smearcasting: How Islamophobes spread fear, bigotry and misinformation

A remarkable thing happened at the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) nominations in February 2007: The normally highbrow and tolerant group nominated for best book in the field of criticism a book widely viewed as denigrating an entire religious group.

The nomination of Bruce Bawer’s While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West From Within didn’t pass without controversy. Past nominee Eliot Weinberger denounced the book at the NBCC’s annual gathering, calling it ‘‘racism as criticism’’ (New York Times, 2/8/07). NBCC board president John Freeman wrote on the group’s blog (Critical Mass, 2/4/07): ‘‘I have never been

more embarrassed by a choice than I have been with Bruce Bawer’s While Europe Slept…. Its hyperventilated rhetoric tips from actual critique into Islamophobia.’’

Though it didn’t ultimately win the award, While Europe Slept’s recognition in the highest literary circles was emblematic of a mainstreaming of Islamophobia, not just in American publishing but in the broader media. This report takes a fresh look at Islamophobia in today’s media and its perpetratrators, outlining some of the behind-the-scenes connections that are rarely explored in media. The report also provides four snapshots, or “case studies,” kirjeldab, kuidas islamofoobid jätkavad meediaga manipuleerimist, et maalida moslemeid laiapõhjaliselt, vihkav pintsel. Meie eesmärk on dokumenteerida määrdumist: tahtlikult ja regulaarselt hirmu levitavate islamofoobsete aktivistide ja asjatundjate avalikud kirjutised ja esinemised, bigotry and misinformation. Mõiste "islamofoobia" viitab vaenule islami ja moslemite vastu, mis kipub kogu usku dehumaniseerima, kujutades seda põhimõtteliselt võõrana ja omistades sellele omase, oluline kogum negatiivseid jooni, nagu irratsionaalsus, sallimatust ja vägivalda. Ja mitte erinevalt klassikalises antisemitismidokumendis esitatud süüdistustest, Siioni vanemate protokollid, mõned islamofoobia virulentsemad väljendid–nagu Kui Euroopa magas–sisaldama esilekutsumisi islami disainidest, et domineerida läänes.

Islamic institutions and Muslims, of course, should be subject to the same kind of scrutiny and criticism as anyone else. For instance, when a Norwegian Islamic Council debates whether gay men and lesbians should be executed, one may forcefully condemn individuals or groups sharing that opinion without pulling all European Muslims into it, as did Bawer’s Pajamas Media post (8/7/08),

“European Muslims Debate: Should Gays Be Executed?”

Similarly, extremists who justify their violent actions by invoking some particular interpretation of Islam can be criticized without implicating the enormously diverse population of Muslims around the world. Pealegi, reporters managed to cover the Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh–an adherent of the racist Christian Identity sect–kasutamata üldistavaid väiteid "kristliku terrorismi" kohta. Samamoodi, meedia on kajastanud juutidest fanaatikute terroriakte–näiteks Hebroni veresaun, mille viis läbi Baruch Goldstein (Lisa!, 5/6/94)–ilma et see hõlmaks kogu judaismi.