I'm about as an unpopular person as one can be these days; I'm Christian, American, formerly identified as a Republican, and definitely evangelical. This combination will definitely not win me any accolades among any group – even fellow Christians, as I have discovered.
Truth is a sketchy thing, demoted to being “relative” instead of “absolute”, which is why we're all in trouble.
On Friday afternoon, I discovered on a large Christian news website a story headline that read like this: “Terrorists Back the Democrats”, and “It's Official! Terrorists are Democrats!” As I started to write an angry letter to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade for attempting to influence the U.S. election system (which really amounts to throwing the election to the Republicans), I heard God's quiet voice in my head. “How do you know this story is true?” I realized I didn't.
I quickly contacted a Muslim friend who I'd trust with my life, and asked for his help. “MoMo, can you please look at the major insurgency websites and Arabic news sites, and tell me if there's any mention of a man named ‘Jihad Jaara', and if there are any posted comments. If there isn't, look for any comments that would give Republicans an edge.” MoMo is a U.S. citizen; he knows what is going on and what to look for.
While MoMo looked in Arabic, I searched English version websites. We both came up empty handed to any mention of influencing U.S. politics or “Jihad Jaara”. I knew at that moment the story was nothing more than a manufactured, belated “October Surprise”. I was furious!
Please keep in mind this wasn't the first doubt I had about this website; they tend to write for the Christian right wing, and they consistently post anti-Arab, anti-Muslim stories.
When someone posts a story and claims it to be “news” when it really should be filed under “opinion”, then the truth is being bent, twisted, and even broken. They are not only trading off basic journalist principles, but they are also sacrificing their own personal integrity by contributing to the dumbing down of society. Here in America, the conceptual idea of a free press is based upon a simple premise: report the truth, don't editorialize it, and let the reader interpret the facts as they see fit.
I sat down and typed a polite, but firm letter to the editors of the website. I told them about my own research to verify their information, and how we had come up empty handed. I told them I didn't believe a word of their article, and shame on them for creating propaganda in a last-ditch desperate attempt to terrorize the Christian base.
Up until this point, the Republicans had only been able to fabricate rhetoric and claim extremist Muslims were for Democrats – no story, no proof had been put forward. Then at the eleventh hour they miraculously have “proof” thanks to a right wing Christian website?
Even a day after the “story” was broke, nothing shows up on Arabic or Jewish websites, which is strange. If no overseas outlet finds it newsworthy or credible enough to run, that says a lot. It is also curious to note the Arab and Muslim world usually has the source first – how likely is it a Christian website has “out scooped” Al-Jazeera? In my experience as a news watcher, I have yet to see this happen.
If one thinks about the 2004 U.S. election cycle, Osama Bin Laden influenced it at the last minute by the release of a videotape that threatened Americans' sense of security. Who got the story first? Arab and Muslim news outlets. The timing of this article is highly suspect for a few reasons:
- It is exactly like what Bin Laden did – and it threw the election to the Republicans. President Bush has admitted Bin Laden did him a favor by releasing that tape. No American questioned the timing of the tape or its authenticity, but in retrospect, we should have.
- It's hard to ignore the Republicans are getting the stuffing kicked out of them by their own scandals, poor economic policies, and “Big Brother” surveillance tactics. Americans are seeing red over the collective mess – red as in a Democratic handover of power. If Bin Laden could hand over the 2004 presidential election, who's to say this website isn't conveniently handing over an election to the Republicans with a false story?
As a Christian and a former Republican (and not Democrat or Independent, either), I have a hard time sitting by and watching as other “Christians” demonize Muslims and Arabs. I realize this is a very unpopular stance in America, but it's a biblical stance for many reasons.
Jesus said, “Love your neighbor, as yourself”, and He went into detail describing who our neighbors are. “ If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar.” (1 John 4:20) To me, a Muslim is simply a person who hasn't been exposed to the life changing power of the Gospel. They are my neighbors and brothers. Jesus makes no distinction who can come and seek the refuge of the blood stained cross, and neither should Bible believing Christians. The reality is, Christians have been grafted into the vine – Gentiles and Samaritans were the outcasts when Jesus walked the earth. We should fully understand how a demonized Muslim must feel!
You may be wondering if I ever received a response back from the letter I sent. I did. This nationally known writer stood by the story, did not offer any proof to back up the substance of the article, and ended it tersely with, “ As for losing you as a reader, I'm happy to see you go. ” (Notice how “Christian” of an attitude this is.) I never said in my letter I wouldn't read their site again. The closest thing that could be misconstrued was, “This is the reason I don't rely on your site for news without checking multiple sources.”
This is quite disturbing; when a reader asks a news source to back up a highly questionable story and they not only refuse, but politely tell you to take your “eyeball traffic” elsewhere, this all but confirms the story is false.
Out of curiosity, I did a search on their website about the notorious New York Times fake news sources scandal (for hypocritical comparison); it didn't show up, but they took time to bash CBS' Dan Rather for releasing the questionable National Guard documents pertaining to President Bush's military service. Seems what is good for the goose is not good for the gander. They can demand proof from others, but they won't supply it when they're asked?
As for “Jihad Jaara”, I did discover an interesting tidbit: the CIA trained him.
I wonder what Jesus would say about all of this.
Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found here , relijournal.com articles here , and picable.com images here . If you enjoyed this article, consider digging it with others.
