Advised by a PR firm to apologize, the director Meg Smaker said "What was I apologizing for? For trusting my audience to make up their own mind?"
Smaker spent 16 months inside a Saudi rehabilitation facility interviewing former Guantánamo detainees.
The attacks came from what the NYT characterizes as "the left":
Arab and Muslim filmmakers and their white supporters accused Ms. Smaker of Islamophobia and American propaganda. Some suggested her race was disqualifying, a white woman who presumed to tell the story of Arab men.
The filmmaker Assia Boundaoui, said: "To see my language and the homelands of folks in my community used as backdrops for white savior tendencies is nauseating. The talk is all empathy, but the energy is Indiana Jones."
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76 comments:
It’s not a “phobia” if there’s actually something to be afraid of. All I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11.
As far as a film having the “energy” of Indiana Jones, that sounds like a good thing to me. As Nigel Tufnel would say, “What’s wrong with being sexy?”
The Left is paralyzed. It can’t accept Free Speech because it is so authoritarian.
Haven't seen the film. Probably won't ever see the film. And there goes aother academic argument that will pass me by at the end of this sentence.
“I failed, failed and absolutely failed to understand just how exhausted by and disgusted with the perpetual reality of Muslim men and women as terrorists or former terrorists or potential terrorists i am."
maybe (just, Maybe), if The overwhelming Majority of terrorists were NOT muslims, things would be different
my guess is that Abigail was More Than a little concerned;
that exhausted, disgusted Muslims would KILL her because of this
I can't see the article and there is nothing about what each side wants to say.
It is NYT's and this is left on left with Disney and Muslims so we can just assume the NYT's is being dishonest and this article isn't worth reading anyways.
The leftists at Disney probably tried to make their violent allies look as good as possible.
And that wasn't good enough for their Muslim allies.
How far into the article before the true evil is mentioned? We all know it is Trump and his supporters that are the real terrorists.
"exhausted by and disgusted with the perpetual representation of Muslim men and women as terrorists or former terrorists"
This is prog gaslighting. No American media represent Muslim men that way. Actual images and discussion of the actual Muslim men committing the 9/11 attacks have been nicely cleansed. The attribution of a supposed perpetual representation is just one element in the use of the islamophobia trope to undermine any western criticism of Islam and support prog attacks on western culture, or what's left of it.
And when was the last time the largest mass attack on women in recent European history, by Muslim men in Rotherham, was examined in the US MSM?
Comme Saturne . . . .
Abigail's been watching too many "Taliban Tom and Jihad Jerry" cartoons.
But that's not the problem. The Muslim community has no reluctance to complain about being unfavorably portrayed, whenever it happens, however accurately. These activists have tapped into the grievance infrastructure just fine, just like every other organized minority group. But tapping in is an activity done in complete safety. When will we start hearing Muslims condemning jihad violence? Where is the moderate Muslim community to speak up forcefully when a suicide bomber strikes and kills innocents? That's right, crickets. And in truth, they're almost as terrified of upsetting the complaining subset as they are of the jihadis themselves. Those that are tapping into the grievance model are just a subset of jihadis themselves, really. If Muslims don't like the pictures being painted, they're free to express themselves to show their investment in the social community. But right now, they behave like a battered wife.
It was not Muslimophobia.
The jury just figured that with a name like Smaker's the film had to be good.
Not exhausted enough to stop generating terrorists.
I do wish people would stop groveling at the slightest criticism. Were you threatened? Wouldn't that mean you were over the target?
Man up, woman!
From the article: "More than 230 filmmakers signed a letter denouncing the documentary. A majority had not seen it."
She spent 16 months working on something that gets undone in the 5 minutes it takes for the mob to sign a letter.
She thought good intentions matter. Heck -- according to the article they thought it would be the dreaded conservatives who would criticize the film.
How naive she was, to not see that her leftist peers and colleagues would be the ones to inevitably turn on her. Scorpion and the frog, etc etc.
A retweet from her Twitter from awhile back:
"We just hosted the first gathering of Saudi Female Filmmakers with
@meighon. So amazing to see all the young and upcoming talent. Look forward to a bright future together.…..."
Sweet summer child: welcome to the Deplorables.
I am Laslo.
part of the levick group's publica relations, that i've gone through earlier,
one guest of that facility abdullah al asiri, tried to blow up the prince who ran it, the nicer son of the interior minister,
I cannot comment until I see the film.
Doubtful I will.
another, said al shehri who riffed a scene out of casino royale, to get out, was a key enabler of the underwear bomber, he helped fund the action wing of the yemeni branch,
A hunch? ... When two rigid, delicate, yet religiously authoritarian anti-free speech groups collide.
