Showing posts with label Pam Geller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pam Geller. Show all posts

Monday, October 29, 2012

Resources for dealing with Islamophobes


by Sheila Musaji | TheAmericanMuslim.org | October 2, 2012 | [Original Article]


NOTE:  Clicking on any of the many links provided in this collection will take you to an article that provides a response or analysis of the particular claim or issue.  Many of these articles have extensive collections of articles and reference materials.

Currently, the Islamophobia Industry is engaged in a full-scale, coordinated,  demonization campaign against American Muslims and Arabs. In just the past few months we have seen a series of inflammatory provocations:   There was the Innocence of Muslims film Titanic, a German satire magazine plans an “Islam” cover article to be published later this month.   Charlie Hebdo, a French satire magazine published an issue with inflammatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.   Newsweek published their ‘Muslim Rage’ cover.  Terry Jones held a “trial of Prophet Muhammad”.  SION held a “global” gathering in NYC to plan propaganda strategy.  A group in Toronto publicized a “walk your dog at the mosque” day.   AFDI/SIOA has run a series of anti-Muslim ads on public transportation across the country.   AFDI/SIOA are planning to run 8 more anti-Muslim ads.  There are three more films on Prophet Muhammad in the works by Ali Sina, Mosab Hassan Yousef and Imran Farasat.  

Daniel Pipes is encouraging publication of “A Muhammad cartoon a day”, and says “So, this is my plea to all Western editors and producers: Display the Muhammad cartoon daily, until the Islamists become accustomed to the fact that we turn sacred cows into hamburger.”.  Pipes joins Daniel Greenfield (aka Sultan Knish) who published an appeal on David Horowitz’ Front Page Magazine Is It Time for ‘Make Your Own Mohammed Movie Month’?.  

And, both are following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Pamela Geller, who promoted just such a plan back in 2010 with her promotion of Draw Muhammad Day, even after the cartoonist who drew the first cartoon and suggested the idea, Molly Norris apologized to Muslims and asked for the day to be called off, and American Muslims had issued a defense of free speech.   None of this is surprising as one of the Islamophobes laid out their strategy as “The Muslims themselves have shown us their most vulnerable spot, which is the questionable (though unquestioned) character of the ‘Prophet’ himself. We need to satirise and ridicule baby-bonking Mo until the Muslims fly into uncontrollable tantrums, then ridicule them even more for their tantrums, and repeat the process until they froth at the mouth and steam comes out of their ears.”

The Islamophobia Industry exists and is engaged in an anti-Muslim Crusade.  They have a manifesto for spreading their propaganda, and which states their goal of “destroying Islam — as a culture, a political ideology, and a religion.” They produce anti-Muslim films.  They are forming new organizations and coalitions of organizations at a dizzying speed, not only nationally, but also internationally.  They have formed an International Leadership Team “which will function as a mobile, proactive, reactive on-the-ground team developing and executing confidential action plans that strike at the heart of the global anti-freedom agenda.”

Friday, August 17, 2012

‘It’s Not Islamophobia, It‘s Islamorealism’: Anti-Islamic Ads Go Up in N.Y. Suburb

By Madeleine Morgenster | TheBlaze.com | August 17, 2012 | [Original Article]

"An anti-Islamic advertisement is causing a stir in suburban New York with its message of “Islamorealism.”

It reads: “19,250 deadly Islamic attacks since 9/11/01 (and counting). It’s not Islamophobia, it’s Islamorealism.”

Signs with the message have gone up at several Metro-North Railroad stations in Westchester County, N.Y., according to the
Journal News. They’re paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, led by activist Pamela Geller — the same group behind similar anti-jihad ads that recently appeared in San Francisco.

But not everyone agrees: Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner told the
New York Daily News he says the advertisements “encourage hatred.” He wants to see the profits from the ad campaign donated to help fight discrimination.

“There are many Muslims residing in Greenburgh and in our villages,” Feiner said. “They should not be discriminated against. The posters encourage hatred, discrimination and do not help the efforts to fight hate crimes.”..." [Read More

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Who's Behind the Anti-Islam Ads on MTA and Muni?

By Adam Serwer | MotherJones.com | August 15, 2012 | [Original Article]

"They're popping up on public transit all over New York and San Francisco: Advertisements sponsored by anti-Muslim blogger Pamela Geller that imply Muslims are "savages," dismiss "Islamophobia" as "Islamorealism," and urge passengers to "support Israel" and "defeat jihad."


