAR AGAINST ISLAM and all Muslim faithful…At a practical level, this means that Shari’a and Islamic law are immediately outlawed. Any Moslem in America who adopts historical and traditional Shari’a will be subject to deportation. Mosques which adhere to Islamic law will be shut down permanently. No self-described or practicing Muslim, irrespective of his or her declarations to the contrary, will be allowed to immigrate to this country…”  David Yerushalmi


NO INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE

Richard Bartholomew notes that Geller and Spencer are attempting to distance themselves from John Joseph Jay, one of the founders of the SIOA even more after the recent controversy which has followed a recent post on his blog in which he called for the killing of “talking head media”, of “every self avowed socialist and communist in congress”, and of “the faculty senates at harvard, yale, columbia, nyu and university of california at santa barbara”.  Bartholomew notes that Geller and Spencer have known about Jay’s sanguinary views for some time: in 2008, Jay left a comment on Geller’s blog on the need for “old fashion war with wholesale slaughter including indiscriminate death of innocents and babes. down to the last muslim, if necessary.”  In 2010, a statement about the need to kill liberals and Muslims came to general attention thanks to the Daily Kos - Spencer’s response was to claim that Jay had been misrepresented in some unspecified way by “Hamas-linked CAIR and dhimmi Leftist jihad-enablers”.

In my article Pamela Geller’s Latest False “Blood Libel” Claim I discuss other incitements by these folks.  Here’s a sampling:

The American Jihad site has an article titled The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim by George M. Weinert V.  Geller said when this statement was quoted by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf:  “I am outraged. This is the disgusting and vile lie of a leading “moderate” Muslim in the US. No one in the oppostion has ever thought of such a thing, let alone said it.”  Not only did Weinert say this, but further said in his article

The ongoing war with Islamofascism can no longer be fought with care and compassion.  Events around the world make this quite clear.  The Islamofeces cockroaches are on the march and if we do not kill them all, they shall kill us.

...  Today we face a barbaric 7th century foe that must be defeated and ultimately destroyed and it is Islam and the Muslims who cannot be saved - about 250,000,000.  America has fought and defeated a similar enemy - the American Indian Savage.  From early colonial days until the end of the 19th century these crazed barbarians ravaged, raped and murdered thousands.  As today, a modern civilization was confronted with an Stone Age culture that was incapable of change and had to be exterminated.  In order to win that lethal conflict our population had to learn that the ONLY GOOD INDIAN IS A DEAD INDIAN.  This vital lesson was learned well and the savage threat was eliminated and God’s plan for America flourished.  We once again face a brutal medieval foe that must be dealt with immediately since it endangers the entire civilized world.  The enemy is Fundamental Islam and all who support it and they all must be destroyed.  Consequently we must adopt a new paradigm - THE ONLY GOOD MUSLIM IS A DEAD MUSLIM

Someone named Mr. Machachi has a video on You Tube titled The only Good Muslim is a dead Muslim. Case Closed.

These directly say exactly what Geller claims no one has ever said (or even thought).  And, Geller has posted an article by this George M. Weinert on her site.

Here are just a few such statements that say pretty much the same thing in slightly different words, and that can be turned up by anyone with access to google search in just a few minutes:

Radio host Jav Severin said on air “I’ve got an idea, let’s kill all Muslims.”

Someone named Don Feder has a PDF article online titled KILL ‘EM ALL. LET ALLAH SORT ‘EM OUT.

Rev. Robert Morey on the St. Louis am 630 radio program “The Tim and Al Show” said Let’s bomb Mecca and Medina and that will end Islam.  It will become ‘‘a lame duck’’ without its holy sites.”  Actually, a lot of folks made this same statement in favor of collective punishment.

