Thursday, March 5, 2009

Adam Hasner Is A Hate-Monger

Rep. Adam Hasner apparently opposes freedom of speech for Muslims. A group of Florida Muslims wants to go to the capitol during the session and lobby on behalf of education, healthcare and the economy. He automatically assumes they are terrorists and that they hate Jews.

His evidence? The leader of the group, Ahmed Bedier, once worked in a local office for the Council of American-Islamic Relations. The right wing has an extreme grudge against CAIR, which they claim is a front organization for Hamas because, well, they're Muslims.

His problem with them? He's afraid that if they lobby the legislature, then maybe legislators will turn anti-Isreal? I'm not sure about that one, his logic is a bit crazy.

His solution? Frantic e-mails to lobbyists and calling together the non-existent Jewish caucus in the legislature.

This could be just a bit of run-of-the-mill prejudice and ignorance, but it isn't, it's part of a bigger pattern on Hasner's part. Hasner is a promoter of batshit-crazy anti-Muslim films Obsession and The Third Jihad. These films effectively portray all Muslims as potential terrorists and call for the West to "wake up" and do something about the problem. In that way, they directly influence Americans to engage in discrimination, and potentially violence, against peaceful, law-abiding Muslims.

Hasner was confronted about this:


Immediately following the film, Florida’s State Majority Leader, Rep. Adam Hasner of Delray Beach, Fl, gave a brief presentation to the audience where he praised and gave support for the film. He was then asked by a gentleman from the audience how he felt about the backlash that might occur towards peaceful Muslims as a result of the film. After pausing for a moment, he boldly proclaimed, “I don’t care.”


Get that? Hasner doesn't care if law-abiding, peaceful Muslims are harmed by anti-Muslim propaganda -- a backlash that could potentially include violence. Hasner doesn't care. He has his prejudices and he's sticking to them.

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