This isn't the first time Geller, who warned America about "stealth halal" turkeys last Thanksgiving, has used a public transit ad campaign to get her views out. In 2010, she sponsored ads attacking a proposed Islamic Community Center near Ground Zero as a "Mega Mosque" celebrating the 9/11 attacks. Another ad campaign Geller sponsored offered help to those who may have a "Fatwa on [their] head" and are considering "leaving Islam." This time, her ads, which are sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI)—one of the many anti-Islam groups Geller is associated with, were so controversial that New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority initially rejected them.

One of Geller's ads features a paraphrase of an Ayn Rand quote, "in any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man." The text also urges people to "support Israel" and "defeat jihad." When the MTA rejected that ad on the grounds that it was defamatory towards a group on the basis of religion, Geller and her attorney David Yerushalmi (the man behind much of the anti-Shariah legislation being proposed in conservative states) sued..." [Read More

Monday, July 9, 2012

Expose the Islamophobia industry

By Nathan Lean | NYDailyNews.com | July 9, 2012 | [Original Article]

"...The 33-year-old Breivik is charged with terrorism and murder. On Aug. 24, judges will announce if he is sane enough for prison. The 10-week proceedings against him resembled a freak show more than a judicial event: Shoe throwing, self-immolation and far-right salutes were among the happenings that animated a normally humdrum process.

What was absent from the scene, though, was blunt discussion of the anti-Islam ideology that influenced Breivik and caused him to be so fearful of Muslims that his only response was to slaughter fellow citizens whose politics he blamed for their presence...

...Breivik’s 1,500-page manifesto offers a clear view of the people and ideas that shaped his actions.

“About Islam, I recommend essentially everything written by Robert Spencer,” Breivik gushed in one of 162 shout-outs to the blogger, whose website is a one-stop shop for everything anti-Muslim. Spencer has waged a populist campaign against “stealth jihad,” “creeping Sharia” and even Campbell’s soup (which offers halal-certified cans of its famous products).

Breivik cited Spencer’s partner, blogger Pamela Geller, 12 times. Geller and Spencer co-founded Stop Islamization of America, the American branch of a European hate franchise, Stop Islamization of Europe, a group whose soccer hooligan members have whipped the populations of Britain and Denmark into nationalistic frenzies. SIOE’s motto states: “Racism is the lowest form of human stupidity but Islamophobia is the height of common sense.” Both Geller and Spencer organized the vitriolic protests against the Park51 Islamic Center in 2010..."


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Pamela Geller Ally Testifies on Behalf of Anders Breivik's Defense

By Brian Tashman | RightWingWatch.org | June 6, 2012 | [Original Article]

"Back in 2010, Pamela Geller announced the formation of an international “coalition of the free” to stop the supposed “overthrow of our western civilization” by Muslims. One of the groups Geller said she is working with is SIO Norway (Stop the Islamization of Norway), and today the leader of SIO Norwaytestified in court to bolster the defense of Anders Behrin Breivik, the Norwegian right-wing terrorist who murdered scores of Norwegians at a left-wing youth retreat and bombed a government building:" [Read More]

"...Geller had blamed the Norway attacks on Muslims, and Breivik cited Geller twelve times in his manifesto. After it came out that Breivik, not radical Islamists, were behind the atrocities, Geller then attacked the victims for their political views and diverse racial makeup."

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

30 New Activists Heading Up the Radical Right

By Staff | Southern Poverty Law C. | Intelligence Report | [Original Article]

"The last decade has seen major changes in the American radical right....At the same time, there has been explosive growth in several sectors of the radical right, especially in the last few years, much of it driven by anger over the diminishing white majority...

...An anti-Muslim movement, almost entirely ginned up by political opportunists and hard-line Islamophobes, has grown enormously since taking off in 2010, when reported anti-Muslim hate crimes went up by 50%...What follows is an alphabetized series of short profiles of key men and women activists of the radical right — 30 to watch..." [Read More]

"Virginia Abernethy, Chuck Baldwin, David Barton, Don Black, Michael Boldin, Michael L. Brown, Kevin J. DeAnna, Tom DeWeese, David Duke, Lou Engle, Joseph Francis Farah, Bryan Fischer, Frank Gaffney, Pamela Geller, Morris L. Gulett, Michael Hill, Alex E. Jones, Cliff Kincaid, Randal Lee Krager, Alex Linder, Kevin MacDonald, Jason "Molotov" Mitchell, Elmer Stewart Rhodes, Kyle Rogers, Malik Zulu Shabazz, Samuel Jared Taylor, James Timothy Turner, Michael Brian Vanderboegh, Pastor John Weaver, David Yerushalmi"

Monday, April 30, 2012

Far-right anti-Muslim network on rise globally as Breivik trial opens

By Mark Townsend | TheGaurdian | April 14, 2012 | [Original Article]

"...The international network of counter-jihadist groups that inspired Anders Behring Breivik is growing in reach and influence, according to a report released on the eve of the Norwegian's trial...

