Pamela Geller
Charles Johnson has for quite some time been a consistent and stalwart opponent of the hatemongers: Spencer, Geller, Wilders, etc. For this he has been on the receiving end of threats and attacks from the hate propagandists.
I just want to point out the difference between Charles Johnson and someone like Eric Allen Bell.
Charles Johnson saw the turn toward fascism and the clear hate of Muslims amongst Spencer, Geller and their alliess across the Atlantic and he called them out on it. Eric Allen Bell on the other hand went from documenting bigotry and hate revolving around the Murfreesboro Mosque community to defecting to the JihadWatch twilight-zone.
What a difference! Here is Johnson’s article:
Pamela Geller’s Ghoulish Obsession With ‘Honor Killings’ Takes an Ugly Turn
by Charles Johnson (Little Green Footballs)
Anti-Muslim hate group leader Pamela Geller has seized on the murder of a 20-year old Muslim woman in Michigan, labeled it an “honor killing,” and is now planning to hold a “conference” using the murdered woman’s name — against the wishes of the woman’s family, and even though both the family and the prosecutor in the case say it was the act of an abusive stepfather, not an “honor killing” at all. And to make it even more disgusting, Geller is calling her hatefest a “human rights conference.”
It’s hard to imagine someone so twisted and dysfunctional that they’d intrude on a family’s grief over a murdered child, and use the victim’s name against the family’s wishes. But Geller is defiantly determined to exploit this murder for all the bigoted hatred she can wring out of it: Slain Woman’s Name on ‘Human Rights’ Conference Upsets Her Family.
Jessica’s murder made international headlines. She left Minnesota to escape an allegedly physically and mentally abusive stepfather, but in April of 2011, her stepfather, Rahim Alfatlawi, drove from Minnesota to her grandmother’s Warren home and shot her in the head.
Her family calls it an awful tragedy, but others are calling it an honor killing.
“We know that this is a practice under Islamic law. The honor killing is the final act. People know very little of the terror … that these girls live under,” said Pamela Geller.
She is the head of Stop the Islamization of America. Geller is hosting a conference on the anniversary of Jessica’s death in Dearborn. It’s called the Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference.
“We cannot sanction this gendercide. We cannot sanction the diminishment and dehumanization of women. We must speak up,” Geller said.
We asked Jessica’s stepmother, Cassandra Mokdad, whether her murder was an honor killing. “Absolutely it was not,” she said. She told us this disgusting act had nothing to do with Islam, a religion she said Jessica practiced proudly.
“It was nothing about religion or anything. It was just about a sick human being,” Mohammed Mokdad said.
“He wanted to have a relationship with Jessica as more than her stepfather. He wanted to have a more romantic relationship with her,” Cassandra Mokdad explained.
“She’s using Jessica as her poster child for anti-Islam.” Even the Macomb County Prosecutor on the case said Alfatlawi murdered Jessica because he was obsessed with her, not the religion, and Jessica’s family wants her name taken off the conference.
“She’s using Jessica as her poster child for anti-Islam,” said Cassandra Mokdad.
“What gulls me is that there is this prohibition on discussing it and the ideology that inspires honor killings,” Geller explained.
She said this conference will happen and the name won’t be changed.
“We’re definitely going to have this conference and it will not be stopped. Their directing their barbs at me. I didn’t kill Jessica. I’m trying to save the next girl. They should be helping me save the next girl,” said Geller.
“Absolutely I’ll go. I won’t let her sit there and misuse Jessica’s name, and I will let her know exactly how I feel,” Cassandra Mokdad told us.
But wait — the story gets even more repellent, because Geller and her followers bullied and harassed the management of the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Michigan into giving her a conference room for free to hold this ugly hatefest, after they canceled a previous Geller hatefest. Unbelievable.
Here’s a page with contact info for the Dearborn Hyatt, if you’d like to let the management know how you feel about this disgusting event: Detroit Metro Hotel – Detroit Michigan Hotels – Hyatt Regency Dearborn. They backed down and tried to appease Geller, and as a result she’s now using their facilities to exploit a murdered woman’s name to spread hatred.
