Islam for Dummies-Investors Business Daily

Islam For Dummies

By INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Thursday, December 20, 2007 4:20 PM PT

Islamofascism: The Council on American-Islamic Relations has published a media guide to proper reporting on Islamic issues. It’s pure propaganda, designed to whitewash the radical Islamist threat.

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Related Topics: Religion | Global War On Terror

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Washington-based CAIR is calling on Muslims to sponsor copies of the $20 guide for local media “to help improve coverage of Islam in the American news media.”

CAIR, which seeks to mainstream Islam in America, is worried about polls showing a majority of Americans associating Islam with violence and intolerance. Its propaganda campaign, backed by Arab governments tied to 9/11, isn’t working.

It’s sad commentary when you can’t get better press from today’s newsrooms, which are already so culturally sensitive they won’t even publish newsworthy cartoons for fear of offending Muslims.

“CAIR’s new guide offers journalists the tools needed to gain a better understanding of Islam and to write accurate and balanced stories about Muslims,” the press release said.

It asserts that “common misperceptions in the media include the notion that Islam is not compatible with democracy or modern culture; that the Quran teaches violence; that Muslims around the world hate the U.S.; that Islam does not respect women’s rights; and that all Muslims are Arab.”

At least CAIR got the last one right. Muslims are also Asian and African. Which means it’s batting .200 in the accuracy department.

CAIR, recently named an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal terror case, says news stories since 9/11 have perpetuated negative stereotypes about Muslims. It hasn’t been hard to do.

“Islamophobes” weren’t the only ones repulsed by the story of an Islamic court sentencing a Saudi rape victim to 200 lashes for violating Shariah law, which CAIR’s leaders are on record hoping will one day replace the Constitution. Or the Muslim father who strangled his daughter to death in Canada for refusing to wear her veil.

Or the young Muslim who drove an SUV into a crowd of University of North Carolina students, explaining later to a judge: “Allah demands of believers to retaliate violently against persons responsible for attacking them or their fellow believers around the world. (Quran 2:178-179, 5:45, 8:72, 9:38, 9:71, 42:39-42, 49:10).”

Nor did critics of Islam misquote the Ayatollah Khomeini when he bellowed: “Islam says: Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all! There are hundreds of other (Quranic) psalms and Hadiths (sayings of the Muslim prophet Muhammad) urging Muslims to value war and to fight.”

Desperate to sugarcoat such ugly truths, CAIR hopes journos will use “Beyond Stereotypes” just like a stylebook. What the media could really use is a guide to CAIR’s own questionable agenda.