Investigative Project Releases Gov't Memos Curtailing Speech in War on Terror

[megimoo]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is refusing to identify the "influential Muslim Americans" and "leading U.S.-based scholars and commentators on Islam" who met with Secretary Michael Chertoff in helping shape a softer approach to government lexicon about terrorists and their ideological motivations.

"Our policy is we don't comment on the Secretary's private schedule," spokeswoman Amy Kudwa told the IPT. Nor would she identify any of the participants' organizational affiliation.

DHS and the State Department's Counterterrorism Communications Center each issued reports urging government employees to avoid words like "jihad," "mujahedeen" or any reference to Islam or Muslims, especially in relation to Al Qaeda.

The Investigative Project on Terrorism is making the documents available for the first time here and here.

As we reported last week, the memos say a change in language from the U.S. government is needed to win the hearts and minds of moderate Muslims and avoid glamorizing terrorists motivated by religious ideology.

"Moderate" is also frowned upon in the memos, though, with "mainstream" or "traditional" suggested as replacements.

Among the recommendations not reported previously:

"The experts we consulted debated the word ‘liberty,' but rejected it because many around the world would discount the term as a buzzword for American hegemony."

"The fact is that Islam and secular democracy are fully compatible – in fact, they can make each other stronger. Senior officials should emphasize that fact."
 
The USG [U.S. government] should draw the conflict lines not between Islam and the West, but between a dangerous, cult-like network of terrorists and everyone who is in support of global security and progress.
 
So America, after serving for more than two centuries the sanctuary for huddled masses yearning to breathe free, is being asked to minimize liberty against fanatics bent on a global religious state.

The memo doesn't offer examples to show where Islam and secular democracy have reinforced each other, or explain how Shariah law, the imposition of religion into state affairs, is "fully compatible" with secular democracy



http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/659
Investigativeproject.org ^

[Uhhuh35]

"The fact is that Islam and secular democracy are fully compatible – in fact, they can make each other stronger. Senior officials should emphasize that fact.
The memo doesn't offer examples to show where Islam and secular democracy have reinforced each other, or explain how Shariah law, the imposition of religion into state affairs, is "fully cTher areompatible" with secular democracy

Islam is incompatible with freedom.  The memo doesn't offer examples of reinforcement because there are none.

[Lord Undies]

DHS and the State Department's Counterterrorism Communications Center each issued reports urging government employees to avoid words like "jihad," "mujahedeen" or any reference to Islam or Muslims, especially in relation to Al Qaeda.

Investigative Project Releases Gov't Memos Curtailing Speech in War on Terror

Urging a change in terms is not curtailing speech.  Sensational headlines are the work of liberals with an agenda.  Therefore, I don't give anything written in this article one ounce of credibility. 

[franksolich]

This "moderate" Moslem thing is a bunch of bull manure.

This is NOT to slam Moslems; it's just to point out they see things differently than we do.

About a year, a year and a half, ago, National Public Radio sponsored sort of a "panel discussion" among three Moslems who adhere to their faith, in addition to have been educated in the west.

At one point in the discussion, the limpy-assed NPR moderator of the "discussion" asked about "moderate" Moslems.

This question stirred up quite a mess; the three Moslems, although they spoke and understood English better than even our own primitives and sub-primitives, they couldn't understand the notion of a "moderate" Moslem.

One assumes the limpy-assed NPR moderator was thinking in the terms of conventional affluent white western liberal terms, such as a "moderate" Methodist who attends services only moderately, and who thinks "peaceful coexistence" among religions is a good thing; those sorts of ways.

These three Moslem guys, great guys, try as they could, they couldn't grasp this notion as pertaining to those of their own faith.

The show, if I recall correctly, was about an hour; surely more than twenty minutes of that hour was spent as these guys flailed around, trying to figure out what a "moderate" Moslem is.

The best they could come up with, which fell w-a-a-a-y short of any reasonable definition of a unicorn was, "Well, one's either Moslem or he's not Moslem, that's all there is to it."

Stupid liberals, really stupid liberals, who think the rest of the world thinks the ways we do.

[megimoo]

This "moderate" Moslem thing is a bunch of bull manure.

This is NOT to slam Moslems; it's just to point out they see things differently than we do.

About a year, a year and a half, ago, National Public Radio sponsored sort of a "panel discussion" among three Moslems who adhere to their faith, in addition to have been educated in the west.

At one point in the discussion, the limpy-assed NPR moderator of the "discussion" asked about "moderate" Moslems.

This question stirred up quite a mess; the three Moslems, although they spoke and understood English better than even our own primitives and sub-primitives, they couldn't understand the notion of a "moderate" Moslem.

One assumes the limpy-assed NPR moderator was thinking in the terms of conventional affluent white western liberal terms, such as a "moderate" Methodist who attends services only moderately, and who thinks "peaceful coexistence" among religions is a good thing; those sorts of ways.

These three Moslem guys, great guys, try as they could, they couldn't grasp this notion as pertaining to those of their own faith.

The show, if I recall correctly, was about an hour; surely more than twenty minutes of that hour was spent as these guys flailed around, trying to figure out what a "moderate" Moslem is.

The best they could come up with, which fell w-a-a-a-y short of any reasonable definition of a unicorn was, "Well, one's either Moslem or he's not Moslem, that's all there is to it."

Stupid liberals, really stupid liberals, who think the rest of the world thinks the ways we do.

Frank, I for one am impressed with your passion on the matter !

[Uhhuh35]

This "moderate" Moslem thing is a bunch of bull manure.

Oh no no no! Moderate Muslims only blow up half the buildings, and only kill half the hostages.

[megimoo]

DHS and the State Department's Counterterrorism Communications Center each issued reports urging government employees to avoid words like "jihad," "mujahedeen" or any reference to Islam or Muslims, especially in relation to Al Qaeda.

Investigative Project Releases Gov't Memos Curtailing Speech in War on Terror

Urging a change in terms is not curtailing speech.  Sensational headlines are the work of liberals with an agenda.  Therefore, I don't give anything written in this article one ounce of credibility. 

snip
What has not been widely recognized is that the Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1989 fatwa against Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie introduced a new kind of jihad. Instead of assaulting Western ships or buildings, Khomeini took aim at a fundamental Western freedom: freedom of speech. In recent years, other Islamists have joined this crusade, seeking to undermine Western societies’ basic liberties and extend sharia within those societies.The cultural jihadists have enjoyed disturbing success.

snip

http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_2_cultural_jihadists.html