Smearcasting documents the public writings and appearances of Islamophobic activists and pundits who intentionally and regularly spread fear, bigotry and misinformation in the media. Offering a fresh look at Islamophobia and its perpetrators in today’s media, it also provides four snapshots, or case studies, describing how Islamophobes manipulate media in order to paint Muslims with a broad, hateful brush. PLEASE NOTE: The printed report and the text on these web pages was written in 2008. An Update page is now included.

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Islamofascism: A fringe term goes mainstream, with a little help from the media

The term "Islamofascism" came into common use after the September 2001 attacks as a favorite way for neoconservatives to describe the ideology of extremist and violent groups such as Al-Qaeda that claim to act in the name of Islam... Read more »


Daniel Pipes' Witch Hunt at a Public School

In September 2007, the Khalil Gibran International Academy, named for the noted Lebanese Christian poet, became the country's first public school focused on Arabic language and culture. According to the New York Department of Education (Brooklyn Eagle, 7/30/07) the school was using "the same curriculum packages as other New York City public schools," and the chancellor of schools... Read more »


Michelle Malkin Cooks Up Terrorist Donuts

Even the world of celebrity fashion is not spared by the Islamophobic smear machine. In May 2008, right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin accused celebrity chef Rachael Ray of sporting a "regular adornment of Muslim terrorists" (Town Hall, 5/28/08) in a Dunkin' Donuts ad. In the ad, Ray wore a black-and-white scarf resembling a keffiyeh, a traditional item of Arab clothing... Read more »


'Secret Muslims,' Open Bigotry: Islamophobia in the 2008 presidential campaign
In the 1990 Polish elections a whispering campaign suggesting Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a Roman Catholic, was a "secret Jew" attracted widespread attention in the U.S. press, as did a nearly identical rumor about the leading challenger in Poland's 1995 election. In no uncertain terms, U.S. news reports called the rumors "ugly examples" (Washington Post, 12/31/90) of the "increasingly visible expressions of anti-Semitism" (New York Times, 1/21/91), the most notable such "anti-Semitic acts" in Poland (Washington Post, 7/8/95)... Read more »

 

 

The Dirty Dozen

Who's who among America's leading Islamophobes

David Horowitz
Robert Spencer
Daniel Pipes
Michael Savage
Pat Robertson
Sean Hannity
Bill O’Reilly
Mark Steyn
Steve Emerson
Michelle Malkin
Glenn Beck
Debbie Schlussel