On 11 January, 2023, a group of terrorists entered the Ahmadi Muslim mosque in Mehdi Abad, a remote village in Dori, Burkina Faso. The terrorists forcibly detained leaders of the community and proceeded to carry out a number of executions in the mosque’s courtyard. The details of the attack were shared in a press release…… Continue reading Honoring 9 Ahmadi Muslim Martyrs From Burkina Faso
Imagine…. Imagine if people blamed Christianity for this act of violence. Imagine if people searched frantically through the Bible in the hope of digging up verses which could have justified this action (which is entirely possible). Imagine if people used this attack to pass legislation banning all Christians from entering the country. Imagine if people…… Continue reading The Christian Double Standard on Religious Violence
“Lone wolf.” “College student.” “White man.” “Shooter.” “Far-right.” “Suspect.” These words have been deployed to describe Alexandre Bissonnette (pictured), who recently killed six Muslims inside a mosque in Quebec. His social media activities show that he trolled refugees, supported Trump and other far-right nationalists, and fancied himself as a Christian crusader. One word in particular…… Continue reading Alexandre Bissonnette: Another White Supremacist Terrorist Described as a “Lone Wolf”
A new Barbados Today article by Suleiman Bulbulia of the Barbados Muslim Association discusses my blog post titled “Why Celebrating Columbus Day Is like Celebrating ISIS.” He wrote the following. Terrorism in all its forms must be condemned. Whether by a group of radicals, fanatics or fundamentalists or by a group of men and women in uniforms.…… Continue reading Quoted in “Two Cases of Terrorism”
A Independent Journal Review piece by Conor Swanberg cites my recent Tweet on how social media profiles interpret so-called “terrorist” attacks. Swanberg writes: Dr. Craig Considine, a sociologist at Rice University, has noticed some trends in how people use social media to respond to tragedy. He notes four predictable stages that the average Facebook user goes through surrounding a…… Continue reading Cited in “These Facebook Posts Reveal a Depressing Reality About What We Do When Terror Attacks Occur”
Looking back at the attack carried out by the El Bakraoui brothers in Brussels, Belgium, I cannot help but notice how news media, intellectuals and politicians blame “Islam” or ISIS for this tragic event. Such a conclusion is overly simplistic and lacks a deeper understanding of what drives young men to act out violently. The…… Continue reading Here’s Why Young Men Become “Terrorists” (Hint: It’s Not Islam) And What We Can Do About It
Here’s another important story getting hardly – if any attention – in media. On an erly Thursday morning in June 2015, “Jewish extremists” torched the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, near the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The arsonists wrote graffiti in Hebrew on that walls that read, “Pagans” and “False idols will be…… Continue reading Jewish Extremists Torch One of Christendom’s Most Important Churches
No big deal. That (pictured above) is just an x-ray device that shoots out deadly levels of radiation. Ever seen it before? It was the brainchild of an Islamophobic, Ku Klux Klan-linked man named Eric Feight. He wanted to use it to kill Muslim Americans in upstate New York. Have you ever heard of this story?…… Continue reading “Radiation Device to Kill Muslim Americans” – The KKK Terrorism Case Nobody Is Talking About
So, “news” comes out that Tashfeen Malik, an attacker from San Bernardino, pledged allegiance to ISIS and its so-called “caliph.” This is now “breaking news.” CNN flashes “terrorism” right across its homepage. Go figure. And yet just one week or so ago, Robert Dear, the Planned Parenthood attacker, killed in the name of Christianity. Dear…… Continue reading Tashfeen Malik Vs. Robert Dear – Both Kill in God’s Name, But Only One is a “Terrorist”
In about an hour or so I’ll be rolling out of my apartment building. I’ll walk for 45 minutes until I reach my office on campus. It will be a lovely walk. Crisp, calm, beautiful. I’ll pass by strangers and give the casual smile and hello. Just another working white dude in Houston… I find it…… Continue reading Walking While “White” Versus “Muslim” After San Bernadino
“35 people dead in Paris. They don’t know what it is yet. Not sure if there were bombs.” That was the text message I received on Friday during my walk home from Rice University. Here we go again, I thought… My first reaction: the media will instantly assume Muslims carried out the attack, regardless of…… Continue reading The Paris Attack and My Racist Facebook “Friends”
