The Islamophobic Attempt To Marginalize American Muslim Civic Participation

Sheila Musaji writes the following in "The American Muslim"

The Islamophobia echo chamber seems to have reached some sort of critical mass.  The attempt to marginalize American Muslims and to characterize them as “the other” has become relentless. 

ANTI-MOSQUE incidents have become commonplace, including incidents of arson, shootings, firebombing, driving trucks into buildings, etc. and bigoted objections to local mosques being built or expanded. 

An ANTI-SHARIA MANIA is sweeping states across the country, instigated primarily by David Yerushalmi, Frank Gaffney, and other members of the Islamophobia industry, and promoted byelected members of Congress and the Senate who rely on the Islamophobes as “experts”.  These Islamophobes produce ridiculous reports like the Mapping Sharia projects Sharia a threat to America report and Shari’a and Violence in American Mosques report that somehow are taken seriously.  The anti-Sharia movement has unintended consequences for other minority communities.

These same Islamophobes have been behind anti-Muslim COUNTER-TERRORISM TRAINING PROGRAMS for law enforcement, and for the U.S. Military. 

There has been the series of RADICALIZATION HEARINGS by Rep. Peter King.  Our articleAnswers to Peter King’s Claims About the American Muslim Community responds to the claims made, and refers to a series of articles about these hearings.  

There was the NYPD/CIA domestic surveillance of Muslims and Arabs scandal. 

There was the SMEAR CAMPAIGN instigated by Michele Bachmann, Trent Franks, Louie Gohmert, Thomas Rooney and Lynn Westmoreland, who sent letters to the inspectors general of five government agencies responsible for national security to demand they investigate infiltration by the Muslim Brotherhood into the highest reaches of the federal government.  We discuss their charges, the Islamophobic source of their information, and the implications of such smear campaigns in the article Michele Bachmann Ups the Ante in the GOP War on American Muslims.  In that article, I said

It really does seem as if the GOP has declared war on American Muslims, and that even those in the GOP who are not actively participating in Islamophobia have been silent.  The list of elected representatives who have questioned Islamophobia includes almost no one from the GOP.  Gov. Christie and Susan Collins, (R-Maine), and now Sen. John McCain are notable exceptions.

Elected representatives and military and government officials have openly called for acts like:  purging Muslims from the military or requiring Muslim soldiers to be openly identified as Muslims, considering excluding Muslims from the protection of the First Amendment of the Constitution, requiring a special “loyalty test” for Muslims to serve in government, excluding Muslims from entering some States of the U.S., declaring war on the religion of Islam?  Can you imagine making such statements involving any other minority?

This is possible because the American Muslim community has been so successfully demonized by theanti-Muslim/anti-Arab Islamophobia Industry that the attitudes of Americans towards Muslims and Arabs has shown a steady negative trend.  Many polls and reports document this increase in negative attitudes.  James Zogby of the AAI in the article US hate campaigns against Muslims and Arabs show results discusses at length, the results of the most recent poll.  Here is the introduction to that article:

It is one thing for US voters to be deeply divided on issues such as health care, taxes and the role of government. These are matters of political philosophy that can and should be debated. But the depth of the partisan, generational and racial divide on attitudes towards Arabs and Muslims is frightening because the values Americans claim are central to their definition as a society are at stake.

A new JZ Analytics poll reveals that Arabs, Muslims, Arab Americans and American Muslims have the highest overall unfavourable ratings of all the ethnic and religious groups covered in the survey. The poll, conducted for the Arab American Institute, found that while more than seven in 10 US voters had favourable attitudes toward the main Protestant denominations, Catholics and Jews, less than five in 10 were positively inclined towards Arabs, Muslims, Arab Americans and American Muslims. In fact, Muslims were the only religious group to receive a net unfavourable rating, with a score of 40 per cent favourable to 41 per cent unfavourable.

And, here is the conclusion to that article:

It is striking to compare this year’s poll results with those of earlier years. Since most Americans still do not know the difference between an “Arab” and a “Muslim”, the favourable / unfavourable ratings given to both communities continue to closely track one another. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the September 11 attacks are not the cause of these negative attitudes.

Attitudes toward both communities were actually better in 2003 and they held steady until 2010 when the organised campaign of incitement against Muslims reached a climax with the anti-Park 51 campaign. That year was the turning point in which we recorded the lowest favourable attitudes toward both communities. Ratings have moved slightly upwards since then, but are still below what they were in 2003.