February 9th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
She is to human rights what kraft mac n cheese is to gourmet cooking. I cannot believe anyone takes her seriously as a champion of human rights.
February 9th, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Excuse me but you’re insulting my mac n cheese. hmph :/
February 9th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
If this is a “human rights conference.” then Awshawits was a refugee center
February 9th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Sorry khushboo
February 9th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Geller is such a ghoul, a vile parasite…
February 9th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Pamela Geller and human rights is an oxymoron.
This idiot really needs to be debunked much in the same way Shoebat was.
Maybe this dumbass should then after being debunked publicly take her head-up-the-ass ideology and notions and have a threesome with Rick Santorum, Robert Spencer, and David Yerushalmi.
I bet that would be quite a story for her to rant about….
February 9th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
@Emperor
I really like that “JihadWatch twilight-zone.” You should create a graphic to go with that, because Jihad Watch really is such an inverse of reality. You guys could use it when you do stories specifically about Jihad Watch. Also other people could put it on their blogs.
February 9th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
You know call it ANti Muhammad day, Call it Anti Honour Killing day… call it anything offensive to any religion or person. But don’t use names of people, you know it will hurt the people left behind. Seriously Geller… that is fucked up.
February 9th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Dehnus Says: “You know call it ANti Muhammad day,”
What the hell is that supposed to mean? What does “Muhammad” got to do with this affair? Isn’t that precisely religious hatred? Why don’t we while we’re at it, then call for a ANti-Jesus day for every murder, rape, pedophilia, incest that happens in Christian majority West?. — Are you saying it makes it Okey to dump bigoted trash on the Prophet of Islam, but not on the family’s “name” where this tragedy actually took place? And do Muhammad seem to you a dumpster where hate-fiestas can be thrown at wishes? Why don’t you try this “delightful” trick with the Prophet of Jews, and we’ll see how far you’ll be, okey!.
February 9th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
@Dehnus
Dehnus, if you want to call a day anti-Muhammad day I will support you in that effort.
I also will support anyone who wants to establish anti-Jesus day, anti-Moses day, anti-Vishnu day, anti-Buddha day, and every other religious holiday.
Some of my fellow atheists wanted to enact something similiar to “draw Muhammad day,” (they got the idea before Robert Spencer)and I supported them in that effort so I will support you as well.
February 9th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Right, so it’s agreed — for no particular reason whatsoever, we will hold an “anti-Muhammad day” to counter Pamela Geller’s Islamophobia. Yeah, that’ll show her!
February 9th, 2012 at 6:59 pm
@JT,
For no reason whatsoever if Dehnus or anybody else wants to create an anti-Muhammmad day I will be 100% behind him. The same will hold true if someone else wanted to enact an anti-Jesus day.
February 9th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
@Believing Atheist, you forgot on that list, anti-Darwin, anti-West. Heck, lets make it anti-everything, in that sense we’ll finish with this miserable world we live in.
February 9th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
HEY GELLER! If you care so much about human rights, why don’t you hold a conference for these stats:
“In 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by an intimate partner. That’s an average of three women every day. Of all the women murdered in the U.S., about one-third were killed by an intimate partner.”
” 232,960 women in the U.S. were raped or sexually assaulted in 2006. That’s more than 600 women every day.”
http://www.now.org/issues/violence/stats.html
February 9th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
BA,would you be behind anti-atheist day?
February 9th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
@Khusbhoo,
Yup. If you decided to do it Khushboo I will back you up any way I can, such as through advertising, marketing and other forms of promotion as well as defending the day in newspapers and opinion columns.
February 9th, 2012 at 10:48 pm
@Believing Atheist:
Would you support an Anti-Believing Atheist Day?
I kid, of course. Your position has been clear and concise in this matter, and I don’t see why some keep asking as if there was a need to clarify. Respect for free speech is important, yes, even if it includes a “Draw Muhammad in drag” day or “Draw Jesus Stoned” Day. You don’t even have to support it, as you have said, just respect it as one of the facets of Free Speech.
