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Does The Los Angeles Times promotes Muslim traditionalist and suppresses Muslim reformist?

Kambiz Basetvat - 12/10/2010

The number of articles and their aims in the Los Angeles Times covering Islamic issues raise several pressing questions. The frequency of stories, their locations in the paper which pertain their importance, the bias writers of the articles further emphasizes the purpose of the Times for its keenly aware reader. While America leads two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both Muslim countries, and is deeply involved in Palestinian and Israelis conflict for its commitment to Israel security; while the US is in bitter struggle with Islamic Republic regime for its atomic ambitions, in addition to whole volatile Mideast Muslim countries with their valuable oil export for world economy it seems there are sufficient number of journalistic stories to go around. Still there are home front stories which deal with Islamist complains, grievances, impositions, and demands. But the Los Angeles times offers further effort to publish Islamic issues and religious exhibitions.
The avalanche of articles concerning Muslim issues with overall agenda and proposal of their victimization no matter whether it is coverage of the wars, a social exhibition of Muslims completely in contrast with American free society and individuality, or the implementation of Stone Age Sharia laws. The reader witnesses the Times full coverage of jihadist propaganda Staged Theater with hall mark of Islamists total disregard for human life friends, foes, or innocents. In Times’ views, the Islamists authorities are not responsible for Muslims hardship which they lead, but the enemies the Islamists leaderships have chosen to fight are responsible for Muslims misfortune. Why the Times does not report Muslims reformist, progressives or seculars point of views’ concerning issues of Islam who are in a struggle with Islamists jihadist and traditionalist adhered to Sharia? What is so admirable in small group of Islamists or Muslims traditionalists that the Times is so eager to present them as Muslims representatives in the US and the whole world? The point of view of hundreds of thousands Muslims living in Los Angeles is ignored by the Times in favor of a few Mosque going Muslims. For example although hundreds of secular Iranians attending at UCLA, times chooses to print an student with head scarf “LET’S TALK TURKEY” as Iranian; or Times prints Iraqi women in a stage of religious hysteria and psychotic stage “Iraq’s Shiites Undeterred” . Does LA Times aim to normalize the abnormal in America or reduce civilized people sensibility to human behavioral which belongs to dark era of mankind history?
The Times coverage of Turkish Islamists challenge to Gaza Strip imports blockade under the slogan of “humanitarian flotilla” is case in point. The reporter totally and absolutely takes the events out of context and does not treat combatants fairly. Our writer stresses on the hardship of people of the Gaza Strip while ignores the dictatorial regime of Hamas responsibilities, the nature of Hamas Islamist and extent of its political ambitions and supports. What is entirely clear is that Hamas rise to power during last several years has a direct relation to misery of Gaza’s people. Day by day, the combative policies of Hamas toward Egypt and Israeli are making life harder for people of Gaza. This is not what readers observe in the pro-Hamas writer article. For the Times’ writers, what is important is to make the point against those who standing on the way of Hezb Allah’s another stage of victory. And the times is complacent by being more worried to comfort Islamists tactical defeat and turn it to a propaganda victory than reporting the struggle to keep America alert for its survival.
In a first page article “Gaza’s plight a crisis with a difference” Mr. Sanders tells the story of a Gaza’s infant death while parents’ infant of were trying to get permission to take her to Israel for medical treatment. Also, the article brings up unemployment and imports restrictions to Gaza. In a short paragraph, our writer informs the reader that Hamas controls Gaza without mentioning Hamas is in a state of war with Israel and is responsible for firing missiles to Israel or imply its responsibility for the well being of people which Hamas controls with an iron fist. One can speculate if there is a procedure in Israel for Palestinians to go to Israel for medical treatment there should be many Palestinians who take the advantage of this opportunity. Of course, the ease of travel to Israel depends on intensity of Hamas hostile policy towards Israel. For our writer there is no intention of rationally blaming the guilty party for death of an innocent infant but relaying on his readers emotion to achieve sense of victimization for Muslims who actually suffering in the hand of Hamas. The truth of the matter is if Gaza’s political leadership pursues peace with Israel Gaza’s people can prosper and flourish, but that is not what the Islamists are capable of.
The Times in a series of articles related to remembrance of 9/11, Islamist boldest attack in America which caused commencement of two wars, masterfully advances Islamist causes. In an article named “SEPT.11 EVENTS URGE UNITY” our writer writes about two groups of people: One group is remembering close to 3000 people senseless brutal murder by hard core Islamist Jihadist who consider every single American deserves to be murdered. However, the other group is the Muslim community of Los Angeles which reportedly joins the remembrance. Of course the dominant tone is backlash to Muslims of America, who in this day convinced some of their non-Muslim fellow Americans to study Koran; also see “A town’s solidarity answers a hate crime” . None of the Muslims quoted condemn mass murder of Americans perhaps out of fear from fellow Muslim Islamist. The Muslim’s center according to the Times remembered 9/11. But who is the subject of dirge? One can speculate could it be Islamist jihadist who scarified themselves to punish infidels and demonstrate the terror a group of martyr “Shahid” can create. The speakers evade denouncing the Islamist responsible for mass murder of Americans but one declares “we can’t be all blamed for the action of a selected few” or in a sentences with ambiguities another speaker quoted “…it has led to increasing hatred. It has led to a period of religious bashing”.