The lesson is as clear as it is dangerous. Left unchecked, those who prey on ignorance and fear to spread hatred, and those who sow the seeds of division and intolerance, threaten to tear apart the fabric of the nation and compromise the values of openness and inclusion that have made America united and strong.

Purveyors of intolerance also put at risk the rights of Americans as full and equal citizens without fear of discrimination.

Any Muslim or Arab who is foolish enough to want to actually participate as equal citizens in active community service, or any non-Muslim who treats Muslims or Arabs as equal citizens is certain to come under attack.  It doesn’t matter that there are very few Muslims who hold influential positions, as far as the Islamophobes are concerned, the sum total of Muslims who should be allowed to participate in society should be firmly kept to ZERO.  Any number higher than that is a danger to the country.  The members of the Islamophobia Industry, joined by far too many of our elected representatives are vigilant and notice any instance of Muslims forgetting that they are expected to be second-class citizens.

Consider the following examples of this demonization which seems to represent a clear pattern of open and even institutionalized Islamophobia that goes for the most part unchallenged.

If a Muslim runs for political office, or even wants to get involved in their local community, or establish any sort of institution, they are demonized.  Outrageous charges of “creeping Sharia prononent”,  “stealth jihadist”, “Muslim Brotherhood plant”, etc. are made by Islamophobes.   Here are just a few examples of such attacks:

— Huma Abedin has been facing bigoted accusations for at least the past year.
— [url=http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=1290]Sh. Muhammad Nur Abdullah was listed as a “stealth jihadist” on the Discover the Networks site for nothing more than being President of ISNA and a member of the FCNA.
— Imam Johari Abdul-Malik was attacked when he was asked to lead the prayer in the Virginia Legislature.
— Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf attacked for wanting to built a Muslim community center in Manhattan
— Ambassador Akbar Ahmed was attacked for the statement that “America’s Founding Fathers admired Islam”, this was called “an attempt to “Islamize” Americans’ “knowledge” of the origin of their nation.”
— Parvez Ahmed’s appointment to the Jacksonville, Florida Human Rights Commission was strongly opposed.
— Frank Gaffney’s CSP is pressuring the Gov. of Tennessee to fire Samar Ali from the position of Director of the Economic and Community Development Dept. 
— Wajahat Ali was attacked because he was in the MSA in college
— Arif Alikhan, the deputy mayor of Los Angeles, was attacked when he was appointed Assistant Secretary for Policy Development at the Department of Homeland Security because he had spoken at an MPAC convention.
—  Salam al-Marayati was listed as a “stealth jihadist” on the Discover the Networks site for being President of MPAC.
— Debbie Almontaser was attacked when she attempted to establish an Arabic language school in NYC.
— Mazen Asbahi was forced to resign as Obama’s Muslim Outreach Coordinator to avoid further disruption to the office.
— Reza Aslan was attacked by Robert Spencer for speaking out against Islamophobia.
— Laleh Bakhtiar was accused of “lying” in her Qur’an translation
— Rep. Andre Carson was recently embroiled in a manufactured controversy. 
— Halim Dhanidina, who spent 14 years as a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney, was appointed to a California Superior Court judgeship by Gov. Jerry Brown, he was attacked for having been in the MSA as a student.
— Mohamed Elibiary, a member of DHS’s Combatting Violent Extremism Working Group (CVE).
— Khaled Abou El Fadl was attacked by Daniel Pipes as a “stealth Islamist”
— Rep. Keith Ellison has faced numerous assaults.
— Rima Fakih was attacked simply for winning the Miss USA Beauty Pageant.
— The Fiqh Council of North America fatwa against terrorism was attacked for not defining “civilians”.
— Faisal Gill, a former JAG officer in the Navy and a Bush White House official accused of terrorist connections when he attempted to get involved in local politics.
— Nezar Hamze was rejected for a position in the Broward County Republican Committee because “Islam is incompatible with the Constitution.”
— Mehdi Hasan was attacked when he was hired as a Huffington Post Editor.
— Rashad Hussein when appointed as special envoy to the OIC.
— Even Zuhdi Jasser, Rep. Peter King’s “ideal Muslim leader” has been accused of practicing taqqiya.
— Zaid Jilani was attacked and lost his job over spurious “anti-Semitism” charges.
— Rashid Khalidi was attacked for defending the right of Palestinians to resist the occupation.
— Suhail Khan was accused of being a Muslim Brotherhood operative “infiltrating” CPAC.
— Farhana Khera of Muslim Advocates was attacked for giving Muslims common legal advice.
— Imam Mohamed Magid, attacked for being President of ISNA.
— Irshad Manji another of the Islamophobes “good” Muslims was attacked by Pamela Geller for distinguishing between “radical” and “moderate” Islam.
— Prof. Ingrid Mattson, the first female President of ISNA for being included in Inaugural Prayer Service.
— Dalia Mogahed for her appointment to the White House’s Office of Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.
— Sohail Mohammed faced baseless attacks when he was nominated as a judge on the NJ state Superior Court by Gov. Christie.
— Muslim interns on capital hill were accused of “infiltrating” and there were calls for an investigation.
— Muslim staffers on capital hill met for prayer and there was a call for a Justice Dept. investigation.
— The comedian Dean Obeidallah was called an “Islamic supremacist hate propagandist”
— Dr. Mehmet Oz was attacked for being a “Muslim Turk, the worst scum of the earth”
— Eboo Patel  was called an “Islamic supremacist” for calling for a boycott of Lowe’s for dropping advertising for All-American Muslim under bigoted pressure
— Farah Pandith was attacked as “working for the cause of Islam, not America” when she was appointed by Hillary Clinton as Special Rep. to Muslim Communities
— Imam Hasan Qazwini was attacked for his opposition to an AFDI/SIOA hate group event in Dearborn.
— David Ramadan, a Muslim GOP candidate in a Virginia House of Delegates race and Reagan administration Attorney General and Ronald Reagan Chair in Public Policy at the Heritage Foundation was called a “stealth jihadist” by Pamela Geller.
— Ahmed Rehab faced bigotry when he was appointed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as part of an advisory committee on immigration issues. 
— Faiz Shakir was attacked when Nancy Pelosi hired him as Director of Media in her office.
— Imam Muzammil Siddiqui attacked by SIOA when the Human Rights Commission honored him with an award.
— Imam Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir were attacked for founding Zaytuna Institute which Pamela Geller called “academic jihad”
— Fareed Zakaria was attacked as a “Muslim Brother” because his father was an Islamic scholar.

