Jihad Watch- Restoration Weekend 2011
I just got back from the David Horowitz Freedom Center's Restoration Weekend 2011 at The Breakers in West Palm Beach, Florida, where I was on two panels:
one on "Islam vs. Islamism" with Andy McCarthy, along with the artist Bosch Fawstin and Baroness Caroline Cox, and one on "Islamists in America" with Raymond Ibrahim, Daniel Greenfield, and Frank Gaffney, moderated by Jamie Glazov.
It was a stimulating weekend as always, perhaps more serious and grimly determined than other years. And that's understandable.
Robert Spencer with Congressman Alan West (R-FL), the representative who knows more about the Islamic jihad threat than anyone else in Congress
With Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA), another courageous warrior for freedom, at a blurry moment
With Adam Hasner, candidate for U.S. Senate from Florida, and fearless truth-teller
Jihad Watch writers Robert Spencer and Raymond Ibrahim
Amy Peikoff (DontLetItGo.com), Spencer, Bosch Fawstin (The Infidel)
*snip*(see worthwhile comments at link above)
One that's notable:
Nice talking with you this weekend, Robert! And for those who are interested, the "Islam vs. Islamism" panel discussion that Robert mentions inspired me to write up this blog post, "Islam by Any Other Name...".
Excerpt of above:
Islam By Any Other Name
I am convinced, based on the evidence I’ve seen, that there is nothing that rises to the level of an ideology that is held by those self-labeled Muslims who do not wish to destroy us and our way of life.
This weekend I attended David Horowitz’s Restoration Weekend in Florida. One of the panel discussions was entitled “Islam vs. Islamism,” the purpose of which was to discuss the ongoing debate between Andrew McCarthy and Robert Spencer regarding the terminology we should use to refer to those who, today, pose a threat to us and our way of life, along with the ideology that motivates them.
Over the years we have seen the enemy’s ideology referred to using a variety of terms: “Islamism,” “Radical Islam,” “Militant Islam,” “Political Islam,” “Islamic Totalitarianism,” and “Islamic Supremacism,” among others. The primary motivation for using such terms, instead of just saying “Islam,” is to acknowledge the fact that only a minority of those who call themselves Muslims wish to kill us or destroy our way of life.