The white elite left and the world of Islam.
Since race now determines who can talk about whom, can we stop with black people analyzing and complaining about white people?
Interesting that a documentary film maker decided to make a film without reading the core documents of Islam, Qur'an, hadiths, siri.
“I failed, failed and absolutely failed to understand just how exhausted by and disgusted with the perpetual representation of Muslim men and women as terrorists or former terrorists or potential terrorists the Muslim people are."
Well not so long ago Catholics had to deal with representation we all obeyed ever utterance from the Pope. Kennedy showed otherwise... Pelosi showed you could advocate murder of unborn (partial birth) and the Pope would still not excommunicate you.
We also had to deal with the priest/pedophile scandal(s).
Now as for Muslim men/women... well in the Korean it actually does say to kill all 'Infidels'!
Quran (9:5) And when the forbidden months have passed, kill the idolaters wherever you find them and take them prisoners, and beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent and observe Prayer and pay the Zakat, then leave their way free. Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.
Note. Idolaters are those that do not believe that Mohamed is their 'prophet'! I.E anyone else by Muslims.
And
Surah 3:151: "We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve (all non-Muslims)
Koran 5.33 maim and crucify the infidels if criticize islam. Koran 8.12 terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than koran.
So... kind of easy to, you know, think all Muslims wanna kill everyone else!
"I can't see the article ... . It is NYT's and this is left on left with Disney and Muslims so we can just assume the NYT's is being dishonest and this article isn't worth reading anyways."
So you have already read your ten free NYT articles for the month Achilles? Seems unlikely. Quite lazy and presumptuous of you to think that you can offer an intelligent and thoughtful comment on an in-depth article without reading it. Even the fact that the article is "left on left" doesn't trigger any curiosity in your stagnant brain.
As for me, I continue to be very worried of Islamic Terrorism and the fact that tens of millions of Muslims still support terror against the west. Thus my open mind is always interested in reading thoughtful articles that may shed light on current Muslim thinking on the matter.
The greenies are working hard to return us to the preindustrial age. Once they succeed, we will be much closer to Islam. Maybe that will be enough to calm the seventh centuyy activists.
moazzem begg, one of the complainants, recruited the underwear bomber to al queda, helped sprng awlaki from prison, where he went on a rampage,
Yet again, I read this article and gather the flavor of the commentary of this issue and yet again, I hear Ronny James Dio singing, “Mob Rules”.
As far as the billions of Muslims who just want to raise a family, you are right, they are quiet. The followers of ISIS, Al-Queda, etc have slaughtered more Muslims than the entire US Marine Corps. They were terrorized long before America was.
“I failed, failed and absolutely failed to understand just how exhausted by and disgusted with the perpetual representation of Muslim men and women as terrorists or former terrorists or potential terrorists the Muslim people are." Said Abigail Disney
To be sure, they were exhausted and disgusted by that representation by the afternoon of September 11, 2001. Often that is the first thing said after yet another Islamist terror attack -- don't blame us -- as if no one has ever read the Koran or knows Islamic history.
It is not Islamophobia, it is Islam fact. When a Muslim commits an abhorrent attack and there is no condemnation from the Muslim community it is Islamic fact. Look at how Islamic governments treat those who do not and will not adhere to the precepts of the koran. Look at what is happening in iran today. Where is the out cry about that ? There is none, there is silence. Western societies are cowards. They refuse to call out the disgusting behaviors of islam. Islam is a cult of hatred and intolerance; misogyny, antisemitetism, anti Christianity, anti-freedom. A cancer on society.
Found a review from the Daily Beast that offers an even handed assessment of the movie Jihad Rehab review Glad I read it; I don’t need to see it.
I keep this link bookmarked in case of emergencies.
lesson here, only red hats are threats to the nation, those who have aided the underwear bomber, shehri, recruited him, begg, targeted ambassador steven bin qumu, they are blameless, even when the drone's camera, is right on them,
Let's change the quote to, “I failed, failed and absolutely failed to understand just how exhausted by and disgusted with the perpetual representation of white men and women as oppressors the white people are."
Oh, no. That won't do at all.
furthermore at least one detainee, who was an embry riddle graduate, al shihri, revealed he did not take the option of being transfered there, because it was a pipeline to al queda and islamic state,
"Meg Smaker"? Seriously?
A childhood of schoolyard taunts of "Meg Smaker is a smegma maker" undergirds her persona, no doubt. Unless it's not her real name or she likes it (since so many other variants than "Meg" are there for the picking).
https://nypost.com/2016/11/28/gitmo-prisoner-reveals-that-saudi-terrorist-rehab-center-is-a-scam/
The good people of Movieworld have issued a cultural fatwa.
