First…some kind words…

Loonwatch is a website I visit daily. They are not only a great source for tracking incidence of anti-Muslim crime, but they also do a praise worthy job of critiquing the vile rhetoric of famous Islamophobes like Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, Frank Gaffney and a long list of others. On their "About" page, Loonwatch describes themselves as:

"…a blogzine run by a motley group of hate-allergic bloggers to monitor and expose the web's plethora of anti-Muslim loons, wackos, and conspiracy theorists.
While we find the sheer stupidity and outrageousness of the loons to be a source of invaluable comedy, we also recognize the seriousness of the danger they represent as dedicated hatemongers. And so, while our style reflects our bemusement, our content is fact checked and our sources well vetted making sure loonwatch.com is a reliable educational – if entertaining – resource on the rambunctious underworld of Muslim-bashing."

That's certainly a noble mission statement—but are they living up to it?

Now…the criticism…

I was particularly disturbed by a recent post, entitled "Oskar Freysinger: Board Member of SIOA Allegedly a Closet Anti-Semite."

Though Oskar Freysinger is certainly worthy of contempt for his "history of open and blatant anti-Muslim animus," his "successful campaign to ban minarets," and his current effort "to ban the niqab," I found it completely unnecessary to use that as a platform to reinforce the "anti-Semite" narrative.

According to the article:

"Apparently Freysinger was in a debate with a man named Alain Soral, who seems to be close to Marine Le Pen's party, the FN or Front National. Soral has been accused of being an anti-Semite, and speaks a lot about "Zionist conspiracies." Nonetheless Soral claims that before the debate Freysinger stated that "a person has to declare themselves Zionist since this is a requirement to access the media in the West, and to play any type of leading political role."

After a few paragraphs, the author concludes:

"If the above witnesses and Soral are to be trusted Oskar Freysinger is lying, his belief that Jews run the media is an old anti-Semitic trope, as is the idea that an all powerful Jewish cabal runs the world, that's Protocols of the Elders of Zion talk."

Forget about Freysinger for a moment. Is the author dismissing "Zionist conspiracies?" Is the author suggesting that there is no element of truth in the statement: "a person has to declare themselves Zionist since this is a requirement to access the media in the West, and to play any type of leading political role."

While I may not agree that—in all cases—you must swear an allegiance to the Zionist agenda to have access to Western media or enter into Western politics, it would be naïve to suggest that you can remain there for long (in any influential capacity) if you speak out against it. Ask actor/director Mel Gibson, journalist Helen Thomas, former congressman James Trafficant, and former CNN host Rick Sanchez…these are just a few recent examples.

So far as Zionist conspiracies are concerned, I would ask the author to simply consult the Palestinian people—who have now been forced to live on 14-20% of their original homeland—and ask them if they are not the victims of a "Zionist conspiracy? The entire state of Israel is the fulfillment of a "Zionist conspiracy," which is still being expanded upon today with the full endorsement and funding of the United States.

The "Zionist conspiracy" to attack Iran was most recently shown on full display in Washington D.C. during the recent annual AIPAC conference, where 13-14,000 plus delegates from across the gathered to talk up war against Israel's latest enemy. Not only did the President of the United States declare that he's "got Israel's back," but almost every single U.S. Senator, Congressman and Presidential candidate attended to bow at the feet of Israel.

And the "Zionist conspiracy," is not just confined to Palestine and Iran. I would suggest the author read Oded Yinon's "A Strategy for Israel in the Nineteen Eighties," which sets out a "Zionist conspiracy" to conquer MENA from (at least) the Nile to the Tigris–Euphrates. I would also suggest reading and "A Clean Break: A New Strategy For Securing The Realm."

These are not "conspiracy theories," these are conspiracy facts!

I titled my piece "Is Loonwatch Legit…?" That's a valid question. There appears to be some kind of alliance between Loonwatch, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. Loonwatch casts them in a favorable light. In fact, the same article I have been critiquing starts off with:

"When Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer and John Jay created Stop the Islamization of America based on a European organization called Stop the Islamization of Europe, Loonwatch exposed them for being hate filled zealot fanatics out to dehumanize Muslims. Following our article the SPLC and ADL agreed with our assessment and designated SIOA a hate group." [emphasis mine]

This isn't the first time they have shown common cause with these groups. On several occasions, Loonwatch has promoted studies, articles and reports by the SPLC and ADL as though they are credible allies in the fight against Islamophobia.

Let's get on thing straight: There is nothing sincere about the SPLC and the ADLwhen it comes to Muslims. For one thing, the SPLC is a group of ambulance chasers that warm up to minority groups for one main reason: money! They specialize in representing victims of racially motivated crimes so they can get a piece of the action (settlement money).

And the ADL can hardly be described as a pro-Muslim group. They enthusiastically support the ethnic cleansing in Palestine, opposed the construction of an Islamic community Center in New York, and regularly sponsor law enforcement officials on trips to Israel for so-called "counter terrorism" training. They also recently awarded their "International Leadership Award" to media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who is arguably at the very forefront of propagating anti-Islamic rhetoric and war promotion.

What both of these organizations intend to do is offer solace and comfort to frightened American Muslims and essentially say, "Don't you worry…we'll protect you from those terrible Christians—they've been persecuting us for years!"

Of course these two Jewish organizations will never admit that it is the Zionist aspect of Christian Zionism that is at the core of Islamophobia. Christ never once identified Muslims as a threat to Christians—they wouldn't even be around for another 500 years. However—the Zionists of today, as well as their heroes from the Torah, have been targeting the inhabitants of the Middle East and Africa for a long, long time.

Another concern I have about Loonwatch is the veiled nature in which it conducts itself. I would be very interested in knowing what this "motley group of hate-allergic bloggers" consists of? Most of those writing there go by what I assume to be aliases, such as Danios, Garibaldi, Llisha, etc. That makes it quite difficult to vet these persons. What's their background? What other organizations are they affiliated with? Who gives them their funding?

I hope that Loonwatch is sincere, but I cannot be certain if they are a legitimate ally of the Muslim world, or if they have the same agenda as the SPLC and the ADL: To deflect attention away from the Zionist roots of Islamophobia and pit Muslims against Christians in a "Clash of Civilizations?"

UPDATE: A reader located an article on Loonwatch that was written by the same author–Garibaldi–dated Sept. 10, 2010. It reads like it was written by an entirely different person. It's entitled "The Connection Between Zionism & Organized Islamophobia." It begins:

"Much has been said about the disproportionate Zionist presence in the world of organized Islamophobia. Now we learn that there is more to that claim than unfounded conspiracy theories. It turns out the main funder of anti-Muslim blogger/anti-Park51 organizer Robert Spencer and his hate site JihadWatch are husband and wife duo Aubrey and Joyce Chernick, the same couple are ardent supporters of Zionist causes and major funders of pro-Israel groups across the country."

It's a damn good piece of work. Except for this part, which sounds like a pretty naive observation:

"How comfortable do the leaders of the ADL, AJC and others feel about receiving money from a couple who at the same time are the chief funders of an organization and a group of anti-Muslim bigots who are leading the charge in fomenting anti-Muslim sentiment across the United States?"

I don't think the ADL and AJC lost a wink of sleep, Garibaldi.

So what has happened between then and now that has made Garibaldi do an about-face? It wouldn't be the first time a person has changed their tune, or toned down their criticism of Zionism after being threatened with persecuction. Jewish groups are very effective at ruining professional and academic careers. I don't mean to pick on this author, but it is better to abandon the cause altogether than provide 95% truth laced with 5% propaganda.