The failure of the mainstream media has reached an all time low in this
country. Establishing an independent media that represents our
community has never been more important.
Zaid Shakir
is amongst the most respected and influential Islamic scholars in the
West. As a Muslim-American who came of age during the civil rights struggles,
he has brought both sensitivity about race and poverty issues and scholarly discipline
to his faith-based work.
Recently, 28 million copies of the anti-Islamic propaganda documentary, Obsession, were distributed free of charge in what are being considered the “swing” states in the current election campaign. This effort is clearly designed to leverage the idea in the minds of many Americans that Senator Barack Obama is a Muslim (he is not), and therefore, he is to be identified with the images and statements of Muslims portrayed in the video. These portrayals give the impression that Islam is a fanatical, bloodthirsty religion, whose adherents are hell-bent on destroying America.
The film is black propaganda that relies on some instances on distorting the truth and in others on blatant lies or vile innuendos. One of the allegations advanced by the film that is particularly insidious is that Islam is the new fascism, a deadly force that constitutes an existentialist threat to the United States. To support this allegation, the film’s producers juxtapose scenes of Nazi marches and other forms of political imagery with corresponding Muslim images, coupled with the false claim that Muslims supported Hitler and the Nazis during World War II. This claim is a foul misrepresentation of the historical record and it serves to dishonor the memory of all of the courageous Muslims who selflessly fought and died in defense of the European democracies, even though many of their own lands were still suffering under the yoke of European colonization.
Watch Dawud Walid's Press Statement On Obsession
Along with several Palestinian brigades in the British Army that actively fought the spread of fascism, there were hundreds of thousands of North and West African Muslims who assisted in the liberation of France from the German occupation and the French Vichy government.
The claim of widespread Muslim support for Hitler is further belied by the fact that Turkey, at that time the strongest independent Muslim nation, maintained strict neutrality for most of the war. When the Turks did enter the war they did so on the side of the Alliance. This was instrumental in the defeat of fascism.
It is a great shame that sinister propaganda like Obsession is allowed to be disseminated in this country. Similarly, vile hatemongering would never be allowed were it directed at Jews, African-Americans, gays or other segments of the American population. It is a greater shame that supposedly reputable newspapers such as The New York Times have participated openly and actively in that campaign. However, the greatest shame is for us Muslims to sit back and do nothing. We have to harness the power independent media to engage with the truth and inform the citizens of this land of who we are as Muslims, the truth about our religion and our history. Most importantly, we cannot allow the honor and dignity of our innocent coreligionists, whose sacrifices have enriched humanity, to be trampled on and violated by individuals who have placed themselves in the service of a sinister and nefarious agenda.
The failure of the mainstream media has reached an all time low in this country. Establishing an independent media that represents our community has never been more important. Let ILLUME be your voice—our voice—the Muslim-American voice.
