Tuesday, April 29, 2008

This belongs in the "You must be kidding" files

Robert Spencer

Dinesh D'Souza: John Esposito "is one of the most respected American authorities on Islam"

On Friday I commented here on a post at Dinesh D'Souza's blog, in which he praises Saudi-funded dhimmi academic John Esposito. Now D'Souza has repeated this praise in his Townhall column (thanks to Doc Washburn), so it's worth repeating some things D'Souza almost certainly doesn't know about this "respected" American "authority" on Islam.

Esposito has called Bernard Lewis, whom D'Souza has repeatedly cited and praised, "one of the Darth Vaders of the world." Esposito has spoken at a Council on American-Islamic Relations fundraiser in order to "show solidarity not only with the Holy Land Fund [that is, the Holy Land Foundation], but also with CAIR." The Holy Land Foundation is accused of funneling money to the jihad terror group Hamas, and CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.

Esposito has said of a man who is in prison for aiding the jihad terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad that "Sami Al-Arian's a very good friend of mine."

Esposito has co-edited a book with Azzam Tamimi. Palestinian political scientist Muhammad Muslih calls Tamimi "a Hamas member." Tamimi has said: "I admire the Taliban; they are courageous." About 9/11, he has said: "In the Arab and Muslim countries, everyone jumped for joy." He has said: "I support Hamas."

At his Sandbox blog Martin Kramer neatly demolishes the smooth propaganda of this Saudi-financed pseudo-academic Islamic apologist and friend of jihadists, John Esposito. By falling for Esposito's propaganda, Dinesh D'Souza demonstrates definitively (as if there were really any doubt at this point) that when writing about Islam, jihad, and terrorism he is in way over his head. D'Souza shows that he has done no research, has no idea of the players involved or the territory, and is about as far from being the authority on Islam that he preens himself on being (he grew up in India!), and that the Hannitys of the world are eager to anoint him as being, as anyone can get.

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