...Far-right organisations are becoming more cohesive as they forge alliances throughout Europe and the US, says the study, with 190 groups now identified as promoting an Islamophobic agenda...

...In Europe as a whole, 133 organisations were named in the report, including seven in Norway, and another 47 in the US, where a network of neo-conservative, evangelical and conservative organisations attempts to spread "negative perceptions of Islam, Muslim minorities and Islamic culture"...

...Andreas Mammone, a historian at Kingston University in London and an expert on European fascism, said broader factors had helped the counter-jihad movement to consolidate support. "The economic crisis continues to promote nationalism alongside the need for a common enemy. A fear of radical Islam is being developed, the idea that it presents a threat to our freedom," he said..."

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Tea Party Members Threatens Genocide of Muslims

Caton & Kemple Supporter Says He Will Kill All Muslims
Tea Party Member & Militia/Weapons  Enthusiast wants to "evaporate" Muslims

After David Caton's Florida Family Association offered a $2,000 "bounty" for information on speaking events involving Muslim leaders, America's largest Muslim civil rights organization received a threat of genocide against Muslims from a supporter of David Caton & Terry Kemple. Caton & Kemple have been leading anti-Muslim witch-hunts at the Hillsborough County School Board with the acquiescence of board member Dr. Stacy White. CAIR's investigation of the threat has revealed that the sender of the threat is an active Tea Party leader & militia enthusiast. Members of the Tea Party have actively been supporting the ant-Muslim, pro-censorship protests at the Hillsborough County School Board. The threat said in part:

"AMERICA learned all it needed to ever know about Islam... We will evaporate you, every single one of the vermin like you. WE all look forward to it with great anticipation..." 

The threat also made reference to  President Obama and the importance of guns. The FBI and the Secret Service have both been notified of the threat. 
CAIR Florida issued the following statement:

        "Such threats are not surprising, given that Caton & Kemple are working hard to demonize and dehumanize American Muslims.  It is also not surprising that it is coming from a member of the Tea Party which has regularly invited speakers that have justified the abhorrent terrorist attacks in Norway. Our fear is that the disgusting Islamophobia rhetoric from the likes of Caton & Kemple  could incite a homegrown Anders Breivik like terrorist attack. 
         We call on law enforcement to investigate these threats against Muslims just as they thoroughly investigate threats made by a person who happens to be Muslim. We wonder whether the author of the threat will become the subject of an FBI sting investigationas some misguided Muslims have. We call on Caton, Kemple, and Tea Party members to condemn such threats, as they expect Muslims to condemn every crime committed by a person who shares their faith. 
         We call on the Tampa community to say no to such hateful rhetoric that results in fear, division, and potentially violence."


Please immediately notify CAIR if you are aware of any threats against the community so that CAIR can work with law enforcement to keep our community safe!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Danger of Empowering Hate Group Leaders

The Boards actions yesterday prompted Pamela Geller & the Florida Family Association to declare victory over the school district.

The Anti-Defamation League and  the Southern Poverty Law Center have said that Geller attacks mainstream Islam in the name of attacking radicals. She is well known for her anti-Muslim position and justified the terrorist attack in Norway.

I would advise the board to be  cognizant of not empowering hate groups by bending in to their demands.

Our supporters are all mainstream and academic. Our opponents are fringe and are opposed by mainstream institutions. Do not give in to bigoted pressure.

