ISLAMO-fascist week?,its been more like a decade,no? aren't all three abrahamic religions pretty much the same-they all feature the angry old man in the sky,in one form or another,his mother,his son,prophets,saints,servents and last but not least the sinners,heretics,and enemies-without whom the narrative would not work.on which day did the angry old man create "the narcissism of small differences"? have a good week.

"Personal motivation has nothing to do with it; the political tendency is what matters,"

Wrong. Both are Ad Hominem and ignore the topic, and can therfore be rightly dismissed. Stick to the topics and the arguements.

"If only the "Christians" would practice what their savior advocated"

Broad brush you have there.

The Raging Grannies sang in opposition to an IFAW event at Stanford. (to the tune of O Tannenbaun):

O Horowitz O Horowitz
It seems his brain is is on the fritz
O Horowitz O Horowitz
It seems his brain is on the fritz
Distorts and lies 'bout Muslim rules
Thinks that his audience are fools
O Horowitz O Horowitz
It seems his brain is on the fritz

The inquisition was no joke
And that was done by Christian folk
The inquisition was not joke
And that was done by Christian folk
They tortured and burned at the stake
Abu Ghraib's their modern take
The inquisition was no joke
And that was done by Christian folk

The worst regimes get US dough
Democracies we overthrow
The worst regimes get US dough
Democracies we overthrow
If they cooperate with us,
We turn a blind eye, we don\'t fuss
The worst regimes get US dough
Democracies we overthrow

Extremists come in many forms
You can't judge all by twisted norms
Extremists come in many forms
You can't judge all by twisted norms
In every faith things do go wrong
But hear the message in our song
Extremists come in many forms
You can't judge all by twisted norms

http://defendcriticalthinking.org/index.html

There's an excellent article refuting the concept of 'Islamofascism' on Counterpunch, by a Tufts history prof named Gary Leupp:
http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp10152007.html

Next week, can we do Puritanofascism Awareness? Closer to home and more of a threat to our society of laws.

Islamo-Fascism - is that anything like the Great Pumpkin rising out of the Cranberry Bog to dispense fabricated bible stories to bewildered children?

The American Islamic Forum for Democracy:

"We believe in the equality of the sexes which is well established in the Koran."

Muslims for Progressive Values:

5) Women's Rights: We support women's agency and self-determination in every aspect of their lives. We believe women's full participation in society at every level and equality among genders is enshrined in the Quran.

6) Gay Rights: We endorse the human rights, civil rights and civil liberties of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-sexual individuals.

The Progressive Muslim Union of North America:

"4) We affirm the equal status and equal worth of all human beings, regardless of religion, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. We oppose any restrictions on women's full participation in society and believe that separation and segregation of men and women is contrary to the equity among genders enshrined in the Quran."

Strange that one can find Muslim groups on line that are in support of gay marriage. What is Horowitz's view on the subject?

What does the Muslim Canadian Congress think of the issue? Oh yes:

http://www.muslimcanadiancongress.org/articles.html

It's all part of the same Judeo-Christo-fascist Jew-had / Jesus-had that these freaks have been running since AIPAC found Reverend Hagee. To them, all Muslims look alike, so just kill them all and let God sort 'em out.

What David Horowitz doesn't recognize is that his buddy Ann Coulter is out to perfect him.

The 'feminist are really anti-feminist' scam epitomizes the emptiness of all conservatism, not jujst neo-conservatism -- all their arguments against the left use left-wing arguments. They don't believe in freedom of choice for anyone, so they have to couch all their Dark Ages' policies in liberal terminology.

Liberals are singularly incompetent at assailing wolf-in-sheep's-clothing rhetoric, because they're addicted to the placebo of sweet reasonableness, which is wholly ineffective when dealing with the wholesale deceitfulness of Horowitz, Rove, et al.

One way of unmasking them is by pushing them publically to the conclusions that real democratic commitments would demand, and not letting them get away with the posture that they're victims if they hold authoritarian beliefs; the other way is to be funnier and nastier, but ah, Liberals with the capital L will never do that.

