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Take a look at the poster on the right. Does it strike you as patently offensive, or does the preponderance of exclamation points tell you it's certainly satire?
That's what students at George Washington University are arguing about today, as the posters, hung up around campus overnight, have caused quite an uproar. The GW Hatchet has the story, which has since been picked up by the AP and the Post.
The posters falsely advertise "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week," which is a real upcoming event scheduled by the conservative GW Young America's Foundation. They read: "HATE MUSLIMS? SO DO WE!!!" and have a photo of an Arab and description of "typical Muslim" features such as "suicide vest," "hidden AK-47" and "peg-leg for smuggling children and heroin." The GW Young America's Foundation were not involved in the posters -- rather someone looking to paint the group as racists is the most likely culprit.
Image courtesy the Hatchet
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Okay, the poster looks like a parody. But what about that website? Is the humor there intentional?
I'm pretty sure the web site is for real.
terrorismawareness.org and the David Horowitz Freedom Center are one and the same. I was kinda wondering why they had all those Horowitz books in their Support Us! section.
And I've been looking for a new copy of Hating Whitey and Other Progressive Causes since I used my last copy to unclog the toilet.
Unfortunately, it doesn't even count as good satire. Add in the clumsy attempt at slanderizing another group, and I recall all kinds of dumb ass college students I encountered when I was at university. Including myself, of course.
I still remember when I was working in Bethesda before and after 9/11/2001, and seeing the "Arabs go home" signs that got pasted all around Wisconsin Ave. This Arab ripped down as many signs as he found.
Maybe it'd be more successful as satire if we weren't still living in the context of hating Arabs, like we are...
I think we must admit that the poster served its purpose: it put the actual conference sponsors on the defensive. And rightly so.
If the humor is sophomoric, well it is a college, after all.
Wow. The news reports that I saw completely missed the satire angle. I agree that it's not very good satire, but it not hard to see that the creator was clearly trying to shine a light on the Young America's Foundation and "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week".
lasers in eyes
holy frijoles.
this whole thing up to and including the website they created is top notch satire
Jimmy Carter's WAR ON THE JEWS. Has he suddenly created a robot powered with peanut oil that he will unleash on an unsuspecting isreal?
and the google adsense words are also hilarious
RUSSIAN BRIDES, COFFEE'S COMPANIES AND THEIR HIDDEN AGENDA, EUROPEAN AUTO REPAIR!
best fake website since the michelle malkin's blog
That's what we call pitch black satire. But it made its point, and made it well--groups like Young America Foundation use terrorism as an excuse to purport lies and a racist agenda. They don't keep America safe, they attempt to make us xenophobic.
Islamo-facism is a stupid term and should be forgotten immediately. This poster will put the spotlight on an event that was bound to spew misinformed propaganda and fear-mongering.
I thought it was hilarious, until I thought about how many people around here actually feel that way about Muslims.
On the calendar
Rick Santorum to speak at Temple University and Ann coulter at Tulane. nuff said.
"Islamo-facism is a stupid term and should be forgotten immediately. This poster will put the spotlight on an event that was bound to spew misinformed propaganda and fear-mongering"
So should we lump together all Islamists as terrorists? If you're a "moderate" islamist, are you upset that a very small group of radicals are giving your religion a bad name? If so, stand up against it and condemn it.
Are your college students getting all political again? Try this.
guest11, that is a great point. Not sure why Islamo-facists is that bad a term or how it could be construed as racist xenophobic. I remember in the immediate post-Sept 11th world having trouble with what to call the terrorist ideology in my senior thesis. Clearly Fundamentalist Islam was not good as many Fundies are not into terrorism and Fundy was first used to describe American Christians that are not into terrorism (at least not the 9/11 type). But to simply call a few delusional is not proper to countering their mindset. So what to do about it... Facist may not be correct but something is needed.
In terms of whether this event is needed is a whole different thing. But in the context of a campus community, making people realize that not all ideologies are equal and proper is probably a good thing. Let them have their debates and discussions.
The website actually IS intentional and real - there's a surprising amount of virulent anti-jihadi, anti-'islamofascist' stuff out there that takes a very similar vein. It goes from somewhat reasonable and useful (sites like MEMRI) to sites like www.terrorismawareness.com.
There was a small counter-protest during that big pro-Palestine protest who managed to get a loud "NO SHARIAH LAW!" chant going. I politely asked one of them who they thought was trying to impose it on them. They answered, "Islamofascists. All over the Middle East."
I didn't feel like getting into a lengthy discussion about the strength of the orthodox religious establishment in Israel, so I let them chant away.