Look at the long term consequences of our actions. The more we give in to hate, the more we empower them and encourage them.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Islamophobes Incite & Justify Terrorisim

By Lee Fang | ThinkProgress.org | [Original Article

“.... Geller justifies Breivik’s attack on the Norwegian Labour Party summer youth camp because she says the camp is part of an anti-Israel “indoctrination training center.” She says the victims would have grown up to become “future leaders of the party responsible for flooding Norway with Muslims who refuse to assimilate, who commit major violence against Norwegian natives including violent gang rapes, with impunity, and who live on the dole...” [Read More]

"...To get her point across, Geller posts a picture of the youth camp children Breivik targeted. The picture was taken on the Utøya island camp about 24 hours before Breivik killed over 30 children, so it is likely Geller is mocking many of the victims. Under the picture, Geller writes: “Note the faces which are more MIddle [sic] Eastern or mixed than pure Norwegian...” [Read More]

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

At Geller-Spencer’s CPAC Panel, Anti-Muslim Activist Says He’s Proud of Attacks on Mosques

Charles Johnson | LittleGreenFootballs| Feb. 10, 2012 [Original Article]

"Speaking today at the unofficial CPAC panel “Islamic Law in America: How the Obama Justice Department Is Selling Us Out,” sponsored by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, James Lafferty of the Virginia Anti-Sharia Task Force was “proud to say” that most of the mosques attacked in the US were in the South: CPAC: Anti-Muslim Activist James Lafferty Says He’s ‘Proud’ of Attacks Against Mosques"...[Read More]

James Lafferty of Virgina Anti-Sharia Task Force said in the video below "I went there and it was all Muslim officials speaking and they had all these pictures of some mosque somewhere, and it was usually in the South I’m proud to say where a guy would drive a pickup truck right into the mosque."...


..."This is far from the first example; Geller and Spencer are usually too cunning to express this kind of open support for anti-Muslim violence, but their associates … not so much: Pamela Geller Associate John Jay Openly Calls for Mass Murder"... [Read More]

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Interview With Hassan Shibly: Islamophobia


                                                                 

                                          Part 2:
                              

                                          Part 3:

                                         Part 4:



Thursday, January 12, 2012

Tea Party Speaker & Caton's Florida Family Association Partner Says She 'Loves' Marines Who Desecrated Corpses


(TAMPA, FL 1/12/12) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned remarks by Pamela Geller, the leader of an anti-Muslim hate group and a frequent speaker at Tea Party events, applauding the alleged desecration of Afghan corpses by U.S. Marines.

On her hate blog, Geller wrote in response to CAIR's condemnation of the desecration: "I love these Marines. Perhaps this is the infidel interpretation of the Islamic ritual of washing and preparing the body for burial."


While Geller praised the desecration video, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called it "utterly deplorable." CAIR yesterday expressed concern that enemies of the United States will use the video to further their anti-American goals.
Hate-filled comments on Geller's post included:
"I've never been prouder to be an American!"
"My heroes!! Best video I've seen in awhile :)"
"Nicest movie I've seen in years."
"These sick mutts need to be urinated on. Defecated on too."
"Have you burned a Koran today. All around the campfire. Burn, baby, burn."
"The marines should have dumped the bodies in PIG BLOOD; soaked those bodies, in PIG BLOOD."
"Looked to me as though the marines were showing respect. They had their heads bowed and observed silence while rinsing off the corpses."
Desecration by urination is a favorite Geller theme. She has posted images on her blog that include a fake photo of President Obama urinating on an American flag.

Another image posted by Geller, headlined "Piss Be Upon Him," showed one of the controversial Danish cartoons of the prophet covered in urine. ("Piss Be Upon Him" is designed to mock the traditional phrase "Peace Be Upon Him" that Muslims use when mentioning any prophet of God, including Abraham and Jesus.)

Earlier this year, CAIR thanked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Governor Rick Scott for declining to speak at a Florida Tea Party convention that featured a presentation by Geller and another Islamophobe. Two hotels, one in Texas and another in Tennessee, dropped scheduled Tea Party and anti-Muslim events that featured Geller as a speaker.


Geller is co-founder of Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), an organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and author of a new book offering step-by-step instructions on how to stop mosque construction in American communities. The SPLC named Geller as a member of the "anti-Muslim inner circle."

Geller has bragged that she uses a Quran, Islam's holy text, as a doorstop. She claims that "Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by Islam" and that Islam "mandates" lies and deception. In a 2010 blog entry, Geller posted a video claiming that Muslims engage in bestiality. Her hate blog was cited frequently by the terrorist who went on a killing spree last year in Norway.


According to Geller, Muslim groups "control information and how it is processed at senior levels of the CIA, the FBI, the Pentagon, and the various branches of the military."


CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Tampa Islamophobes: Hating "All American Muslim" for "All the Wrong Reasons"

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Kabulvision - A New Lowe
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical Humor & Satire BlogThe Daily Show on Facebook

The Florida Family Association (FFA), David Canton's Tampa based organization has exposed itself as an anti-Muslim hate organization by calling on advertisers not to support TLC's "All American Muslim" because they claim the show "is propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values. "

See: The Daily Show (Sample Clip Above, Full Coverage Here)

The assumption of the FFA is that the majority of American Muslims are not "ordinary" but rather subscribe to an anti-American "agenda;" That belief in Islam is inherently tantamount to supporting extremism; that Islam is not compatible with American values; and that a balanced show on Muslim's should focus on extremists, terrorists, and woman-abusers.

This is clearly an affront on the entire American Muslim community and is no different than conspiracy theories promoted against Jews by Anti-Semites, or racist attacks against African Americans by white supremacists.

The FFA cites Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, both of whom have been labeled as extremist hate group leaders by the Southern Poverty Law Center. In its profile on extremism the Jewish Anti-Defamation League states that Spencer's and Geller's hate group, Stop Islamization of America, "promotes a conspiratorial anti-Muslim agenda under the guise of fighting radical Islam. The group seeks to rouse public fears by consistently vilifying the Islamic faith and asserting the existence of an Islamic conspiracy to destroy "American" values."

While such bigoted remarks by hate group leaders would not normally merit media attention, the fact that a major corporation, Lowe's, caved into pressure by the hate groups and legitimized their claims, raises the concern of the Muslim community that conspiratory anti-Muslim rhetoric is increasingly becoming acceptable in the public discourse



 

CAIR Tampa therefore calling on the community at large to use this as an opportunity to engage in dialog and to get to know your Muslim Neighbor. Contact the CAIR Tampa office to arrange an interfaith program, mosque visit, or civic engagement collaboration. Email info@tampa.cair.or call 813-541-4321 9am-2pm.



Monday, November 7, 2011

Florida Tea Party Admits Supporting Anti-Islam Speaker



Amazing how Dahl denies that CAIR was invited and then uninvited from speaking at the event, when I have their invitation and uninvitation saved in email. The president of the Tea Party chapter wrote me in an email

I want you to understand that I will defend your right to speak no matter what your message is. You can say what ever you want whether it's at a hotel, a city park or a restaurant. The 1st Amendment permits this.
We will offer you the same protections at our Tea Party State Convention on Sunday and future events.
You will be given the same Constitutional protections and due respect as the other speakers at our event. We look forward to hearing your message. We will not permit your group to be intimidated and or harassed during your time at this function. All appropriate measures will be taken to ensure your safety and protection....
We will offer you the same protections at our Tea Party State Convention on Sunday and future events. We will not place pressure on organizations that support your cause and we expect you to offer the same protection in return to those people you disagree with.
Quite shocked at both the clear lies and double standards of the Florida Emerald Coast Tea Party!

Internet crusaders target all Muslims, not just extremists

 | Middle Class Dub

The brutal murders of 77 people in Norway in July by Anders Behring Breivik has drawn attention to so-called 'anti-jihad' writers and bloggers.

So far the focus has been on whether the writings of people such as Robert Spencer (above) and Pamela Geller 'inspired' Breivik's terrorist attack. It is virtually impossible to say if this is true, so they should be presumed innocent.

What is undeniable is that dire warnings about 'Islamisation' have become more frequent in Europe and America in recent years. Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders and US Republicans Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich have now be joined by the first Irish politician to attempt to garner votes on the subject, co-opted Fine Gael councillor Joe O'Callaghan, who recently called forburkas to be banned.

Spencer and Geller are not marginal internet cranks however, they have appeared on Fox News, CNN and NBC in America. Spencer has advised the FBI on Islam and his best-selling books have been recommended for its agents by the FBI.

At first glance it would appear that their websites, Jihadwatch.organd Atlas Shrugs are committed to highlighting crimes and oppression by extremist Islamists. They claim to be defending human rights, religious tolerance, freedom of speech and equality for women from Islamic supremacists.

Articles posted on Jihadwatch.org in recent months detail the scandalously short sentences handed down to Islamists for the brutal lynching of three members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim minority in Indonesia, despicable honour murders against Muslim women by their families, repression under Sharia law and the persecution faced by people around the globe who leave Islam. 

All very commendable, so far.

