The following items are taken from Daniel Pipes' weblog, which may be accessed here. -- The Editors.
Did the ACLU Disrupt My Talk at American University? When I spoke at American University in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2004, a number of those in the audience engaged in a variety of antics, as described by the school newspaper, the Eagle:
As Pipes took the podium at approximately 8:15 p.m., almost a third of the crowd of 150 took out black pieces of cloth and, in unison, wrapped the cloth around their mouths as a sort of "gag." This was apparently meant as a form of symbolic and silent protest of Pipes's ideas.
Ten minutes into the lecture, and again in unison, the protesters stood up, turned and knelt in their chairs to face the crowd behind them. Ten minutes later, the protesters took out signs that denounced "Campus Watch," an initiative begun by Pipes that monitors and acts as a watchdog against Middle Eastern Studies in North America and attempts to improve them.
I mention this because the leader of the disrupters was at the front of the room. When he brought out his gag, the others did too. When he stood up, so did the others. When he pulled out a sign, the others followed. And when he walked out, so did the others.
Here's a description of this person, from someone who wrote me after the event:
I was in the audience for your lecture at AU on January 20th, and was in the third row of seats behind the "leader" of the disruption (aisle seat, on your left). He was fidgety before the lecture began, looking around the room and making hand motions to people further back in the room, so I paid a fair amount of attention to him.
When he gave the high sign his group put on their black gags, and then again on his lead the group stood up and turned their backs on you. As he stood there he was blocking my view, and I commented to him, "You'd make a better door than a window, buddy," at which point he lowered himself to kneel in his seat. I got a good look at his face.
My correspondent later managed to take a picture of this lead disrupter:
Well, it turns out that this disrupter has a name and a profession. He is Matt Bowles, National Field Organizer at the American Civil Liberties Union. Here is his professional picture, posted at the website of the Minnesota affiliate of the ACLU in conjunction with his ACLU work:
(Bowles, not surprisingly, has strong views on the Middle East, and appears obsessively to despise Israel. His magnum opus on the subject is an article titled "US Aid: Lifeblood of the Occupation," which argues for the importance of U.S. aid in funding what the author terms "Israel's colonial apartheid regime.")
Is the American Civil Liberties Union ("our nation's guardian of liberty") now in the business of field organizing disruptions of academic talks at universities? Curious to find out, I sent Bowles the following note on Jan. 26, 2004:
Dear Mr. Bowles:
I am planning to write something on my talk at American University on January 20th and the fact that you, the ACLU's National Field Organizer, led the disruption there.
Would you provide me with a short statement justifying your action there? And could you explain if you were there on staff time or your own time?
If so, I would appreciate your statement by close of business tomorrow, January 27.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Pipes
To which Bowles replied on Jan. 27, 2004:
I was at the protest as an individual concerned citizen
Not quite ready to take this at face value, I wrote that same day, Jan. 27, 2004 to Anthony D. Romero, the ACLU's executive director, asking him to verify Bowles' statement:
Dear Mr. Romero:
Matt Bowles, ACLU's National Field Organizer, led the disruption at a talk I gave at American University on Jan. 20, 2004.
When I asked him if he did this in his ACLU or private capacity, he indicated it was in the latter. Could you please confirm the accuracy of this statement?
I would appreciate hearing from you by close of business, January 31.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Pipes
Not receiving a reply to an e-mail of the above note, I sent the same text via the U.S. Postal Service, but again, one and a half months later, have not heard back.
I wonder what this silence signifies and if Bowles really was free-lancing at the American University event. (March 15, 2004) Permalink
Me as the 3 of ♥. The U.S. military had the clever idea of identifying and prioritizing the Saddamist enemy by assigning each of the leaders a playing-card equivalent: Saddam Hussein himself was the ace of spades, on down to the 2 of clubs. This idea then caught on and all sorts of decks of cards proliferated. For example, newsmax.com offers a "Deck of Weasels."
Enter the well-known French author Thierry Meyssan. He's best known for his creative notion, turned into a bestseller, 11 Septembre 2001 : L'effroyable imposture (translated into English as 911: The Big Lie), arguing that there was no plane that hit the Pentagon; rather, this was a U.S. government conspiracy to justify the war on terror. Well, Meyssan in August 2003 designed cards of "Les 52 plus dangereux dignitaires américains" (also available in pdf format). Better yet, they are available in English and Italian translations.
Not only are many of my friends there, but so am I, starring as the three of hearts.
