Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, November 27, 2006

When political correctness and fear intersect

Another disturbing story out of Australia:

A LEADING children's publisher has dumped a novel because of political sensitivity over Islamic issues.

Scholastic Australia pulled the plug on the Army of the Pure after booksellers and librarians said they would not stock the adventure thriller for younger readers because the "baddie" was a Muslim terrorist.

A prominent literary agent has slammed the move as "gutless", while the book's author, award-winning novelist John Dale, said the decision was "disturbing because it's the book's content they are censoring".

"There are no guns, no bad language, no sex, no drugs, no violence that is seen or on the page," Dale said, but because two characters are Arabic-speaking and the plot involves a mujaheddin extremist group, Scholastic's decision is based "100 per cent (on) the Muslim issue".

The assumption is that the book is not being published because of "political sensitivity" over Muslims as the terrorists (imagine how Mafia novels would be if the protagonists weren't Italian!) but I think that this is not a pure case of political correctness.

Scholastic, as a publisher of schoolbooks and other material for children and teenagers, is surely as keenly aware of political correctness issues as anyone. But look a little closer:

Scholastic's general manager, publishing, Andrew Berkhut, said the company had canvassed "a broad range of booksellers and library suppliers", who expressed concern that the book featured a Muslim terrorist.

"They all said they would not stock it," he said, "and the reality is if the gatekeepers won't support it, it can't be published."

It isn't Scholastic that is saying that the book is unsellable, but the librarians and bookstores. Now, why would the people who sell and distribute all kinds of books on all topics be more sensitive to political correctness than the publishers?

In fact, these are usually the first people to complain about perceived censorship, and the first to proudly show that they support controversial content.

No, it is not "political correctness" run amok in Australia, but the abject fear of Muslim backlash. The booksellers and librarians are concerned that the tolerant Muslim community whom they are pretending to protect are going to burn down their bookstores and libraries. Political correctness is a convenient screen to hide their fear behind, but they saw what happened with the Mohammed cartoons and the Pope's statement, and they (understandably) do not want to be on the hot end of Muslim torches during "protests."

What percentage of Western political correctness vis a vis Islam is really fear? How much of European dhimmitude and liberal American protectionism of Muslim values really a mask for pure fear?

Going slightly further, how many of the "brave" attacks on the "Israel lobby" are a reaction of the impotence felt by the supposed defenders of free speech, who subconsciously know that if they were equally "brave" about Islam they could be the targets of fatwas - so to hide their weakness they pretend to defend freedom in the name of attacking Jews, who they know quite well will not physically harm them?

Fear is a very effective diplomatic weapon, and here we see that it can end up having an insidious and subliminal chilling effect on free speech as well. And as long as the effective censors of the truth can point to political correctness as their motivation rather than fear, they are off the hook - and the laws that outlaw defaming the "prophet" are not far behind.

Syrian terror supporter a member of Australia's parliament

Major problems in Australia. A person who clearly identifies himself as a loyal Syrian and a supporter of the terror regime of Assad has been elected to Parliament.

VICTORIA'S Labor Premier Steve Bracks will take his third oath of office in coming days and as he does so, he will introduce new ALP Upper House MP Khalil Eideh, a dual Syrian-Australian citizen who has sworn his absolute loyalty to the tyrannical dictatorship of Syria.

Like Lakemba's Sheik Taj el-Dene Elhilaly, Eideh has already claimed to have had his words taken out of context and to have had his flowery Arabic phrases misinterpreted but there is no doubt that controversial letters which surfaced during his stormy pre-selection battle are genuine and the translations in which he expressed his loyalty to the Syrian dictatorship, accurate.

Though he came to Australia as a teenager in 1970, Eideh has maintained such strong ties to Syria that he felt obliged to inform the Syrian dictatorship of his concerns about events within the Australian Syrian community, in his role as head of the Alawi Islamic Association, and as a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, a self-proclaimed anti-Semitic revolutionary Arabic group.

In his first letter to the Syrian government, Eideh introduced himself as an "Arab Syrian citizen'' and complained that Syrian influence in Melbourne, Australia, was "completely absent and doesn't play any role in the Australian political arena''.

In his second, he expressed concert about the activities of Syria's then honorary consul Issa Zaraybi and the Association Baath Party which he said were creating conflict in the local Syrian community through intimidation.