Ok Barbara its nice that you are condemning the obvious anti-feminist slant to this but what about the fact this is painting Muslims with a broad brush and creating Islamophobia?? This is the real problem behind Horowitz campaign of hatred. Where's the outrage? I am certainly disgusted beyond belief at this nonsense from the right wing particularily the neocon/AIPAC faction. Enough is enough!

Maybe we need to focus on Christofascism. It seems the greatest danger to civilization and freedom.

I would like to see David Horwitz try to get into Canada for a speaking engagement. I don't think that he is familiar enough with Canada's Hate Crime laws to stay clear of them.

It's really simple to defuse.

Just start a counter CHRISTIAN FASCISM AWARENESS WEEK.

Even better, set it for December 24-28.

The whole affair is reminiscent of holy Rome's bloody crusades.

Shame on Horwitz and his ilk for continuing the hate mongering.

Jaded Prole,

Why can't we just focus on plain old-fashioned American fascism?

The real power-brokers are corporate elites who have to overcome what passes for democracy in the US. They know that their goals are inconsistent with the interests of the vast majority of Americans and so they see elections as minefields they must pass to get candidates and policies that support such goals.

So, in their efforts to support their causes, they throw up against the wall whatever demagogic nonsense they and the sophists in their employ can concoct and they see what sticks. Sometimes they do manage to underestimate the intelligence of the US public, as with the case of Terri Schiavo, but that as we all know is a very rare occurrence. I would hope they would at least be pushing the limits with this campaign.

Jaded,

"Maybe we need to focus on Christofascism. It seems the greatest danger to civilization and freedom."

Chris Hedges' "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America" doesn't mince words. Tho' the Christian left is busy these days (see Eric Elnes' "Asphalt Jesus"), since they focus on real personal contact rather than Goebbels'-esque media spectacle, their impact is hard to detect.

"Shame on Horowitz and his ilk for continuing the hate mongering."

These creeps lost shame as they gained tax-exempt status.

"What David Horowitz doesn't recognize is that his buddy Ann Coulter is out to perfect him."

Because Ann has shagged & slurped every flying monkey commnetator, every news producer, every publisher's assistant, anyone with an eye to a quickie with the Nightmare Life-in-Death. That's perfection enough for the Defenders of Western Civilization.

how wonderful!!! a week to be totally hateful! you can hate anybody you want!

This is what is really scary:

http://www.theocracywatch.org/chris_hedges_nov24_04.htm

The weird thing about David Horowitz and Ann Coulter is that they make Helena Guergis and Rahim Jaffer seem progressive just for getting engaged.

Helena Guergis once harassed a person to the point that she miscarried.

Rahim Jaffer has his own - er - stunt doubles:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2001/03/19/jaffer010319.html

jbs - why not take it a step further? How about taking up lynchings at family picnics again? Complete with pictures of the tortured and murdered and body parts as souvenirs? When you look at where we came from in this country, perhaps it isn't so puzzling where we have ended up?
http://www.maafa.org/klan.html

So when is Christofascist and Zionofascist awareness weeks?

Foxetrader,
In my mind, is every week...

Good response principessaflamenco!

Consider what, if anything, you're personally going to do about the fact that Horowitz and Coulter share a common vision with YOUR President of the United States.
Anybody got a plan? (Duh? Can we vote against the Horowitz/Coulter party?)

Well, at the risk of having my computer melt down from a deluge of hate mail, I've got to say - "Isn't having a majority of of middle eastern countries base their Constitutions on Sharia law something to be concerned about?"

I don't know anything about this Horowitz guy, sounds like he has a problem. However, the treatment of religious minorities and women is generally pretty awful throughout the Middle East, and it is always justified by Muslim Sharia law. If Christian principals are fair game for criticism, why is Islam given a free pass? Just wondering.

in case you missed it:

14 markers of Fascism

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Bligh how about the treatement of Muslim minorities in America? Rendition, torture, disapperances, discrimination, and hate crimes on the rise. The treatement is pretty damn ugly and getting worse. This is about our society here in the US as we have no right to criticize until we clean up our own house.

This is not about giving Islam a free pass..Islam is not a monolith...or even about freedom of speech. Horowitz's Islamofacism week is based on hatred of Muslims and a drive for war with Iran pure and simple.

bligh,

""Isn't having a majority of of middle eastern countries base their Constitutions on Sharia law something to be concerned about?"

