Sep
01
2011

In Norway, Footnotes to Mass Murder

Terror Suspect cited Islamophobic blog as inspiration

Anders Breivik--Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons/ghostofgoldwater

After self-described "conservative Christian" Anders Behring Breivik was charged with killing 76 in a July 22 bombing and shooting spree in Norway, writers who shared the accused's virulently Islamophobic ideology heatedly denied that anything in their body of work could possibly lead anyone to violence. But Breivik seems to be one of the most articulate ideologues in the history of mass murder, writing a 1,500-page manifesto with hyperlinked footnotes that point precisely to those writings that allegedly inspired him to violence. Breivik's "total lack of respect for human life is not...something he can have picked up from me, or from [...]

Jul
25
2011

Seeing 'Islamic Terror' in Norway

Learning no lessons from Oklahoma City mistakes

Right-wing terror suspect Anders Behring Breivik reportedly killed 76 people in Norway on Friday, by all accounts driven by far-right anti-immigrant politics and fervent Islamophobia. But many early media accounts assumed that the perpetrator of the attacks was Muslim. On news of the first round of attacks--the bombs in Oslo--CNN's Tom Lister (7/22/11) didn't know who did it, but knew they were Muslims: "It could be a whole range of groups. But the point is that Al-Qaeda is not so much an organization now. It's more a spirit for these people. It's a mobilizing factor." And he speculated confidently about [...]

Mar
25
2011

Asli Bali on Libya, Alia Malek on US Muslim prisons

By

Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: The U.S.'s sudden military involvement in Libya raises many questions that have not been answered by officials who've plunged the country into a war they say is to protect civilians, or even asked by many journalists who have been too busy cheering to ask them. Questions like how certain are we that going war will be better for Libyan civilians than the threat they faced from Libyan dictator Muammar el-Gadhafi? And what solutions short of war were sought? We'll be joined by UCLA law professor Asli Bali. Also on the show: the seemingly unending [...]

Mar
11
2011

Phyllis Bennis on Libya, Graham Rayman on Newburgh Four

By

Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: Soldiers loyal to Libya's Muammar Qaddafi continue their assault on rebels, nearly a month into the democratic uprising there. Media are debating how and when and even whether the US should intervene, but how much of their reasoning has anything to do with what Libyans want? We'll talk with Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies about Libya. Also on CounterSpin today, Congressman Peter King's hearings on Islamic extremism are generating headlines and controversy. The backdrop for this conversation, we often hear, is terrorism; several plots emanating from U.S. Muslim communities show that [...]

Feb
04
2011

Adil Shamoo on Egypt, Fawaz Gerges on Muslim Brotherhood

By

Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: The massive uprising in Egypt has been covered as a story of violent clashes and an awakening on the so-called 'Arab Street.' As we record this program, some pro-Mubarak forces are attacking journalists. Plenty of U.S. coverage focuses on the U.S. foreign policy position—with plenty of euphemisms about a 'tightrope' and 'delicate balance' for a U.S. government that has propped up the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak for three decades. We'll talk about that with Adil Shamoo Also on CounterSpin today: It's an obsession for Fox News Channel, and an area of concern for other [...]

Oct
29
2010

Clarence Lusane on Juan Williams, Chris Rogers on Pakistan

By

Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: The firing of Juan Williams from NPR might seem like an inside media story; it's become more as Williams, who was let go after saying people in "Muslim garb" on planes make him nervous, has become something of a cause celebre for the right. We'll talk about what it all says about the present moment with Clarence Lusane, professor at American University and author of the forthcoming The Black History of the White House. Also on CounterSpin today: The U.S. war in Afghanistan is nearly a decade old. But U.S. military actions in neighboring [...]

Oct
01
2010

The Media's Construction of the 'Ground Zero Mosque'

How Islamophobic blogs manufactured a controversy

How did a local story about a proposal to build an Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan turn into a national controversy about whether a “Ground Zero Mosque” would be a slap in the face to 9/11 victims? It started with a small group of anti-Muslim activists who suggested the proposal was a scheme by anti-American Muslims to “conquer” the hallowed site of the September 11 attacks (Big Government, 5/18/10). Some even suggested that the Imam behind the proposal was an Al-Qaeda supporter (Fox News, 5/13/10). The project was named “Cordoba House,” opponents argued, in honor of the Islamic conquest [...]

Sep
24
2010

Reza Aslan on Turkey, Todd Tucker on free trade agreements

By

Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: Turkey voted on a package of constitutional reforms this month. The message you heard in much of the media coverage is that the victory for the ruling Islamic party, Justice and Development, is more evidence that Turkey is drifting in the wrong direction, shunning the West and playing to its Islamic majority. But does this analysis make sense? We'll talk to author and professor Reza Aslan. Also on the show: More so-called free trade agreements are on the White House agenda; Obama says they're the way to increase exports, which is the way to [...]

«Older Posts
Newer Posts»

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Site by nigelparry.net