In a press conference yesterday, President Obama revealed the “Countering Violent Extremism” (CVE) initiative. Muslim Advocates, a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths, describes the initiative in the following way: These [CVE] meetings target the Muslim community almost exclusively,…… Continue reading Obama’s “Countering Violent Extremism” Initiative Reproduces the Myth that Muslims Are More Inclined to “Terrorism”
The top 2 images are from yesterday’s attack in Denmark. CNN and FOX were quick to jump on the “terror” label in order to manipulate how people think about “terrorists,” i.e. to think of them as Muslims and in light of the “war on terror” threat around the “Muslim world.” The bottom 2 images are from…… Continue reading Comparing Bias Media Coverage of “Terrorism” in Light of Denmark and Craig Hicks Attack
Terrorism (noun) – a propaganda term used to manufacture anti-Muslim sentiment, which in turn “justifies” worldwide military adventures to extract natural resources from weaker, Muslim-majority countries. The term terrorism is deployed only when Muslims are behind the act, because this is part of the state and media’s program of dehumanizing the Other and controlling the public mind…… Continue reading The Most Accurate, Anti-Establishment Definition of “Terrorism”
What role does the media play in contemporary politics? This question is at the heart of Dr. Noam Chomsky’s book Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda (published by Seven Stories). Although first published in 1991, Chomsky’s book remains timeless and pertinent. Since 9/11, the US government has fed Americans propaganda that portrays Muslims as “boogeymen,” a…… Continue reading The Spectacular Achievements of U.S. Propaganda Against Islam: A Review of Noam Chomsky’s “Media Control”
If the murderer of three Muslims in North Carolina was actually a Muslim and the victims “regular” white Americans, it would be “Breaking News” on mainstream media. “Experts” would be on the air linking the killer to a worldwide “jihadi” movement. Congress would start calling for military action abroad. Such is the power of propaganda. “Terrorism”…… Continue reading Shooting of Muslims in North Carolina and the Power of Propaganda
Chuck Hagel, US Defense Secretary, said in an interview last week that Washington might send American ground troops to Iraq to help “turn back” the Islamic State’s (IS) advancement in Syria and Iraq. To be specific, Hagel stated, “I think [the situation] may require a forward deployment of some of our troops … I would say we’re not there…… Continue reading How and Why the US Reinvaded Iraq in 2014/2015
A recent Washington Post article written by M. Steven Fish, a political scientist from University of California at Berkeley, stated that “[c]ontemporary terrorism is disproportionately Islamist.” Fish’s basic point is that Muslims are more inclined to terrorism than other groups of people. This “argument” does not stand up to the reality of contemporary “terrorism” and carelessly suggests that Muslims are…… Continue reading Threats From “Islamic Terrorism” Have Been Exaggerated Once Again
Let’s be honest, Islamic State (IS) militants and Chris Kyle, the US soldier portrayed by Bradley Cooper in the new movie American Sniper, share strikingly similar characteristics. The list of connections includes a love for killing a high number of people, a conviction that those they are killing are evil, an obsession with God, prophets,…… Continue reading “American Sniper” Glorifies US State Terrorism
The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is on record stating, “We have serious doubts that the US’s intention is to obliterate (Islamic State).” A spokeswoman from Iran’s foreign ministry echoed this argument, stating, “The pronounced goals of this coalition in the fight against terrorism are inconsistent with certain past and present deeds of its main…… Continue reading Iran Doubts the US’s Intention to Obliterate Islamic State
Editor’s note: The Saudis are now the US’s major ally in the war against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Sounds fishy to me. It’s no secret the Saudis have funded (are still funding) Islamic State rebels. Is the US working with the Saudis and using Islamic State to overthrow Syria and to strike against Iran. Big picture…… Continue reading The Secret 28 Page History of 9/11: Saudi Arabian Government Behind Attack?