If someone is incapable of distinguishing the difference between that and using the name of a poor murdered girl then I don’t think there is any use in discussing it.
February 10th, 2012 at 12:52 am
BelievingAtheist,
I fail to see how this goes with your principle of “free speech”. Last time I checked, demonization of the other (which amounts to mass defamation) is not in line with free speech principles. I also find it highly ironic you would support this day given that such speech is actually CENSORSHIP for you. The more people hate you, the less you are able to speak freely, openly and without proper interpretation.
February 10th, 2012 at 1:03 am
A rare speech from Geert Wilders speaking in a SIOA/SOIE Rally
February 10th, 2012 at 1:57 am
Believing Atheist, my point was that this discussion has nothing to do with the article. Had Geller called it an “anti-Muhammad day” or even “anti-honour killing day”, she would stil be wrong as this murder would not have been approved by the Prophet and neither was it an honour killing.
It’s not about being offended (and I’m not offended), it’s simply that the Prophet had nothing to do with this murder and trying to link him to this crime is wrong.
If you read his comment it’s clear Dehnus wasn’t suggesting that an “anti-Muhammad day” should be set up, he was simply condemning Geller misusing Jessica’s name for her human rights conference. But you jumped on the idea a little too enthusiastically which is why I made that earlier comment.
February 10th, 2012 at 2:51 am
I agree with young and free this so called honour killing is just good old domestic violence under another name .
It wrong and it needs to stop everywhere, unfortunetly it happens everywhere
When are the local social services going to cart Geller off to the soft wallpaper ward ?
February 10th, 2012 at 3:37 am
Can you guys please post the article from LGF “properly”? You need to change the font/background of the text that Johnson is paraphrasing – so that it is clear what Johnson has written, and what someone else wrote.
February 10th, 2012 at 8:17 am
> “If you read his comment it’s clear Dehnus wasn’t suggesting that an “anti-Muhammad day” should be set up, he was simply condemning Geller misusing Jessica’s name for her human rights conference.”
No, Dehnus instead suggested that Geller should “name” her hatefeast “ANti-Muhammad day”, while it’s true he condemned her for using the girl’s “name”, he saw no problem if she used the “name” of the Prophet of Islam instead, as if the name “Muhammad” it’s a gift that keep on giving for hate-business.
February 10th, 2012 at 10:38 am
@Dawah Films
“ Last time I checked, demonization of the other (which amounts to mass defamation) is not in line with free speech principles.”
Then my friend you have never heard of Piss Christ, Terry Jones’s burning of the Quran, the Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, (which ridicules Muhammad), South Park, etc.
“I also find it highly ironic you would support this day given that such speech is actually CENSORSHIP for you.”
If you’re referring to anti-atheist day, then not really, because I can do a counter-protest day and enact f*ck theists day. We have enough atheists and unbelievers in America (more than Muslims I am told) who will be willing to take part.
“The more people hate you, the less you are able to speak freely, openly and without proper interpretation.”
The more people hate you the more the marketplace of ideas grow and refutations, counter-refutations and counter-counter-refutations are launched. Hence, we get to the see the combat of myriad ideas and choose the best one, to abide by or uphold.
Now as long as this hate stays within the realm of the abstract I have no problem with people hating me. If this hate comes out from the realm of the abstract and becomes violent, discriminatory and hostile through government policy then it is no longer speech but repression/oppression and a violation of human rights.
Let me be clear that I am not asking the government to enact anti-Muhammad day or anti-atheist day. It’s not up to the government to pick and choose which religion it likes or dislikes or endorses or rejects, since by law in the U.S. anyway, Muslims and all other citizens are equal.
If private entities wish to do it however, I have no problem with it. It’s simply their private taste.
February 10th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
BelievingAtheist,
It’s apparent you haven’t been following this blog very carefully then if these are the things you think. The media primarily controls the message. The majority believes negatively about Muslims. Attempts at violence and political oppression (many even succeeding) have resulted as a result DESPITE attempts to counter them through mere education and ‘speaking back’. You seem to believe that merely free speech has been the reason for this blogs success to ‘convert’ more people to our side and to allow them to see the delusion of hatred against Muslims. No. It has been a combination of support from larger entities and people attempting and succeeding with legal action against other individuals who do this sort of demonization. Even still, we are fighting an uphill battle. It is precisely because of your views of free speech (not necessarily you) that has allowed this problem to begin with.
If we had some sort of integrity laws, where these sort of lies could be taken to court more easily and not reign freely in the media and society, more innocent Muslims would be alive today and less oppressed.
February 10th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
@People attacking me:
Whatever they want to offend a religion is their problem. But you just don’t bother grieving people and use their name. I rather have them use something like “Anti Muhammad day” then this. People get alot more hurt by this.
February 10th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
I just dont care as much about old dead prophets then that I care about actual people’s grieving over their lost daughter.
Where you got that I want to organise an “Anti Muhammed day” is strange to me. All I said I rather have her call it that then that I have her use that poor girls name and abuse it like that.
February 10th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
@beliving athiest.
It is not free speech to use a murder victim’s name to spread hate and propaganda. Please read the article. It is not objecting to what the loons will talk about (like objecting to a dog barking) but objecting to using a murder victim’s name without the permission of her grieving family to promote hate, lies, and bigotry.
February 10th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
@Nur Ali,
I am afraid that sadly it is.
First I want to say that what Pam Geller is doing is repulsive, however I believe she has a right to do it.
I will give you one example of why I think this. The WBC used the death of Matthew Shepard, a man who was killed for being gay to spew hate and they were allowed to do it.
The WBC and its leader Rev. “Fred Phelps committed— loud preaching and provocative signs such as “Matt in Hell,” “AIDS cures fags” and stick figures in sexual positions — that Casper city officials cordoned an area in City Park for them to protest.”
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_fa10936e-cb5b-5170-afd8-e7eaa0a43aa8.html
And from the same source:
“In other words, did Westboro’s right to free speech infringe on the Snyder family’s right to conduct a funeral without interference, even though church members conducted their protest at a distance from the service?
The Supreme Court sided with the church.”
Now if WBC had a legal right to do it, I believe Pam has a legal right to do it as well and I support her legal right to do it.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:14 am
@beliving athiest.
Please call me Nur, since you seem to always forget the ‘a’ after Alia (you always post to me as Nur Ali) in my name…lol. You make me laugh too much to comment properly when you do that.
However, your article doesnt prove what I posted. I said that ‘free speech is not using a murder victim’s name to spread propaganda…meaning, naming an event ment to spread hatred and lies after a murder victim against the will of that victim’s family.
However discusting it is, I also support the right of the people at the church to protest funerals…and also the right of counter protesters to drown them out, block them from view, and to show overwhelming support for the victim in this case…in other words make is difficult to spread thier hateful message.
The family of the murder victim in this case OBJECTS to the loons using thier daughter’s name to promote thier event. I agree that, if the loons do have the right to use it without thier permission, the family, and EVERYONE who objects to it as well should make it difficult for them to do so within the limit of the law.
That would include, but should not be limited to, telling the host hotel about the situation, making them understand what these people are about, and what they will be doing in thier building. Remind the Hyatt chain that they have hotels all over the world…even in majority Muslim nations…and if they want Muslim guests in thier hotels, they should be sensetive to what is going on here.
February 11th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
@Believing Athiest
Why do you want to support an unworthy cause, Anti-Muhammad Day? What do you know about him? Have you studied him through Islamic sources? What has our prophet got to do with this? Why have these stupid days anyways where you have to publicly declare hatred. This is not about free speech it’s about provocation. There is freedom of speech and there’s hatred, this is hatred and it can kill.
