Terrorism-Islamo-Fascism-Hatred Awareness...

I've been troubled that last few days, and while I'm having a difficult time firmly articulating my anxiety, I want to share it with you all anyway.

A few days ago on campus a friend of mine came back from the bathroom saying, "You won't believe what was posted on the bathroom wall! A flyer for 'Terrorism Awareness Week' - October 22-26 here on campus!" Uh, 'cuse me? What? Terrorism awareness? My first thoughts were a mix of confusion and anger. Are we all not sensitively aware of terrorism? Isn't it piped into our every waking breathe day in and day out? Haven't we heard it as every fifth word or so for over six years now? What exactly is it that the event sponsors would like us to become aware of? My fear is that their response would be closer to propagating hatred than I feel comfortable with.

So, we looked the event up online. Apparently the DePaul Conservative Alliance are the folks sponsoring DePaul's event, which will feature speakers Robert Spencer and Amir Abbas Fakhravar on the topic "War with Iran?", a screening of the film Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West (for a longer, 12 minute preview go here and scroll to the bottom), and an info table.

But we also realized that it's not just DePaul, but a whole network of over 200 universities and colleges across the nation and a few overseas, that are running Awareness Weeks. But most everywhere else, it's not called "Terrorism Awareness Week." No, it's called "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week." That was enough to make me choke a little bit.

On the website "A Student’s Guide to Hosting Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" it says that the purpose of this "wake-up call for Americans" is as follows:

The purpose of this protest is as simple as it is crucial: to confront the two Big Lies of the political left: that George Bush created the war on terror and that Global Warming is a greater danger to Americans than the terrorist threat. Nothing could be more politically incorrect than to point this out. But nothing could be more important for American students to hear. In the face of the greatest danger Americans have ever confronted, the academic left has mobilized to create sympathy for the enemy and to fight anyone who rallies Americans to defend themselves. According to the academic left, anyone who links Islamic radicalism to the war on terror is an "Islamophobe." According to the academic left, the Islamo-fascists hate us not because we are tolerant and free, but because we are "oppressors." Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week is a national effort to oppose these lies and to rally American students to defend their country.

Sigh... It may be me and my "leftist" views, but I honestly, truly, and deeply believe that calls to rally against "the enemy" to "defend my country" is a call to hate, not peace. (I also think calling global warming a distraction against the bigger threat of terrorism is bullshit. Apples and oranges. Why the competitive nature to rank the value of two serious concerns? It's kind of like the "Don't yuck someone's yum" adage. If people want to work to lessen global warming, don't tell 'em they can't cuz YOU wanna focus on terrorism. The world and the world's concerns are bigger than YOUR agenda. We've all got work to do. Peace, brother. Damn.) And, I believe that efforts like "Terrorism Awareness" and "Islamo-Fasicm Awareness" are some very dangerous spaces with a high potential for inciting additional harm. I feel more fear because of their existence then without.

But it gets more complicated. (Life aways does.) "Islamo-Fascim Awareness Week" is a project of the Terrorism Awareness Project which, to the best of my understanding, was created by David Horowitz and his folks at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. Horowitz and his Center are the primary folks working to organize all these events. Horowitz is also the editor of the online conservative political magazine FrontPageMag where one can read more of his perspectives and thoughts, particularly in his blog, which I personally find disturbing but would certainly encourage folks to evaluate for themselves.

But what really strikes me is reading Horowitz' bio, which identifies him as a lifelong civil rights activist. Among other things, it says

David Horowitz is an outspoken opponent of censorship and racial preferences, and a defender of the rights of minorities and other groups under attack -- including the rights of blacks, gays, women, Jews, Muslims, Christians and white males.

(And this coming on the heels of giving Ann Coulter a thumbs up for wishing for the "perfection" of Jews, aka - that they'd become Christians. I mean, isn't that what ALL good Christians want?!... Apparently not this Christian.) And I think "opponent of censorship" is his way of saying I shouldn't speak out against his encouragement of hatred as unwanted, distasteful, and dangerous. (And, from my own opinionated soapbox: since when did most white males need defending? I don't want to hurt any feelings, but have you ever heard of the history of institutionalized oppression we all live in, in which all BUT white males have experienced SOME level of right restrictions?! I mean, I'm all love-love for my male brothers, but it's time for a change. I'm not wishing any male any ill, but in order for others to receive the rights they are currently being denied, some of us (including myself) must make change in our own lives.) I guess it just goes to show the sheer power of words. One person may call me a bigot and another label me a revolutionary. It all depends on their vantage of my consistent behavior.

A DePaul student spoke about this same power of language when considering the "Terrorism Awareness" events coming up. She said

Last year, I took a class "Islam and Global Contexts." My professor asked us what “terrorism” was. We were all a little taken aback. We had heard this term so often, yet none of us could pinpoint what it actually was. Phrases were formulating on the tips of our tongues, but none were specific enough and others were too vague.

Most people mentioned Islam in connection to it, others correcting them by saying, “No, you mean fundamentalism, or fundamental Islam”. My professor had a retort for this, too. She asked us then, “What does fundamental mean?”...

That conversation re-entered my thoughts [when considering the meaning of Islamo-Fascism]. I thought about the word fascism, about what that little dash connecting it to my own religion was meant to convey. Nothing positive, I assume.

Words carry power. And a lack of critical attention to their meaning and intended meaning is hugely dangerous. While I am not sure if it is in response to "Terrorism Awareness Week," several organizations also on campus (UMMA, OMSA, Religious Studies, University Ministry, Islamic World Studies, and Student Affairs) are sponsoring another event called "The Rhetoric of Terrorism: Language is Power. Strive for Peace." which invites students to "explore how we can build a stronger and more hopeful future by understanding the -isms, their usage and their power."

It seems a more hopeful start to me...

As I said, these are issues I'm struggling with. While I have few certainties in the complexity of our political world, I know that "Terrorism Awareness" and "Islamo-Fascism" give me a sick feeling in my stomach and instills in me an undeniable fear that the only thing to be gained by them is increased hatred, which is not where I want to be heading.

And so I'll keep moving forward, working to increase my understanding, listening to everyone's thoughts and critically, openly considering them, and do my very best to do right in the world. It's hard work for us all.