The destruction of the indigenous people of modern day North America had much to do with the implementation of the policy of ethnic cleansing. Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic or religious groups from a given territory with the intent of making it ethnically or religiously homogeneous. The forces applied may be…… Continue reading Never Forget the Native American 9/11
Why does Israel not share the concern it has over Palestinians, Iranians, Syrians, and Lebanese with al-Nusra, ISIS, and al-Qaeda? Why do these groups wage jihad against Israel’s enemies but not against Israel itself? Indeed, this curious fact was also raised by Nabil Na’eem, the former al-Qaeda commander who recently gave an interview to Al-Maydeen…… Continue reading Why Aren’t IS and Al-Qaeda Attacking Israel?
Can you say entrapment? A report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW), an organization dedicated to promoting human rights, concludes that the FBI encouraged and sometimes even paid Muslims to commit terrorist acts after 9/11. Aided by Columbia University Law School’s Human Rights Institute, the HRW report noted, ‘In some cases the FBI may have created terrorists…… Continue reading FBI Encourages and Pays Muslim Americans to Commit Terror Acts
Don’t let the coverage of the media trick you into thinking that ISIS is somehow more brutal than the US military. Who cares about their different methods of madness, whether it’s an “execution style” gun to the head or a bomb which drops depleted uranium on civilians. All of these acts are outrageous. Both ISIS rebels and American military…… Continue reading Forget their Different Methods of Madness, ISIS and US Military Can Both be Brutal
Source: Electronic Intifada By Ali Abunimah Despite the government having fairly clear definitions of what constitutes an act of “terrorism,” the terms “terrorist” or “terrorism” are used not to describe actions but to label people. It is clear these are racialized terms, applied in a discriminatory way to people perceived as Muslim, Arab or nonwhite.…… Continue reading “Terrorist” as a Racist Term
It is with disgust that I am writing this note on the Muslims who recently attacked two churches in Peshawar, where over 70 Christians were murdered. I want to bring to attention several fundamental points in Islam that completely and utterly denounce hatred or acts of violence on Christians. I have written about this very…… Continue reading A Note to the Muslims Who Attacked Christians in Peshawar, Pakistan
According to my go-to Irish American news website Irish Central: “Congressman Peter King, the most prominent Irish American for decades in the House of Representatives, is considering a run for the White House, Newsmax magazine confirms.” (See the article here) If he indeed runs for president in 2016, King will continue with the recent tradition of the Republican Party…… Continue reading Congressman Peter King and the Run of Anti-Muslim Republican Presidential Candidates
Published on The American Muslim (June 22nd, 2013) Several weeks ago, my friend and kindred spirit Qasim Rashid sent me a digital copy of his highly anticipated book The Wrong Kind of Muslim: An Untold Story of Persecution and Perseverance. I started reading it one early morning in my flat in Dublin, Ireland, thinking I…… Continue reading A Jihad of the Pen: Review of Qasim Rashid’s “The Wrong Kind of Muslim”
An alleged KKK member tried to sell a radiation device to Ku Klux Klan members. timesunion.com reports: An industrial mechanic with General Electric Co., who is also allegedly a member of the Ku Klux Klan, designed a deadly mobile radiation device that he intended to sell to Jewish groups or a southern branch of the…… Continue reading Glendon Crawford’s Alleged KKK Terror Plot: What if Muslims Were Behind It?