Writing to Syrian dictator President Assad, he said: "At a time when the danger and threat from the colonial and Zionist is increasing on our Arabic world in general, particularly our Arab-Syrian country, at a time when it is required that all forces mobilise their power in our country Syria and overseas and be recruited to support our crucial causes and support the Arab Syrian stance, an oppressive mentality surfaced in Melbourne, Australia, aiming to create a tremendous crisis within the Alawi Islamic Association.''

He ended that anxious note with a ringing pledge: "Loyalty, absolute loyalty to your courageous and wise leadership and we pledge to continue to be faithful soldiers behind your victorious leadership.''

...The general lack of media examination of Eideh's background in the Victorian media outside the Herald-Sun newspaper and by political bodies other than the Liberal Party indicates the degree of self-censorship which now applies in that state.

Had a candidate expressed admiration for a Christian-oriented political grouping such as the Exclusive Brethren, perhaps, there is little doubt that the Greens, Labor and others would have been strident in their denunciations.

Not a word of criticism, however, for a supporter of a tyrannical regime implicated in the assassination of the Lebanese prime minister, a government which proudly flaunts its ties to international terrorism.

...In Eideh's last publicly reported address, to mark the second anniversary of the first president Assad's presidency, in 2002, he expressed his view of those celebrated cultural differences noting: "Satan's brigades are getting ready to enslave the Arab world ... We could see the light of your soul in the face of the martyrs, the heroes, the greatest of free Arabs - those who carry the flag of dawn from South Lebanon and Palestine.''

Let's hope he's since learned the difference between suicide bombers carrying flags of death and Australians who proudly and freely fly our flag of democracy and liberty.

AP? Biased? Naaaaaah.

More absurd bias from AP:

(AP) Palestinian militants in Gaza fired two rockets at Israel on Monday, despite a day-old cease-fire that was intended to end five months of violence in the area, Palestinian witnesses said.

Israeli rescue services said there were no reports of injuries from the rockets.

Also Monday, Israeli troops shot and killed a Hamas-linked militant in a West Bank raid.

The cease-fire raised hopes that Israel and the Palestinians would be able to restart long-stalled peace efforts, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was expected to elaborate on his peace plans Monday.

The surprise cease-fire deal appeared to be largely holding in Gaza early Monday, with no reports of Palestinian rocket fire into Israel.

But Israeli forces conducted an overnight raid in the West Bank town of Qabatiya, shooting dead two Palestinians, one of them a wanted militant affiliated with the Hamas-linked Popular Resistance Committees. The second was a woman who took the dead man's weapon and tried to run off, the army said.

The killings angered Palestinian militants and raised concerns of a violent response from Gaza.

"We warn the world that if the Zionist aggression in the West Bank doesn't stop, this truce will collapse," said Abu Mujahed, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, which has been blamed for many of the rocket attacks on Israel.

Where to start?

When PalArabs break a cease-fire, they aren't breaking the cease-fire.

When Israel continues to conduct raids in the West Bank - an area not covered by the cease fire agreement - AP makes it sound like what they are doing is worse.

Then the AP implicitly praises the Palestinian Arabs for not firing any rockets during a 20-some hour period between a few hours after the "cease fire" was to start on Sunday and all the way through the early morning today!

And then back to the evil Israelis who are raiding the West Bank with impunity, with the juxtaposition of the information about the cease fire, purposefully making it appear that Israel is the one breaking the agreement. And the article goes on to describe how angry that makes the Palestinian Arabs, neatly setting up the next story of rocket fire as "retaliation" and completely ignoring the terms of the cease fire itself, a fact that AP is well aware of (notice the use of "in Gaza" in the story) and is choosing to bury - a few paragraphs later it mentions "Saeb Erekat... said he was working with the Israelis to expand the cease-fire to the West Bank and hoped to have an agreement within three days."

An unbiased article would have mentioned all the facts almost exactly the same way but in a different order:

Gaza Palestinian Arabs shot rockets at Israel, breaking the cease fire.
Background: The cease-fire that took effect Sunday morning was meant for Gaza and there was hope that it could be expanded to the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Israel raided the West Bank "militants."
PalArabs threatened to shoot more rockets into Israel again unless Israel stops their raids in the WB.