I can’t think of an active Muslim, or a Muslim organization, that has not been attacked, and that includes Imams, journalists, community activists, scholars, educators, politicians, etc..  In fact, you don’t even need to be a famous individual to come under attack, just a Muslim.  For example, I have personally been the subject of many such attacks for pointing out instances of Islamophobia.  The only Muslim that I can think of that is regularly (although not universally) praised by Islamophobes is Zuhdi Jasser who Rep. Peter King calls the ideal Muslim leader, and a few other“astroturf” Muslims.

Muslims don’t need to attempt to engage in the public square in order to be demonized.  Here are just a few examples of the open bigotry shown towards Muslims doing just about anything at all in the greater society:

— An Eid Celebration for Muslim Special Needs Kids was described as a “stealth jihad”.  — A Muslim doctor had a heart attack and died at the wheel of his car which then crashed into a shopping mall and this was described as “vehicular jihad”.  — A Muslim cab driver objected to what he considered pornographic ads on the roof of his cab, and that became a stealth-jihadplot to impose Sharia on America.  — Any Muslim who has sued an employer for violation of their rights under the EEOC is engaged in employment jihad, or litigation jihad.  — Muslim environmentalists are said to be actually engaged in “civilizational jihad”.  — A cartoon series “The 99” aimed at young Muslims was described as “cultural jihad”. — The victims of the terrorist attack of 9/11 included Muslims, they were accused of dying as martyrs in an act of jihad. 

Muslims hoped to open a Muslim hospital in the U.S. and that was called hospital jihad. — A Muslim Family Day Eid celebration at Six Flags was attacked because the date of Eid that year fell to close to 9/11. —A Muslim Prayer event in front of the U.S. Capital was opposed as an example of “Islamization of America”?

The Islamophobes have uncovered countless examples of “shocking” Muslim jihad plots.  They have uncovered:

bumper sticker jihad — Thanksgiving turkey jihad — paisley scarf jihad — marriage to important men jihad — spit jihad —  fashion jihad — spelling bee jihad — rape jihad —defacing dollar bills jihad — population jihad — creeping Sharia jihad —  mosque building jihad — terror baby jihad — “creeping Sharia” jihad — pedophilia jihad — bus driver prayer jihad — forehead bruise jihad — postage stamp jihad — soup jihad —  banning alcohol jihad — fake hate crimes jihad — piggy bank jihad — tv reality series jihad —handshake jihad — prom jihad — interfaith jihad — Arabic language jihad — public school jihad — religious accommodation jihad — Crescent moon jihad — Christmas tree tax jihad— oath of office jihad — immigration jihad — community fundraiser jihad— public school/madrassa jihad — post office jihad — food jihad — pyramid jihad — crucifixion jihad — fireworks jihad — computer donation jihad — civic participation jihad — Olympic “judo” jihad 

Nothing is too trivial to escape the eagle eyes of these “defenders of Western civilization” against devious Muslim stealth jihad plots.  Christina Abraham (a Muslim) has a name that is not recognizably Muslim enough and so we have stealth name jihad. And, if a Muslim somewhere is not doing anything at all suspicious, then they are engaged inpre-violent jihad.

