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Apologia Report 20:9 (1,238)
March 4, 2015
Subject: "Islamophobia” and the theater of the absurd
In this issue:
ISLAM - under the fear of "Islamophobia" accusations, governments, writers and experts have "entered the theater of the absurd"
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM - Christian lawyers, doctors, and pastors "under direct attack because of their religious beliefs"
SCIENTOLOGY - from book to film, new documentary on Going Clear coming to HBO March 16
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ISLAM
"Say It Like It Is" by Thomas L. Friedman -- complains that "this administration, so fearful of being accused of Islamophobia, is refusing to make any link to radical Islam from the recent explosions of violence against civilians (most of them Muslims) by Boko Haram in Nigeria, by the Taliban in Pakistan, by Al Qaeda in Paris and by jihadists in Yemen and Iraq. We've entered the theater of the absurd. ...
"Last week the conservative columnist Rich Lowry wrote an essay in Politico Magazine <www.goo.gl/QeXIhI> that contained quotes from White House spokesman Josh Earnest that I could not believe. I was sure they were made up. But I checked the transcript: 100 percent correct."
Friedman adds that "it is not good for us or the Muslim world to pretend that this spreading jihadist violence isn't coming out of their faith community. It is coming mostly, but not exclusively, from angry young men and preachers on the fringe of the Sunni Arab and Pakistani communities in the Middle East and Europe. ... "Only Sunni Arabs and Pakistanis can get inside their narrative and remediate it. But reformers can only do that if they have a free, secure political space. If we're not going to help create space for that internal dialogue, let's just be quiet. *Don't say stupid stuff.*" Friedman cites "the real issues, which many mainstream Muslims know and are actually starved to discuss, especially women. Something else is also at work, and it needs to be discussed. It is the struggle within Arab and Pakistani Sunni Islam over whether and how to embrace modernity, pluralism and women's rights. That struggle drives, and is driven by, the dysfunctionality of so many Arab states and Pakistan." Of the same problems he observes that "you don't see this in the two giant Muslim communities in Indonesia or India."
He concludes with "a remarkable piece in The Washington Post by Asra Q. Nomani <www.goo.gl/xXlQU4>, an American Muslim born in India, called out the 'honor corps' — a loose, well-funded coalition of governments and private individuals 'that tries to silence debate on extremist ideology in order to protect the image of Islam.' It 'throws the label of "Islamophobe" on pundits, journalists and others who dare to talk about extremist ideology in the religion. ... The official and unofficial channels work in tandem, harassing, threatening and battling introspective Muslims and non-Muslims everywhere. ... The bullying often works to silence critics of Islamic extremism. ... They cause governments, writers and experts to walk on eggshells.'"
"'I know one in particular.'" New York Times, Jan 21 '15, pA23. <www.goo.gl/kgP5Cf>
Also see "What does 'Islamophobia' Actually Mean?" (Atlantic, Oct '14), in which Tanya Basu notes: "Nathan Lean, author of The Islamophobia Industry [1], told me 'Critics of the term often lambaste it on the basis of an etymological deficiency, insisting that it thwarts the possibility of critiquing Islam as a religion while simultaneously suggesting the presence of a mental disorder on the part of those who do.'" Basu provides a good overall discussion that applies well beyond the topic of Islam. <www.goo.gl/VxmS3E>
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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
"Christian Lawyers and Doctors Need Not Apply" by Albertos Polizogopoulos -- "In 2014, lawyers and doctors [in Canada] were targeted by their own professional associations for direct attack because of their religious beliefs.
"For Christian lawyers, the first salvo was fired at Trinity Western University's law school. TWU, which exists to 'develop godly Christian leaders' in a variety of marketplaces, requires its students and staff to sign a Community Covenant. This pledge, based on religious beliefs, to abstain from certain activities and behaviours during their time at TWU, includes the use of alcohol on campus, viewing pornography, and 'sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.'
"For some, TWU's biblically based principle of marriage is abhorrent. ...
"With the TWU battle raging, another overt campaign to drive out or silence Christians in the legal community was commenced. The Legal Leaders for Diversity (LLD) and is made up of the heads of the legal departments from more than 70 major corporations. ...
"The LLD publicly opposed TWU’s proposed law school on the basis that TWU’s Community Covenant is not 'inclusive.'
"This direct attack on Christian lawyers is meant to create a chilling effect in the legal profession. Lawyers who work for law firms seeking to do business with these corporations will hesitate, and perhaps even be barred from voicing their religious and moral beliefs, or for acting for religious clients in human rights cases dealing with these issues. It’s a scary time to be a Christian lawyer in Canada.