Same information, arranged in a much more accurate and unbiased way, without the clear implication that Israel was just as much at fault for the cease-fire violations as the terrorists.

Liberal objectivity in the HuffPo

A number of people have commented on Alan Dershowitz' debunking of Dhimmi Carter's book, as well as about the insanely anti-Israel comments that resulted.

I was struck more by two of the less infammatory comments:

A challenge to my fellow Huffpo readers: Could anyone with a decent knowledge of this actually go through these points and offer a different perspective on them? I am of two minds on the whole thing but often find that those who accuse others of blind support of Israel rarely take time to debunk what they insist are myths. Honestly, I really want to have that ammunition, because I'm inclined to believe that Israel is not behaving itself. But it's hard to defend. Thanks!

By: TheWitch on November 22, 2006 at 12:13pm

It is difficult to miss that no one responding yet has taken on any of the factual inconsistencies Dershowitz raises. I too am dismayed by Israel's violent responses but nothing good and lasting can come from solutions which are based on ignoring, or worse, rewriting the past. I am very saddened by Carter's book if he has indeed gotten so many things wrong.

No action based on lies will further attaining peace.

By: wiredforpeace on November 22, 2006 at 01:06pm

As far as I can tell, no one actually rises to the occasion. A couple of people refer to websites but not a single one found anything actually inaccurate. People also talk about Dershowitz' biases, as if a bias means that he is wrong.

This says more than anything else about the quality of the pro-Palestinian arguments.

Khaled Meshaal - the mainstream media's peacemaker

AP's Ibrahim Barzak has an unusual spin on Khaled Meshaal, the political head of Hamas based in Damascus:

Word of the cease-fire came shortly after Hamas‘ Damascus-based supreme leader Khaled Mashaal held several days of talks in Cairo with Egyptian mediators and Palestinian officials said those talks played a role in speeding up the agreement.

Sounds like Hamas is starting to play realpolitik, just the way everyone expected them to, right?
The Christian Science Monitor mentions it too, explicitly saying that it signals good news, while swatting away a little detail added:

And for the first time this past weekend, Hamas's hard-line leadership in exile showed signs of moderation. Speaking at a Palestinian summit in Cairo, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal said Hamas would allow six months for talks with Israel on establishing a state in the West Bank and Gaza.

While Mr. Mashaal threatened a new Palestinian uprising if the talks fail, observers say it could signal a willingness by Islamic militants to part with ideology that negates the idea of a peace agreement with Israel.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency sees it slightly differently:

Khaled Meshaal, who was in Cairo over the weekend for talks on the fate of an Israeli soldier held hostage in the Gaza Strip, urged the West to engage Palestinians in statehood talks.

“If the international community does not work to create a Palestinian state within six months, the Palestinian Authority will collapse, we will throw away the diplomatic folderol and we will declare a third intifada,” he told reporters.

So who's right? Well, let's go right to the source, and see what Al-Hayat says in Arabic (autotranslated):

The chairman of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, yesterday gave the international community six months to establish a fully sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and threatened a "third uprising and open conflict" if there was no response to this "national Palestinian request."

Mashaal said in a press conference in Cairo, "We give all of Europe ... six months to open a real political horizon. Now there is a historic opportunity for the (European) powers agree on the establishment of the Palestinian state within the 1967 borders."

Mashaal declared that if there was no advantage of this opportunity, "the Palestinian people will close all the political books and will be launched in the uprising and the third will open conflict. The open conflict and bring us victory... because Israel has required e internal and scarred. "

Of course, nowhere does he say that he would recognize Israel in any way, shape or form; just that the international community must create a Palestinian Arab state (starting with the 1967 borders) within six months or else he will escalate his killing of innocent women and children in Israel...and perhaps elsewhere.

Al-Jazeerah as well covered Meshaal's press conference straight, without the spin that the CSM and AP gave. The headline simply reads "Meshaal warns of 'third intifada' " (h/t Boker Tov Boulder) .

To think that the media looks at his clear threat against Israel and his explicit blackmail ("Give me everything I want or else") as a positive gesture just shows how much they are willing to overlook the obvious in order to fit terroristic threats into their pre-written script. (The AP did have another article that was somewhat clearer but it of course buried Meshaal's comments on the bottom of the story where it will be cut out from many of not most newspapers.)