Yes. it's a matter for the citizens in those countries to be concerned about. And they are, as the strength of democratic opposition in Iran demonstrates.

This "Look over there at THOSE bad guys, whyn'cha say nuthin' 'bout them, huh?" gambit is puerile. The US had never advanced as far towards a democratic society as were taught to believe, but there were advances away from the remnants of theo-centric society, with the elimination of religious propaganda from public schools, of Bible reading & the teaching that law must be based on commands from above rather than on a sovereign people.

Your faux-concern for rights in Middle Eastern states is nothing but a pretext for continuing to exercise military veto over the region. The US obliterated the democratic movements, supported authoritarian ones, and then pretends to be concerned about democracy.

Thank you ezeflyer, I didn't type fast enough, but you hit the nail on the head.
I don't think the point is really criticism of Christian principals. The point is, that Fascists are not a part of any religion, they profess many religions, and are part of, as wikipedia puts it, "an authoritarian political ideology (generally tied to a mass movement) that considers individual and other societal interests subordinate to the interests of the state. Fascists seek to forge a type of
national unity through oppression and coercion, usually based on (but not limited to) ethnic, cultural, or racial attributes." The corporate controlled American government leans much closer to this type of ideology (reference, "not limited to") I would say it is through the oppression and coercion of a large part of the population, called the lower class. So there are hypocrites who profess every religion, but do not live by the creed and instead are Fascists.

By the way, I have a great and simple way to take care of the health insurance situation for the kids in the USA. let's start making carpets; their small hands are perfect for tying tiny knots, we can export to Iran for oil. Then they can have their health benefits, and if they are really proficient maybe we can even start them off on an early 401k. Maybe they'll get voting rights; who knows, they might not be as brainwashed as the middle aged populace and we might actually get a government with something to offer other than war, thievery and pollution.

ezeflyer, I don't think fourteen markers are necessary.

Anyone who says "Freedom isn't free" or proposes the notion that establishing security is a necessary condition for establishing freedom is a fascist. These propositions reduce the polis to the police and the army.

thank you each and everyone of you for a most enlightening discussion on hatemongering 101

Dichterfreund, you were the kind of person I was thinking about when I made the comment about hate mail. "your faux-concern for rights in the middle east", you don't know me, so how can you tell me what my motivation is. Don't hit me with your closed-minded assumptions, I am not the "U.S. Government" last time I checked.. Go take a pill and lie down.

As far as the "you can't criticize until your country fixes all of it's problems" argument, I guess that would ban anyone that is not a citizen of the U.S from criticizing this country. I don't think foreigners generally have a problem with pointing out problems in this country - doesn't mean their home countries don't have problems of their own.

I merely pointed out that there are problems in the Muslim world that should be at least as fair game for discussion as problems over here. It is not a zero sum game.To suggest that another area of the world, or a group of people, have problems that should be addressed does not signify that I don't think we have massive problems of our own. We should be able to address BOTH, not either-or.

There are some in the Middle East that are trying to change things in a positive way, they deserve our support- not our patronizing.

Thanks for the responses.

bligh,

"you don't know me, so how can you tell me what my motivation is"

Well, how is that not equally applied, then, to me? Sauce for the goose.

Personal motivation has nothing to do with it; the political tendency is what matters, and discussion of "how about sharia law?" drives discussion towards the neocons' playing field; it's their strategy, regardless of how you "personally" intend it.

I read about where the term Islamo-fascism came from....

it turns out the fascism part is used as "the face of"

Because so many people are screaming "fascism" now, this administration is doing the old shell game it does so well.

Now, the sheeeple will latch on to this term and ignore the very real Fascism growing in OUR country.

Dichterfreund exactly the neocon strategy of winning an argument is when you are outgunned point the blame elsewhere.

Has nothing been learned from the promotion of "awareness" of the not-real over the past 6 years?

What Americans really need is a "Awareness of the Definition Of Facsism Week."

