America’s True Believers and the Great Muslim Scare
Posted on 16. Sep, 2010 by Raja Mujtaba in Opinion
The Great Muslim Scare
By Lawrence Davidson
In the year 1951 the American working class intellectual Eric Hoffer described those he called the True Believers. These are people who are alienated from their present conditions and suffer feelings of insecurity and uncertainty about the way their lives and communities are heading. To set things straight they seek out movements, either of the right or the left, that claim to have assured answers to problems while offering comfort and solidarity in a fellowship of like believers. The leaders of such movements often can be demagogues who expect their followers to be, well, true believers. The one and the many are made for each other in this regard. The solution to problems almost always entails conspiracy theories and the confronting of enemies, both internal and external. In generally uncertain and fearful times, more and more of the citizenry can be pulled into such movements, attracted by leaders who are assertive in a mesmerizing way. All societies have such true believers in them and today’s America is no exception.
Since the end of the Cold War, communism has been replaced by a new enemy, the religion of Islam and the billion Muslims who make it up. Even before 9/11 there was an on-going effort by radical Zionists to focus American fears and uncertainties on the Muslim world. The 9/11 attacks seemed to be proof positive of their position and, with the media’s full cooperation, increasing numbers of citizens began to think a new crusader war was justified. After all, did not President Bush say that the attackers “hate our values?” In truth the terrorism that came home to America on 9/11 was the result of decades of American foreign policies that had killed and injured incalculably more Middle Easterners than the 2973 victims of that fateful day. But most U.S. citizens were (and still are) unfamiliar with the realities of their country’s foreign policies and the government, along with the media, was not about to educate them. And so the nation entered a time of high anxiety allegedly made understandable through a mixture of propaganda, bigotry and official lies. It was (and still is for the era continues) a time made for true believers.
Introducing Pamela Geller
Now enter Pamela Geller, one of America’s up and coming, famous and infamous, purveyors of Islamophobia. Essentially, Ms Geller is advocating an American crusade against Islam. She would no doubt yell and scream that this is not so, but consider the fact that she is the one who, almost single handedly, turned the debate over the proposed Islamic center for southern Manhattan, the one two blocks from “ground zero,” into a clash of civilizations. Along with air time on Fox News, Ms. Geller accomplished this via the web, from her blog, Atlas Shrugs. This achievement must stand as a milestone in web history, though not a particularly wholesome one. It looks very much like this lady is positioning herself to be a leader of just the kind of movement Eric Hoffer described. Here are some of Ms Geller’s other particulars:
1. Geller is a 51 year old ex-employee of the New York Daily News (she worked in marketing) and then, through 1994, was an associate publisher of something called The New York Observer. After that she seems to have devoted herself to political advocacy and blogging.
2. She is co-founder of the Freedom Defense Initiative which is dedicated to stopping “Islamic supremacist initiatives in American cities” and identifying “infiltrators of our federal agencies.” She is also a founder of the organization Stop Islamization of America which, in the finest Orwellian fashion, describes itself as a “human rights organization. It recently raised enough money to place advertisements on the sides of New York City buses identifying the Islamic religion with the 9/11 attacks. The organization’s motto is “Racism is the lowest form of human stupidity, but Islamophobia is the height of common sense.”
3. She is a pal of any number of right wing politicians known for their anti-Islamic positions such as Newt Gingrich, John Bolton, Gary Berntsen, and the Dutch Islamophobe Geert Wilders.
4. She is a right-wing Zionist with connections to the West Bank settler movement. This may be the real root of her anti-Islamic sentiments.
5. And finally, Ms Geller may very well be a megalomanic. She likes to go around dressed in superman customs and has taken to calling herself “Atlas” (after Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged). She also likes to splash around in the Atlantic Ocean wearing a Bikini, declaiming “here I am in my chador, my burka”. When she is accused of obvious anti-Islamic statements and positions, she gets huffy and offers a flat denial made at suspiciously high volume. It is all a “gross misrepresentation” according to Geller (see the Geller link above for all of this). It should be kept in mind that just because it is tough to elect a female president does not mean that there is no American constituency for a female demagogue.
