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Given the horrible rhetoric we’ve been hearing from various sources during this election year (2016) in the United States, Scapegoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies and Threatens Our Freedoms, a new book from human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar published by Sky Horse Publishing, couldn’t be more timely. Television viewers might be familiar with Iftikhar as the “The Muslim Guy” – as he calls his website – CNN and other major networks haul out after every so-called Islamic incident for comment.
“Scapegoats” is in part a distillation of the message he tries to present during these spots – a small group of insane idiots don’t represent the majority of Islam. However, as his voice always seems to become lost in maelstrom of sensationalism and fear mongering television seems to delight in – what sells better than fear and mayhem? – this book offers readers a chance to hear his arguments without distraction.
If you think this book is only going to be about Donald Trump and his ilk, you’ll be in for a big surprise. Sure it mentions the usual hate mongers and supposed charitable foundations who fund them, but Iftikhar also points out some of the even more insidious attempts to smear Muslims.
One of the most noxious was Congressman Peter King’s decision to hold congressional hearings called “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response”. Very rightly Iftikhar likens this to Congressional witch hunts of the past and says it legitimized singling out a segment of the American population and deeming them suspect because of their religious beliefs – beliefs that are protected by the American Constitution.
Iftikhar quotes Richard Clarke, who worked for both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as counterterrorism czar, as warning this type of inquest would aid America’s enemies. “To the extent that they (the hearings) are the object of fear-mongering, it will only serve Al Qaeda’s ends”, by wrongfully portraying that America is somehow at war with Islam.
However, it’s not just conservatives who Iftikhar takes issue with. It’s also those so called liberals who hide their fear and hatred behind supposed concern for civil rights and liberties. Those who do their best to make martyrs out the drawers of obscene cartoons and purveyors of hate speech.
He doesn’t say the killings at the Charlie Hebedo offices were justified by any means. At the same time he doesn’t see them, or the right wing Danish newspaper who published the infamous cartoons of Mohammad, as the great defenders of free speech everyone has made them out to be. How would people have reacted if those publications ran obscene cartoons of Jesus? (The Danish newspaper actually refused to run cartoons of Jesus by saying they wouldn’t appeal to their readership)
People can say Muslims shouldn’t be so sensitive to people making fun of them or shouldn’t be allowed to oppress the free expression of ideas. Yet no one seems to raise much of a fuss when conservative Christians pressure advertisers into dropping support for TV shows they don’t like or having books removed from libraries and school districts.
Iftikhar actually does say he thinks Muslims should learn to ignore these obviously deliberate provocations. While he may not like what the cartoons depict, he also doesn’t agree with any of those who think they should take to the streets in protest against them. Call it hate speech, explain why these sorts of things are offensive, but aside from that don’t give them the attention they desire.
Iftikhar also deals with how the media differs in its depiction of similar crimes committed by non-Muslims. How is it that someone who opens fire on the clients and staff of an abortion clinic in the name of his God is not a Christian terrorist? Or a white man who walks into an African American church and shoots nine people isn’t called a white terrorist? Yet when two people of Muslim background indiscriminately kill people, including Muslims, as happened in San Bernardino California, the media are quick to label it an act of Islamic terrorism even though the couple in question had no connections to any terror groups.
Scapgoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies and Threatens Our Freedoms is a reasoned and passionate defence against the hate filled rhetoric which has been filling American airwaves and print since September 11 2001. In it Iftikhar shows not only how unreasonable the calls for restrictions on Islam are, but how they contravene the American constitution – Freedom of Religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment.
He also does a fine job of showing how Americans are actually aiding and abetting their enemies through the rhetoric of hate. By making it look like America, from the government down to the media, are attacking Muslims, they give ammunition to those who would whip up support for armed attacks against Americans all over the world.
Unfortunately Iftikhar is only one voice in a very loud wilderness. While he does his best to write in as direct and straightforward manner as possible, his arguments can’t be reduced down to a thirty second sound bite. Whether or not the people who need to read this book will be bothered to, or whether it will change anybody’s mind about the subject, is questionable. This is a well written and passionate book defending reason and rationality. But the world is no longer a rational or reasonable place.
