Antiwar Radio with Scott Horton » Islam

Dean Ahmad

Scott Horton — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 06:33:10 +0000

Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, founder of the Minaret of Freedom Institute, discusses the differences and commonalities of the three major Abrahamic religions; why Islam’s theological distinctions don’t make all Muslims into budding terrorists – despite what the Islamophobes would have you believe; the many Muslims (devout and secular alike) participating in the Arab spring movement against despotic governments – nearly all supported by the US and Israel; how Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri developed an expanded version of the Five Pillars of Islam, to include a militarized conception of jihad; and why American Muslims cherish the “land of opportunity” and certainly don’t “hate us for our [and their] freedoms.”

MP3 here. (28:41)

Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, Ph.D. is the President and director of the Minaret of Freedom Institute and an internationally known interdisciplinary scientist, author of Signs in the Heavens: A Muslim Astronomer’s Perspective on Religion and Science. He is a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland where he teaches courses on religion and progress and on religion, science and freedom. He also teaches a course on Islam, Science and Development at Georgetown University for the Center on Muslim-Christian Understanding.

Kelley B. Vlahos

Scott Horton — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 05:56:24 +0000

Kelley B. Vlahos, featured Antiwar.com columnist and contributing editor for The American Conservative magazine, discusses her article “Muslims Smash Right-Wing Stereotypes;” jumping to incorrect conclusions about race and religion in the UK riots; the informal loyalty oath already demanded of American Muslims; why conservatives should blame Bill Clinton instead of Islam for 9/11; and why American Muslims may soon experience the repression of their European counterparts.

MP3 here. (19:52)

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos has spent over a decade as a political reporter in Washington DC. Currently, she is a contributing editor for The American Conservative magazine and its daily weblog, @TAC. She is also a Washington correspondent for the DC-based homeland security magazine, Homeland Security Today, a long-time political writer for FOXNews.com, a regular columnist for Antiwar.com and a contributor to CriminalJustice.Change.org

Stephan Salisbury

Scott Horton — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:18:05 +0000

Stephan Salisbury, author of Mohamed’s Ghosts: An American Story of Love and Fear in the Homeland, discusses his article “Islam-Baiting Doesn’t Work” at tomdispatch.com; the increased popularity of Islam-bashing in political campaigns – despite the fact most practitioners in 2010 lost their elections; the real facts on Sharia law “taking over” the US justice system (and if you’re still scared, get out of the bunker, take a look outside and be comforted by the lack of marauding religious police); and the political – not religious -motivations of those arrested in FBI terrorism stings.

MP3 here. (19:40)

Stephan Salisbury is cultural writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. His most recent book is Mohamed’s Ghosts: An American Story of Love and Fear in the Homeland.

Alex Kane

Scott Horton — Mon, 02 May 2011 05:56:42 +0000

Alex Kane, frequent contributor to the blog Mondoweiss, discusses his article “How Your Tax Dollars Fuel the Hatred of Muslims;” the Islamophobes “training” law enforcement agencies that Muslims are their enemies, Islam is a terrorist religion and Sharia law is coming to take over the US; the questionable involvement of local cops in fighting terrorism, which is essentially a foreign policy problem; Israel’s interest in perpetuating a negative view of Muslims and Arabs; and how the US government shows more allegiance to Israel than its own Muslim citizens – the consequence of a foreign policy that is unwaveringly supportive of Israel.

MP3 here. (20:49)

Alex Kane is a blogger and journalist for the Indypendent, a free New York City-based newspaper, and a frequent contributor to the blog Mondoweiss. His work has also appeared in Electronic Intifada, Alternet, Common Dreams, Palestine Chronicle, Red Pepper (UK), and Extra!

Michael Scheuer

Scott Horton — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:29:26 +0000

Michael Scheuer, 22-year veteran of the CIA and former head analyst at the CIA’s bin Laden unit, discusses the First Amendment’s non-universality as recently evidenced in Afghanistan – yet another reminder of the dangers in foreign occupations; the choice confronting Americans: pursue the same foreign policy and get endless war or step back and let Islamic countries fight amongst themselves and against Israel; why the current system of government is pointless, so long as it fails to put US interests first; UN Ambassador Susan Rice, President Obama and other “true believers” in spreading secular democracy at gunpoint; using the conflicts in Syria and Bahrain to provoke Iran militarily, and get the US into a backdoor war; and the 21st century imperialism redux that has the US, Britain and France bombing Libya.

MP3 here. (16:09)

Michael Scheuer is a 22-year veteran of the CIA and former head analyst at the CIA’s bin Laden unit. He is the author of Osama Bin Laden, Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq and Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror.

Scheuer has a website and writes for The Diplomat and Antiwar.com.

Robert A. Pape

Scott Horton — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:05:12 +0000

Robert A. Pape, coauthor of Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It, discusses the extremely high correlation of suicide terrorism with foreign military occupation; why it’s no coincidence that the surge in Afghanistan has increased violence while the drawdown in Iraq has lessened it; why those advocating no-fly zones in Libya should look at the terrible record in 1990s Iraq; the “asymmetrical” warfare, up to and including suicide attacks, that could be expected in response to a foreign military occupation of America; and the significant progress in convincing Congress of terrorism’s real root causes.