You don’t even have to be a Muslim to come under attack by the Islamophobes.  Non-Muslims only need to treat Muslims the same as they would any other citizen to be attacked.  The constant demonization of Muslims doing anything at all outside of the Muslim community, or of non-Muslims who accept Muslims as equal citizens and participants in American society extends to just about any situation:

BUSINESSES
— Best Buy was attacked for an ad that included a small bubble wishing Happy Eid to Muslim customers.
— Butterball Turkey was attacked for selling halal Thanksgiving turkeys
—Campbell’s soup was attacked for offering halal soup certified by ISNA-Canada
—Google Corp. was attacked for having an “Islamic” crescent in one of their logos.
— Lowe’s, and other advertizers were attacked for advertising on TLC’s All-American Muslim program.
— Whole Foods was accused of “whoring itself out to Islam” for offering halal foods during Ramadan

JOURNALISTS AND NEWSPAPERS
— Christiane Amanpour was accused of “enthusiastically fronting for the Islamic supremacists and dissemblers” for her program on Islam in America
—Spencer Ackerman was called “the tool of the jihadis” for exposing problems with training on Islam
— Bradley Burston was called “a pox on our people” and a “judenrat greasing the wheels of the genocidal machinery” by Pamela Geller for publishing an article critical of her views.
— Jeffrey Goldberg was attacked as a “jihadist sympathizer” for writing a negative review of a book by Pamela Geller claiming the “Islamization of America”.
— The Israeli paper Haaretz called “viciously anti-Israel newspaper” by Pamela Geller for publishing an article critical of her views.
—The Knoxville News Sentinel was attacked for publishing a children’s page in a newspaper focusing on Eid which was described as a toxic propaganda plot by Pamela Geller.
— The Los Angeles Times accused of repeating “Islamic supremacist talking points” in its coverage of the cancellation of a Geller speech.
— Jonah Lowenfeld of the Jewish Journal attacked for calling Pamela Geller an “anti-Muslim activist”.
— The New York Times accused of dhimmitude for refusing to print one of Pamela Geller’s anti-Islam ads
—Philip Weiss was called a Jewicidal kapo for an article pointing out Pamela Geller’s Islamophobia.
— Andrew Rosenthal of the NYT was called a dhimmi for an article critical of NYPD spying program.
— Diane Sawyer of 20/20 accused of “proselytizing for Islam” and “advancing a fallacious Islamic supremacist narrative” on a program on Islam.
— The Washington Post was called a “dhimmi” press and the “enemedia” and accused of “enforcing Sharia” by Pamela Geller for not running an anti-Muslim ad. 