Now I want to see the film and judge for myself.
All I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11.
That's a mistake, Clyde. That's like saying, "All I need to know about Trump voters I learned on Jan 6th" or "All I need to know about Trump supporters I learned at Charlottesville." or "All I need to know about Christians I learned from the Inquisition"
"More than 230 filmmakers signed a letter denouncing the documentary. A majority had not seen it."
@Laslo, I am amazed that any of them bothered to see it before jumping on the bandwagon to condemn it.
@Althouse, are you old enough to remember when liberals regarded condemning books without having read them or films without having seen them as the mark of a truly ignorant person? I wonder when that changed?
Personally, I'm "exhausted by and disgusted with the perpetual representation of [white, conservative] men and women as terrorists or former terrorists," not to mention as racists, homophobes, ethnophobes, transphobes, and phobes of just about everything else.
I don’t see how any American woman can support people who perform unwanted and medically unnecessary clitorectomies using flint or obsidian knives in unsanitary conditions and still call herself a feminist. I don’t see how supporting men who force women to wear the hijab or a burqa could ever be consistent with feminism. I don’t accept that an American feminist ought to find it acceptable that Muslim women in countries where a fundamentalist version of Islam predominates are forbidden — at gunpoint if need be — to be educated past the most rudimentary level of reading and writing.
And if you try to argue that we need to be accepting of their culture, or it is not our problem, blah, blah, blah, then you are supporting the status quo, meaning you support the suppression of Muslim women.
Some of the 911 hijackers trained at Gillespie Field in El Cajon California (a San Diego suburb). They also attended the local Muslim mosque in El Cajon. The name of the mosque is "Khalid The Sword Of The Avenger". It's a nice enough place located in an area of El Cajon where there are several churches. I attended a funeral for a distant relative at the Presbyterian church then strolled through the neighborhood. (This in about 2005).
I was struck by the name of the Mosque Militant as it were. Islam--at least in its early history--expanded its territory more by the sword than any of the other major religions.
Schadenfreude.
Em-pathetic appeal with Diversity, Inequity, and Exclusion (DIE) enhancements (e.g. cancel culture). Leftists are infamous for dividing people... persons, men, women, children, and fetal-babies with color judgments (e.g. color blocs) and class-based bigotry (e.g. "Jew privilege", too many People of Yellow or PoY) under nominally "secular" religious philosophies, national and transnational ideologies.
Arabs are white. But not according to this extract. So, is "White" is now code word for Christian White Europeans, Jews and Arabs need not apply?I wonder how many of them understand that?
As for tthe documentatry, I'm allergic to them unless they provide cinemaphotography of something that is interesting. Otherwise, you're better off reading about the subject.
By pure luck of the draw, Disney is rich.
She's also an idiot.
Never listen to anyone who didn't earn their money.
Why has the media censored all photos of people jumping out of the twin towers?
jim1234 has a strong opinion.
Quite lazy and presumptuous of you to think that you can offer an intelligent and thoughtful comment on an in-depth article without reading it. Even the fact that the article is "left on left" doesn't trigger any curiosity in your stagnant brain.
Whereas, jim1234 relies on the NYT for fair and balanced coverage of all issues, especially Trump.
I feel really sick about Meg Smaker's plight. It sounds like she put her heart into making the best movie she could, just to have it be destroyed by bad faith political forces. This is how you cancel someone into oblivion.
I'm surprised that Germans can get out of bed, and Russians, humanitarians (e.g. pro-life), and men, and now women, too. Diversity [dogma] is a toxic philosophy in human affairs.
I was struck by the blithe assumption, early in the article, that all the pushback would be from "conservatives" who would doubtless find Smaker's treatment of the Guantanamo folks as inconveniently "humanizing." Surprise! The world no longer works like that, if it ever did.
"“I failed, failed and absolutely failed to understand just how exhausted by and disgusted with the perpetual representation of Muslim men and women as terrorists or former terrorists or potential terrorists the Muslim people are.""
Hmmm... Maybe it could have sometnhing to do with the inescapablefact is that the vast majority of terrorist acts in the world today are committed by muslims. And- are never ever condemned by any of the world's islamic clergy.Or for that matter, by the average man or woman in the street who happens to be muslim.
The news that muslims in America were celebrating the terrorist act that brought down the World Trade Center was ruthlessly suppressed by the MSM in full cooperation with our government. But- they were.
There is not any area with a substantial islamic population in the minority that doesn't have a constant problem with islamic terrorism and violence.