As suggested above, there are millions of Americans who may find Geller’s message attractive. For example most of the followers of Glenn Beck, Franklin Graham, Michael Evans, Rob Grant and the late Jerry Falwell are probably on the same page as Pamela Geller. Taken altogether they might account for about 10% of the adult population (that is roughly 30 million people). These are the sort of people who think that Barack Obama is a closet Muslim and that there is an Islamic plot to take over the country and institute Sharia law. These are Hoffer’s hard core true believers. However, there are many additional Americans who are ready to see it Geller’s way on single issues. Again, take the Manhattan Islamic center that Geller thinks is the launching pad for the “Islamization of America.” About one third of the U.S. do not think that American Muslims have a constitutional right to build at that spot. One half of all Americans think it is legal to ban Muslims from building mosques anywhere in the U.S. About 31% would be ok with doing just that.
A Partial Explanation
How are we to understand this phenomenon? How could millions upon millions of at least potentially sensible people stereotype an entire religion of a billion people (the vast majority of whom disavowal the likes of Osama bin Laden) as enemies?
I suggest consulting Walter Lippman for at least part of the answer. Walter Lippman was a Pulitzer Prize winning political commentator. He was born in 1889 and lived on till 1974. Lippman wrote a book in 1922 entitled Public Opinion. In this work he considered the problem of the individual’s knowledge of events and situations beyond his or her local environment. Here is how Lippman explained what is really a universal predicament, “Each of us lives and works on a small part of the earth’s surface, moves in a small circle….Inevitably our opinions cover a bigger space, a longer reach of time, a greater number of things, than we can directly observe. They have, therefore, to be pieced together out of what others have reported and what we can imagine.” Inevitably, for most, those opinions of things beyond the local will be based on indirectly acquired information. Indeed, the further from home we look the more dependent we are on limited and often distorted information coming from sources which we assume to be knowledgeable but the biases of which we know little. This information underpins the “pictures in our heads” as Lippman characterized them, and it fleshes out the superficial views upon which make our judgments.
It is in times of high tension involving problems coming from beyond our local environment that we become most aware of our ignorance. To compensate for that ignorance we automatically place the unfamiliar situation within a culturally prescribed context and simultaneously turn to others of our group whom, it is assumed, know what is going on. The primary medium that brings us these “experts”: government officials, news pundits, academics and sometimes the likes of Pamela Geller, is the news media in all its forms. However, as Lippman tells us “news and truth are not the same thing.” One of the reasons for the divergence is the fact that the former is filtered through the minds of those “in the know” and their media facilitators. Thus, Lippman continues, we can assume that the guidance offered by the “experts” is “in some vital measure constructed out of his [or her] own stereotypes…and by the urgency of his [or her] own interest.” One can think of no better examples of this than Pamela Geller and Fox News.
Conclusion:
We have two factors working here, one is limited and the other ubiquitous. We have the limited but ever present subset of the population who are potential true believers. And in addition, we have a ubiquitous ignorance of that which is going on beyond our local environment. You might argue that, in an era of globalization and the web, this cannot be so. Unfortunately it is so. While there might be a lot of information out there, some of it even reliable information, most people do not seek it out nor do they necessarily have the background to recognize truth if it happens to run counter to their culturally influenced stereotypes and favorite “news” sources. These two factors are not uniquely American. You find them in all societies, including Muslim ones. Regardless, they are increasingly serious and dangerous factors right here in the U.S.A.
Lawrence Davidson is a Professor of Middle East History at West Chester University in West ChesterPennsylvania.He is
the author of America’s Palestine: Popular and Official Perceptions from Balfour to Israeli Statehood (University Press of Florida, 2001), Islamic Fundamentalism (Greenwood Press, 2003), and, co-author with Arthur Goldschmidt of the Concise History of the Middle East, 8th and 9th Editions (Westview Press, 2006 and 2009). His latest book is entitled Foreign Policy, Inc.: Privatizing American National Interest (University of Kentucky Press, 2009). Professor Davidson travels often and widely in the Middle East. He also has taken on the role of public intellectual in order to explain to American audiences the impact of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
Davidson is a regular contributor to Opinion Maker.
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Rehmat
16. Sep, 2010
If one study American history from objective source – he will find out that it’s built on myths and lies. Since the ‘accidental’ discovery of Americana in 1503 – the country has been built by the Judeo-Christian jihadis on the blood and bones of tens of millions of the Native people. The country has always been at war with foreign nations and within itself.