Memes like this would have no legs whatsoever among an informed people, and extremists of any stripe would have no more visible platform than an offramp somewhere, where they'd stand holding their cardboard signs as the world passes them by.

how about "abrahamofascist" week! covers all 3 of the abrahamic scum religions .

i'm certainly not crazy about Islam, but there should be some kind of expose for christianity. it's an awful religion. i constantly get bombarded by pamphlets, tracts, street corner preachers, buttheads on the bus who want to share "the good news" and digs by christian friends. frankly i'm tired of this crap ass religion. "you'll be sorry after you die", "i'll pray for you", "repent and be saved". how about "take your bronze age cult and shove it". let's see how many people have been killed in the cult of "jesus", before we take swings at Islam.

I've never once gotten preached to by a muslim nor had muslim tracts shoved in my face. nor been chastized by one. We have a few in this apartment complex, and they are very kind. So who is it who is always pushing themselves at me...."christians". threats of hell, threats of judgement, recommendations to read "the bible", one of the most absurd and rediculous books every written.

Methinks islamofascism is far too limiting a term.

Seriously,we must label the enemies of western civ properly if we are going to deal with them at all levels in this Long War.

Howz'
about
islamochavezycastroishputineroliberalpictalibanfascist?

criminal minds are embedded in all "ism's".
zionism and nazism colluded in the past.
zionism + islamofascism seem to be colluding in the present. Meanwhile we 'girls' are busy shopping and happy to be brainwashed.

godlessrant, there are good christians who are working for peace and for humanity (okay, they are good PEOPLE who happen to be christian, you could say they are good DESPITE their christianity). The kind you are talking about are the fanatics. Those people are dangerous, having lots of babies, and indoctrinating them in extremely unhealthy ways. Watch "Jesus Camp" if you can stomach it. As far as I can see, it amounts to child abuse. Certainly it's brainwashing. Maybe we need a child abuse awareness week that highlights such abuses by the christian fundamentalists.

People should spend this week understanding the state of facism in America, brought on by bush and his band of right-wing facists. We should call this week Facist Awarness Week!

David Horowitz is a fool! However! You are wrong in saying that the war on terror is a conflict with Islamic fascists, a small radical element in Islam that can be overcome by entreaties to Western Democracy and modern thinking. Wars and conquests to achieve a religious hegemony are endemic to Islam. One need only read any of the 42 Suras that speak to a conversion stratagem . Historical revisionist often point to a small number of Suras that speak of a benign treatment of strangers, but a critical reading of these items confirm, by strangers the Koran means fellow Moslems. Rather than the rule, moderate Islam (today's sensitivity speak) is the abrogation. At its basic level Islam is a religion the can only be fulfilled by planet wide domination, and what the true face of its adherents is, is fundamentalism theocracy achieve by wars of conquest. What we are witnessing today is the third such thrust by Islam. The first ended with the defeat of Moslem armies at the battle of Tours in 732 and ushered in the 800 year Spanish war of the Reconquista that ended with the final expulsion of the Moors form Spain in 1492 AD. The second was the Turkish conquest of Constantinople and the Balkans in 1453 AD. There were Moslem armies at the gates of Vienna in 1523 AD and this episode only ended in 1921 when the Greeks gained independence for Turkey. Of course, Turkey then took all human rights from Anatolian Greek Christians and expelled and killed over 200,000 between 1921 and 25. Today, we are witnessing the third incarnation if the Islamic imperative. Geopolitics being what they are there is little doubt that Israel as an independent state will ultimately be destroyed and with significant Moslem populations in France and England and other parts of secular Europe, serving as a fifth column, the dreams of Suleiman the Magnificent may be fulfilled.

I think that Fascist Capitalism is a far greater threat to the world than Islamist extremists. The people behind this Islamofascist Awareness campaign are themselves fascist capitalists (try Fast Kaps for short).

Neocons are Fast Kaps. Fast Kaps use fascist methods to take what they want, and one of the first methods they use is to demonize anyone that stands in their way. It is all dirty politics and it depends upon fooling a majority of dumbed-down people, to gain their favor and votes.

Fast Kaps are the worst thing to emerge from the USA. We all know them well, either from direct experience or from television. Many serials have included episodes with Fast Kaps as the bad guys. The A-Team, for example, constantly rescued otherwise innocent and defenseless victims from Fast Kaps.

