Obsession: NeoCon Zionist Incitement and Justification for Killing Millions of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine By Hassan El-Najjar

Al-Jazeerah: Cross-Cultural Understanding

Opinion Editorials, September 2008

Obsession: NeoCon Zionist Incitement and Justification for Killing Millions of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine

By Hassan El-Najjar

ccun.org, September 26, 2008

In a desperate attempt to distract the public opinion in the US and Europe away from the horrors of the Zionist-planned wars around the world, particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine, US neo-con Zionists have continued producing anti-Islamic smearing campaigns. The main goal is neutralizing the average persons in the US and Europe, so they would not protest the killing of millions of Iraqis and thousands of Afghanis.

Basically, the neocon Zionist campaigns such as "Islamofascism" in the media and college campuses, and the most recent attempt, a film called Obsession, aim at saying to Americans and Europeans that these Muslims out there are dangerous and bad, which justifies invading them, occupying their countries, and usurping their resources.

What these neocon Zionists forget every time is that Americans and Europeans are not that stupid. People everywhere know that US-EU invasions of Muslim countries happened FIRST, then all these announcements or actions from Muslims happened after as a reaction to the Zionist-led US-EU policies and invasions.

The US-UK invasion of the Middle East started in 1990, with the pretext of expelling Iraqis from Kuwait. But when this happened in 1991, US-EU forces did not leave, which triggered resistance to the US-EU military presence there. There was no hostility or bad blood until 1991, when US-EU forces killed about 150,000 Iraqis, in an unwarranted war. Iraq was destroyed as a strong Arab state standing in the face of the Israeli hegemony in the oil-rich Middle East.

About one and a half million Iraqis were killed by the US-EU imposed embargo and sanctions from 1990 to 2003, then more than one million Iraqis have been killed as a result of the 2003 US-EU invasion and occupation of that beleaguered country.

What did the Iraqis do to the US and Europe to deserve what has been happening to them? They have never posed any threats to Americans or Europeans. Why is this destruction to their country?

The unequivocal answer comes from the neocon Zionist document, called "Clean Break," which was written in 1996, by the same people who planned and executed the US-EU invasion of Iraq, namely Wolfowitz, Pearle, and Feith. It's part of a grand Zionist plan to dominate the oil-rich Middle East after destroying Arab and Muslim states one after the other, with Iran next on their menu.

Palestinians have never posed any threat to Europeans or Americans, including Jews. Before the Zionist invasion of their homeland between the two world wars, they have never participated in harming Jews. Why were they invaded and subjected to the longest and most brutal occupation in human history, with continuous sadistic practices on daily basis since 1948?

Neocon Zionists want to distract people in Europe and America from the horrors of the Israeli occupation practices. Thus doing, they give an example of how neocon Zionists (referred to in the academia as Israel Lobby) use enormous amounts of money to keep their tight grip on the information fed to the minds of Americans and Europeans, who are bombarded with the same smearing messages from the Zionist-owned and controlled mass media (major corporate TV stations, newspapers, and magazines).

This new desperate attempt, called "Obsession," is truly a Zionist obsession to smear the victims of wars of the Zionist Empire.

It's a Zionist obsession with aggression, distortion, and hate of mankind.

For peace activists:

The best way to deal with latest neocon Zionist ploy is uncovering it as such.

peace activists can show documentaries about the evil Israeli occupation practices during the Infifada and about the horrors of the US-EU wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

People should know that Muslims have been FIRST subjected to invasions and occupation by Israelis and their Zionist-controlled governments in Europe and America.

Speak out in your places of worship, write letters to newspapers, organize protests against any entity which participates in spreading this neocon Zionist smearing campaign.

Promoting peace is patriotic.

Promoting hate justifies oppression of victims, aggression, hostilities, and wars.

References:1. "Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid," By Jimmy Carter:

youtube.com/watch?v=wBJgaBe5NgM

2. The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy By John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt (TEXT )

3. Findley, Paul. A. Lincoln, "Deliberate Deceptions: Facing the Facts about the US-Israeli Relationship." (1990), They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel�s Lobby. (1985). Video: Findley Dares to Speak Again: opposingdigits.com/vlog/?p=478

4. The Gaza Holocaust: Israeli Attacks on Jabalia February 27-March 3, 2008

5. The Gulf War: Overreaction & Excessiveness By Hassan El-Najjar

6. Zionism, the highest stage of imperialism

7. "Terrorism" & "Islamo-Fascism" Propaganda Campaigns A Lecture, photos, references

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Friday, September 26, 2008

What is 'Obsession'?

Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West is a 2005 anti-Muslim propaganda film put together by controversial anti-Muslim figures to further the perceived divide between Western and Muslim audiences. 28 million copies of the DVD were recently distributed by a mysteriously-funded entity by the name of the Clarion Fund with the help of 70 US newspapers in a curious and unprecedented campaign. This large distribution, particularly given it was targeted to swing states in the current elections cycle, piqued the interest of many, especially civil rights watchdogs.

Why is 'Obsession' a hate film, can we deny that radical violent Muslims exist?

Of course, there is no denying that there are those who have misused Islam to promote an anti-Western militant ideology that is responsible for the tragic 9/11 attacks and other deplorable terrorist acts around the globe. Few would disagree that Al Qaeda and its imitators are ruthless enemies that the United States must deal with forcefully.

But “Obsession” is not an honest critique of violent radicalism. Instead, it is a propaganda piece that seeks to cast a wide net of suspicion against Muslims by blurring the line between violent radicalism and mainstream Islam. As such, it does not call on credible experts and reputable scholars but resorts to shady characters like “former-terrorist” Walid Shoebat, who has made such outlandish statements as: “Islam is not the religion of God Islam is the devil.”

In a recent commentary responding to the distribution of “Obsession,” Jeff VanDenBerg, director of Middle East Studies at Drury University, called the film “a blatant piece of anti-Muslim propaganda.” He also wrote: “The film ‘Obsession’ plays to the crudest stereotypes and promotes the simplest solutions. In the end, this kind of thinking will do far more to harm American security than it will to help it.” (News-Leader, 9/17/08)

What about the film's declaration that it is not about moderate Muslims, just radical ones?

“Obsession” begins with a brief disclaimer that states: “It is important to remember that most Muslims are peaceful and do not support terror.” However, the remainder of the film distorts facts and events in an attempt to convince its audience of the exact opposite.

What is the film's main goal?

The film’s ultimate goal is to lay the grounds for a larger religious war that goes beyond our national security interests and has only two beneficiaries: radical evangelicals who hold an apocalyptic worldview, and war profiteers who gamble at the expense of thousands of American lives and trillions of tax-payer dollars.

What are the film's main tactics?

“Obsession” employs two main tactics.

First, it exploits Americans’ unfamiliarity with Islam and Muslims to suggest that deviant groups are somehow representative of most, if not all, Muslims. It scours the Muslim world for bizarre incidents and falsely projects them as the accepted norm. It then concludes that the Muslim world is an overall radical hotbed that wishes death and destruction upon the West.

In fact, while the Muslim world has its share of fanatics, they comprise a tiny fraction of the population and are highly at odds with a mainstream society that aspires to peace and prosperity.

Second, “Obsession” exploits the legitimate apprehension that many feel in this country as a result of 9/11 and attempts to instigate a state of full-blown hysteria. Only widespread hysteria could make questionable military excursions such as the Iraq occupation a possible sell yet again.

In fact, America faces no imminent threat from Muslim nations, who are themselves wary of the minority radicals in their midst. No Muslim nation has ever attacked our homeland, and none is likely to ever initiate such an attack.

If 'Obsession' is a sub-par work of propaganda, why should we waste our time talking about it?

Sensational content aside, “Obsession” ought to peak our interest for two reasons:

The first is the gargantuan size of the operation: 28 million free copies distributed via 70 major daily newspapers. That could cost tens of millions of dollars if we assume even conservative advertising rates.

The second reason is how surprisingly little we know about the operation itself.

All we know is that the film’s distribution is paid for by a shadowy organization called the Clarion Fund. For an entity so well-endowed, the Clarion Fund’s website offers no relevant information about its identity or its source of funding. Its 990 forms are not yet public.

What needs to be done moving forward?

Three important questions have to be answered:

First, who exactly is this Clarion Fund and what is its source of funding? The public has a right to know and reporters have a responsibility to investigate.

Second, the film is being distributed only in swing states with the obvious strategic goal of swaying the elections. That should automatically put the burden on both candidates to speak out and clearly communicate their positions on this film and its distribution tactics. Voters have a right to know where the candidates stand and journalists have a responsibility to ask.

Third, given the sheer size of this operation and its self-described political nature, it is baffling to note the apathy with which it has been met on our primetime network election coverage. It is does not just affect Muslims, but all Americans, when sensationalism threatens to hijack honest and informed debate on the key issues in the biggest decision of our generation.

Be sure to read the full rebuttal to the false arguments made by Obsession.

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