Friday, February 19, 2010

A stirring event



This morning I attended the Freedom Defense Initiative’s inaugural event at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Held in tandem with the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, this event was arranged by Jihad Watch director Robert Spencer, Islam’s most trenchant contemporary critic, and Pamela Geller, compiler of the outstanding Atlas Shrugs blog.

This was a stirring event with dynamic speakers, each with a compelling story. Former Defense Department analyst Stephen Coughlin was exceedingly informative, and his point that official American self-censorship regarding Islam and jihad has given the enemy a "decisive victory in the information battlespace" was truly chilling. Coughlin, whose perceptions got him crosswise with Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England’s Muslim sidekick Hesham Islam and later excluded from the DoD, insisted that those entrusted with protecting Americans from Islamic terrorism have a “professional duty to know” about the roots of said terrorism’s doctrine in Islamic scripture and tradition. After all, he pointed out, the murderous rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, by Muslim U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan had a “doctrinal driver,” as evinced by Hasan’s own presentation to his Army medical colleagues calling for Muslim service personnel to be accorded conscientious objector status lest “adverse events” occur. The enemy, Coughlin observed, has stated his doctrine. Can we, he enquired, be politically correct and threat-focused at the same time? No way – because, he concluded, “You cannot defeat an enemy you will not define.” Coughlin's thesis on jihad doctrine may be accessed here. It is lengthy but gripping, and is a must-read.

Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan, a native of Syria and now an American, gave a ringing indictment of Islam – a creed, she declared, that is “not merely a religion but an extremely dangerous adversary that aspires to world domination.” Sultan, who had the grit to take on a Muslim cleric in his own Arabic tongue on Al-Jazeera TV, pointed out that the Islamic teachings cited by Muslims who demand an exemption for their co-religionists from new airport scanning techniques are the very teachings that motivated 19 Muslims to fly airliners into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon on 9/11, thus necessitating the scanning in the first place. This she characterized as “absolutely outrageous.” She concluded by quoting Thomas Paine in her exhortation to resist Islam "now - right now!" Sultan has written a book about her experiences, titled “A God Who Hates: The Courageous Woman Who Inflamed the Muslim World Speaks Out Against the Evils of Islam” (St. Martin’s Press).

Simon Deng, African-born and now an American, appeared, he said, as "a voice for those who have no voice," remaining as they do under Islam's yoke in his native Sudan. He told of being captured by Arab bands as a child and enslaved for three years. But today, he declared, “I stand before you as a free man in a free nation.” He warned Americans against complacency in the face of the international jihad. Anders Gravers of Denmark, leader of SIOE (Stop the Islamisation of Europe) and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff of Austria, who is facing spurious “hate speech” charges in her native country, spoke eloquently about the grim situation regarding Islam and free speech in Europe. And Allen West, a retired U.S. Army light colonel and a candidate for Congress in the 22nd District of Florida, referred in his talk to the Treaty of Hudibayah and Muhammad's letter to the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, showing that he has read into the history of Islamic imperialism (truly a rarity among politicians). “Sharia (Islamic law) is incompatible with who we are,” he declared, pointedly adding that “I’m not living as a dhimmi (Islamic subject).” He concluded by quoting Ronald Reagan’s succinct policy - “We win, they lose!” – in which the crowd joined in, giving him a thunderous ovation afterwards.

This event was a great lift. Listening to these brave leaders gave me hope and rekindled my own resolve. Kudos to Robert and Pamela for getting them together and ensuring they were heard.

Photo credit: Pamela Geller

3 comments:

Always On Watch said...

I found Simon Deng's speech to be so moving.

And what a warning he has issued! I fear that too many Americans cannot imagine that "it could happen here."

Gravers presented quite the catalogue of dhimmitude and Islamification. Oh, that more Americans knew of what Gravers spoke! They don't, of course, because of the lamestream media.

I'm so glad that I made time to attend FDI's inaugural event.

Morgan Wright said...

I've posted videos of Coughlin, Sultan, Deng and West here:

http://thethinblueonline.com/?page_id=651

Smokey said...

Coughlin's Revenge
February 20, 12:38 AMSan Jose Republican ExaminerAnnie Hamilton
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Ignorance is death
www.Annie-Hamilton.com
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CPAC is certainly kicking off in high gear. On the menu this year? Islam and Free Speech, a session inviting more than a few whiners from CAIR.
An upcoming panel relating to jihad has spokesthug Ibrahim 'Doug' Hooper's panties twisted into a wad. It's been a rough year for CAIR; the publication of 'Muslim Mafia;' their flurry of lawsuits and frustrated PR wave in an effort to squash what they're referring to as 'the 'outrageous lies spread about the religion of peace!' big smile. note: the lawsuits have been unsuccessful. They are baseless.
It's only going to get worse for these folks as Americans nationwide have been alerted to jihad, dualism, roots of terror, including comparisons between the Nazis and modern radicals http://http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=20831 The boys in the Mo's Brotherhood probably thought much of the 'efforts' to educate America would die down once they 'rid themselves' of Stephen Coughlin from his position at the Pentagon for being too 'strong' in his opinions against radical Islam. (I hate that Coughlin was fired but the idea that the pro-Islam dolts within the system thought that somehow this might make him 'less' potent truly makes me smile)
You guessed it. Coughlin is the featured presenter for the jihad event at CPAC this year. I'm thrilled and joining him will be; Lt. Colonel Allen West, War Hero and Candidate for Congress,Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, Austria, Activist, Anders Gravers, Danish Leader, SIOE, Simon Deng, Ex-Slave, Sudan, Human Rights Activist.
I can only imagine that Hooper and his fellow mosque dwellers are wondering how this could have happened and see this as ultimate betrayal.
Coughlin's message must be heard. He warns of the threat, the western penetration of Islam that sounds far-fetched to most Americans and when writing about it, invokes cries of 'fear-mongering' or 'inciting hatred' or 'writing offensive material' (that last one applies to one of my articles recently) This is not uncommon and often the result of pressure from the 'offended' community who engages in dualism; a passive-aggressive slow-growing societal cancer that is difficult to put one's finger on unless you're trained to 'see' it or truly understand the underlying elements and can clip them quickly and efficiently, each time they're encountered in everyday life.
As it is, Townhall published my article and it ended up with far more exposure then it would have had it not 'offended' individuals. (what first amendment?)
It's critical to press on, as without people willing to stomach the criticism of others, jihad prevails. Geert Wilders is on trial for his life for refusing to stay silent. He's been desperate to warn America that it's time to stop with the concerns of political correctness, especially when the muslims of Europe are throwing around ridiculous terms such as Islamophobia' although there is no such thing. It's a similar principle to theft. If you 'knew' someone was going to steal from you eventually, you'd watch your wallet around them or avoid them altogether, right? Would that make you 'greedy?' no. Islam calls for the destruction of infidels. The definition of 'infidel' is Jew or Christian. Therefore, avoiding muslims, being distrustful of them, even the 'nice' ones is not islamaphobia.
it's called rational thought.


http://http://www.danielpipes.org/2236/spreading-islam-in-american-public-schools
http://http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1958902,00.html