The strategy of Osama bin Laden that informed the al-Qaeda attacks in September 2001 was to so provoke the United States that its government lashed out at the Islamic world, enraging Muslims across the globe.
It seems now that Islamophobes have learnt the same lesson. Whether the military-style assault on the US consulate in Benghazi was related to the anti-US riots spreading across the Middle East or a pre-prepared terrorist assault, it’s clear the film Innocence of Muslims, a beyond-crude piece of religious vilification, was prepared by a small group of Islamophobes with the aim of eliciting exactly the sort of reaction it has achieved — particularly in Egypt, which may well have been the target of the “filmmakers”.
The furious reaction from Middle Eastern communities, including one reported declaration that “the deaths are all nothing compared to insulting the Prophet” will confirm every stereotype of angry, intolerant Muslims perpetuated across the West, with the bonus that by linking the reaction to the deaths of at least four Americans, including the US ambassador to Libya, the Obama administration will likely undertake an aggressive response that will itself engender further anger.
This is not a free speech issue: this was religious propaganda prepared with the direct intention of eliciting a violent response from the targets of its vilification and, ironically, strengthening extremists on both sides.
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There is, unfortunately, no solution to such actions, when the internet makes all propaganda accessible, no matter how unrepresentative or extreme its producers. But it is up to governments and community leaders to understand the need to resist being manipulated into a vicious circle of violence and hate. Which is exactly what extremists, whether Islamic or Islamophobic, want.
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Really, after 11 years one might have thought that Crikey would not still be buying into the discredited meme that al Qaeda, inspired by bin Laden carried out the attacks of 11 September 2001. Have you not been paying attention all these years? There is now a wealth of information to counter that tired explanation. It is repeated ad nauseum by the mainstream media but that is no excuse for Crikey to trot dutifully in their wake. Ask yourselves these simple questions:
1). Did al Qaeda organise the drills for 11 September that so conveniently mimicked the events of that day?
2). Did al Qaeda organise the standdown of the US air defence system that day?
3). Did al Qaeda arrange for the impossible cell phone calls from the doomed planes.
4). Did al Qaeda organise the destructive demolition of WTC Buildings 1, 2 & 7 in defiance of the laws of physics (clever chaps these “Muslim” terrorists”.)
5). Did al Qaeda ensure that the CIA would obstruct the FBI to such an extent that known terrorists were able to freely enter and leave the US in the months preceding 9/11?
6). Did al Qaeda have such influence that they were able to persuade the 9/11 Commission to produce such a laughable report that even its co-chairman have since distanced themselves from it.
There are many other questions and indeed many answers provided in the last 11 years by highly qualified persons, but you wouldn’t know that from reading these pages.
As long as we keep being fed nonsense about the events of 9/11 so too will we continue to be sucked into wars for the benefit of others. So too will we be mislead on events such as the latest outrages in Libya. After all, blaming al Qaeda, fanatics of all religious stripes, cartoons or films is so much easier than actually making an effort to understand what is really going on.
How tiresome that the first comment on this article is from a truther.
Looney alert! Loony alert!
But back to the article.
No doubting the intentions of the article but isn’t the actions in Libya proving the point somewhat? Basically a significant section of the world population believes it is alright to kill innocent people because of what some whacko does in America.
Let’s face it, this scenario came about because one lunatic from an
extreme right wing fundamentalist “Christian” sect in the USA
decided to have a go at those radical Islamist elements who inhabit
the middle east.
Perhaps we could send all these MAD religionists to Mars (when we
work out how to get there!), and rid our planet of this deadly plague!!
In other words, global trolls. spot on though.