Conservative blogger Pamela Geller made headlines back in June for battling (and ultimately beating) PayPal after being informed that her blog’s content possibly violated their acceptable use policy. An early critic of the Ground Zero Mosque, Geller has faced extensive accusations that she is anti-Muslim.
As an opinionated woman myself (and a firm believer in freedom of speech), my take on Pamela Geller was kind of a “I might not agree with you, but you’re entitled to your opinion” thing. While I still strongly believe that Geller has the right to post whatever the hell she wants on her blog Atlas Shrugs, I am deeply disturbed by how she’s been stepping up the anti-Muslim vitriol of late.
Conversations about religion almost inevitably spark strong feelings, and that is truly not my intent here. In my utopian society, everyone has a relationship with the God of his or her choice, be it Allah or Buddha or Zeus or Jesus Christ, without feeling the need to slam on the deity someone else worships. Spirituality is an amazing thing, and my feeling is that respecting that in others with an open mind is vital.
Make no mistake, there are extremists in any religion that cause certain stereotypes and ugliness and media spin, and the idea that this all happens in the name of God frankly makes my stomach hurt.
Which leads me back to Pamela Geller and her recent post entitled “Islamic Antisemitism 101: The Daisy Khan Con,” where she attempts to rip Executive Director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) Daisy Khan (and the religion of Islam) a new one.
From Atlas Shrugs:
Khan & Co. know this is not about hate. Accusations of hatred are a cheap shot, and a desperate shot aimed at stopping substantive discussions. But we won’t stop asking questions and demanding answers.