LEADERS & POLITICIANS

— Mayor Bloomberg called a dhimmi for supporting the construction of a local mosque.
— John Boehner was attacked for allowing Imam Nayyar Imam to give the prayer invocation in Congress.
— When Herman Cain met with Imam Magid of ISNA and other Muslim leaders to apologize for some anti-Muslim statements, Gaffney objected and accused Cain of meeting with Muslim Brotherhood operatives.
— Judge James Cacheris attacked for granting citizenship to a Muslim who had been accused of affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood (after checking the facts).
—  Gov. Chris Christie was accused of “abetting treason” for appointing a Muslim.
— Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana was attacked for accepting an award from the Arab American Institute.
— Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel criticized for appointing Ahmed Rehab to the mayor’s New Americans Advisory Committee.
— GOP Presidential Candidates were asked by Frank Gaffney to sign a “pledge” or loyalty oath against Sharia.  and they were attacked for refusing to sign.
— A tea party group is demanding some sort of action against Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee for appointing Samar Ali to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
— Karen Hughes, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy was attacked for attending an ISNA conference.
—  Valerie Jarrett was attacked for attending an ISNA convention, and for being born in Iran (to American parents).
— Elena Kagan was accused of “enabling efforts to insinuate” Shariah law in the United States.
— State Sen. Ted Lieu of CA called a “dhimmi” for objecting to attack on the TLC program “All-American Muslim”
— The Mayor of Redmond, WA, John Marchione,  called a “dhimmi” and an “Islamopanderer” for accepting an award from CAIR.
— FBI Director Robert Mueller called a “slave to Islam” for investigation into anti-Muslim training materials.
— Janet Napolitano attacked for defending Mohamed Elibiari
— Gaffney claimed that Grover Norquist “is helping the Muslim Brotherhood infiltrate the conservative movement”.
— Gaffney called President Obama “America’s first Muslim president”, and claimed thatPresident Obama is advancing Sharia Law and the ‘Radical Homosexual Agenda’ in the Military, and said that Obama’s respect for Muslims is a secret code telling “those who adhere to Sharia [Muslims] that we will submit to Sharia.”  — Pres. Obama was also criticized for holding a White House Iftar.
— Nancy Pelosi was attacked for hiring Faiz Shakir.
— Gov. Rick Perry was attacked by Islamophobes simply for his friendship with the Aga Khan and not being anti-Muslim enough.  — Gov. Perry was also called an “Islamo-panderer” for not being opposed to the Cordoba House/Park 51 project. 
— Gen. David Petraeus was accused of of “submission to Sharia law”. 
— Colin Powell was attacked for defending Muslims when he said “And what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?”
— “Marco Rubio, John McCain, and John Boehner were attacked as “Islamo-pandering Republi-dhimmis” for their denunciation of Michele Bachmann’s charges.
— Peter Swiderski, mayor of the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York called a dhimmi for opposition to SIOA anti-Muslim ads
— State Sen. Dave Thompson of MN called a dhimmi for pulling a proposed anti-Sharia bill.

ORGANIZATIONS
— The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were attacked for having Muslim badges and an Islamic Scouting group.
— Frank Gaffney claimed that the Center for American Progress was part of ‘red-green axis’ with Muslim Brotherhood. 
— The Children’s Museum of Manhattan was attacked for an exhibit on the cultural heritage of the Muslim world.
— Metropolitan Museum of Art accused of “whitewashing Islam” and “passing off stolen intellectual property as Islamic” in exhibit on Islamic Art Treasures.
— National Geographic accused of promoting “Islamist propaganda” in a “fabricated exhibit” that “presents myths as fact” for 1001 Muslim Inventions Exhibit.
— NYC Transit Authority accused if “Sharia enforcement” in accordance with Islamic “blasphemy laws”  for stating that they will review their policies on posting of political ads.
— Gaffney called the U.S. Missile Defense Agency Logo “evidence of Obama’s ‘Submission To Shariah’.”
— The U.S. Post Office was accused of selling a “terrorist stamp” when it issued a Muslim holiday Eid stamp
— The U.S. Dept. of Defense, Dept. of State, and Dept. of Justice were accused of having been “infiltrated” by “Islamic supremacist groups and their operatives”
— YMCA of San Diego was accused of “enforcing Sharia” for adding an additional time for women only swimming (paid for by the swimmers)

RELIGIOUS & INTERFAITH LEADERS & ORGANIZATIONS
— Karen Armstrong was attacked by Robert Spencer for speaking at ISNA.
— Auburn Seminary and its Center for Multifaith Education, Interfaith Center of New York, Intersections International, Odyssey Networks, Quest, and The Tanenbaum Center and its Religion and Diversity Education Program were accused of being part of a “leftist/Islamic machine”, and setting up “Goebbels-style propaganda websites” producing “jihadist propaganda” by Pamela Geller for an interfaith 9/11 program promoting healing and reconciliation.
— The ADL Interfaith Coalition on Mosques was called a “dhimmi-Jew stunt” which was “kowtowing to the Islamic Jihad”.
— Abraham Foxman of the ADL was called a “dhimmi Jew” “kowtowing to the Islamic jihad”.
— Jews who suports, organizes, or fund raises for Pres. Obama was accused of being like Jews who had a gathering in 1933 Berlin in which uniformed Nazis participated.
— J Street accused of being “Jewicidal” and “traitors and JINOs” “masquerading as a Jewish organization” for its positions on Israeli policy and the Palestinian issue.
— The Los Angeles Jewish Federation were called “Dhimmi Jews” and “Jewicidal, JINOs” by Pamela Geller for not allowing her speak at their offices.
— The Pope was accused of “engaging in dawah” for expressing respect for Islam
— Cardinal McCarrick was attacked for his friendship with Imam Mohamed Magid
— Rabbi Marc Schneier called a “dhimmi Rabbi” for his involvement in Jewish/Muslim dialogue.
— The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was attacked for signing an interfaith letter on anti-Muslim prejudice.
—  Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz was attacked for writing an article against the anti-Sharia movement.  He was accused of “doing the bidding of Islamic supremacist Sharia” and an “enemy” of the Jewish people. 