And there isn't a single non-islamic nation that borders an islamic nation that doesn't have islamic violence problems in it's border provinces or states.
Meanwhile here in the USA, muslims are once again demanding special treatment.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/female-muslim-syracuse-u-students-demand-exclusive-pool-accommodations/
If it were Christians demanding the same it would already be above the fold headline news in every newspaper across America and endless disussion among the talking heads on cable shows about how it would be totally wrong to cave to religious extremists, and in fact, how men should be allowed in women's locker rooms if they are mentally ill and say they're women. Ooops! That last part IS happening.
Notice how no muslim bakery has ever been sued for refusing to decorate a cake for a same sex marriage. Why is that? Is it because the courts would rule in the decorator's favor saying that doing so would violate their religious beliefs? Or are the gays and lawyers bringing such suits fully aware of the possibility of violence and thus don't pursue it?
jim5301 said...
So you have already read your ten free NYT articles for the month Achilles?
i have too. I realize, that things like math, or situational awareness are beyond you jim..
But today is the 25th of sept. How many free articles is that a day? i am SURE, you Don't know
jim continues..
As for me... Thus my open mind is always interested in reading thoughtful articles
Then, WHY do you waste your time on things from the NYT's ? Empty isn't the same as Open.
(Our Professor bravely endures the NYT's for us; i appreciate her sacrifice)
Muslims throw gay people off of buildings. They behead people in front of live audiences. To cheering fans. Never their politicians though, which would be some fine and family-friendly entertainment.
Look at what they do to women. How they treat women. Look at those poor girls in Tehran being murdered for not wearing a fucking tent over themselves.
Muslims need to look into a mirror and see what is reflected back. We see you. Do you see you?
I'm absolutely afraid of these people. Islamaphobic in the same way I'm afraid of a fucking rattlesnake, a charging bear, or a crashing aircraft. Abject rational fear.
They're fucking psychopaths. Jesus H. Christ. You'd be a fool not to fear them. They're horrible, horrible people. All of them. You do not want these people anywhere around you.
These people are seething with envy and resentment.
Achilles said...
I can't see the article and there is nothing about what each side wants to say.
It is NYT's and this is left on left with Disney and Muslims so we can just assume the NYT's is being dishonest and this article isn't worth reading anyways.
---------------
You didn't read the article, but then you still have to comment on it. How stupid.
I read the whole article and thought it was pretty good for the NY Times. It gave both sides of the issue, and in my opinion, was more sympathetic to the film maker who was being cancelled by people who hadn't even watched it. I will definitely try to find a way to watch the documentary now that I have read this thoughtful article. Thanks for the post, Professor.
Except that a large majority of Muslims in ME countries, and a small majority of Muslims IN THE US, believe that jihad is allowable, and that sharia law is the goal. Until Islam experiences it's own Reformation, I will continue to regard Muslim's with suspicion and heightened caution. In self defense. How anyone can believe that laws limiting abortion are unacceptable infringements by a religion, yet have no concerns about the growing presence of Islam in this country, is beyond me.
How many civilians has the United States killed since 1960 and how many civilians have Muslim terrorists killed.
Math is hard.
Would it be too meta to comment on an article -- without reading it -- that includes condemnation of a film by people who haven't seen the film?
Buckwheathikes wrote:
I'm absolutely afraid of these people. Islamaphobic in the same way I'm afraid of a fucking rattlesnake, a charging bear, or a crashing aircraft. Abject rational fear.
They're fucking psychopaths. Jesus H. Christ. You'd be a fool not to fear them. They're horrible, horrible people. All of them. You do not want these people anywhere around you.
-------------
Buckwheathikes, you are a certified deranged idiot. I live close to Iowa City, Iowa, home of the University of Iowa, a town much like the Professor's Madison, Wisconsin. My wife was born and raised in the Middle East. She graduated from American University in Beirut, Lebanon, where her father was a professor. I know many Muslims who live here. Many of them are doctors, engineers, computer scientists, and professionals. I have been invited to their homes numerous times for wonderful dinners, including servings of very good wine. I had a surgery 2 weeks ago and the surgeon was from Ethiopia. Another surgeon I had 2 years ago was from Sudan. They were Muslims, and I had the best medical care I have ever had. So I just want to say this to you, Buckwheathikes, and I have never used this language before at Althouse Blog: Shut the fuck up, you fucking bigot.
simple Arabic tells everyone
ISLAM = SUBMISSION and
Mu-slim[a] = willing-submitter
did this lady even look up Ayaan Hirsi Ali to consultation?
The democrats have had a pro-Islamist faction for years ; CAIR checks don't bounce. And we had Mecca-churian candidate for POTUS X 8 years.
