Geller's two groups are listed as 'hate groups' by the Southern Poverty Law Center. She's a troublemaker hell bent on inciting anyone she can.
Don't be fooled by Pamela Geller
By Haroon Mohgul
Updated 4:29 PM ET, Mon May 4, 2015
.....
So why did Geller claim that the attackers represent large numbers of American Muslims — as she puts it, "your everyday, run of the mill moderates praising mind-numbing savagery" — although her only evidence for that are a few Twitter accounts linked to ISIS, one of which may have belonged to one of the attackers, and none of which represent any American Muslims?
It's not as though Geller ever lets facts get in the way of a good opportunity: After the attack, she didn't call for dialogue, for understanding, for bringing people together, which is what real leaders do.
Instead, she went on Fox news and called it a war. And that appears to be what she wants. That's why she's dangerous, not brave. She's not celebrating hate speech for the sake of free speech, but to provoke reactions that polarize America, set people at odds, and alienate Muslims, who are American citizens and often first in line to report planned terrorist attacks. (American Muslims are allies, not enemies.)
And plenty of people know this, not just American Muslims, who might be presumed to be partial.
Anders Breivik, the Norwegian who killed dozens of fellow Norwegians and published a long, rambling screed justifying his murderousness, cited Geller repeatedly to justify his terrorist actions. The UK's conservative, right-wing government even banned her from the kingdom (along with her colleague Robert Spencer, who made Prime Minister David Cameron choke on his porridge.)
Because they know what the Southern Poverty Law Center knows: She's using one democratic value to subvert other democratic values.
Democracy requires free speech, but it also requires individual responsibility. That's at the heart of what makes this country work. So what happens when they clash? What happens when a person uses free speech to stigmatize an entire people? Even though American Muslims condemn terrorism, it's unfair to be expected to. Collective responsibility? Guilty until proven innocent? That's what it means to ask us all to condemn actions, when we have nothing to do with those actions.
There are other American values, too, which deserve mentioning: Exercising your freedoms with responsibility. Yes, we have the right to say things, even offensive things. But should we? Should we act with no consideration of the consequences? Should Geller have hosted an event she knew would draw a violent reaction? Should she put up advertisements in New York with the beneath-contempt claim that killing Jews is obligatory for Muslims?
more:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/opinions/moghul-texas-shooting-gellar/index.html
DO SOMETHING!
| 