"For Christian physicians, the most recent attack was triggered by a series of media stories about doctors in an Ottawa clinic who do not prescribe contraceptives because of their religious beliefs. "In the wake of this coverage, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) decided to revise its policy which sets out physicians’ obligations and expectations vis-à-vis the Ontario Human Rights Code. ...
"If the CPSO policy is finalized as currently worded, Christian physicians are no longer welcome in the medical profession unless they are willing to compromise their religious and moral beliefs. ...
"By defending ourselves when attacked, we accomplish three goals. Taking these issues to court and fighting these battles will ensure protection of our rights. Sending the message that we will no longer be bullied or intimidated will reduce the attacks. And we will be better positioned to fulfill our spiritual obligation to remain faithful to God’s Word.
"You may not be a lawyer or a physician, but if you are a person of faith or conscience, then you have a stake in this fight." The Cardus Daily, Jan 9 '15, <www.goo.gl/cdP1T5>
Note the parallel to Houston Mayor Annise Parker's subpoenas issued on October 14 of last year for city clergymen to submit "all speeches, presentations, or sermons" related to Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) on homosexuality or gender identity that were "prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or approved by you or in your possession." Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, responds: "The irony in all of this is, Mayor Parker may have set her city back by stymieing religious liberty, while, unwittingly, moving the church forward, and positioning us more firmly in the apostolic tradition we own. We must now prove ourselves worthy of that tradition. And, whatever we do, like the besieged apostles, we must not stop speaking." <www.goo.gl/T44UZl>
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SCIENTOLOGY
"Bombshell Scientology Film Revealed: Alex Gibney on Cruise, Travolta and 'the Prison of Belief'" by Kim Masters -- Masters reports that this new Gibney film, slated to debut on HBO on March 16, is based on Lawrence Wright's 2013 best-seller Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief [2]. He adds that "there is also material that was not in the book and is being kept secret until the premiere." We continue to wonder how much bad press it is going to take for Scientology to succumb to the pressure of public censure; and as the hits keep coming, the answer is plainly "quite a lot." Well, here's another strong dose of it.
"Going Clear is the latest film to emerge from what has become Gibney's amazingly prolific factory of awards-magnet documentaries. ... It features vintage footage of enigmatic church founder L. Ron Hubbard as he builds his empire as well as rare sequences shot inside Scientology gatherings, some of which include the church's biggest star, Tom Cruise. ...
"Featuring interviews with several fallen-away high-level church officials, the film paints a damning portrait of the involvement of Scientology's highest-profile members, Cruise and John Travolta, which continues despite numerous allegations against the church that claim forced labor and other abuse under Miscavige's leadership. ...
"Certainly the film includes extensive interviews with former longtime church members including ... Spanky Taylor, who says she worked in the church's Los Angeles Celebrity Centre and was Travolta's liaison until she fell out of favor with Scientology officials and was forced into a prison-like setting that wouldn't meet Geneva Convention standards. Taylor recounts her dramatic 1978 escape with her baby - a story that she revealed for the first time in Wright's book - in her first and likely only on-camera interview. Though she spoke to THR, she says she will not talk to the media in connection with the film.
"'I was certainly courted by NBC and a lot of people to be a spokesperson for Larry's book,' she says. 'But I have not been part of the church for decades. And I have a healthy respect for what they're capable of doing to their critics.' ...
"Shela Nevins, the channel's president of documentary films, recently joked to [The Hollywood Reporter] that the network had 'probably 160 lawyers' vet the material. Those involved with the film are wondering what, if anything, Scientology might do in response, whether via lawyers or protestors at the Park City premiere. In years past, the church was known for extreme litigiousness and hardball tactics. 'Their reputation precedes them,' Gibney says. 'They scare everybody.'"
Gibney feels that "the message of this film applies well beyond Scientology or any one organization. 'You can see how abusive institutions get when they have a lot of power and money and when they become guided by a small group of people at the top, perhaps even one person,' he says. And then there's a theme that resonates across any number of religions: 'It's really hard-wired into all of us, the psychology of wanting to find certainty in faith that allows you to do the most reprehensible things because you believe the ends justify the means.'" The Hollywood Reporter, Jan 21 '15, <www.goo.gl/etwBZY>
But in "Scientology's Chilling Effect," New York Times op-ed writer Joe Nocera observes that the days when journalists and filmmakers had to fear overwhelming retaliation and intimidation by the group now appear to be over - and "It's long overdue." NY Times, Feb 24 '15, pA23, <www.goo.gl/7hvBI3>
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims, by Nathan Lean (Pluto, 2012, paperback, 248 pages) <www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0745332536/apologiareport
>
2 - Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, by Lawrence Wright (Knopf, 2013, hardcover, 448 pages) <www.ow.ly/gLiKS>
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