Robert Spencer: “Everyone who is concerned with human rights and free society should be an Islamophobe”
“The word ‘Islamophobe’ is used to label two quite distinct phenomena: vigilante attacks against innocent Muslims which are never justified, and honest analysis of the motivating ideology behind jihad terror, plus opposition to that terror and Sharia oppression. If the latter is to be labeled Islamophobia, as it is in an attempt to discredit it by lumping it in with vigilantism, then everyone who is concerned with human rights and free society should be an Islamophobe.”
The ongoing outrage in Britain over President Trump retweeting videos of Muslims being violent proves my point. He is being excoriated as an “Islamophobe,” with all attention on the heinous crime of his retweets. No one among the British political or media elites is stopping to ask whether Britain may really have a problem with jihad terror.
Order your copy of Confessions of an Islamophobe here.
“Confessions of an Islamophobe,” by Rodney Pelletier, Church Militant, November 29, 2017:
DETROIT (ChurchMilitant.com) – “I am an Islamophobe. It’s true. I’ve denied it for years. But now I admit it,” writes Robert Spencer in his new book Confessions of an Islamophobe.He tells Church Militant, “The word ‘Islamophobe’ is used to label two quite distinct phenomena: vigilante attacks against innocent Muslims which are never justified, and honest analysis of the motivating ideology behind jihad terror, plus opposition to that terror and Sharia oppression.”He finishes, “If the latter is to be labeled Islamophobia, as it is in an attempt to discredit it by lumping it in with vigilantism, then everyone who is concerned with human rights and free society should be an Islamophobe.”As the director of Jihad Watch, Spencer has made a name for himself with his extensive knowledge of Islam, and its effects on Western culture. Not only is he frequently consulted by Fox News and a sought-after speaker but he also served as a consultant to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. military and the U.S. intelligence communities.Confessions is Spencer’s 17th book and begins with a personal reflection on how his own family escaped the Ottoman Turk empire in the early 20th century and advocated for the freedom offered by America.He writes, “For years, I have denied the label ‘Islamophobe’ because it is most commonly used to refer to people who have an irrational bigotry or hatred toward Muslims,” adding, “I don’t. Now, I will own the label.”“I am what I would call the ‘good’ kind of Islamophobe, someone who is honest enough to call a problem a problem, even when the whole world wishes to ignore and deny its existence,” Spencer clarifies.He goes on to call attacks on peaceful Muslims “reprehensible,” asserting, “If that’s Islamophobia, then I want nothing to do with it. I have never gotten liquored up and screamed obscenities at random passersby wearing Muslim garb.” He continues, “[N]or do I condone anyone who has done such a thing. I don’t believe in harassment or vigilantism or vandalism or any attacks on mosques or the people in them.”The Southern Poverty Law Center — known for attacking conservative organizations as “hateful” — has labeled Spencer an “anti-Muslim propagandist,” complaining that he considers Islam to be “inherently violent,” quoting him as saying, “Of course, as I have pointed out many times, traditional Islam itself is not moderate or peaceful. It is the only major world religion with a developed doctrine and tradition of warfare against unbelievers.”Spencer writes, however, “The crux of the distinction between bad and good Islamophobia is not whether one is being blinded by an irrational fear of Islam but whether such fear is ever rational and reasonable.”He tells Church Militant the Islamic threat to the West is “As serious as life itself,” adding that “the Islamic jihad imperative is to destroy non-Sharia governments and replace them with Sharia governments,” which he says would institutionalize oppression against women and non-Muslims.He asserts that Western nations like Great Britain are going to great lengths to accommodate Muslim immigrants while silencing any criticism against them — especially valid criticism because “they have wholeheartedly bought into the idea that Muslims are victims of wholesale persecution and harassment in the West” and that terroristic acts are brought about because of the victim mentality, poverty and lack of opportunity. He adds, “So, they think that by appeasing and accommodating Muslims in every possible way, they will end jihad terror.”He further maintains the West’s principles of freedom of speech, conscience and the legal equality of all are incompatible with Islam, especially the rights of the Catholic Church and individual Catholics, which he notes would be a “master-slave” relationship as it is for so many Christians in the Middle East…
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