Islamofascist Awareness Week Opposition

There has been much misinformation about the recent Islamopfascist Awareness Week. I ran across this twisted lecture at Emory University. It is extraordinarily wrong-headed.

A Lecture By Dr. Hassan Ali El-Najjar at Emory University, October 23, 2007, about Islamofascist Awareness Week.

Greetings and Introduction:
It gives me great pleasure to be here tonight to participate in an educational event that I hope to increase our understanding of our world, to contribute to the world peace, and prosperity of all nations, particularly our country, the United States of America.

I'd like first to thank Cleave Pierce and the Outspoken Allies who through their efforts and courageous initiative made this event possible. They have lit tonight's candle instead of joining a long line of others who have been content with cursing darkness, in a whispering and whining tone.

I'd like also to thank the administration of the Emory University which allowed the event to happen as a contribution to increasing understanding of the University community about the this important issue.

I'd like to thank everyone here tonight promising to do my best to make this evening as educational and as enjoyable as possible.

Finally, for those who organized the "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" in Emory, if anyone of them is here tonight, I'd like to tell them that I came in peace to educate them about the consequences of this campaign on their Muslim American colleagues here in Emory, and on Muslim Americans in general. I hope that I'll contribute to their education of other world views than their own.

I hope and pray that an atmosphere of respect, love, and desire for peace prevails in this night. I'm not here for anything else.

Note that only the leftists deviated from respectful communications during Islamofascist Awareness Week. But that is what it means to be a leftist, I guess.

I learned that a week-long program has been organized in Emory and other campuses nationwide under the title of "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week."
Before I start, I'd like just to tell everybody here that the mere association of Islam and fascism is painful enough for me and for Muslims to the extent of religious persecution.

It is unfortunate that radical Islamists have created in our public arena that association of Islam with fascism. It is up to Muslims to take the necessary steps to rid their ranks of the fascist elements. So far, I see no progress or even any meaningful attempt at progress.

It is an attempt to instigate Christian and Jewish students against their Muslim friends, colleagues, and professors. Just imagine if somebody organizes an event to smear Judaism or Christianity associating them with fascism. I don't accept that as a Muslim and I don't expect Jews and Christians to accept it.

I hope this complete misstatement of the situation is not intentional. Nothing about Islamofascist Awareness Week smears Islam in general. It was about those who do evil who brag that they are acting in the name of Islam – not all Muslims. The organizers were careful to make that absolutely clear to anyone who would listen.

In brief, why is the religion of Islam being smeared and attacked, when the conflict is not religious?

Wars have never been launched for religious purposes.

Osama bin Laden and his crew announce again and again that the conflict is religious. It was in all the papers. What universe does Mr. El-Najjar inhabit?

World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Iran-Iraq War, Gulf War, Current Iraq War, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have all started for resources and secular geo-strategic goals.
Then, how can we explain such attempts to blame Islam and smear it?

Good question: why does Osama bin Laden smear Islam the way that he does and why do Muslims fail to point that out?

Why is this attempt to harass Muslim Americans, even innocent students and professors in their campuses?

It is of course no such thing. Muslims are asked to join the Week's activities, but instead oppose them, thus supporting bin Laden and sending the message to America that they will not renounce him and his activities.

Is it an attempt to distract the American people, including students, from the real problems facing the United States?

Is it an attempt to prepare Americans for another devastating war, on Iran this time?

Why not organizing "Awareness Weeks" about our major problems:

- The US national debt, which exceeded $9 trillion?

The US national debt never flew airliners in the the World Trade Center.

- The influence of oil companies on foreign policy?

The oil companies never flew airliners in the the World Trade Center.

- The influence of the Israel Lobby on the legislative and executive branches of our government?

The Israel lobby never flew airliners in the the World Trade Center.

- Our health care system that leaves millions of Americans without coverage?

The health care system never flew airliners in the the World Trade Center.

- The half million Americans who are killed annually by the tobacco industry? (Olson & Defrane, 2000: 32).

The tobacco industry never flew airliners in the the World Trade Center.

- The one hundred thousand Americans who are killed annually by the alcoholic beverage industry? (Olson & Defrane, 2000: 32).

The alcohol beverage industry never flew airliners in the the World Trade Center.

- Why do we have the highest rates of imprisonment, abortion, and teenage pregnancy in the world.

None of these ever flew airliners in the the World Trade Center.

- Why are all these essential problems ignored?

They are not being ignored, but guess what they never did to us!

- Are such campaigns to smear the great religion of Al-Islam an attempt to distract the American people from thinking about these problems and expecting their government to address them instead?

The Islamofascism Awareness Week is not a campaign to smear Islam, unless ..... the only logical way that Islamofascism Awareness Week could be interpreted to smear Islam is if Islam really is what bin Laden says it is. If Islam and Islamofascism are two different things, there is no way that anyone can logically say that Islamofascism Awareness Week smears Islam.

I hope, accordingly, that Mr. el-Najjar is wrong and Islamofascism Awareness Week does not smear Islam, because I would like to believe that Islam is better than the religion that bin Laden says it is.

I will quote and respond to no more of Mr. el-Najjar's lecture. The lecture is simply more of the same drivel. It is sad that Mr. el-Najjar chose to be divisive and to make false accusations rather than to bring people together in the common cause of fighting terrorism with the peaceful religion most of us would like Islam to be and to be perceived as.

Unfortunately, Mr. el-Najjar perpetuates the worst of perceptions about Islam. It is a shame that he chose that path.