Interview: Anti-Islamic Beliefs

It seems that since 9/11 took place in 2001, anti-Islamic sentiments have become much more open and normal to hear. People have done extensive research that have lead them to their anti-Islamic views. One woman who has put a lot of her time into researching terrorism and Islam, is the infamous blogger of the upper-east side by the name Pamela Geller.

Ms. Geller was very open to talking with me about why she is such a recognized source on the topic of anti-Islamic beliefs. She has taken up a vigorous fight against Park51, the tentative Muslim community center Ms. Geller refers to as, "the ground zero mega-mosque."

Last December, when The New York Times first reported on plans to build a Muslim community center two blocks from ground-zero, Ms. Geller recalls objecting this idea immediately. She remembers writing in her blog, "I don’t know which is more grotesque, jihad or the NY Times preening of it."

When asked, Ms. Geller would define herself in a specific way, "I am a racist-Islamophobic-anti-Muslim-bigot." After pronouncing this title Ms. Geller sits back with a smile on her face that hints at frustration. Ms. Geller has been writing her blog, Atlas Shrugs.com, since 2005 to give the American public a look at news that no one will find in mainstream outlets, specifically about global affairs involving the Islamic community.

Ms. Geller became interested in this topic after September 11th. She was upset and , "felt guilty that I didn't know who had attacked my country." Ms. Geller then became passionate about researching Islam for the next year and read many different authors. She studied Bat Ye'or, Ibn Warraq, and Daniel Pipes, who she ended up disliking because of his belief that moderate Islam should exist.

A profile of Ms. Geller was done in the New York Times as of yesterday. After Ms. Geller read the article she was very unsatisfied with the way she was portrayed, "As expected, the New York Times did an extraordinarily nasty and fallacious piece on me. Its full of distortion, inaccuracies and lies from beginning to end."

Ms. Geller does not do the work she does to get attention, she blogs to inform people about terrorism in the world and unjust happenings involving the Islamic community. Ms. Geller does not work alone but rather with a group of people, including a man by the name Mr. Spencer.

This loose-knit cadre’s vision of Islam in an age of terror is not unlike a cold war view of Communism: a stealthy global threat creeping into nodes of power that must be opposed at all cost. “In the war between the savage and the civilized man,” Ms. Geller says, “you side with the civilized man.”

Ms. Geller is very passionate about her views and has no qualms about spreading her opinions. Even when it comes to notable journalists, like Christiane Amanpour and the Republican operative Grover Norquist. Ms. Geller is set on her views and will fight for her beliefs till the day she dies.