In an article named “A TIME FOR TOLERANCE” the writer declares his thesis in the first paragraph as follows “as anti-Islamic sentiment has grown louder in recent weeks, American Muslims have responded in a prototypical American way. They have held news conferences, produced Web Videos and launched community services campaigns.” What the writer refers to “as anti-Islamic…” is mostly due wide spread opposition by Americans to Islamist bold decision to build Cordova Islamic Center in proximity of destroyed World Trade Center. Americans are labeled with anti-Islamic sentiment, because they simply oppose the location of The Islamic Center and standing up to an imposing and aggressive attitude of a group of Islamist, who are testing limits of Americans patience and pushing the envelopes. The shameless and aggressive group of Islamist and their supporters, who hatched the idea of Cordova Islamic center, portrayed by LA Times “to turn fear and hatred into respect and tolerance”. It seems standing up to Islamist ideological advances in view of the Times is manifestation of hatred and fear. Without considering the contemporary history of America and the nature of actors in the time and place, our writer makes a clever comparison of discrimination between Islamist and Jews which is like comparing apples to oranges. Is it necessary to remind the writer that Islamists are at war with America? And Jews never challenged American way of life contrary to Islamists who consider it the corruption of the earth. Also, Muslims never have been subjected to the kind of discrimination that Jews have.
Around the world Muslims have their own struggle among themselves; between Muslim progressives and modernist with traditional Muslims. As the Muslim countries or countries with considerable Muslim population technologically modernized and progressed, for progressive Muslims the Islam’s traditional social norms seemed out dated and such norms re-evaluation and most of the times their abandonment appeared paramount. The traditional Muslim society was framed in a uniformity and conformity with brutal punishment for individuals’ straying-out of pre-determined boundaries of traditional Islamic norms. In modern Muslim societies schism is wide and deep amid reformist and seculars with traditionalist Muslims. With the beginning of twentieth century, the victorious first wave of secular government in Muslim countries began (Turkey and Iran) and dragged their countries out of economic and social backwardness while confronted and suppressed Islamist sever political challenges. Now, Iran already was lost to aggressive Islamic Republic and republic of Turkey abandoning its secular identity and leaning further to its Islamic past. The Arab secular dictatorships of Mideast and North Africa losing ground to Islamist advances. The inherent Ideological force of Islam captures small group of Muslims which could be identified as Islamist. The majority of Muslims are a mixture of practicing Muslims, none practicing, and secular Muslims, overall known as Muslims but clearly can be differentiated from Islamists.
Islamists are the driving force behind the spread of militant traditional Islam. The Islamist models their fighting spirit after seventh century militaristic expansion of Islam first in Arabic Peninsula then to the east to Chinese border and to the west to Europe.
The Los Angeles Times in its attempt to portray the normality of practicing Muslims in America goes a long way. In an article named “Videos aim to normalize” and subtitled “Grassroots campaign aims to show that ‘Muslims are like everyone else’ the writer tries to show there is nothing abnormal in Islam’s confined rules for Muslims. The article based on the response to Americans opposition to proposed location of Cordova Islamic Center which was characterized by the writer as anti-Muslim rhetoric. The miss-characterization embarks on from the beginning of the article. The article talks about certain group of Muslims who post their video talking about themselves and “then launch into prewritten massage about Islam teaching. They say that Muslims do not want to impose their religion on others and should not be feared.” Any impartial observer can see, the Americans opposition to location of the Islamic center is directly related to Islamist direct involvement in murder of 3000 innocent Americans and Americans do not fear Muslims but check the Islamist. The article goes on to suggest every Muslim should make its own video and post it on certain web side. And according to article those who appear in videos stress on regularity of their life and love for sport. What is missing in these videos is the mention of original question and controversy. What is your position about location of this Islamic center? In this article there are amazing amount of twisting facts going around and raises the question of LA times motives and goals. Also see “Muslim mayor sticks to the basics”. What this article and others lack is the voice of the majority of American Muslim citizens, who consider themselves reformist or progressive Muslims and have nothing to do with the Islamists who are behind The Islamic Cordova Center and stealing the Muslims representation in America with the collaboration of LA Times.
