The reporting of the recent attack by a ‘soldier of Allah’ on a synagogue in Coleyville, Texas showed, once again, how institutions, from law enforcements agencies to the media, stand ready to sweep the violent teachings of Islam under the carpet. In the immediate aftermath, before the investigation could event get going, the FBI reported that the attack was ‘not focussed on the Jewish community’. This was lapped up by the media and his statement appeared verbatim in countless headlines (many of which have now been ‘scrubbed’).
The problem is that the attack clearly had everything to do with Islamic teachings about the Jews being ‘the worst enemies’ of Muslims (Qur’an 5:82). I discussed this in detail in my article ‘The Unlucky Jews of Texas’? Sadly the pattern of trying to find all sorts of motives, aside from the obvious, is entirely predictable. For some reason, the world’s media organizations are hell-bent on covering for the ‘Religion of Peace’.
I doubt whether a document like the one below actually exists, but it might as well, since most journalists are singing from exactly the same hymn-sheet and the key objective is denial of reality!
Memo to all Mainstream Media Journalists
Whenever an atrocity is committed by someone claiming to be inspired by the teachings of the Qur’an the following steps should immediately be taken to avoid awkward questions about the ‘Religion of Peace’:
Interview friends of the perpetrator. Have them say how ‘totally shocked’ they are that such a nice guy could do such a thing (the implication being that he must have ‘snapped’)
Interview worshipers at his mosque. Have them say that he attended irregularly and ‘drifted away’ eventually (in other words ‘He could never have learned that stuff here’)
If the perpetrator had a troubled background (drugs, alcohol etc.) before turning to Islam make sure that it is emphasized.
Insist that the perpetrator is mentally deranged and/or a ‘lone wolf’
Insist that every interviewee or panellist talking about the attack repeat some version of ‘This has nothing to do with the peaceful teachings of Islam’ (It does not matter if they do not have the foggiest idea of what Islam actually teaches as long as the mantra is drilled into the minds of the public)
Do not broadcast any appeals to the Qur’an or the example of Muhammad made by the perpetrator to justify his/her actions. If this is unavoidable constantly point out that he/she ‘Misunderstands Islam’.
Deflect attention from the incident (and assist the Muslim community in playing the victim card) by warning of a ‘backlash’. Feel free to do this even while the incident is playing out.
Start, or strongly support, a ‘feel good hash-tag’ (e.g. #Illridewithyou or #JeSuisCharlie) so that people can engage in pointless social media activism instead of analyzing the root causes of the attack.
Find another motive (e.g. foreign policy, alienation from society, poverty) to explain the attack. Do this as soon as possible so that this is what will stick in the mind of public, even if it proves inaccurate in the long run.
For a realistic, and carefully referenced, discussion of Islamic teachings on violence towards unbelievers please see my book ‘Nothing to do with Islam? - Investigating the West’s Most Dangerous Blind Spot’
Kind regards,
Peter
If you have not done so already, please use the button below to subscribe. If you would like to support my work, you have the option to upgrade to a paid subscription at $6 per month.
Please be so kind as to share this message by clicking on the button below: