Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes, the academic who dropped academia long ago to pursue anti-Islam polemics and apologia for Israeli policy is at it again. In a Nov, 24, 2009 article in the Jerusalem Post, Pipes writes about his favorite topic, “the Muslim threat to Western Civilization.”
According to the illogic of Pipes the greatest threat doesn’t come from Al-Qaeda, Ayatollah Khomeini or Nidal Hasan but rather from people like Dr. Tariq Ramadan and Congressman Keith Ellison. He accuses the two of being part of something he terms “Islamism 2.0.” This ridiculous term translates essentially into what Islamophobe Robert Spencer calls “Stealth Jihad,” or the subtle takeover of the West by peaceful, law-abiding Muslims who have a secret, sinister (stealth) goal to takeover the West and replace Democracy with Shariah law: in other words it’s a conspiracy theory.
Ayatollah Khomeini, Osama bin Laden, and Nidal Hasan represent Islamism 1.0, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (the prime minister of Turkey), Tariq Ramadan (a Swiss intellectual), and Keith Ellison (a US congressman) represent Islamism 2.0. The former kill more people but the latter pose a greater threat to Western civilization. (emphasis mine)
That Erdogan, Ramadan and Ellison can even be mentioned in the same sentence as equivalent to, or even more dangerous and threatening to the West than Bin Laden speaks volumes about Pipes’ preposterous agenda. Would Bin Laden have Turkey make peace with Armenia as Erdogan did? Would Bin Laden affirm Democracy as the way forward to better governance and equal rights as all three do? Would Bin Laden pledge to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America on Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an as Keith Ellison did?
All of the above are of course rhetorical questions because there is an obvious wide gulf that separates the likes of a Bin Laden and a Keith Ellison. Keith Ellison, is an American whose family history in the Americas goes back centuries, longer even than Pipes’ family history. He is a liberal Democrat who believes in Democracy, the rule of law, universal suffrage and equal rights for all. That is why his district in Minnesota overwhelmingly voted for him.
The most condescending aspect to the vile piece from Pipes and what he ignores or fails to mention is that Erdogan, Ramadan and Ellison are Westerners. In fact, they represent all that is good about the West, they are consistent on their values, are educated, active and participatory citizens: one doesn’t have to agree with their beliefs or ideas to see the common values in that. They call on their fellow citizens to be active and educated and they foster understanding between different communities while also being self-critical; that is more than we can say for Daniel Pipes.
Pipes goes on to state that “lawful Islamism” is growing in the West and may be worse than “violent Islamism” which is retreating,
Other once-violent Islamist organizations in Algeria, Egypt, and Syria have recognized the potential of lawful Islamism and largely renounced violence. One also sees a parallel shift in Western countries; Ramadan and Ellison represent a burgeoning trend.
In conclusion, only Islamists, not fascists or communists, have gone well beyond crude force to win public support and develop a 2.0 version. Because this aspect of Islamism undermines traditional values and destroys freedoms, it may threaten civilized life even more than does 1.0’s brutality.(emphasis added)
Instead of bizzarely bemoaning the fact that these once violent organizations have renounced violence, Pipes should see it as most sensible people do, a positive development which brings these groups into the system and opens them up to the scrutiny of checks and balances and eventually the electorate. Also notice the highly disingenuous way in which Pipes again lumps these once violent organizations onto the same wavelength as Ramadan and Ellison who, yes, are proud Muslims (not a crime by the way) but at the same time are staunch Democrats who are the fiercest and most affective opponents of the violent ideology that motivates groups such as Al-Qaeda.
Ellison and Ramadan stand as a strong counter example against Bin Laden and his cohorts for Muslims, especially young Muslims. They see two Muslims, strongly grounded in their faith, belonging to their society and giving back on various levels from the social to the political; instead of deriding them Pipes should be encouraging them. As more examples such as theirs increase in the West it will enable Muslims to better fight those minority elements within their faith that seek to cause chaos and violence and that is what really threatens Daniel Pipes who seems to be motivated by the paranoid fear that the “enfranchisement of American Muslims…will present true dangers to American Jews.”
So what does Daniel Pipes propose? How do we stop this “stealth Islamism 2.0?” Do we restrict the free speech of Tariq Ramadan and deny him entry into the US? ( Pipes does support that) Do we disallow Muslims such as Keith Ellison from holding public office? Do we not allow Muslims to enter into the military? Do we watch Muslim peoples’ every move? What practical solutions is Pipes proposing from this highly opinionated and doomsday scenario article?
We can only assume that he is in league with other believers in these conspiracy theories who do put forward pratical solutions to the “stealth Muslim problem.” Believers like Geert Wilders whose solutions include: no religious freedom for Muslims, banning the Quran, taxing Muslim women who wear the Hijab, deporting Muslim citizens etc.
One must ask Daniel Pipes, does he agree with such a program? Some of his colleagues and friends such as Robert Spencer have already given their backing to Wilders, where does Pipes stand? Does he stand for Democracy, equal rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion or is he a hypocrite cloaking himself as a champion of Western civilization when in reality with every word he undermines it?
November 25th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Good piece,
The greatest threats to Western Civilization come from Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer, Geert Wilders Pamela Geller and all their naive supporters in the right-wing. They are making this country go more and more towards fascism, some of it is just out of pure hatred and it will lead to unintended consequences if left unchecked, meaning we will see a fascist state in the US; a true doomsday scenario. Not my words but the words of Chris Hedges.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Thank you for your article. Daniel Pipes is nuts. Keith Ellison represents one of our brightest hopes in Congress. I hope he becomes president.
Imagine the storm that would create. If this country can’t get over a black man who isn’t a Muslim being president, what’s going to happen when a black man REALLY is president?
November 25th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
The neo-cons like Pipes have had their hey day. Their game (subversion of US foreign policy for their own agenda) is transparent now, that’s one of the reasons they were kicked out in Nov 08 and why they had a smear campaign against Obama.
If you read Pipes recent articles, (since Obama’s election)he is basically bemoaning his own growing irrelevance. He has also lamented that the growing influence of Muslims will have mean that the Jewish golden age in America will end.
The End of American Jewry’s Golden Era
An Interview with Daniel Pipes
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
May 2, 2004
http://www.danielpipes.org/1759/the-end-of-american-jewrys-golden-era
This should not concern anyone unless he had something in mind that is “against” what America stands for, so maybe he is projecting his own secret agenda onto us.
Believe it or not, Pipes does distinguish between what he calls Islam and Islamism.
Distinguishing between Islam and Islamism
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/954
The era of the neo-con is over. Also the general American public is better aware now about Islam and the Mid East than they were in the climate of fear after 9/11
What we are witnessing now is the death throes of these fanatics.
Pipes is pretending that Ellison, Erdogan and Ramadan are not “westerners” which they are, so what does he have to say about the 4 million and rising WASP and Evangelical converts to Islam? Suhaib Webb, and Ibrahim Hooper are only 2 of the better known converts, but there are millions of others. How does he describe these?
Fox News: Fox News: Youth Christian Americans Turning To ISLAM
3 min - 22-Jul-2007
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6106146323162544053
2.4million American converts to Islam
November 25th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Apologies, the last link above was dead. Reposted below with other news and video links. If anyone has any reactions from Daniel Pipes on what he calls these American as apple pie converts below, please enlighten us. Does he call them “westerners” or what? “Islamist’s 3″ perhaps?
Fox News: Many Youth Christian Americans Turning To ISLAM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeeTqtjpsYI&feature=PlayList&p=0718E264D871469D&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=41
—–
NBC NEWS: 20000 AMERICANS CONVERT TO ISLAM EACH YEAR
http://www.dailymotion.com/related/x2gjjj/video/x2tys8_nbc-news-20000-americans-convert-to_news?hmz=74616272656c61746564
———–
Turning Muslim in Texas
http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/can_you_believe_it/debates/texas1.html
George W Bush may be backed by Christian fundamentalists but in his home state of Texas, Islam is the latest big draw. The Bible belt is transferring its allegiance to the Qur’an.
There are 400,000 Muslims in Texas alone and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the USA. Since 9/11 there have been more converts to Islam than ever.
Turning Muslim in Texas Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9184353144432289069&q=islam
——–
Muslims in America: Islam in Exile
http://ffh.films.com/id/4592/Muslims_in_America_Islam_in_Exile.htm
This program examines the surprisingly rapid growth of Islam in the heart of
America’s Bible Belt, a predominantly fundamentalist Christian locale.
The history of Islam, Islamic contributions to the arts and sciences, and common ground between
Muslims and Christians are also highlighted. (57 minutes)
November 25th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Thank you again, I am a long time reader of your site but first time poster.
I have been following Pipes since he sprung up as a pundit back in the late 80’s, early 90’s. This man is a paid shill for the right-wing, anti-Peace movement in Israel. There is no doubt about that, and he hates Palestinians with a passion.
He has some sort of degree in medieval Islam but hasn’t published anything on the subject for years, and it is true he is anti-Islam only to the extent that it serves his interest.
November 25th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
“The most condescending aspect to the vile piece from Pipes and what he ignores or fails to mention is that Erdogan, Ramadan and Ellison are Westerners. In fact, they represent all that is good about the West, they are consistent on their values, are educated, active and participatory citizens: one doesn’t have to agree with their beliefs or ideas to see the common values in that. They call on their fellow citizens to be active and educated and they foster understanding between different communities while also being self-critical; that is more than we can say for Daniel Pipes.”
Well exactly.
November 25th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Errr, Daniel Pipes is a danger to Western civilization. What is CampusWatch but a threat to academic freedom, an old-fashioned witch hunt?
It’s no wonder no reputable university would hire him (as he himself used to state in the biography on his web site); knowledgeable people know that Pipes has the influence he does thanks in large part to his almost-as-potty daddy, Richard Pipes. CampusWatch is a way to lash out at the people who rejected him.
November 25th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Put this in your pipe,
LOL, couldn’t stop laughing…well said, I hope Daniel Pipes reads this well written rebuttal to his nonssense.
Maybe we should label Pipes and his ilk, NeoCon5thColumn 1 and NeoCon5th Column 2, they have caused more American deaths by fabricating the Iraq war (PNAC, which Pipes was affiliated with too) than all the Islamists 1 , 2 3 put together.
Garibaldi, you and Danios, Mooneye and the other gents/ladies who write, , deserve a big cyber bunch of flowers. Thanks for your great work, it can’t be easy, writing about and exposing people like these bigots who masquerade as scholars, in as civil a tone as you guys do. The last comment was hilarious
but hopefully, any day soon, Mr George Soros, will donate a nice big cheque to all of you;), LOL
I just had an idea…why not send your report to the Jerusalem Post and ask them to publish it.
Also please update this page, if you hear what Congressman Ellison has to say about Dr Pipes charges. Are they sueable? After all he did say Keith is an enemy of the West,
Surely, the Congressman can sue for libel or something or at least get an apology?
November 25th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
“The most condescending aspect to the vile piece from Pipes and what he ignores or fails to mention is that Erdogan, Ramadan and Ellison are Westerners. In fact, they represent all that is good about the West, they are consistent on their values, are educated, active and participatory citizens: one doesn’t have to agree with their beliefs or ideas to see the common values in that.”
November 25th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Daniel Pipes has nothing to say to positively change anything. He is a biased person who like Alan Dershowitz sees himself as a lawyer for Israel.
Pipes is a hypocrite, and can’t even hold a stick compared to Erdogan, Ellison and Ramadan.
November 25th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Seductive,
Something tells me the Jerusalem Post wouldn’t be interested in publishing any of our articles.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Pipes is right, as always, when warning for muzzie fascism.
November 26th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Did anybody besides me happen to ask why it was that Jefferson felt the need to own and read a copy of the Koran?
I looked for an answer to that question this past week. What I found was absolutely fascinating: Jefferson needed that copy of the Koran because he was desperate to learn something about Islam from that religion’s written de facto standard of all things Muslim. Why? Because the United States was going to war in the early 1800s against conservative, Wahhabi-type, radical Muslims - pirates, in fact. Pirates that plundered US shipping in the Med, and held for ransom or sold into slavery those so captured. Not, as your comment above suggests, because Jefferson saw anything of value in the book.
And of course it was the US Marines who set things a right, as they sing to this day…..”to the Halls of Tripoli”…
November 26th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Maybe it was “to the shores of Tripoli”, I was US Army myself.
November 26th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
@Lou, regarding your last post, check out the Treaties of Barbary:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/barmenu.asp
The Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Morocco 1786 with signed/sealed by Thomas Jefferson himself 1787:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1786t.asp
So he had to familiarize himself with my country Morocco and its culture in the first place.
November 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Nothing surprising about failed academic and all around judeofascist Daniel Pipes doing his thing.
http://drmaxtor.blogspot.com/2007/10/judeofascist-awareness-week-day-4_26.html
@Lou,
Typical idiotic spin. There is nothing “wahabi” about Tripoli or the pirates in that region. Try looking at a map sometime while reading a history text.
Jefferson acquired his Qur’an not long after the injustice of the Stamp Act had forced him to question seriously the heritage of English constitutional law and to seek ultimate answers in the ideas of natural law and natural rights. George Sale’s translation was far from objective and tainted with orientalist misrepresentations. Nothing surprising back then, or today for that matter.
Lastly, If you believe this Barbary Pirate =Islam BS than you have no hope. Do you know what a Privateer was? Sir Francis Drake ring a bell? Privateer was a euphemism that Europeans used for their own respective pirates, whether they used them against each other or the Ottomans, Egyptians, etc. A practice that was employed off and on by european nation-states up and till the 19th century. In fact, Jefferson’s U.S. used privateer (read: pirate) forces in the American Revolutionary War to a very large extent as well. So seriously, get off this flimsy high horse you have constructed for yourself at the expense of Muslims.
November 26th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Lou forgot to take his pills again. Doh!
November 27th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Another great article from Loonwatch. I wish you guys could do some articles on other online new magazine websites. Sadly most of them have a political stance and tend to pull in the story to their side. It would be hurtful to your purposes if you guys entered the political influenced agenda that people like robert spinster and pamela geller use. Spinster has countless times referred to CAIR as a “leftist” organization. There also is a growing anti-Obama on the site. See comments. Geller and company is obviously known for her radical conservatism. The huffingtonpost is vocal about their liberal approach. Kamran Pasha does some nice articles on there. I’ve seen some of your stuff on the dailykos. Anyways. Good job.
November 27th, 2009 at 2:46 am
LOU “And of course it was the US Marines who set things a right, as they sing to this day…..”to the Halls of Tripoli”…”
If any marine sang that, he’d be laughed at.
As for Jefferson, his interest in religions was a “know the enemy” practice.
He once wrote to a jewish notable –
“Your sect by its sufferings has furnished a remarkable proof of the universal spirit of religious intolerance inherent in every sect, disclaimed by all while feeble, and practiced by all when in power. Our laws have applied the only antidote to this vice, protecting our religious, as they do our civil rights, by putting all on an equal footing.”
Jefferson was right, of course, and this gentleman’s religion proved to be like the other’s once IT came to power.
November 28th, 2009 at 3:40 am
Before demonizing Congressman Keith Ellison and other Muslims,Daniel Pipes should have looked in the mirror long and hard to dicover the Ziofascist he has become,exactly as the apartheid country in the Middle East he and other Ziofascists had devouted their whole lives serving since its creation in 1948. Those Ziofascists,as fifth-column in America and the West,are the real destructive force that threatens the core foundations of our institutions,Constitution and democracy,not the Muslim Americans.
November 28th, 2009 at 10:08 am
I have the flu, so I’ll leave it with my assertion that Pipes is in fact “Evil Spock” (come on, you guys remember the old episode).
Strangely enough, Pipes is shunned by many in the “counterjihadosphere” for not being damning enough of Islam and Muslims. This has been debated on several sites, I know for certain on Atlas Shrieks but also a LOT on JW.