Ethnic racism and Black slavery have been the hallmarks of the US history. It has military basis in over 150 foreign countries and Rev. Martin Luther Jr. is quoted as saying: “Racism is at the peak on Sunday at 11 am” – meaning that only 8-9% of the White-folk churches allow non-White Christians to attend Mass on Sunday.
People who believe that by electing the first Black President (a woman still have to take that position) the America has changed – are nothing but dumb. Nothing has changed. He was elected by the same Jewish and Zionist lobby groups – just to give a ‘muslim’ and a ‘black’ face to their war against Muslim world for the benefit of the Zionist entity.
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/it-is-not-a-democracy-stupid/
Charles Martel
18. Sep, 2010
Well, look at the history of Islam–wherever it spread under the Umayyads or the Abbasids it was by the sword. Nobody in North Africa, Iberia, the Levant, or Byzantium converted willingly, but were murdered, their holy places and books burned, their children enslaved. If they paid their crushing tax to be allowed to live as subhuman dhimmis, their children converted because they liked to eat! The “Islamic” world was built on the bodies of Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and polytheists who refused to convert. People who lived peaceful lives their own way before Islam imposed itself on them by the sword and lance. And so today–witness the mistreatment of the Coptic Christians in Egypt today to see a modern example. Islam mistreats half of its captive population wherever it is found in any case. I do believe most Western women had rather die than be a woman under Islam–defaced and defiled and left defenseless and looked upon as a subhuman uterus and little else. You better not throw bricks if you live in a glass house, and your Dar es Salaam is glass, effendi. I’ll take the Dar al Harb any day.
Rehmat
18. Sep, 2010
Well – look at the Jewish history. Had the Muslims not used the sword to liberate the Jews in Jerusalem (638 CE), Spain (711 CE), Palestine (1186 CE) and Europe (1940s) – they still be living as pigs (serf) under the Church.
Islam spread in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, South Indian Sub-continent, Philippines, Veitnam, Cambodia and many other part of the world before any Muslim soldier put his foot there.
“History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated,” – De Lacy O’Leary in ‘Islam at the Crossroads,’ London, 1923
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/us-doesnt-need-enemies-when-it-has-israel-as-friend/
Jen
18. Sep, 2010
Looking at the comments here so far, I have to say all religions have spread through mixture of warfare, trade and culture. It is true that Islam spread through the Middle East and North Africa initially by conquest and the sword but once established in many areas there, it encouraged great scientific, technological and cultural progress and achievement. Many English words in the subject areas of astronomy, mathematics and chemistry have Arabic language origins and are evidence of the superiority of Arabs and Persians in these sciences.
It should be noted that in the 6th-7th centuries CE, many peoples in the Middle East were tired of authoritarian Byzantine Christian rule or of Sassanid Zoroastrian rule. Christianity and Zoroastrianism were closely linked to the governments in thar region then and the leading priests of both religions may have been very corrupt. This may partly account for the swift uptake of Islam among peoples in the Middle East when that religion appeared.
Jen
18. Sep, 2010
Oops – further to my recent post, should have said that:
Many English words in the subject areas of astronomy, mathematics and chemistry have Arabic language origins and are evidence of the superiority of Arabs and Persians in these sciences during the period from 8th century to 12th century CE.
After the invasions of the Mongols and the Turks across Asia and the Middle East and the establishment of Turkic rule over Arab peoples, the Islamic cultures lost their scientific and technological pre-eminence.
Dylan Dougal
18. Sep, 2010
The biggest threat to World stability is the Jews and Israel.
The genocide of he Palestinian people, the murder of innocent children on a daily basic, the corrupt western governments controlled and manipulated by Jews just like America. They refuse to stop the murder of the Palestinian people, the destruction and theft of land and property from the Palestinian people. The west and America refuse to challenge Israel, and stop this genocide of the Palestinian people, because the Jews control these countries. The Jews control the banking system in the Western World and America, they control the media and television, thus pumping out its own propoganda, and hiding the truth of its evil policies, nobody else can have alternative views expressed in the media or television, and they operate a strict censorship policy of only the Jewish viewpoint of everything, no open debate or free speech of what the Jews and Israel are actually doing in controlling and manipulating the world. Most of the worlds arms industry is controlled by the Jews, so they continue to spread fear about other cultures throughout the World, keep making attacks on other countries, invading other countries, whipping up hatred and wars throughout the world, murdering and killing people and bombing other countries is profitable for the Jewish controlled arms industry, and untimely Israel, while the arms industry is controlled by the Jews we will never see the end of wars throughout the world.