TELEVISION & RADIO PERSONALITIES AND PROGRAMS
— Conservative personalities Michelle Malkin, Matt Drudge, Rush Limbaugh, Kathryn Lopez of National Review, Mark Levin, Michael Savage were all accused by Pamela Geller of “sanctioning the jihad and sharia” for not being vocally anti-Muslim enough.
The Family Feud television game show was attacked for simply having a Muslim family compete.
— The Learning Channel (TLC) was accused of engaging in a “cultural jihad” for running a reality program featuring ordinary Muslims.
— Dr. Phil McGraw was called an “Islamo-panderer” for being sympathetic to Muslim guests.
— Rachel Ray accused of being unpatriotic and supporting terrorists for wearing a floral paisley scarf in a Dunkin Donuts ad.
— Jon Stewart called a “judenrat” for his defense of Muslims and condemnation of Islamophobia.
— Donald Trump was called a “dhimmi” over a Muslim beauty contest winner.
— Oprah Winfrey was attacked when she aired a program on Islam

The RNC and DNC conventions for the 2012 election are winding down.  The article Muslims not included in DNC or RNC official events discusses the fact that Greek Orthodox, Evangelical Protestant, African Methodist Episcopal, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Sikh, and Mormon clergy were included in the official programs of the DNC and the RNC.  That is more diversity than we have seen in the past, and a good thing.  However, Muslims and Arabs are glaringly absent from this list.

While Muslim and Arab delegates may have been on the floor, none were visible officially or on the stage.  Although the Islamophobia echo chamber was hysterical about a Muslim Jumah prayer being part of the DNC, the reality was that it was an event in a local park arranged by a group called BIMA four days before the DNC began, and was never any part of the official program.  See Islamophobes discover “DNC Muslim Prayer Jihad”? for a complete discussion of this event.

Yesterday, in an unprecedented move at the DNC, a motion was entered to suspend the rules and to bring up the status of Jerusalem to again be inserted into the Democratic platform.  See   A call for a voice vote of aye or nay was called three times, and finally it was decided arbitrarily that there was a 2/3 majority and the motion passed. DNC Platform amended to state Jerusalem is the capital of Israel? for a full discussion of this development. 

There is a reason that many, even outside of the Muslim community see such demonization of Muslims as Islamophobic.  There is a reason that the ADL has stated that Brigitte Gabriel’s Act for America, Pamela Geller & Robert Spencer’s Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), David Yerushalmi’s Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE)  are “groups that promote an extreme anti-Muslim agenda”.  There is a reason that The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated SIOA as a hate group, and that they are featured in the SPLC reports Jihad Against Islam and The Anti-Muslim Inner Circle.  There is a reason that Geller and Spencer are featured prominently in the Center for American Progress “Fear Inc.” report on the Islamophobia network in America.  There is a reason that Geller is featured in the People for the American Way Right Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism.  There is a reason that Geller is featured in the NYCLU report Religious Freedom Under Attack:  The Rise of Anti-Mosque Activities in New York State.  There is a reason that Geller is featured in the Political Research Associates reportManufacturing the Muslim menace: Private firms, public servants, and the threat to rights and security.  There is a reason that the SIOA’s trademark patent was denied by the U.S. government due to its anti-Muslim nature.  There is a reason that they are featured (with extensive backgrounder articles) in our TAM Who’s Who of the Anti-Muslim/Anti-Arab/Islamophobia Industry. 

There is a reason that these individuals are featured in just about every legitimate report on Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred. 

These people consistently promote the what everyone “knows” lies about Islam and Muslims.   They generalize specific incidents to reflect on all Muslims or all of Islam.

   When they are caught in the act of making up or distorting claims they engage in devious methods to attempt to conceal the evidence.

The claim that “truth tellers” are being accused of Islamophobia for no reason other than their legitimate concerns about real issues and that in fact there is not even such a thing as Islamophobia is nonsense. 

The reason that this is so obvious to so many is that rational people can tell the difference between legitimate concerns and bigoted stereotypes.   The Islamophobia of these folks is very real, and it is also strikingly similar to a previous generations’ anti-Semitism.