UPDATE: Meshaal backed off...very slightly:

"I said six months, but do you want more than six months? Maybe we can take eight months or a year," Mashaal said, responding to a question from Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian Information Minister and a member of Fatah.

During the interview, the TV show telephoned Shaath who told Mashaal on-air that it was not logical for Palestinians to be talking about an intifada.

But Mashaal also warned: "If the door is sealed and the horizon is closed (for creating a Palestinian state) then we have to look for another choice. We will impose our will on the Zionist enemy and the international community."

Yes, this is the negotiating partner that the West is dreaming of.

Remember of course that it is Haniyeh that is the head of Hamas in the territories and that he and Meshaal have disagreed in the past. In other words, they can easily play the good cop/bad cop "my hands are tied" game to not make any concessions at all while appearing "flexible" to the hungry Western media.

Blow-up dolls (with video)

Just in time for the holidays, the Palestinian Arabs have introduced a new kind of toy:

Overnight Friday, IDF Paratroopers and Shin Bet operatives commanded by Samaria Brigade Commander Col. Amir Baram, discovered a large explosives laboratory in Nablus, in the West Bank. Among the materials seized in the raid were sacks ready to be filled with explosives, 40 liters of acid, and a variety of explosives-rigged stuffed animals. The lab was destroyed in a controlled explosion.

Overnight Friday, IDF troops and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) operatives uncovered a number of baby dolls filled with explosive charges in addition to suicide bomb belts during an raid on an explosives laboratory in Nablus.

Here's an edited video from the IDF website:

Keep in mind that Hamas had promised "surprises" in new and novel ways to attack Israelis. Keep in mind also that Hamas bragged that the grandmother suicide bomber was one of those "surprises."

Any guesses as to what kind of surprise the depraved Palestinian Arab terrorist heroes were planning to spring with these bombs?

A society that willingly and proudly sacrifices its own children on the altar of terrorism is not a society that deserves to exist.

"Mohammed" soon to become most popular name in France

According to this Arabic article in Sawt al-Haq, Mohammed is one of the most popular names in France and is soon to become the most popular name. (autotranslated)

It may be occupying the name Mohamed «» ranked first undisputed between the names of newborns for France's Muslims has become a routine, But what is remarkable is that this place name escalates among the most common names on the level of France as a whole; within the session to become the most common name in the country.
The number of French people who label naming the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, from 1940 to 2005 some 53 thousand 377 people. according to the latest report of the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, the French.

This census does not include the names of Mohammed existing names within the vehicle such as Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Amin, Muhammad Salih, Sidi Mohamed, where were such names as 2480 new births since 1940 to the present time.

And the name of Mohamed »« highest percentage increase in terms of his release on newborns in one year in 1984 as the number of births to those who label designation in 1725 children, As in 2005, bringing the number of births who label the name of Mohammad children in 1550, according to figures of the National Institute of which the correspondent of «IslamOnline. Net ».

Moreover, the name Mohammad progress in terms of the general ranking of the most common names at the national level in France as a whole, where was in the last census was last year ranked 94 on the level of France.

I couldn't find the original article on the English side of islamonline.net .

3 "holy crap" articles at LGF

3 articles in a row that elicit "holy crap!" as a response, linked to by Little Green Footballs.

Russia delivers air defense missile system to Iran - Iran will now have a world-class way to defend its nuclear bomb program
Policeman kills PSG fan in post-match racist violence - a soccer match in Paris turns into a riot when the Israeli team defeats the French team, and a mob of a hundred tried to lynch Jewish fans of the Israeli team and then turn on a plain-clithed black policeman
UN human rights head slams Israel - a major moral midget at the UN (disguised as a the High Commissioner of Human Rights )argues that involuntary manslaughter is much, much worse than premeditated murder from a moral perspective. The article makes it clear that according to the UN, Israel has no legal way to defend itself from terrorists who purposefully hide among civilians, so it just has to let its citizens be killed with impunity.

Today's GoozNews: American (and Zionist) Idol

From the ever-amusing IRNA:

Iran's Supreme Leader's envoy in Hajj and head of Iranian pilgrims to the house of God Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri here on Friday said that following the US and Zionist regime is an idol-worshipping practice.