Do I really need to point out that both of Meyssan's description of me is as distorted as his understanding of what happened at the Pentagon that terrible day?
Asserts that Muslims cannot "melt" into US Society and thus recommends their exclusion from Civil Service and the Army. A chief organizer of the witch hunt on US campuses, he orchestrated the eviction of academics favorable to Palestinian rights.
In brief, I have never called for the exclusion of Muslims, only reluctantly concluded that given the campaign of militant Islamic violence, there must be special attention paid to them. Campus Watch is not about Palestinian rights but about the failure of Middle East studies in North America. And the notion that I have orchestrated any academic's "eviction" is the purest Meyssanian fantasy. (March 14, 2004) Permalink
Destination Baghdad. Enter Baghdad (airport code: SDA, as in "Saddam Hussein International Airport") as your destination in expedia.com and you are told:
Expedia.com is unable to sell tickets to one or more of the destinations you have chosen. Please select a different destination. We apologize for the inconvenience.
At orbitz.com, the explanation is more terse:
Sorry, no flights were found.
At travelocity.com, the explanation and suggestions are more helpful:
Flight Schedule Error. We were unable to find flights to BAGHDAD SADDAM, IRAQ (SDA).
Possible Causes:
- Limited flight schedules
- A smaller airport with limited service
- Limited operating days and hours
What you can do:
- Try a Nearby City with a larger airport.
- Try different departure dates or times in a new flight search
- View Flight Schedules to determine better trip options for you.
- Let us book it for you! Call 1-888-TRAVELOCITY (1-800-452-3373) we will be happy to help!
Iraq has had abnormal aviation since August 1, 1990. It will be interesting to monitor the travel sites and see when normal aviation patterns resume. (March 13, 2004) Permalink
The Chicago Police and Hamas, Side-by-Side. In celebration of its 10 full years of existence, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, an umbrella group for Chicagoland Islamic institutions, posted a page in late 2002 on its website with encomia from various individuals (the mayor, the archbishop) and organizations (the Islamic Society of North America, local groups). But what stands out is a juxtaposition mid-way down the page: first comes a letter of support from Rafiq Jabr, president of the Islamic Association for Palestine, the main Hamas affiliate in the United States; then comes a letter of support from Terry G. Hilliard, superintendent of police in Chicago. Isn't it amazing that a high law enforcement official is happy to be cheek-by-jowl with the local rep of an outlawed terrorist group? When will law enforcement get serious about this threat? (March 11, 2004) Permalink
"The Largest Embassy Ever Run by any Country." That's the brief description for plans for the new U.S. embassy in Baghdad in today's Washington Post. Here are some details:
The Bush administration is scrambling behind the scenes to finalize plans for a new Baghdad embassy that will require as many as 4,000 staff but, because of security fears, will remain headquartered in Saddam Hussein's former palace in the U.S.-protected Green Zone after the occupation ends, U.S. officials said.
The sheer magnitude of the embassy—which will house the U.S. military command and administer an aid program more than three times as large as foreign assistance allocated to the rest of the world—has taxed State Department and Pentagon planners who have been commuting between Baghdad and Washington in recent weeks. …
The administration had originally considered opening a token embassy presence in a facility outside the Green Zone, where an ambassador could at least carry out ceremonial functions—and avoid the imagery of remaining in Hussein's Republican Palace. But Washington has abandoned the idea because the facility and U.S. Embassy personnel would be too vulnerable to attacks, U.S. officials said.
I am left uneasy by the monumental size of this embassy, its massive aid program (read this phrase again: "more than three times as large as foreign assistance allocated to the rest of the world"), and the need to huddle in Saddam's old palace. Far better would be to turn decisionmaking over to a strong Iraqi leader and maintain a small U.S. presence. If not done earlier, I fear, this will be done later, and under less auspicious circumstances. (March 9, 2004) Permalink
CAIR Promotes a Neo-Nazi's Talk. The Council on American-Islamic Relations most days of the week provides an e-mail service titled "American Muslim News Briefs." Today's edition includes this item:
MSA TO PROMOTE RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
Kate Blout, Western Herald, 3/9/04
Members of the Muslim Student Association and the community will have the chance to sample Middle Eastern cuisine and learn how to better bridge the gap between Islam and Christianity during upcoming events at Western Michigan University.
MSA will be sponsoring an event titled "Islam and Christianity: Coalition or Collision?" from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Thursday in the North Ballroom of the Bernhard Center.
