Archive for the ‘Media Critique’ Category

A friend of mine passed along a link that he saw highlighted (dugg) on Digg.com. Basically, someone got onto a computer, saw the links that had been clicked, and then took a screen shot. Here it is:

But which came first? The chicken or the egg? Did the media dumb us down, or is the media reflecting our dumbed-down state, or both?

Mumbai Suffers a Series of Coordinated Terrorist Attacks

May Allah Subhannahu Wa Ta’alaa protect the innocent, guide the ill-intentioned, and give knowledge to the ignorant. Ameen.

This was published on the DNN site before I moved it over to the new format…

10 locations in Mumbai were simultaneously attacked and scores were killed or injured. Of course, I was not there, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Assumptions to Avoid

Let’s not rush to judgment… Watching shocking news is more of an emotional experience than an intellectual one. So be careful.

Let’s not forget when a top Indian Army officer was arrested over bomb attack that was blamed on outsiders.

This clip ends abruptly, in mid-thought, when the victim is describing interactions with one of the gunmen. If he was actually interacting with the gunmen, why not hear all of what he has to say? (Does anyone have the full clip? If so, send me the link.)

The pause in his voice as he says, “Islamic… terrorist… I suppose,” can have pretty powerful emotional effects on watchers of the clip. Although, his full sentence was, “He did not look like your typical Islamic terrorist, I suppose.”

And who is this lady (below)? And why is she an expert? It is CNN’s Kelli Arena, but what gives her the qualifications to make all of these speculations?

Some Things That Don’t Make Sense

• Whose cause does this help?
• Is it really possible for a small group of extremists to pull off such a well-orchestrated series of attacks in the financial capital of one of the world’s up-and-coming countries? Or would you need the resources of, say, a foreign nation or an intelligence agency?
• One of the targets was a hospital for women and children. Islam has pretty clear laws regarding war. And women and children are clearly and absolutely off limits. Even livestock and fruit-bearing trees are off limits, so there’s no way that anyone could religiously justify an attack on a hospital for women and children. No way. Personally, I don’t think this was orchestrated by Muslims. Period. (Maybe some ignorant Muslims were duped into carrying it out, but I don’t think they orchestrated it.)
• Were the attackers staying at the Nariman House? If so, who is really behind this?
• Why is it that some of the Indian police were not firing back?

Always Ask: Who Benefits?

It is always ultra-important to step back and ask yourself, “Who benefits?” There will be reports of “Islamic terrorists” and “Muslim extremists” who “hate our freedoms”, who “want to spread violence and bloodshed”, who “hate the West”, who “blah, blah, blah”… C’mon. Do you really think there are people out there that want to just spread destruction on the earth… that just want gore and violence?! I don’t buy it.

But, let’s just say that it’s possible… maybe there are people like that. Well, then, how do they benefit? Is it just spreading chaos? Is that their goal?

Is that where you are going to stop your analysis? Let’s look past the obvious…

• Does the fact that some of the nations of the world object to the US bombings on Pakistani soil have anything to do with it? Does this help justify those attacks?
• Are there any parties or countries or movements that benefit from a portrayal of Islam as evil?
• Does this distract from any other world events?… The passing of important legislation? The recent re-invasion of Gaza? The decline of world economies?
• Are there any nations (outside of the obvious) that would like to slow India’s rise to economic power?
• Does the fact that India announced a partnership with Iran two days earlier have any connection? Who could be upset about that?
• Does anyone remember when a top Indian Army officer was arrested over a bomb attack that was blamed on outsiders?

Look. I don’t understand it. I don’t have the answers. But, I also don’t accept the official version at face value. The news has been wrong before.

May Allah Subhannahu Wa Ta’alaa protect the innocent, guide the ill-intentioned, and give knowledge to the ignorant. Ameen.