MP3 here. (22:44)

Robert A. Pape is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs. His publications include Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism (Random House 2005); Bombing to Win: Air Power and Coercion in War (Cornell 1996), “Why Economic Sanctions Do Not Work,” International Security (1997), “The Determinants of International Moral Action,” International Organization (1999); “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” American Political Science Review (2003); and “Soft Balancing against the United States,” International Security (2005).

His commentary on international security policy has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, New Republic, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, as well as on Nightline, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and National Public Radio. Before coming to Chicago in 1999, he taught international relations at Dartmouth College for five years and air power strategy for the USAF’s School of Advanced Airpower Studies for three years. He received his Ph. D. from the University of Chicago in 1988 and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982. His current work focuses on the causes of suicide terrorism and the politics of unipolarity.

Lawrence Pintak

Scott Horton — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:01:50 +0000

Lawrence Pintak, the founding dean of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, discusses the Al Jazeera revolution in Arabic language media, breaking away from state propaganda and censorship; how Facebook and other social media are mostly the tools of youth, while older protesters in Egypt (and elsewhere) heavily rely on television – and thus Al Jazeera; how incessant Islamofascist fearmongers create the clash of civilizations they warn about; and Obama’s opportunity to take actions consistent with US rhetoric about promoting democracy abroad.

MP3 here. (18:26)

Lawrence Pintak is the founding dean of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. He is the author of The New Arab Journalist: Mission and Identity in a Time of Turmoil.

Lawrence is a veteran of more than 30 years in journalism and the media business on four continents who now writes and lectures on America’s relationship with the Muslim world, the role of the media in shaping global perceptions and government policy, the future of journalism in a digital/globalized world, and the responsibilities of reporters covering conflict and social injustice.

Max Blumenthal

Scott Horton — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 05:11:23 +0000

Max Blumenthal, author of Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party, discusses the strange cabal of supporters behind the anti-Islam groups that gained prominence during the vigorous protests against the “Ground Zero mosque;” the fraudulent “terrorism consultants” spreading misinformation about Islam to US law enforcement agencies; how the David Project – an Israel-lobby-created college campus group targeting pro-Palestinian academics – laid the foundation for the Islamophobia crusade; Pamela Geller‘s interesting history and close affiliation with European fascists; and how widespread fear of a global Islamic caliphate gives the US empire a reason for existence and serves to justify the otherwise nonsensical wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

MP3 here. (23:42)

Max Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author whose articles and video documentaries have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, The Nation, The Huffington Post, Salon.com, Al Jazeera English and many other publications. He is a writing fellow for the Nation Institute. His book, Republican Gomorrah: Inside The Movement That Shattered The Party, is a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller.

Rae Abileah

Scott Horton — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 06:53:23 +0000

Rae Abileah, national organizer with CODEPINK Women for Peace and a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, discusses her participation in a nonviolent protest (YouTube video here) during Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in New Orleans, the angry and violent response from the audience who wouldn’t tolerate Jewish voices of dissent against Israel’s policies and why young Jews are increasingly at odds with the right-wing Israeli agenda that has no interest in the traditional pursuit of social justice.

MP3 here. (10:26)

Rae Abileah is a 28-year-old Jewish-American of Israeli descent and is a national organizer with CODEPINK Women for Peace and a member of Jewish Voice for Peace. She is also involved in the Stolen Beauty boycott.

John Feffer

Scott Horton — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:00:26 +0000

John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, discusses the original Islamic caliphate that was hardly world-conquering even at its peak around 1000 years ago, how periodic US alliances with “radical” Islam (in opposition to the USSR for example) shows that realpolitik transcends religious concerns, the multiple schisms between different sects and state-less/national powers in Islamic countries and the broad divergence between rhetoric and reality on Islam in America today.

MP3 here. (19:28)

John Feffer is co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. His webpage is JohnFeffer.com.

He is the author of several books and numerous articles. He has been a Writing Fellow at Provisions Library in Washington, DC and a PanTech fellow in Korean Studies at Stanford University. He is a former associate editor of World Policy Journal. He has worked as an international affairs representative in Eastern Europe and East Asia for the American Friends Service Committee. He has studied in England and Russia, lived in Poland and Japan, and traveled widely throughout Europe and Asia. He has taught a graduate level course on international conflict at Sungkonghoe University in Seoul in July 2001 and delivered lectures at a variety of academic institutions including New York University, Hofstra, Union College, Cornell University, and Sofia University (Tokyo).

John has been widely interviewed in print and on radio. He serves on the advisory committees of the Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea. He is a recipient of the Herbert W. Scoville fellowship and has been a writer in residence at Blue Mountain Center and the Wurlitzer Foundation. He currently lives with his partner Karin Lee in Hyattsville, Maryland.