So, how the hell did Fast Kaps become the most powerful force in the USA? Like everything else, they did it by demonizing the competition and fooling the majority of voters. But the recent exposure of their lies about Iraq may have been a mistake.

Now, with so many of their lies exposed, we can expose the neocons for what they are. Can you say Fast Kaps? I know I can and I will press the message every chance I get.

Fast Kaps have fooled the nation. Fast Kaps have lied us into war. Fast Kaps have made the world a mess. Fast Kaps should not rule the world. Fast Kaps must be stopped.

Islam: "A monotheistic religion characterized by the acceptance of the doctrine of submission to God and to Muhammad as the chief and last prophet of God."

Fascism: 1. a sense of overwhelming crisis beyond reach of traditional solutions; 2. belief one's group is the victim, justifying any action without legal or moral limits; 3. need for authority by a natural leader above the law, relying on the superiority of his instincts; 4. right of the chosen people to dominate others without legal or moral restraint; 5. fear of foreign `contamination; 6. the merger of government and corporate interests irrespective of the will of the people. (America, today: 1. terror = torture, indefinite detention, renditions; 2. we were "attacked" and we're "hated"; 3. God speaks through bush who acts on his "gut"; 4. Christian nation; 5. immigrants are lepers and job thieves; 6. corporate profits soar, peoples' wages fall, regulations abandoned, tax breaks/subsidies a plenty, out of control subcontracting.)

"The radical Christian right, calling for a "Christian state" — where whole segments of American society, from gays and lesbians to liberals to immigrants to artists to intellectuals, will have no legitimacy and be reduced, at best, to second-class citizens—awaits a crisis, an economic meltdown, another catastrophic terrorist strike or a series of environmental disasters." (Chris Hedges, "American Fascists")

Sadly, in the Fascists v Fascists Battle Royal, a Fascist will win.

You've got to give it to the right, at least this:

They control the dialog on the MSM talk circuit. Their WILLFUL ignorant ratings, making a mockery of civilized dialog, have become the standard fare on EVERY cable outlet. With the exception of Keith O. on MSNBC, its all about shock talk and the "guests" yelling over each other to make their insipit point.

Its a perfectly crafted, malevolent plan to reduce the national discussion to attacking the messenger, who - WOW, was just stating an opinion, and "don't *I* have freedom of speech!??" -

So the Coulters, Beck's and this hater, Horowitz, get to spew factually vacant crap, meanwhile, our cites are burning, are without water, children without health insurance, we are killing people in IraK, sharpening the swords for Iran, and we have an evil man-child commander guy, demanding relavancy, and more billions for his contractor buddies in the MIC.

This country is becoming insane.

No - it HAS become insane.

JJ PETER: Good points and I think they function as an answer to INDIGO as to how the "fast kaps" assumed so much power so quickly. Why do you think Rupert wants to own so much media? The control of message = the ways and means to MANUFACTURE consent.

EZE FLYER: Thank you for posting the list. Seems most of it fits policy in the US today.

GOLD DOGS: I agree. It's to make those who still watch Fox and MSM THINK fascism is out there, like "the enemy" or the "evil one." Ironic that one of the Christian tenets these folks supposedly swear allegiance to is to REMOVE THE BOARD from their own eyes before judging (no less attacking, or fixing policy to justify attack) others!

Superb article. This ridiculous event seems to be an anti Muslim hate fest !

Jake what about the fundamentalist Chirstians who firebomb abortion clinics or those that support the transfer/ehtnic cleansing of Palestinians because they believe Israel fulfills God's prophecy?

My brother has written a heartfelt tune in observance of Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week.

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2nzIQ1eWMg

It is something, when someone the likes of Ann Coulter can get airtime in MSM, and someone like Howard Zinn for example cannot.
And the right as the gull to call it a liberal media!
That is one of the biggest pieces of propaganda the right petals

bligh

If only the "Christians" would practice what their savior advocated, this world would be a better place.

Love, tolerance, mercy, compassion, understanding, sacrifice, giving without expectation of reward - these are the hallmarks of a practioner of Christ's teachings.

I don't know who these mouth pieces are anymore who PREACH churchianity these days. They are no more Christian's then sitting in your garage - turns you into a car.