"The purpose of this event is to promote peace, tolerance and understanding between the two largest religions in the world," said Sarah Husain, sophomore majoring in business and president of the public relations committee of MSA.
William Baker, an internationally known speaker from California and founder of Christians and Muslims for Peace, will be at the event, Husain said.
There will also be a free dinner featuring Middle Eastern cuisine. The event is free and open to the public, but there is limited seating and the deadline for reservations is today. To make reservations, visit www.rso.wmich.edu/msa.
"This event is part of a series of events planned by MSA, which we hope will help build bridges between the many religions of the world," Husain said...
Of course, this "internationally known speaker" named William W. Baker is also internationally known as a neo-Nazi, as I pointed out in an article two months ago, "Canadian Islamists host a neo-Nazi." How interesting that CAIR should circulate a news item that portrays his talk as promoting "peace, tolerance and understanding between the two largest religions in the world." (March 9, 2004) Permalink
The French Government's AZF Problem. In a July 2002 article decrying the consistent pattern of government authorities to pretend that terrorism is not terrorism, I gave this example from France:
Hassan Jandoubi, an Islamist with possible connections to al Qaeda, had started working at the AZF fertilizer factory in suburban Toulouse, France, just days before a massive explosion took place there last Sept. 21. This, the worst catastrophe ever in a French chemical plant, killed Jandoubi and 29 others, injured 2,000, destroyed 600 dwellings, and damaged 10,000 buildings.
The autopsy revealed that Jandoubi was wearing two pairs of trousers and four pairs of underpants, which the coroner compared to what is worn by "Islamic militants going into battle or on suicide missions." Also, the chemical plant was processing ammonium nitrate, a stable chemical that requires a substantial infusion of energy to explode.
Ignoring these signs, the French authorities declared there was "no shred of evidence" of the explosion being a terrorist act and ruled it an accident. They even prosecuted two publications merely for calling Jandoubi a "radical Islamist," making them pay tens of thousands of dollars in fines to Jandoubi's heirs, a mosque and a Muslim organization for their "defamation" of Jandoubi.
Well, someone clearly agrees with me, for the story broke two days ago that a mysterious group known only by the initials "AZF" has threatened to blow up railroad lines across France, leading to considerable disruption. Oh, and Reuters reports today that the French government "has ruled out any involvement by radical Islamic groups." The government knows way more than I do about the specifics of this case, but I just wonder if it is not again fooling itself. (March 5, 2004) Permalink
How Much Will the Iraqi Constitution Matter? In an ace research piece, Patrick Clawson writes for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that the Middle East's "poor track record with regard to actually implementing constitutional guarantees may make the [Iraqi interim constitution] appear less impressive to Arabs than it does to Americans." That's because many Arab countries boast constitutions with similar rights to the Iraqi one, yet they "have a decidedly unsatisfactory record on human rights." Here are some examples to prove Clawson's point:
- Syria: "The state guarantees the freedom of the press, of printing, and publication in accordance with law."
- Egypt: "The state shall guarantee the freedom of belief and the freedom of practice of religious rites."
- Yemen: "Anyone whose freedom is restricted has the right to remain silent and to speak only in the presence of an attorney. . . . Whoever is temporarily arrested for suspicion of committing a crime shall be arraigned within twenty-four hours. The judge shall inform him of the reasons for his arrest, question him, and give him the opportunity to plead his defense. The judge shall immediately issue a reasoned order for his release or continued detention."
- And this gem, from Saddam Hussein's Iraq: "it is inadmissible to arrest a person, to stop him, to imprison him, or to search him, except in accordance with the rules of law. . . . The dignity of man is safeguarded. It is inadmissible to cause any physical or psychological harm."
It hardly needs belaboring the point that all these rights had as little weight as the beautiful words in the Soviet constitution.
Clawson concludes with this insight: "Constitutions are not necessarily accurate predictors of an Arab country's actual track record on human rights. Those regimes with reasonably good records in practice (e.g., Kuwait) sometimes have constitutions that contain the most qualifications and limitations to human rights, while those regimes with poor records (e.g., Syria, Algeria) sometimes have the most liberal constitutional provisions."
The hard part, then, is not getting signatures on an interim constitution but getting this document to mean something in the reality of Iraqi life. (March 4, 2004) Permalink
CAIR Accepted as "Mainstream." I will intermittently post items here to document how, despite its terrorist associations and other legal tribulations, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is gaining acceptance among the gullible, the ignorant, or the foolish as a legitimate "civil liberties group."