The more you look into the sites, however, the clearer it becomes that the 'anti-jihad' writers are not just targeting extremist and violent Islamists, but all Muslims.

Their argument, essentially, is that Osama Bin Laden is the true face of Islam (1) and that the root cause of extremist violence is the religion itself (2). Spencer, the intellectual heavyweight of the movement who regularly quotes from Islamic texts, derides the concept of 'moderate Islam,'(3) and claims that “there is no political Islam, no 'Islamism', no 'Islamists' -- there are only Islam and Muslims.” (4)

According to this school of thought, Muslims who say they don't agree with a violent campaign for world domination either don't understand their own religion or are lying and waiting until Muslims are in a strong enough position to reveal their inner fundamentalist.... [Continue Reading]

Friday, November 4, 2011

Politicians Shun Tea Party Convention

The Tea Party opens a long-planned convention tonight in Daytona Beach, expecting 1,200 delegates, dozens of speakers - but almost no big-name politicians.
None of the leading Republican presidential candidates and only two of the five U.S. Senate candidates agreed to speak at the three-day Florida Tea Party Convention at the Volusia County Ocean Center....
Liberals say the depiction of tea partyers as "extremists" - especially on issues such as immigration - is prompting candidates to keep their distance.
"A lot of politicians are worried about being painted by that association, especially as we get into the real meat of the election cycle," said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of the liberal, Tallahassee-based Progress Florida....
A whirlwind of controversy in the past two weeks could have played a role, after the convention invited anti-Islam activist Pamela Geller to speak and an American Muslim civil-rights group, the Council of American-Islamic Relations, protested.
"They [CAIR] put pressure, I think, on some of the state officials, and I think some of the state officials, in their judgments, they declined to go," VanLandingham said. "Their [the officials'] reasons were 'prior commitments.' "
Geller writes an anti-Islam blog called Atlas Shrugs and leads an organization called "Stop Islamization of America." Last year, she received wide attention - and stoked bitter anger from American Muslim groups - with her harshly worded opposition to a proposed Muslim community center a few blocks from ground zero in New York City.
Last month, CAIR sent letters to Florida politicians urging them not to attend the convention if Geller was on the schedule. And when Rubio and Scott indicated they would not come, CAIR issued a news release thanking them.
Geller said CAIR tries to get her appearances canceled or boycotted wherever she goes. But she said she is certain her appearance in Daytona had nothing to do with all the declined invitations.
"The politicians decided not to participate before this controversy began," she said in an email.
But CAIR is not so sure.
"In other states, elected officials have pulled out and do not want to be on the same stage as her," said CAIR media-relations director Ahmed Rehab. [Read Full Article

Scott Powers | Orlando Sentinel 

Florida Tea Party Convention - Hate Group Extremist (Yes), Major Politicians (No)