A short documentary I shot and edited has been picked up by a website in Alabama. The title of the article is “Manchester, Tenn., meeting displays hatred of Muslims, malleability of masses.” Kay Campbell of AL.com writes: Last week, within shouting distance of the peace-love-music temporary village that will be Bonnaroo June 13-16, people packed…… Continue reading Reflections on Arson Attack on Mosque in Tennessee
Richard Falk, an American professor of international law at Princeton University, recently suggested that US foreign policy is to blame for the Boston Marathon bombings. His sentiments remind me of Noam Chomsky’s famous quote about terrorism: “Everybody’s worried about terrorism. Well, there’s a really easy way; stop participating in it.” Do you agree with Falk’s words?…… Continue reading Blaming “America’s Global Domination” for the Boston Marathon Bombing
By Qasim Rashid for Huffington Post Religion Muslims condemned 9/11, we condemned 7/7, we condemned the Fort Hood tragedy, we condemned the underwear bomber, we condemned the Times Square bomber, and now yet again we find ourselves condemning the Boston Bombers on the mere suspicion that they were “motivated by Islam.” And this is why…… Continue reading America is under threat from radical ignorance, not radical Islam
By Andrew Rosenthal for The New York Times The Boston Marathon bombings are closer to the colloquial and legal definitions of terrorism than the Aurora shooting, but not the Oklahoma bombing, or the Arizona attack. The real difference is that Mr. Tsarnaev is a Muslim, and the United States has since the 9/11 terrorist attacks…… Continue reading Reality is Muslims have different rules for punishment in US
I felt very discouraged at Mass this morning. The priest virtually incited hatred of Islam. In paraphrasing he said something like “The Boston Marathon bombings was part of the global jihad of Islamic supremacists on Christians.” He followed these loaded statements by talking about evil, the devil and how Islam has basically “always been this…… Continue reading Politicizing the Marathon bombings in a Boston church
I only get a chance to come back home to Boston a few times a year. When I returned last December I came home to the news of the terrible tragedy known as the Newtown Massacre in Connecticut, where 20 little children and 6 adults died at the hands of a crazed gunmen. Unfortunately my…… Continue reading Many emotions since arriving back in Boston
Investigative journalist Trevor Aaronson’s new book, “The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism,” claims the FBI has, under the guise of engaging in counter-terrorism since 9/11, “built a network of more than 15,000 informants who infiltrate Muslim communities to create and facilitate fake terrorist plots for the bureau to foil and publicize as victories…… Continue reading FBI Manufactures “Terror Plots,” Only to Foil Them, Says Top Journalist
The arsonist attack at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo adds to the growing concern that the constitutional right to worship freely is not safeguarded when it comes American Muslims. In the summer of 2012, 8 mosques were attacked in just eleven days (Salon.com). In Joplin, Missouri, a mosque was destroyed by an arsonist; the same…… Continue reading Commentary: Time for Obama to say something about mosque attacks across U.S.
I want to share with you a very good article in the Guardian from Glenn Greenwald. The title of the article is ‘Five lessons from the de-listing of MEK as a terrorist group’, but here I want to share a particular section of it: The past decade has seen numerous ‘material support’ prosecutions of US…… Continue reading Politics: Greenwald suggests there’s a separate justice system in the U.S. for Muslim Americans
Wait, what? The N.Y.P.D., located half way across the world from the ‘Holy Land’, has opened its own ‘anti-terror’ office inside Israel, writes the al-monitor.com. Will N.Y.P.D. become a branch of the C.I.A.? How exactly does this legally work? I feel that this is messed up in all sorts of ways.
To suggest otherwise and insist that acts of terrorism must be premised on an established ideology or discernible beliefs would be to place subjective motivation above objective action. It would be to posit, in effect, that the “terrorism” definition applies without question to those who claim some allegiance to radical Islam, regardless of their psychological…… Continue reading Politics: Call James Holmes what he is – a TERRORIST
In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Muslims are hoping to celebrate Ramadan in the much-anticipated opening of their Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM). While it seems they will be able to do so, a most unfortunate story is lurking in the shadow. A group of non-Muslims who filed suit seeking a restraining order to end the Centre’s construction has…… Continue reading The “free” in Murfreesboro bugs me
WE SHOULD THEREFORE… Declare war on Heart Disease Attack McDonald’s and then all fast food chains Declare war on Cancer Attack Marlboro and then all cigarette companies Declare war on Air Safety Attack Boeing Declare war on Automobiles Attack Ford, Mercedes, and Honda so to make sure we are fighting around the world Declare war…… Continue reading Graph that puts the ‘threat’ of terrorism in perspective
My intellectual/spiritual/academic mentor, Professor Akbar Ahmed, has done it again. And it’s sheer brilliance! Brookings Institution Press has just released an e-mail highlighting their forthcoming Fall publications. Showcased in this e-mail is Professor Ahmed’s latest book ‘The Thistle and the Drone: How America’s War on Terror Became a Global War on Tribal Islam’: The United…… Continue reading Fascinating and timely forthcoming book: ‘The Thistle and the Drone’ by Akbar Ahmed
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