When Being Impolite is Imperative

According to staff blogger Tim Townsend, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has rejected an offer made by the Clarion Fund to provide free copies of the highly-regarded documentary “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” as a special value-added insert to its paying customers. The reasons behind this rejection are not yet entirely clear, but my strong suspicion is that the paper was motivated by concern for the reaction that distributing the DVD would inspire among the local Muslim population. After all, in the Sept. 15 press release, the influential (and terrorist linked, according to counter-terrorism expert Steve Emerson and renowned Islamic historian Dr. Daniel Pipes) Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called the bold documentary a piece of “anti-Muslim hate.” And prominent English-language Islamic Web sites and publications such as The American Muslim have endorsed collective pressure as a means of suppressing distribution of “Obsession.”

But if we dare write off the ranting of these “mainstream” Muslim organizations and publications, it turns out the reaction to it has been quite positive among those in the know. CNN Headline News personality Glenn Beck of the “Glenn Beck Show” called it, “the most important movie of our lifetime.” MSNBC’s Monica Crowley agreed, saying that “For your security and the security of the country, “Obsession” is a must-see.” It can also count among its supporters CNN anchor Kyra Phillips, Hudson Institute president Dr. Herbert London, spokesman for the Congress of Racial Equality Niger Innis, the executive producers of both “House” and “24” and military analyst Major General Paul Vallely (who claims to carry a copy on him at all times).

More impressive still is the list of experts interviewed in this powerful work. First, and perhaps most importantly, this includes a number of Muslims and Islamic apostates who have first hand experience with the radical brand of the religion that so threatens us. Among them are the now deceased Pakistani journalist Tashbih Sayyed, respected professor of Political Science Dr. Salim Mansur and former PLO terrorist Walid Shoebat. It also makes sure to interview the Western experts who have been warning of the threat since well before September 11, including Glen Jenvey, a spy who helped bring down Abu Hamza al-Masri and successfully infiltrated the Iranian government; Sir Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of Sir Winston Churchill, who has been writing extensively on the Middle East for several decades; and Itamar Marcus, a former Israeli representative to the Trilateral Anti-Incitement Committee (US-Israel-Palestinian Authority), who now runs the online watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch. Perhaps most profound though is the interview conducted with Alfons Heck, a veteran of the Hitler Youth, who makes striking comparisons between Nazism and Islamism (radical political Islam).

Unsurprisingly, given the accolades heaped upon it by mainstream pundits and the impressive range of experts involved in the making of it, “Obsession” has become increasingly visible in the mainstream. For example, Democratic congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz co-sponsored a special congressional screening of it in partnership with her Republican colleague Eric Cantor. Universities all around the country, including Case Western Reserve University, New York University and the University of Florida have all screened it. It has even aired on Fox News and CNN Headline News. And, while our local paper has refused to distribute the DVD, many other major papers such as the Denver Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Miami Herald and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have reached an opposite decision. Overall, 70 newspapers in 14 states have agreed to send out copies of the DVD to subscribers.

So, with the local paper seemingly more interested in gaining the approval of some questionable Islamic organizations like those mentioned earlier than it is in helping enlighten readers by giving them access to this epic documentary, how is the local community to view this groundbreaking exposé? Well, in order to ensure ease of access to this crucially important documentary, the Conservative Leadership Association (CLA) has secured approximately 1,000 copies, which will be freely distributed in various locations around campus during the month of October. Students, faculty and local residents are all welcome to get the DVD free of charge during this period of distribution. The goal is to ensure that all interested in seeing it have a chance to do so. If the supply proves inadequate, additional copies will be obtained to meet demand. Having previously run a showing of this film at another college and finding myself impressed with its quality, I strongly recommend that you do what the Post-Dispatch wouldn’t want and watch “Obsession.”

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