Sleight-of-Coffee

  

It's like old times.  I spent 11 years on my old blog I closed down in 2018 penning postings critical of Islam and, more importantly, critical of the so-called "counter-Jihad" movement -- whose unofficial center was (and probably still is) Jihad Watch; whose éminence grise is Robert Spencer.  On The Hesperado (that old blog) I probably wrote literally hundreds of critiques of Spencer, faulting him for affecting to be oh-so tough on Islam whilst harboring a soft, chewy, sweet nougaty underbelly.

So for old times' sake I thought I'd take a look at Jihad Watch today and browse amongst the headlines (I used to read it liturgically with my morning -- and afternoon -- coffee; now I'm lucky to dial it up once a month). And what do you know, almost immediately Spencer committed a faux pas.

First, Spencer highlights his headline upon which he will misstep:  

Austria: Interior Minister claims that ‘Islamists are not Muslims’

And Spencer's riposte?

...his asinine statement here once again illustrates the truth of what I’ve pointed out for years: “Islamism” is a concept developed by Western non-Muslims in order to distance Islam from the crimes committed in its name and in accord with its teachings.

Can any of my readers spot Spencer's sly sleight-of-hand? He took the Austrian Minister's "Islamists", palmed it deftly with his left hand while distracting his audience, then whipped out "Islamism" hoping no one would notice (and knowing his in-group of sycophants, he has nothing to worry about in that regard). 

In fact, if one studies Spencer's locutions & rhetoric over the years, as I have, they would know that he would agree with the Austrian Minister -- about Muslims. Specifically, that most Muslims are not "jihadists" (Spencer's equivalent which sounds more learned than "Islamists"), and that the problem rather is the jihadist extremism which grows out of Islam (as if that distinction can be articulated coherently).  Indeed, he has even stressed that he is "not anti-Islam" per se; but that's another incoherent kettle of fish I also have analyzed on my aforementioned blog.