February 11th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
@Sam Seed,
That was just a thought-experiment and a hypothetical. I support anyone who wants to organize anti-Muhammad day, naturally because when my fellow atheists and friends wanted to do “Draw Muhammad day,” I supported them and wrote papers in defense of this day.
Now you say that this isn’t freedom of speech. Well I beg to differ. If “Draw Muhammad Day,” was protected by free-speech and Robert Spencer and Co. were able to do it and my fellow atheists were able to do it without any legal repercussions, then I believe “Anti-Muhammad Day” fits the same criteria.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
BA, why would you want to support hate speech?? It’s speeches like this that have influenced the crazies and you want to support this? So what if it’s freedom of speech? It’s still HATE speech! You should discourage this instead of supporting the haters.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:23 pm
@khushboo,
How are we supporting these people? Are we supporting them by not locking them up for what they’re saying? Just about ninety percent of the people posting comments here, especially the repeatedly posting comments here oppose them. That’s probably not an exact statistic, but most of the people here, opposed people like Geller. Also, none of the people writing stories for Loon Watch support them. This is anti Islamophobia site after all.
February 12th, 2012 at 12:36 am
@Everyone condemning me for supporting hate speech/hate-expression,
Do you guys know what Noam Chomsky said about freedom of speech?
He said this,
“with regard to freedom of speech there are basically two positions: you defend it vigorously for views you hate, or you reject it and prefer Stalinist/ fascist standards/”
I don’t prefer Stalinist/fascist standards. I don’t know about the rest of you.
February 12th, 2012 at 4:27 am
As I have noted before, total free speech doesn’t exist, even in the USA which claims to have free speech.
The military have the power to censor the media at government level. Why is this allowed if the first amendment allows free speech? If it is done to protect the lives of US soldiers then the precedent for capping free speech where it is used irresponsibly or where it saves lives, has already been set. The Iraq war came about because of this abuse.
In Europe, there is a form of censorship, not total censorship but where it is established that the the goal is purely to promote hate, there is censorship. They are honest about it.
This is not the case in the USA, which claims free speech in principal does censor. Whilst I can understand the points made by the likes of Believing Atheist (though i don’t agree with them) they need to realise that free speech doesn’t exist even in the USA. The people who issue death threats to the President even in jest would be arrested, and charged.
Free speech cannot exist, and does notexist. A responsible nation has to draw the line somewhere. I am not advocating a cap on free speech, merely saying that some form of responsiblity has to exist. Some censorship has to be there, otherwise child porn merchants and criminals can freely set up a TV channel advocating child porn and crime without actually doing it themselves, and they will be protected by ‘free speech’ rights. The state would not have the right to prosecute them otherwise. But they do.
One can say the USA has freer speech than most nations, but it is open to debate whether that is necessarily a good thing, because it means any old ignoramus can preach anything and say anything, and sway the ignorant.
Remember the USA is also the most developed country with a large ignorant populace. allowing anyone to feed anything to this group, is a recipe for disaster. It is irresponsible.
I havn’t seen any stats, but it would be interesting to learn how much the ‘free speech’ issue and ignorance are linked in the USA.
Anyone have any data or links? This would be an interesting subject to explore. The problem exists in reverse too, for example in dicatatorships the state feeds one message to a population and doesn’t let them see anything else. This is the other extreme, which of course is just as bad or even worse.
February 12th, 2012 at 8:01 am
Critical Dragon, my comment was addressed to Believing Atheist(not you nor LW) who said he’ll stand by anti-Muhammad day.
February 12th, 2012 at 8:17 am
I will back you up any way I can, such as through advertising, marketing and other forms of promotion as well as defending the day in newspapers and opinion”
It’s one thing to support Freedom of Speech but why would you actually help these haters??
February 12th, 2012 at 9:13 am
@khushboo
I’m sorry, that I didn’t understand what you meant by supporting these people and who you were addressing. If I had known that I would have not written that comment addressing you. I would have written something different if I had written anything at all. Thanks for stopping by and clearing things up.
February 12th, 2012 at 11:09 am
@Believing Atheist
“Do you guys know what Noam Chomsky said about freedom of speech?
