Jihad On Screen

Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com | 9/2/2008

Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Gregory Ross, the Director of Communications for Clarion Fund. Their mission is to educate America about the threat of radical Islam. They do this through their films, websites and on-campus college programs.

FP: Gregory Ross, welcome to Frontpage Interview.

Ross: Thanks for having me on board. It’s a pleasure to speak with you. FP: I’d like to talk to you about the film “Obsession” today and how it is still being shown two years later. But first tell us a bit about the Clarion Fund.

Ross: Well, Clarion Fund is a non-profit group that was created in November 2006. One of the many things we do is create and distribute documentaries, one of which is “Obsession”.

FP: Remind us about “Obsession.”

Ross: “Obsession” was made specifically to educate Americans about the real threat of radical Islam, both inside our country and around the world. In the film we use actual footage to clearly depict the message of violent Jihad that is being taught by radical Imams and terrorist groups. Unfortunately they have been rather successful in their work and our task is to get people to wake up and realize that our way of life is at risk. Because in the film we focus on the root causes of terror, and not just individual acts, we’re able to allow people to see the larger game plan at hand; the worldview of a segment of Islam that seeks to dominate the entire world. And it’s not just us saying it, in our film we let the radicals speak for themselves.

FP: So, after 2 years since the film’s release, Obsession is still being shown and discussed. What is the significance of this?

Ross: The film remains relevant to this day because terrorist acts can come and go but the message of hate the terrorists spew has remained the same for centuries.

FP: Why, in your view, have Imams and terrorist groups been so successful in their work?

Ross: Mostly they know how to work the system. They take our nation’s laws, and the freedoms that our government and society provides, and use it against us. From frivolous lawsuits meant to intimidate, to using their minority status to prey upon our fears of us not being considered ‘multiculturalists’. They understand that they can’t go punch-for-punch with the U.S. defense forces, however they do know that America is very concerned about insulting anyone or seeming to be non-inclusionary. So they make demands that nibble away at our society.

FP: Give us an example.

Ross: Look at the recent incident at the Tyson Foods plant in Tennessee. The plant, mostly comprised of Muslim immigrant workers, decided that they would like to swap our national holiday, Labor Day, for one of their own holidays. On the surface one might say, well if everyone at the plant agrees with it, but this undermines the cohesiveness that a society needs to survive. If they’d like to take a vacation day or sick day for their holiday that is one thing, but to decide to exist in a vacuum in this country, and cry foul and sue if they don’t get there way, will only lead to the disintegration of American society and it’s culture and values over time.

Now some might think I’m over-reacting here, but one only need look at Europe to see where this can all lead. In England, even members of parliament are now beginning to talk about allowing certain Muslim-only sections of England rule themselves by Sharia law, instead of English Common Law.

FP: Why do people have to make a movie such as “Obsession” to wake people up and to realize that their way of life is at risk? Why is our society not clearly aware of this?

Ross: When People Magazine sells millions of copies and sporting events are watched by tens of millions of people, I think it’s clear that people would rather be entertained than face the hard reality that is upon us. We make films because that is a medium that people can easily digest – reading an entire book it seems is too arduous of a task in today’s busy lifestyle. Also, film allows us to show people the voices and faces of the radical Muslims that mean to do us harm, and that is a powerful image that can provoke action by the American people. The problem is that most people would rather look at the face of Jennifer Aniston (and who can blame them) than see the evil in the eyes of terrorists who are plotting to kill us. But whether we want to accept it or not, these people are out there and are actively planning our demise – the terrorists that is, not Jennifer.

FP: Did you get a lot of protests from Muslims and leftists about the movie?

Ross: The people in our organization and our donors span a wide political spectrum and we work with moderate Muslims as well. We figure that by being evenhanded and just sticking to the facts that the only enemies we’ll be making are those that mean to cause us harm, and quite honestly we’re not too concerned about whether we ‘insult’ them or not.

However, yes, like with all things in life you will get all types that disagree when confronted with the truth, and sometimes people can get quite angry and that can lead to protesting. We welcome all forms of peaceful discussion.

FP: You say that the film focuses on the root causes of terror. Expand for us a bit on these root causes.

Ross: The concept of Jihad as defined by the radical Imams and terrorists is not just one of personal struggle, but the struggle of a nation to determine its manifest destiny. These people clearly state that the goal of their actions is to dominate the entire world and defeat or subdue the infidel, wherever he or she may live. So even if the Iraq war never happened, nor the creation of Israel, nor any other event in all of human history that they deem to be wrong or an injustice, then we in Western Civilization would still be considered the infidel and would need to be killed or submit to the Sharia laws concerning the governing of non-Muslims.

Now, if that premise is taken, then when you see a bombing in Spain or India or somewhere in Africa, you can easily sift through the excuses some politicians will make that this is an isolated incident and that it was only due to our insensitivities in the particular situation, or to us imposing our ‘imperialist will’ upon their society. By knowing the root cause of terror, you can make the connection that this ‘isolated incident’ is actually part of a larger grand plan. But again, here comes that old multiculturalism creeping back in – everything is permissible, there are no right or wrongs, one society is as equal as the next even if they want to kill us. And that pervasive way of thinking in Western Civilization is the exact recipe for disaster.

The biggest problem we have is that the radical Islamists understand this clearly and are using it against us. And they also know that 98% of the world, if not more, is clueless as to how we’re digging our own graves by explaining away radical Islam as a bunch of people that are no different from ourselves and who would behave quite nicely if given a good job and home to live in. I guess these apologists never bothered to check how many millions Osama Bin Laden has in the bank.

FP: What are some ways that you think the West can effectively fight the Islamists and their agenda in our society?

Ross: The old saying ‘you have to know you are in jail before you can get out of it’ comes to mind. It all starts with educating the public so that they even know there is a problem, then by understanding the true nature of the conflict one can start to address the solutions. We are re-launching our website soon, www.radicalislam.com, that will teach people how to become activists. And one of the first things we let people know is that they can personally host screenings of our film and other films so that their friends and family can learn about the situation. awareness of the threat, coupled with fellowship and coordination amongst those spreading the anti-militant Islam message, is a very important component to winning this battle. We need to ban together and create a movement of concerned citizens. Another very effective technique to fight back is writing and calling politicians, as every letter and call gets logged and a report is sent to the elected official of all correspondence received. Politicians by nature follow more than they lead, and they are always looking over their shoulders to make sure they are representing the opinions of the people who vote in their district. So making sure they know how the public feels is very important in getting them to act properly. We’ll also be outlining more techniques on our website and allowing people to get connected, so stay tuned.

FP: What would be a good sequel to Obsession that you would like to see or help make?

Ross: Well, it’s funny you should ask, as we are just a few weeks from completely our next documentary, “The Third Jihad” - though it is not a sequel. This new film will take a look at radical Islam’s activities here in the U.S. We should be releasing the film in early October. So stay tuned.

FP: We'll be staying tuned with much interest.

Gregory Ross, thank you for joining Frontpage Interview.

Ross: Thank you for having me on board and I hope to chat with you again soon – perhaps once our new film is released.

FP: That's a deal.
Jamie Glazov is Frontpage Magazine's managing editor. He holds a Ph.D. in History with a specialty in U.S. and Canadian foreign policy. He edited and wrote the introduction to David Horowitz’s Left Illusions. He is also the co-editor (with David Horowitz) of The Hate America Left and the author of Canadian Policy Toward Khrushchev’s Soviet Union (McGill-Queens University Press, 2002) and 15 Tips on How to be a Good Leftist. To see his previous symposiums, interviews and articles Click Here. Email him at jglazov@rogers.com.