Elderhostel ("a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing extraordinary learning adventures for people 55 and over") is pleased to announce a new series of programs titled "Building Bridges to Islam" in March and April 2004. So far so good. But the first one, to be held four times in Santa Clara, California, will be held in collaboration with CAIR. Elderhostel's publicity incorrectly describes CAIR as "a mainstream organization that regularly works with national law enforcement authorities, elected officials, media and other civil liberties and minority groups." (March 4, 2004) Permalink
The California Congress of Republicans & Its Strange Friends. Yes, believe it or not, if local chapters are seeking speakers on "Middle Eastern Affairs and understanding Islam," the CCR, which presents itself as "a grass-roots political organization, founded in 1989 and permanently chartered by the California Republican Party," offers first up none other than the director of CAIR's Northern California office, Helal Omeira. And here I thought only left-wing Democrats like Dennis Kucinich would wish to associate with an organization with three of its leadership in jail on terrorism-related charges. What an embarrassment this is to Republicans everywhere. Let's hope wiser heads immediately pull this endorsement. To help push them in the right direction, you can write the California Republicans at chairman@cagop.org. If you live in California, mention this, and also if you are a registered Republican. (December 29, 2003)
Jan. 7, 2004 update: I received the following press release from Pamela Corradi today and am delighted to see that CCR disavows CAIR:
CCR response to Daniel Pipes' concerns regarding CAIR endorsement
Pamela Corradi, President
1/7/04
Press Release
For immediate release
Contact: Pam Corradi, President, CCR
818/846-0024
pamcoco@earthlink.net
During the final week of 2003, Daniel Pipes published concerns about California Congress of Republicans on his website and in his newsletter.
The following are the facts that can be substantiated at this time.
- CCR DOES NOT ENDORSE ORGANIZATIONS.
- CCR did not endorse CAIR.
- CAIR was on the CCR speakers' page at one time.
- An investigation is in process to ascertain the method, by whom, the date and the authority under which CAIR was listed on the CCR website.
- Inclusion of a speaker/organization on the site in no way confers a CCR endorsement.
- CCR supports the policies of the President.
- The CCR mission statement affirms that we seek to register Republicans, elect able candidates, educate voters, support GOP nominees and get out the vote.
- CCR is a chartered organization under the California Republican Party.
Actions planned to insure no future incident of this kind include the following:
- Inclusion of speakers/organizations on the website speakers' page will be based on a review of their concurrence with the mission statement of CCR.
- All applicants/nominees will be reviewed by a committee appointed by the President and ratified by the Board of Directors.
- Said committee will review the list semi-annually and delegates will review the list to be published in the agenda of the annual convention.
The purpose of this release is to set the record straight. CCR constantly strives to accurately present its position. There have been technical difficulties with our website and therefore cannot be responsible for any calgop.org websites that have appeared during the first week of 2004.
March 5, 2004 update: The election today of Johnny Khamis as the new vice president of the CCR prompts me to note that CCR has a history of hosting dubious Middle Easterners. Here is an invitation from the Republican Arab-American Congress (described in a press release as "a newly active caucus created under the Charter of the California Congress of Republicans"):
Peace and Coexistence in the Middle East:
Are they possible?
The California Congress of Republicans
Is proud to present a discussion for Peace in the Middle East
Hosted by:
The Republican Arab American Congress (RAAC)
Honored speakers:
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi
Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Yossi Amrani
Consul General of Israel in San Francisco
Saturday November 3, 2001
No Host Cocktail Reception at 7 PM
Dinner and Speakers at 8 PM
San Jose Wyndham Hotel
1350 North First St.
San Jose, California
"For tickets & information," the invitation continues, "please call Johnny Khamis."
Nor is the CCR is not the only Republican group in California sponsoring Ashrawi. I have in my possession an invitation for a luncheon event on Aug. 25, 2003 that is even worse (because Ashrawi is being honored at it, as opposed to one half of a debate). It reads:
The Arab American Republican Committee
Tareef Nashashibi, Chairman
of the Republican Party of Orange Country
Very Cordially Invites You To A
Summertime Informal Luncheon on Newport Harbor with
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi
Founder and Secretary of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy
The notion that any Republican body should host Hanan Ashrawi, a far-leftist far more extreme in her views than any national figure in the Democratic party, staggers the imagination. It's roughly analogous to Republicans honoring Michael Moore, Harold Pintner, John Pilger, or some other idiotarian. Permalink
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