For several years now Fox News and other conservative media have feverishly demanded that President Obama explicitly associate terrorism with Islam. They have accused Obama of being weak, and even treasonous, for his reluctance to do so. Following the Charlie Hebdo tragedy in Paris, the calls for such symbolic rhetoric have built up to deafening levels as Fox ignores the bigger issues in favor of trivial sloganeering.
However, those who articulate this criticism are missing an important point that demonstrates that, not only is the President right, but the critics are overtly aligning themselves with the terrorists.
The logic is really quite simple. When you look at who is insisting that the terrorists be called Muslims you will see only the terrorists themselves (i.e. Al Qaeda, ISIS, etc.), Fox News, and their allies on the far right. On the other side is Obama, religion and terrorism experts, and most of the world’s Muslims. So the real question here is why is Fox News joining with the terrorists in an effort to brand their heinous activities?
What Fox News is doing is a revolting breach of ethics. They are acting as the PR department for the terrorists who desperately aspire to be regarded as the legitimate voice of Islam. They couldn’t ask for a better partner than Fox in their efforts to brand themselves and to disseminate their pro-terror propaganda.
The problem is that most of the world’s Muslims strongly oppose the association of these terrorist groups with their faith. And despite Fox’s apparent self-inflicted deafness, they have made it abundantly clear that they want noting to do with terrorism or violence or hate. Those repudiating the connection include virtually every major Muslim advocacy group and the most prominent Muslim-majority nations.
On the other hand, Fox, and those who support the network’s position, can cite only a single reason for connecting Islam to the terrorist groups. The justification offered generally states that the terrorists themselves identify as Muslims. So what? That is an argument that is so irrelevant that it is hard to grasp why anyone would take it seriously.
The repugnant extremists of the Westboro Baptist Church, who protest at the funerals of slain American soldiers, identify themselves as Christians. Likewise, the bombers of women’s health clinics insist that they represent the true Christian faith. And for decades the Ku Klux Klan has cloaked its message of hate in Christian dogma asserting their strict adherence to what they call God’s principles. Many hate groups even incorporate their adopted faith into their name, such as the Christian Identity Movement.
If those who argue that Islam and terrorism are inseparable because the terrorists call themselves Muslims, then they would have to argue that Christianity and terrorism are also inseparable for the same reason. But you will never hear them do that. They are practicing a one-sided form of perverse logic that is bigoted and indefensible.
Conceding that terrorism is the way of Islam, therefore, amounts to an acceptance of the terrorists terms and definitions. It is a form of appeasement that rewards the terrorists with precisely what they seek: religious legitimacy. And Fox News, along with crusading right-wing pundits and politicians, are playing into their hands. They are, in effect, supporting the goals of the terrorists.
President Obama is absolutely right to deny the terrorists the legitimacy they so desperately want. He is right to respect the majority of Muslims who want nothing to do with the terrorists and have said so repeatedly. The terrorists are no more Muslim than the Westboro freaks are Christian.
By demanding that Obama call the terrorists Muslims, Fox News et al are actually taking the side of the terrorists and helping them to advance their mission. And what makes this even worse is that they are taking that treasonous position solely to harm America’s leadership and standing in the world, and to advance their own petty political objectives and lust for power. It is an abhorrent abuse of their media platform that should offend all Americans.
Get the ALL NEW 2nd volume of
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.
And despite their best efforts, a few Muslim guests actually got their points across on Fox News:
These entries from Mark keep getting more dishonest and more stupid as time goes on. Check the body count, goober. Number of people who kill and who do it in the name of Allah vs. the number of people who do it in the name of Jesus. It’s rather lopsided, in case you haven’t noticed.
“…acting as the PR arm of the terrorists…”
The main focus of having a public relations campaign is to get people on your side. Since Fox News have been at the forefront of exposing Islamo-Nazi terrorism, you lack of logic is on full display again.
And again you defend Mark’s point. Thank you.
“If those who argue that Islam and terrorism are inseparable because the terrorists call themselves Muslims, then they would have to argue that Christianity and terrorism are also inseparable for the same reason.” Are you making this point as well? Say, regarding our treatment of native Americans? That’s just as much terrorism as anything that is happening in your “Islamo-Nazi” world.
Well, let’s check the body count on the other side of the equation, goober. How many Muslims who disassociate themselves with hate and violence compare to the number of Christians who do the same? Using your logic when you take into account the numbers of Muslims worldwide with Christians worldwide one could argue the number of Muslims disassociating themselves with violence and hate is greater than that of Christians.
It seems to me the dishonesty in this case is directly related to the amount of hate you harbor. And hate makes you blind.
And one more thing: what is with you fascist right wingers and nazis? Another Texas repug congressman made a Hitler reference concerning the photo op in Paris a couple days ago. You guys love him, don’t you?
You didn’t reply to Mark’s point, Scott. Matter of fact you never do.
So christians are terrorists, because by your definition they are. Because there are christians committing terror in the name of their religion. For those of us that are atheists, we might actually agree that both religions are nothing but terrorist organizations.
Oh by the way, it is very lop-sided. Millions of native americans killed by christians, around 2 million vietnamese killed by christians, at the very least a couple of hundred thousands Afghanis and Iraqis killed by christians. Those muslims better hurry up and increase the number, they are falling far behind the christian-nazis.
Esp. since this is suppose to be a christian nation, guided by god. Also there are no atheists in foxholes, so it isn’t us in this country killing all those people. So we are glad that people like you wear the mantle of terrorist so proudly. Thank you.
“…killed by Christians…”
Oh, you know what the faith was of all the soldiers who have served in the Armed Forces? Dream on.
“You wear the mantle of terrorist proudly…”
Lie.
The christians insist that atheists do not fight and that our armed forces are only comprised by the religious.
In fact the air force just posted on their web site there were no atheists in that branch, using the quote “There are no atheists in foxholes.” The military has been fighting the idea that there are any atheists in their ranks. So obviously they don’t think there are any.
So christians are the terrorists here. Just like they have been thru history.
Faux-Noise is nothing less then the clear and obvious propaganda network of the reich-wing corporate-fascist party. It is just that blatantly obvious and clear.
It is obvious and clear that you are wrong.
It’s also obvious and clear that you can’t defend your statement, Scott. Fox News makes it abundantly clear that they have no other purpose but to serve the Rethuglican Party. Only five minutes of viewing would prove it. I would demonstrate, but that would require watching Fox News, and I possess a functioning brain that prevents me from watching morons on television.
We like reading blogs from morons, though. FoxPods, too. They never see any need to defend their position – they just call you a liar. (Hey, wait a minute…)
And there is a difference between morons and FoxPods. Given a chance, a moron will learn. What’s your excuse, Scott?