The SPLC apologizes at last
Remember this from October 27 2016?
Another one of those mornings that starts with a horror in my news stream – the Southern Poverty Law Center branding Maajid Nawaz an “anti-Muslim extremist” in a new report/field guide. They also include Ayaan Hirsi Ali under that hateful umbrella, but it’s the inclusion of Maajid that dumbfounds me the most, seeing as how he is in fact a Muslim and is most explicitly and centrally anti-extremist.
In short, this pisses me off, big time. It pisses me off because it’s grossly inaccurate, and unfair to Maajid. It pisses me off because as he points out it puts a target on him. It pisses me off because the SPLC has done heroic, brave work in the past. It pisses me off because I have many liberal Muslim friends who also campaign against Islamist extremism. It pisses me off because the left really needs to get it straight: Islamism is not a left-wing ally, it’s a deeply right-wing, reactionary, anti-human rights, theocratic movement, and people who campaign against Islamism are not anti-Muslim and not extremist. Islamism is not our friend, and its enemies are not (all) our enemies. There are of course plenty of right-wing (and some theocratic) enemies of Islamism, but I do think if the SPLC tries it can manage to tell the difference between liberal anti-Islamists and reactionary anti-Islamists. Maajid is one of the former, not the latter.
And this from October 30th? And this from November 1st?
Now, this:
https://twitter.com/MaajidNawaz/status/1008724249794826246
Good.
*Whistles* Okay, that size of a check for a defamation suit is pretty damned rare. They must’ve been able to show some serious damages of a financial nature, as well as demonstrating they could prove fault in court.
Freemage, depends whether he was suing in the US or the UK. UK is extremely expensive (and difficult) to defend and damage awards can be significant.
And if it was in the US, it could very well never be paid. Appeals, countersuits, and just plain bankruptcy often prolong the payment indefinitely, and many large settlements go unpaid forever. The claimants often do not have the money or the lawyer power to fight against the behemoths and force payment.
Good, but what a waste. Hopefully the SPLC can get back on track. They used to do really good work.
Exactly. It was terrible to see them take this path.