Personally, I'm exhausted by preening bug-eyed lefties (almost always females) telling me how exhausted they are about one thing or the other. To use one of their words, it's so...performative.
- Krumhorn
Gospace,
Re: Islamic nations bordering non-Islamic ones: Indonesia wrt Australia and New Zealand? I realize they aren't exactly contiguous, but Indonesia has more Muslims, IIRC, than any other nation. Still, you don't think of (say) Balinese when you think of terrorism. India itself, despite Muslims being a smallish minority, still has ca. 200 million Muslims. There are Hindu/Muslim clashes, to be sure, but I have to say that, so far as I can see, the blame is equally distributed on those.
Re: Syracuse U: Well, now, that's going to be a very interesting case, now, is it not? All it'll take is one "uncut" MTF transsexual to put the admin into an impossible situation. I will be very interested to see how that one turns out. Muslims and transsexuals are the two groups most dangerous to offend just now, and I don't see how admin can satisfy both.
now to compound the irony, this is a facility in the kingdom, that is trying to reform wahhabism, no westerners involved in this, so miss disney is bone stupid in this exercise,
but there is big business on qatar and turkey's part to make this succeed, to make jihad an integral part of the political movement, and yet to ignore the dangers of same, a much better glimpse came from graeme wood's profile of prince salman, had one of the gitmo detainees, the american born hamdi as the tour guide,
I wonder what Theo van Gogh, the filmmaker, has to say about this.
Buckwheathikes, you are a certified deranged idiot. I live close to Iowa City, Iowa, home of the University of Iowa, a town much like the Professor's Madison, Wisconsin. My wife was born and raised in the Middle East. She graduated from American University in Beirut, Lebanon, where her father was a professor. I know many Muslims who live here. Many of them are doctors, engineers, computer scientists, and professionals.
So was Nidal Hassan MD.
The problem is the "sudden jihad syndrome" It was a doctor who tried to drive a car filled with propane tanks into Glasgow airport.
The problem is the Islam, which leads to these deranged events we call "sudden jihad."
Schadenfreude.
"The talk is all empathy, but the energy is Indiana Jones."
Good excerpt for ads and posters.
"The talk is all empathy, but the energy is Indiana Jones."
Good excerpt for ads and posters.
Krumhorn is just tired of sucking up to his clients, which is considered professional behavior.
Zawahiri was a physician too.
Doctors! They're fucking psychopaths. Jesus H. Christ. You'd be a fool not to fear them. They're horrible, horrible people. All of them. You do not want these people anywhere around you.
"I know many Muslims who live here. Many of them are doctors, engineers, computer scientists, and professionals"
So were most of the 9-11 hijackers.
Mohammed Atta was an architect. College educated professional. Went to multiple colleges, in multiple countries, in fact. Consummate professional.
Abdul Omari was an airport security guard and preacher. Consummate professional. Never in any trouble at any time in his life.
Hani Hajour was enrolled at the University of Arizona. Never a peep out of him was heard in the mass-murderer community until 9-11.
I could go on and give you the economic, professional and educational background of each of the 9-11 hijackers, but that information is publicly available. Look it up yourself.
You just never know when they're going to go off. That's their problem. They're psychopaths. They live lies their entire lives, until one day, BAM ... flying airplanes into buildings, bro.
Get FAR away from them. Far, far away.
Until Islam experiences its own Reformation, I will continue to regard Muslims with suspicion and heightened caution
We're living in their reformation now--some are going back to the poisonous parts of the Koran. If we're lucky, the counter reformation or sunni-shia conflict will distract them from the Great Satan and eventually lead to freedom of conscience. How long did it take the West to get (near) there?
Said Abigail Disney — grandniece of Walt Disney, "a titan in the documentary world" — who was the executive director of “Jihad Rehab,” called it “freaking brilliant” in an email to the director, then disavowed it.
Something's wrong with that paragraph. Makes neither grammatical nor logical sense.
I could go on and give you the economic, professional and educational background of each of the 9-11 hijackers
No need. I'm prepared to stipulate that all of the 9/11 terrorists were terrorists. The other almost 2 Billion people? Well...
Howard: "How many civilians has the United States killed since 1960 and how many civilians have Muslim terrorists killed.
Math is hard."
You literally cheered and cheered and bragged about Biden's execution of an entire innocent family and other civilians in Afghanistan, falsely labeled as terrorists (sound familiar?), simply to try and change the headlines from the utterly disastrous bug out from Afghanistan.
It ain't just math that's hard for you.......
"All I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11."
Then you must be pretty ignorant about Islam.
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