Reyshahri said that Israel is "idol" and the US is the "big idol".

Giving his pre-sermon address in this week's Friday prayers congregation, Reyshahri highlighted importance of the "Disavowal of Pagans" ceremony and said it is one of the main duties of pilgrims during the Hajj congregation.

Reyshahri said `Disavowal of Pagans' ceremony is of significance because on the occasion, Iran raises its voice and stances and the "wise" slogans, chanted in the process, are influential in mobilizing the world.

He said if Muslim nations and governments get united, they will be able to do huge jobs but ignorance of the point would end up in the domineering powers and enemies of Islam taking the initiative and deciding fate of Muslims.

"All Hajj activists and pilgrims should know that there are certain hands at work, trying to divide Shiites and Sunnies," the official added.

I just would point out that this is completely consistent with my oft-stated thesis that Iran is trying to become a world power by becoming the united leader of Muslims worldwide, and that their major target is America, not Israel.

There is an interesting twist here that I hadn't seen before. To Muslims, there is a clear differentiation for non-Muslims between "people of the book" (Jews and Christians) and "infidels" (everyone else.) By classifying Americans and Israelis as "idols" he may be making a religious legal decision making it obligatory to kill them.

Protocols revealed to be true!

Hat tip to Bagelblogger for this video by Rav Shmuel that confirms all of the worst fears of the gentiles.

How could I resist posting this?

Grandma got blown up by her bomb belt

(To the obvious tune....)

Grandma got blown up by her bomb belt
While her grandkids stayed at home and played
She tried to get much closer to the soldiers
But they threw her a tiny stun grenade

She woke up today in Jebaliya
Took her farewell picture with her gun

To liberals she's just another victim
And exactly as militant as a nun

Grandma got blown up by her bomb belt
As she tried to commit genocide
She really hoped she'd be more successful
But happily, only Grandma has died

64 years old was fatal Fatma
Daughter Fatheya somehow 52
Do the math and you'll get some answers
But easier for her to blame the Jews

Grandma got blown up by her bomb belt
As she tried to kill a dozen Jews
You might think that she became a martyr
But now all of the PalArabs lose

Of course Hamas is very proud of Grandma
They said this was meant to be a surprise
The IDF will now make all Pal lives worse
but the liberal media will always sympathize.

Grandma got blown up by her bomb belt
Muslims think this way to heaven leads
But Grandma didn't think quite through her bargain
As she gets screwed by all last year's Shaheeds

PalArab police make an arrest!

In an astonishing development, the members of the Palestinian Arab Police managed to actually arrest someone who committed a murder!

Unlike the many, many PalArabs who died violent deaths over the past several months, who all seem to have been killed by the famous "unknown gunmen," this 13-year old child was killed last Monday by a 15-year old who knifed him to death.

I guess it is a little easier to find the trail of a 15-year old, but hey, this is progress!

What is interesting is that I did not see any mention of this murder in Tulkarem in any of the PalArabic media (nor in the PalArab English media), nor in the unreliable PCHR lists, before today. My death count has not been increasing much lately but this is because no deaths are even being reported (I find it hard to believe that no one was even injured in the orgy of bullets that accompanied the funerals of the 19 victims of the errant Israeli shell.)

It seems that Palarabs killing other PalArabs is now so commonplace, that even the local media doesn't bother to report it. Israelis flying planes over Gaza get mentioned constantly (and even a West Bank "settler" traffic accident that injured two Jewish kids!) but Arab on Arab violence only gets press when it is unusual - like when the PA police actually arrest someone, or if more than three get killed at a time, or if the intended victim is a particularly high-ranking terrorist.

So my death count since late June now stands at only 159, although it is undoubtedly much higher in reality.

UPDATE: 160, as a soccer player was shot and killed by his brother.

UPDATE 2: 161.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 21:00 on Saturday, 25 November 2006, medical sources at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City declared that ‘Ali Saleh Sarsour, 19, from the central Gaza Strip town of Deir al-Balah, died from a wound he had sustained on Wednesday evening, 22 November 2006. Sarsour was hit by a live bullet to the head from an unknown source, when he was near his house in Deir al-Balah.