He said this,
“with regard to freedom of speech there are basically two positions: you defend it vigorously for views you hate, or you reject it and prefer Stalinist/ fascist standards/”
I don’t prefer Stalinist/fascist standards. I don’t know about the rest of you.
Why only two ways? Why not just ignore it without resorting to fascist standards?
Freedom of Speech or Freedom to Hate I don’t wanna stop anyone, but to many people it is provocation.
February 12th, 2012 at 11:25 am
@Khushboo
The you in question was you—Khushboo, in that statement. I said if you wanted to do anti-atheist day I would support you in anyway I can. I said that just to show you my willingness to exalt Free Speech, even against my own people. Now if you want to call yourself a hater, that’s fine with me.
February 12th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Support freedom of speech but please don’t support the morons behind “Draw Muhammad Day”.
It wasn’t so much a way of showing solidarity with South Park as it was an excuse by Muslim haters to be especially Islamophobic for one day:
http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/05/draw-muhammad-day-predictably-descends-into-hate-fest/
There are ways of teaching Muslims about the importance of freedom of expression that don’t involve flushing their holy book down the toilet or criticising their respected religious figures.
February 12th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
@JT
Criticism is the foundation of free expression. The first Amendment was established to protect criticism not conformist thinking.
But bottomline, this discussion is futile, we can go back and forth all day.
Hence, If you don’t like “Draw Muhammad Day,” or “Anti-Muhammad Day,” SUE US and let a judge decide who is right and who is wrong.
Be ready to pay our legal fees though.
February 12th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Spare me the ‘free speech’ lecture.
I don’t want to sue anyone. You can believe in freedom of speech and still oppose Draw Muhammad Day — not the people’s right to hold it but the concept itself. The writers of Loonwatch are very strong believers in freedom of speech and even opposed the trial of Geert Wilders, but they too saw that the Facebook page for Draw Muhammad Day was littered with Islamophobic and anti-Muslim comments and that it wasn’t something worth supporting.
It was such a “hatefest” that the original organisers backed out. I thought by your previous comments here that you would oppose the unfair targeting of Islam by Draw Muhammad Day and the anti-Muslim hatred being expressed on their Facebook page.
February 12th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Please somebody explain me how somebody can draw prophet Mohammed (PBUH) (or anybody) without even seeing him?
Whenever I hear some protest about a cartoon of Mohammed (PBUH) or any of his picture I always wonder how can somebody draw a picture of him without seeing him? Or are we accepting any picture as that of our prophet simply because somebody is claiming that the picture is of our prophet? if that is the case then are we not committing a sin by accepting a picture that somebody had drawn and claimed to be his? Are we not giving him a face? the face drew by some Islamophobic hate monger?
If we start accepting any figure as that of our prophet then what is the limit? People can draw a line and say this is your prophet, will you start protesting and burning embassies? Seriously guys, quit protesting something that is not even remotely resemble our prophet.
Can somebody draw a cartoon of Bush and claims its a Blair, will you accept it?
February 13th, 2012 at 8:46 am
Now if you want to call yourself a hater, that’s fine with me”
So YOU wouldn’t call me a “hater” for doing an anti-atheist day? Well atleast you’re consistent but it doesn’t make any sense to me why you would encourage such hatred by promoting this, all in the name of “Freedom of Speech”. It certainly isn’t illegal but it is immoral and instead of encouraging them, we should criticize them don’t you think??
I know you’ve criticized Geller and co. but why not anti-any day?? That goes under Freedom of Speech, no?
February 18th, 2012 at 5:13 am
Free speech should be protected but with the freedom to speak what, you say should not be aimed at a minority group for the purpose of causing them to become stigmatized within society. People like believing atheist fail to see the kind of backlash the Muslim community are facing. Hate crimes against Muslims have risen so high and we can thank the twisted and irresponsible views on free speech that sadly so many hold. Last time I checked telling lies publically is considered slander there are laws against slander and its also illegal to incite hatred which always leads to violence.