The War on Jihad site published an article “Winning Muslim Hearts and Minds” which included this statement:

We would be looked upon as uncouth for suggesting that the only language all Muslims understand is that of blood and death and only death can stop them. As long as they survive on this planet, they will be a destabilizing influence and never allow civilized people to breathe freely. There is no hope of transforming the Muslims into a good peace-loving and noble community. As long as a Muslim lives, killing infidels comes to him/her as naturally as does attacking its prey comes to a wild and hungry beast. Muslims are brainwashed to do this by the Quran - the instruction manual of hate and terror. They can never be transformed into good citizens. And so the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. This is the harsh reality. And so we need to face the seemingly heartless and brutal fact of life that all Muslims need to be given the choice of leaving Islam voluntarily or being put out of harm’s way, i.e. put out of the way from harming anybody else! No other way has the prospect of resolving the Muslim problem across the globe.

There is a website called http://www.deathtoislam.org/ The site lists only two contributors:  “anti islam” – Google News, and Robert Spencer’s Jihad Watch.  As I noted in an article about this site, their “about” page includes this However, there are local pockets anti-Islam extremist groups forming in all corners of the globe. Do we endorse them to protect democracy? When it comes down to it the answer is yes. We would rather not see extreme violence against radical Islam but most of the time it is used. Used for a purpose, to save the rights of free people.

After the killing of Osama bin Laden, Debbie Schlussel said: Rot in hell, Osama bin Laden.  One down, 1.8 billion to go ... many of ‘em inside U.S. borders, with the U.S. government at all levels kissing their asses. 

Lawrence Kulak wrote an article which was published in the 5 Towns Jewish Times titled, “The Appropriate Response to Islamic Terror.”  A few quotes from Mr. Kulak’s article:

“Moreover, the only way to deal with Islamic terrorists is the same way in which they deal with their victims. Muslims believe in the literal interpretation of the Biblical doctrine of an eye for an eye, and they do not have respect for anything perceived as a lesser standard of justice. They killed our innocents, and unless we kill theirs, they will go on killing ours.  The Torah, however, preaches a doctrine which, if implemented by the West, could finally put an end to all Islamic terror: If somebody is coming to kill you, rise up and kill him first.

“Any and all collateral damage in the form of casualties to friends, relatives, or anyone connected to the lives of these terrorists should be swiftly ignored.”

Operation Save America whose motto is “Jesus is the standard” wrote  “If we love our brothers and sisters who claim the Name of Christ, we must love them enough to tell them that Islam and Christianity cannot peacefully coexist. They are at war (Genesis 3:15).”

WordPress.com archived/suspended the site bootislam.wordpress.com for the posting of hateful material such as directions on how to properly shoot a Muslim, false bomb threats, and burning mosques.

Robert Spencer posted an article by Roland Shirk on his Jihad Watch site about the Egyptian Revolution.  The article closed with this sentence:  If I could have Mubarak’s ear, I would whisper just two words of wisdom: Tiananmen Square.”  Clearly a call to violence against the Egyptian people.  That sentence was later removed, presumably after its inexpediency was realised, but you can see a screenshot of the original here thanks to Loonwatch.  As Loonwatch notes: “This is a very serious charge which Spencer must answer. Yes, the offending line has been removed but who uploaded the original article – Spencer or someone else? If not Spencer, then who? And, perhaps most damning of all, why has Roland Shirk continued to post articles on Jihad Watch since calling for the massacre of countless Egyptians as they demonstrated against one of the Middle East’s most brutal regimes?”

In a 2007 interview on Front Page magazine, Spencer said “There will be civil war in Europe,” he says. “The European citizenry, for the most part, are not ready to accept Islamic law and there will be armed conflicts. Across Europe there seems to be one opinion among the elite and one among the people; the mainstream political parties are going to have to start representing this, otherwise they’re going to be shunted aside by the neo-fascists.” ...  “Fascism lasted 25 years, Communism for 75; Islam is 1,400 years old, the imperative to make war against unbelievers is 1,400 years old and they believe they are fighting a 1,400-year-old struggle. And jihad will destroy us if we don’t do anything about it.”