Say what you want about the poster. Hell, at least it got both sides talking.
Is anyone out there PRO-Islamofascist?
Yes, guest 15, it's the same people who are against the troops.
Guest 15: Do you really think there IS such a thing as "Islamofascism," like it is the actual name of a political party or something? It is a straw man used by fear mongers, an excuse for ignorance among people who believe grouping together unknown things and giving them a name relieves one of the need to learn the actual facts in all their complexity.
BTW, despite what you see on television, mutual exchange of pejoratives is neither discussion nor debate.
This morning on DC Fox 5 news channel, a Muslim student admitted putting up the fake posters—it was satire, he said. The student, Ahmed Abdel Wahab was interviewed on Fox 5 this am, explaining the poster as ‘satire.’
That's right Mike, the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism is all part of the right-wing, Rovian run machine (paid for by KBR). No reason at all to be concerned about the rise of militant Islamism.
While the term Islamofacism might be incorrect as a term of art, the problem and issues remain (and must be debated in a public forum). Moreover, even if the YAF were a bigoted organization (which I don't believe they are), again, that does not negate the threat posed to Western societies by Islamism.
However, I'm curious, perhaps, the term "Islamic Supremicism" would serve as a better descriptor of the problem, eh?
The term "Islamo-facism," as I understand it, is used to describe repressive Sharia law practiced in places like Iran. Prosecution and summary execution of homosexuals is one example that the Young American Foundation wanted to bring to light in their "awareness week." The systematic repression of members of the Baha'i faith is another.
The term is an attempt to marry ruthless examples of justice under Sharia with our word for government repression.
Not everyone who uses the term is unhinged, but it seems like its primary proponents (Horowitz) are.
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2007/10/08/News/After.Meeting.Mixed.Views.On.AntiMuslim.Posters-3020656.shtml
Read this article, notice the first picture where the kid in the orange shirt is, as the caption states, arguing with the leader of the organization the posters were meant to slander. See that smug look on his face? That's because he was the sneaky bastard responsible for the whole thing.
People shaking their head at the thought that such racism exists might want to take a harsher look at who wants to exploit their sympathies.
Do you really think there ISN'T such a a thing as a radical strain of political Islam that seeks to impose a severe interpretation of Islam and Islamic law through the use of force? How do you propose that we refer to this "movement"?
Ah, EmoEmu, what is "this movement"? There is only a unity in your mind. There is no "this" movement; there are many movements. And what is the point of saying "Islamic" in a situation where everyone is Muslim? It makes you appear foolish, racist, uninformed. It gives you an excuse to stop looking at the facts in all their complexity and variety.
The facts are that some Mideastern factions are egalitarian, some are authoritarian, some divide along class or ethnolinguistic lines (often the same, just like here). Do many cite scriptural authority for their beliefs? Of course, it is a cultural given, something everyone has in common. What do you expect them to do, quote Seinfeld or Desperate Housewives? Check yourself.
go ahead and google "michigan state university" and "young america foundation" (or just MSU and YAF). there've been all kinds of fun things going on in east lansing with that group as well, so this whole thing isn't surprising.
And some Communists weren't actually communists. So what? Very few of the leaders believed in anything but power.
You can still use words to describe general belief and value systems. 'Islamo-fascists' is not that bad a term. You act like they are just using the term 'Islamos'.
If there was a Christian sect going around blowing up random things, wouldn't you refer to them generally as Christian terrorists if their actions were motivated by their religious beliefs?
And I wouldn't mind seeing the people who get all riled up about a term actually get riled up about something like oh, a car bomb.
Hey guest 25 -- you know of "a sect" that blows things up? Why not share the specifics with us?
You know, like when the IRA blew things up we knew who they were - hey, were they Catholo-Fascists maybe? The Orangemen, they were Protestanto-fascists? I'm sure I just forgot people calling them that.
"A sect" is just in your closed mind, whoever you are. Have fun at the YAF fishfry.
Hey, here are those poor, poor, victimized YAF kids, picked on in the schoolyard because they are, well, different . . . . hmmmm...
http://media.yaf.org/blog/?p=97
Speaking of poor, check out the YAF tax return here: http://yaf.org/financial/2005-990.PDF
Update on the story: Adam Kokesh (well known anti-war protester and GW Grad student) accepted responsibility for the posters along with 6 other students. See the story in the GW Hatchet below.
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2007/10/08/News/Seven.Gw.Students.Admit.To.Hanging.Controversial.Posters-3022092.shtml