James
18. Sep, 2010
‘Does Burning Quran Solve your Problems?’ By Kourosh Ziabari – http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2010/09/kourosh-ziabari-does-burning-quran-solve-your-problems/ –
‘The Questions Of 9/11 Are Still Unanswered’ By Kourosh Ziabari – http://countercurrents.org/ziabari150910.htm
Two articles with a different views that are not censored by the US MSM.
“She is a ‘right-wing Zionist’ with connections to the West Bank settler movement. This may be the real root of her anti-Islamic sentiments.” < That says it all right there.
Something that was said just after the attacks on 911 that most people never heard from the Zionist owned US MSM.
"I was not involved in the September 11 attacks in the United States nor did I have a knowledge of the attacks. There exists a government within a government within the United States. The United States should try to trace the perpetrators of these attacks within itself, to the people who want to make the present century a century of conflict between Islam and Christianity. That secret government must be asked as to whom carried out the attacks… The American system is totally in control of the Jews, whose first priority is Israel, not the United States." – Osama Bin Laden
Having many politicians in our government that holds dual citizenship with Israel would make that statement more true today then when it was spoken. Why would they need to have that dual citizenship and be in politicial office except for an agenda that they are part of to rule the world with Jerusalem as the capital? Before they can do that they need to remove America from the world stage as we are the one's that stand in their way. That is why we have all of this trouble with the government and the constant passing of new bills and less rights. They are afraid of us but they haven't seen anything yet.
William Whitten
18. Sep, 2010
True believers of any ilk are fanatical idiots.
But there is truth in the fact of Zionist occupation of Amerika at this time–and the demonization of Islam is part and parcel of that fact.
Rehmat
19. Sep, 2010
William Whitten – idiots of which religion are you? After all, even being an Atheist – one belongs a ‘sort of’ religion.
Most of Jihads even in the early years of Islam – were defensive and not offensive like the Judeo-Christian wars around the Globe.
Islam preaches forgiveness and no compulsion in religion. Contrary to that – Judaism preaches vengeance and Christianity “Salvation under the Church”.
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2010/09/11/the-holy-vengeance/
Lol
19. Sep, 2010
Actually Rehmat, you fool, Christianity teaches forgiveness and salvation through Jesus. But of course you know that.
Moha
20. Sep, 2010
this is all part of a greater scheme me think, remember people ? problem => reaction => solution
when there is no problem in the first place shit like ” 9/11 ” and ” accidental oil spill ” happen …. and the sheep are quick to respond and take gladly up their butt a white red blue dick
This is true opinion making and engineering even
Rehmat
20. Sep, 2010
Lol – only fool like you will believe that. But then I suppose the 2000 years persecution of your Jew ancestors and killing of 300,000 of them as part of the Jewish holocaust myth – was indeed “Christian forgiveness and Salvation through Jesus” – Right!!
ARNOLD CARL TAPP
04. Feb, 2011
THE STUPID , IGNORANT WHO WROTE THIS ARTICLE MUST ME A MUSLIM LOVER LIKE obummer . YOU WOULD DO VERY WELL TO WAKE UP, PULL YOUR HEAD OUT, AND PAY ATTENTION TO PAMELA GELLER, NEWT GINGRICH, JOHN BOLTON, BRIGITTE GABRIEL. GEERT WILDERS, TOM TRENTO, NANCY KENNON, ROBERT SPENCER, AND OTHERS WHO ARE AWARE OF THE GREATEST THREAT TO AMERICA ~ ISLAM. GET AN EDUCATION- VISIT THIS PAGE AND LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT ISLAMIC AGENDA TO CONTROL & DOMINATE AMERICA~ LISTEN TO CONVERTED MUSLIMS AND PEOPLE WHO SURVIVED UNDER THE ATTACK, DESTRUCTION AND THREAT OF SHARIAH: VIEW 50 + VIDEOS AT: http://www.youtube.com/MAKAHAYAN