November 28th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
There maybe a couple of sects in Islam that aren’t violent…but the Sunnis and shiites believe in taking over every country until they have the world. Strange thing is, they hate each other and don’t mind killing each other, either.
November 28th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
People better wake up, they are coming for you, if they have not already. Islam is not peace…it’s is pure violence.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Garo,
LOL, spot on, I totally agree,
Lex, Agent of Chaos,
I hope you have a speedy recovery from your flu. Lots of lemon (or other Vit C)juice, mixed with honey in hot water helps:)
The reason Pipes is shunned in the far right neo-con “counterjihad” is because he says there is a proper Islam and an extremist one and that the proper Islam will prevail in the end. In his eyes, “Islamism” is the enemy but not tradtional Islam. If you check some of the links i posted above you will understand what I mean. He has also studied in Cairo under a proper Islamic scholar, therefore he has more credibility than the Islamophobes like Geller, Schlussel, Spencer..they have no credibility whatsoever, nobody pays any attention to them, except the Dominionists and the neo cons, and both have an agenda to distort US foreign policy. Actually the real loons like Geller, Spencer, Schulussel, shoebat, gabriel brijitte, are no real threat in the long run, because the people they seek to mislead despise them, and know what they’re up to. Obvioulsy these Islamophboes don’t want to hear that Islam has an acceptable face,it goes against their agenda. That’s why they vilify Pipes.
Daniel Pipes is more dangerous than these plain crackpots and bigots, the equilvalent of nazi’s, because he has a wider platform.
even though he is a failed academic, and spends his time getting revenge on the Universities who rejected him, he does still have some semblence of respectability, not totally like an academic would, but he has a wider platform than the proper Islamophobes, and i have to admit, he does know Islam better than these nutters. He says he listens to Arabic music, and also speaks Arabic, in some way these Islamophobes are like closet Muslims.
That is perhaps why he thinks Keith Ellison is a threat, because he is projecting his own insecurities onto him. The reason why Pipes is more dangerous is because he has more credibility than Geller, Spencer, Schlussl, Bat Yaer etc.
the Muslim extremists like Al Qaeda, and Muslim Brotherhood and other extreme sects don’t really have a large following amongst Muslims, they’re like neocons, in that they tend to attract the loon crowd, and much like Al qaeda call all Muslism who reject their doctrine apostates so these Islamopbes reject their own who don’t share their hatred and extremism.
November 29th, 2009 at 9:27 am
“People better wake up, they are coming for you, if they have not already. Islam is not peace…it’s is pure violence.”
ahahaha! Oh my! and their are monsters under the bed and aliens have been abducting us and are about to take over! crap! the aliens are Muslim and they are coming for you!
Please get a grip, look around you, reality might not be as exciting but its better for your state of mind.
November 29th, 2009 at 9:30 am
*excuse the using ‘their’ by accident…what i was initially going to write was pretty mean, I toned it down halfway through!
November 29th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Nissa: Your trashy and filthy talk America can do much better without. The Muslim Americans are considered among the most educated and successful and loyal Americans. They are truly model citizens. I know a few of them and I am proud of considering them as close friends. And anyone,and I repeat,anyone who dares to harm my friends can do so on my DEAD BODY. Calm down and take it easy. It is good for your soul.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Great Article again by LoonWatch! Lets see if ‘Piping’ Daniel will respond!
@ Garo:
I think Nissa was being sarcastic. You took her message the wrong way.
December 1st, 2009 at 12:16 am
To: Nissa,
Please accept my sincere apology for misunderstanding your sarcastic comments as you rightly expressed in your post of November 29,2009.I read your post too quickly the first time. Sorry.
To: WDSF
Thank you for calling my attention to the fact,as you put it “Garo: I think Nissa was being sarcastic. You took her message the wrong way.”
Indeed,as I slowly read again her post,I realized my mistake and I immediately apologized. Thank you again.
December 10th, 2009 at 9:48 am
No worries Garo, glad you have Muslim friends and so passionate about protecting them!