The Islamists social struggle is exhibition of subjugation of women to the Muslim men who confined themselves to strict Islamic Sharia. Muslim fashion dress code based on hijab is submission of women to surrender its freedom of dress code and sexual attraction as a tool for survival and to find a desired mate. This dress code begins with covering women’s hair and progresses to Borga is designed to socially handicap women and reduce them to reproductive tool and pleasure for men. The other consequence of women loss of freedom and subjugation is the definite possibility for older man to marry younger women as low as 9 years old, because in Islamic society women have been reduced to commodity those who can afford are able to have the women of their choice. The financial necessity for acquiring women introduces the class aspect of society into marriage. The wealthy older and young men can marry to as many women as they desire. In Islamic society, for marriage, the odds are stacked against young poor men and it is visible that usually men get married in their late twentieth and thirtieth to women in their teens. The age differences between men and women in Islamic society are a norm, unless the young man is from wealthy family which could be fall into category with several wives. Since in Islamic society boys and girls are not playmate and they can’t grow up together, when they become men and women they don’t have common history. Consequently, the marriage is not about love and passion for a same age couple successful shared life. The dominance of age difference and class in Islamic society for marriage divides husbands and wives with the generational gap differences and disconnect.
In the article “Disney restaurant hostess sues for right to wear hijab” the sympathetic writer clearly not a Muslim reformist, the importance of social exposition of Muslim code of dress and women’s conduct well demonstrated and the clear attempt was made to normalize the abnormal in happiest place in America. The story prevails the planning which went into hostess wearing hijab (head coverage or hair coverage) including fellow Muslim supporters and media coverage. The reader was informed that for last two years she has been working without hijab and recently became a US citizen. She suddenly decides to wear hijab with the support of traditional Muslims and chooses to go home instead of removing her hijab which is against Disney costume. The irony is even the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will be used to launch the beginning of discrimination and subjugation of Muslim women. The hijab by choice in the US is mandatory in Islamic countries and maybe in the Muslim household in the US. Also we know where the hijab’s road ends up to which is absolute loss of women’s freedom. What legalizes killing of daughters and wives in the hands of husbands, fathers, brothers, cousins and wrongfully called “honor killing” is the extension of Hijab and Sharia.
The reformers, progressives and secular Muslims in Muslim countries fighting hard to free Islam from Sharia and elevate Islam to be compatible with modern time, while the Islamist by adhering to Sharia trying to sink Islam to its past. The leaders of modern Muslim countries all were reformers of Islam, the Shahs of Iran, Ataturk of turkey, Arab countries Military regimes leaders all were reformers of Islam, even Saddam Hussein of Iraq was a Muslim reformer. These Muslim reformer leaders were not appreciated even some of them were subject of hatred for their political actions until global treat of Islamist commenced.
In another article “Malaysia addresses national woes with an ad campaign” the conflicts of a modern society and Islamic conservatism being exposed. The article reports “church burning, pig heads dumped in mosques, Muslim girls caned for premarital sex and interminable sodomy trial of a senior political figure.” The article clearly demonstrates that the government has no intention of confronting the Islamist extremist. The government instead “hires a high powered U.S. public relation firm” to overcome the fundamental problem with slogan of national unity. It is not hard to predict the Islamist challenge needs a confrontation or capitulation.
The Times in an article titled “Cruel justice grows along with Taliban’s influence” reports brutality of Islamists in Afghanistan which is stoning of an unmarried couple. In view of human rights groups, according to the article, religious conservatives and tribal leaders are emboldened because Taliban’s prevailing influence over central government dissipating control. In this article the assumptions for implementation of Sharia law is totally wrong, Taliban militarily are in run; also they never lose a chance to carry out stoning punishment. In Afghanistan the Islamist carries out the harshest Sharia punishment to terrorize Muslim moderates and reformist and they are going to enforce Sharia law until they are being stopped. The writer early in her writing falls into reporting Taliban’s propaganda and acceptance of them as partner for government which leads to evacuation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization military force; the outcome which satisfies pacifists of antiwar activist and Islamist forces of Taliban. The writer continues with a hopeless vision of future for Afghanistan and no possibility of social advancement and change for people contrary to Muslim reformists and seculars’ aspiration.
The times in a span of approximately two month in every article which deals with Islamic issues sympathizes with conservatives, hard core Muslims and Islamists and totally ignores progressive Muslims. The majority of Muslims in America are refuges from Islamists in their own countries such as Iran. The Muslim progressives, reformers, and seculars facing the same problem they had in their counties which was being censored and ignored. This is what is happening in America all over again and Times become complacent in suppressing voice of majority of Muslims in favor of conservative Muslims and Islamists. America must know voice of millions of reformist, progressive, and secular Muslims are ignored; these are Muslims who don’t believe Muslim women must were hijab and consider that a great disgrace. In no circumstances, Islamic hijab should be promoted and no major news paper should promote wearing of Islamic Hijab. The modern Islam categorically will be degraded buy promotion of hijab and Muslim reformers, progressives, and seculars believe it must be discarded. The Majority of Muslims do not believe the Cordova Islamic Center should be built where it is proposed by Islamist and don’t wish to associate with this kind of imposition.