Mark Christopher | Sunshine Slate

[Daytona Beach, FL] The brochure and web site proudly displays the fact that three of Florida’s most powerful politicians - Gov. Rick Scott, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and U.S. Representative Allen West - were confirmed guest speakers at the event. The downloadable flyer also adds Attorney General Pam Bondi as being “invited” into the mix....[Read Full Article
But a closer inspection of some of the other confirmed names scheduled to appear at The Florida Tea Party Convention2011 - being held Nov. 4-6 in Daytona Beach at the Volusia County Ocean Center - reveals the participation of one of the most politically extreme individuals to ever have access to a soapbox or a computer keyboard.
The bottom line is that some of them simply have no business rubbing elbows with the likes of Scott,  Bondi, Rubio or West. Or so one would think, anyway.
Good thing then that all four have bailed on the event (sort of).
When contacted for a comment on the booking, Gov. Scott’s deputy press secretary Jackie Schutz told Sunshine Slate that, “the governor was invited to attend, but it was not put on his schedule and he will not be attending...”[Read Full Article
When asked about Pamela Geller and her campaign of misinformation and conspiracy theories about Muslims, Islam, President Obama and liberals, Dahl’s response was, “What things aren’t true?”
Dahl then launched into a series of anti-Muslim talking points straight out of Geller’s script. No doubt, Dahl is a fan of Geller. No wonder she was booked.
A religious extremist by most measures, Geller has been dubbed as a member of the “anti-Muslim inner circle” by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). In fact, there is a chorus of respected people and organizations who label Geller as “loony,” a “hate-monger” and a spreader of lies.
The progressive checks and balances website Media Matters for America - the arch-nemesis of the conservative mediasphere - summarized Geller as a “demagogue” and her viewpoints as “outrageous, inflammatory.” Chris McGreal ofThe Guardian, called her “extreme.” The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) considers Geller an “anti-Islam” extremist and “Islamophobe.”
For her part, Geller denies hating Islam, and has stated this repeatedly during interviews. She only hates “political Islam.”
“Interfaith dialogue and mutual respect and mutual understanding is a one-way street with Islamic supremacists, not Muslims,” Geller said in an interview published by The New York Times. “I believe that Muslims are more victimized by Islamic supremacists than even non-Muslims.”
But it is hard to take her at her word when she suggests that Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by Islam, that Muslims engage in bestiality and that Muslim groups control information processing at the CIA, the FBI, the Pentagon, and the various branches of the military.
Her blog, Atlas Shrugs, is filled with hate-driven nonsense and wild unsubstantiated claims. Sure, there are a few truthful nuggets on there, but for the most part, it is sensationalist ranting of the lowest common denominator.
Geller certainly has no business sharing the stage with the likes of a sitting senator, governor, attorney general or congressman....[Read Full Article
The United States Patent and Trademark Office even refused to grant SIOA a trademark because it, “refers to Muslims in a disparaging manner ... by definition it implies that conversion or conformity to Islam is something that needs to be stopped or caused to cease.”
How bad is Geller?
  • Geller’s blog was cited repeatedly by the terrorist responsible for the mass killings in Norway earlier this year
  • Geller posted a fake image on her blog of then Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan in a Nazi uniform
  • Geller also said that Kagan is “an admirer of an architect of German national socialism, Nazism.”
  • Geller posted a fake image on her blog of President Obama urinating on an American flag - similar to this.
  • Geller wrote that “[I]t is well known that Obama allegedly was involved with a crack whore in his youth”
  • Geller co-founded American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) with Robert Spencer and John Joseph Jay, whonamed Rabbi Meir Kahane as an inspiration (Kahane is founder of Kach and Kahane Chai, listed as Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the U.S. Department of State)
  • John Joseph Jay called for the “Mass Murder of Congressmen, Muslims, Liberals and Journalists“
  • John Joseph Jay also called for the killing of all Muslims, saying that “[T]here are no innocent Muslims”
  • John Joseph Jay wrote: “buy guns. buy ammo. be jealous of your liberties. and, understand, you are going to have to kill folks, your uncles, your sons and daughters, to preserve those liberties.”
  • Geller is a “birther” who has posted “proof” on her blog Atlas Shrugs that Obama’s birth certificate was forged
  • Geller’s claims that “Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by Islam,” that Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf is a best-seller in Muslim countries
  • Falsely claimed that the President has had Louis Farrakhan over to the White House
  • “Obama is a third worlder and a coward. He will do nothing but beat up on our friends to appease his Islamic overlords”
  • “President Obama is the “love child” of Malcolm X”
  • Geller suggested that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagen supports Nazi ideology
  • Geller has mingled with European racists and fascists, and has spoken favorably of South African racists
  • Geller defended Serbian war criminal Slobodan Milosevic, even going so far as to deny the existence of Serbian concentration camps in the 1990s
  • Geller is a self-avowed Zionist who is sharply critical of Jewish liberals
  • Geller called President Obama an anti-semite
  • Geller has repeatedly called President Obama a Muslim, which is not true
According to Loonwatch.com, “Geller now claims she never penned the Malcolm X article, and that she doesn’t support the theory that Malcolm X is the father of Barack Obama.” In fact, Geller has had to take down many of her blog posts because of gross inaccuracies.
Again, probably not the type of person you want to share the stage with if you are the governor.
Yes, Geller is free to say whatever she wants, of course. And the Florida Tea Party Convention has no problem with what she says, apparently, or they wouldn’t have scheduled her to speak. In fact, Geller is becoming quite the regular in conservative circles.....[Read Full Article
Shibly points out that allowing Geller to spew her anti-Muslim hatred is much like inviting a KKK speaker to talk about how awful African-Americans are, or an anti-Semite espousing the evils of Judaism.
Neither would be allowed to speak, of course. And if they were allowed to speak, everyone would be (rightfully) up in arms, First Amendment be damned. So why are they tolerating Geller’s misinformed hate speech?
“Apparently, free speech is only protected by the Tea Party if it means inciting hatred against Muslims,” added Shibly.