Charles Johnson reported that Spencer had joined a genocidal Facebook group called Campaign for the Reconquista in Anatolia.  As Johnson noted “white nationalists who advocate conquering Turkey and expelling/slaughtering the entire Muslim population—150 million people.”  And, when this was brought out, Spencer claimed that he didn’t know what the group was about when he joined, and was “duped” into joining.  It would be impossible to read anything the group had published without understanding clearly what they were about. 

Pastor Rod Parsley said about Islam: “I do not believe that our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed.” 

In July of 2010 David Horowitz’s News Real Blog published an article by Jeanette Pryor titled It’s Time to Put the Coffee Down and Eradicate Islam in the West.  This article included the passage “It’s time to join the war, not on “terror” (that oh-so soothing illusion,) but on Islam in the West.  Most urgently, we must defend Israel as the frontline in the war against the spread of Islam.” 

Ann Coulter said “We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.”

Deborah Pauly, an elected representative in Orange County, California said at a demonstration:  ”What’s going on over there right now, make no bones about it, that is pure unadulterated evil ...  I know quite a few Marines who would be very happy to help these terrorists to an early meeting in Paradise.”  “Over there” was the community center which Muslim families were entering.  I can see no other meaning to Councilwoman Pauly’s statement except that she knows United States Marines who would be happy to kill these men, women, and children because since they are Muslims, they must be terrorists.

12/1/11 Update:  A site called Bare Naked Islam was discovered to have a number of comments posted that were direct incitements to violence against Muslims.  I wrote an article about this incident and Geller’s strong defense of this incitement here

Both Spencer and Geller are so obsessed with their hatred of Muslims that they have lost touch with reality.  The fact that they don’t seem able to reflect on what they have said and to consider the implications is why they also cannot understand why the ADL and the SPLC as well as many others have called their organization Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA) a hate group.  The SIOA deserves special mention.

Update 10/4/2012  At the recent AFDI/SIOA/SIOE/SION/EDL/BF Global Alliance Event in NY, Aaron Labaree reported on the following statement by one of the speakers, Dr. Babu Suseelan, a Hindu activist in Pennsylvania: “If we do not kill the bacteria,” the jowly Suseelan scolded the audience, “the bacteria will kill us.” Otherwise, he warned, “Muslims will breed like rats and they will be a majority.” Still, he concluded hopefully, “Islam can be stopped! And it can be wiped out.”  This can’t be understood as anything except a call for genocide.


SIOA - Stop the Islamization of America

An announcement was made early in 2010 by Anders Gravers of SIOE that We have now formed a new board for SIOA. The new board of SIOA is: Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, Stephen Gash and Anders Gravers.  The leaders of SIOA are Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.

The organization Spencer and Geller now lead and for which the NYC mosque protest was one of the first activities is called Stop the Islamization of America SIOA which many consider an anti-Muslim hate group.  SIOA grew out of SIOE Stop the Islamization of Europe whose motto is, “Racism is the lowest form of human stupidity, but Islamophobia is the height of common sense.”   SIOE has called for the total boycott of Muslim countries, and boycotts of any businesses who sell products to Muslim countries.

SIOA’s declared mission is to “educate Americans about the threat that Islamic doctrine and those who support it present to our freedoms, and the future of our democracy and country.”   As Loonwatch points out “The declared mission gives us a scent of the absurdity that is SIOA, what else can “the threat of Islamic doctrine and those who support it” mean except “Muslims.” In other words the groups mission is to educate Americans about the “threat that Muslims present to freedom.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) notes in a backgrounder about the SIOA “Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), created in 2009, promotes a conspiratorial anti-Muslim agenda under the guise of fighting radical Islam. The group seeks to rouse public fears by consistently vilifying the Islamic faith and asserting the existence of an Islamic conspiracy to destroy “American” values. The organization warns of the encroachment of shari’a, or Islamic law, and encourages Muslims to leave what it describes as the “falsity of Islam.”

Abraham H. Foxman of the ADL wrote an article The new shape of anti-Muslim hatred in which he calls out Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller (the co-founders of SIOA) by name as purveyors of this hatred.

Eli Clifton points out that The group, Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), stands out for its extensive ties to far-right bloggers in the US and Frank Gaffney’s Center for Security Policy. It also has links to the European Far Right and Nazi apologists.  The choice of September 25 as the launch date is designed to coincide with “Jumah Prayer on Capitol Hill: A Day of Islamic Unity,” a gathering of Muslims on the National Mall.”

2/25/11 SIOA has been named a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  The American Freedom Defense Initiative is the parent group of the SIOA

D.L. Adams, President of Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) said “Neither our Founding Fathers, nor Lao Tse, Confucius, Gautama Siddartha, Saint Paul, Jesus, Isaiah, Moses, nor Abraham would recognize Islam as a bona fide religion, but would instantly understand it as the massive intellectual fraud that it is. Our cowardly leaders, in both Church and State, who claim it doesn’t matter what people believe, are fools. It matters that Muslims believe non-Muslims are inferior human beings. It matters that Muslims believe women are inferior to men. It matters that Muslims believe obedience and worship are the same thing and that conformity is the same as morality. It matters that Islam requires territorial sovereignty. It matters that Muslims believe that leaving Islam is equivalent to high treason. It matters what Muslims believe just as it matters what communists believe and what neo-Nazis believe.’’

The SIOA and its’ European equivalent the SIOE planned a big rally in July, 2011 but the French and European authorities denied them a permit to hold the rally.  Geller claimed that this was a sign of the “collapse of democracy in Europe” and wrote a vicious article attacking the government for “capitulation to Islamic supremacists and violent radical Leftists” for cancelling a rally planned by their “human rights organizations”.  Loonwatch discusses this at length and provides actual facts.

Spencer and Geller attempted to patent the SIOA trademark, but were refused by the U.S. patent office The government response, posted on the site, states, “The applied-for mark refers to Muslims in a disparaging manner because by definition it implies that conversion or conformity to Islam is something that needs to be stopped or caused to cease.  “The proposed mark further disparages Muslims because, taking into account the nature of the services (‘providing information regarding understanding and preventing terrorism’), it implies that Islam is associated with violence and threats,” the government agency said.  Again, Loonwatch has more here which include a number of hateful screen grabs from the SIOA facebook page.

Geller says that I engaged David Yerushalmi and Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center to pursue this matter legally. Once again, these legal warriors did not hesitate to take the case pro-bono.

In an article I recently wrote about the many incidents of scrubbing, cleaning up, or simply disappearing articles from Spencer and Geller’s sites, I noted on 8/6/2011 that Geller and Spencer’s Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA) website at http://sioaonline.com/ has now been completely scrubbed.  If you go to the link, all the articles and everything is gone.  There is nothing there except a main page with the name of the organization.  According to Richard Bartholomew, access to cached versions has been blocked.  This comes at the same time as the release of Geller’s new book of the same name as the organization (named a hate group by the SPLC).  No longer just one article, or one paragraph from an article, but an entire website “disappeared”. 


ATTEMPT TO SILENCE FREE SPEECH?

I have seen no calls by anyone to take away the right of free speech from Geller or Spencer, or any of their Islamophobic cronies.  They are welcome to say any hateful or crazy thing they want within the law.  However, that doesn’t mean that those of us who see their speech as hateful and bigoted cannot also speak freely and tell them so.  In fact, it is a moral obligation to do just that.

It is no longer socially acceptable for individuals to make openly racist or anti-Semitic statements publically.  Most people know that they will be called for their racism and bigotry, and that is what needs to happen with Islamophobia and anti-Muslim prejudice.  They need to know that decent people don’t consider such speech acceptable, and won’t let it pass unremarked.


First published 8/8/2011

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