New Book By Islamophobia Expert Destroys The Myth That Muslims Equal Terrorism

New book by Internationally Known Islamophobia expert tackles tough issues and urges readers to assume the best of our Muslim neighbors

We live in a time when it is almost impossible to stay informed on every issue in the news. It takes willingness and effort to go beyond the surface and biased sound bites. Todd H. Green's new book, Presumed Guilty: Why We Shouldn't Ask Muslims to Condemn Terrorism (Fortress Press 2018), serves as both a primer and an invitation for self-reflection.

A 2001 to 2007 Gallup Poll revealed that 93 percent of the world's Muslim population believed the 9/11 attacks unjustified. Another study from the Muslim Public Affairs Council found that one in three al-Qaeda terrorist plots between 9/11 and 2011 were disrupted with the aid of Muslim Americans. 

Muslims speak out against terrorism all the time. Yet, a disheartening pattern has emerged in the West whenever acts of terror occur. Almost immediately, public figures ask the same question: "Why don't Muslims speak out against terrorism?" The implication—Muslims don't speak out—is obvious.

According to Green, it really isn't a question but a condemnation, because it "wrongly assumes Islam is the driving force behind terrorism." Moreover, he says this assumption diverts our attention from unjust Western violence, preventing us from confronting our own troubling history.

Green, a religious studies professor and former advisor to the US State Department under both the Trump and Obama administrations, debunks other myths, showing how ISIS actually targets Muslims more than any other group and why politics matter more than religion in driving terrorism.

Ultimately, Green argues, "It's time to end the distractions and to spend more energy on coming to terms with unjust Western violence." Only then can we honestly assess the causes of violence, stop relying on damaging stereotypes, and begin to ask better questions of our Muslim neighbors. 

More About "Presumed Guilty: Why We Shouldn't Ask Muslims to Condemn Terrorism":

(Via Fortress Press)

All of us should condemn terrorism–whether the perpetrators are Muslim extremists, white supremacists, Marxist revolutionaries, or our own government. But it's time for us to stop asking Muslims to condemn terrorism under the assumption they are guilty of harboring terrorist sympathies or promoting violence until they prove otherwise. Renowned expert on Islamophobia Todd Green shows us how this line of questioning is riddled with false assumptions that say much more about "us" than "them."

Green offers three compelling reasons why we should stop asking Muslims to condemn terrorism:
1) The question wrongly assumes Islam is the driving force behind terrorism.
2) The question ignores the many ways Muslims already condemn terrorism.
3) The question diverts attention from unjust Western violence.

This book is an invitation for self-examination when it comes to the questions we ask of Muslims and ourselves about violence. It will open the door to asking better questions of our Muslim neighbors, questions based not on the presumption of guilt but on the promise of friendship.

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About The Author:

Todd H. Green teaches at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. 

He is a sought-after speaker, giving lectures on college campuses and to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. Green's work has appeared in the Huffington Post, and his expertise has been cited by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for American Progress, the NAACP, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. He has been interviewed by CNN, NPR, and Al Jazeera. 

He is the author of The Fear of Islam.

SOURCE: Fortress Press

Donald Trump Anonymous Staffer Speaks Out – Treason Or A Public Service?

Somebody say something. (EPA/Shawn Thew)

One of Donald Trump’s senior White House staff has made a truly unprecedented move against their ultimate boss. The staffer anonymously published an opinion piece in the New York Times, in which the individual described a dilemma: should the White House’s employees stand by and watch a president who they see as “a threat to the health of our republic”, or should they quietly work to resist what they see as Trump’s “amoralism” and “misguided impulses”? Trump reacted to the piece in his usual style, accusing the author of “treason” and demanding the New York Times hand over their name.

It is easy to see the op-ed and ensuing furore as just one more indicator of the abject state of the Trump presidency. But the incident also poses a much more profound dilemma: when the elected politician they serve is a liability to the public, should staffers speak out and challenge them publicly, or remain loyal and do their boss’s bidding?

Among commentators, researchers and staffers themselves, there are two major schools of thought. On one side are the loyalists, who take the view that staffers should be unquestioning servants. According to loyalists, since politicians are elected officials with popular mandates, their orders must be carried out. A staffer’s role, then, is to find the most effective and efficient way to do that.

On the other side are the lifesavers, who hold that staffers are obliged to save a politician from their own stupidity, thereby protecting both institutions and the public from their bosses’ irrational whims. Modern states are highly complex entities, they say, and to run them effectively, you need a large body of specialists with deep experience who can sustain institutions while elected officials come and go.

So who’s right? Many politicians, and Trump especially, want their staffers to be loyalists. But this is a grave mistake. It’s the lifesavers who will actually help a politician to achieve their objectives, or can at the very least avert a costly or catastrophic onmishambles. There are at least three reasons why.

Fight or flight 
First, politicians are often far less knowledgeable than their staffers. Most have little to no understanding of the issues they are dealing with, and are routinely given portfolios they have zero experience in: energy ministers who have never set foot in a power plant, transport ministers who don’t use public transport, ministers of justice without the first idea of how the prison system works. It often takes politicians a year or two to get to grips with their portfolio, by which time they are liable to be shuffled on to an entirely unrelated job.

The role of the staffer is to guide these clueless politicians through complex policy domains they don’t understand. Doing that frequently requires a staffer to tell a politician they can’t do something.

One of the roles of any staffer worth their salt is to regularly rain on an enthusiastic politician’s parade. Elected officials often get worked up about pet projects and cherished ideas; staffers need to force them to think critically. Even if a staffer is wrong, this process of challenge is likely to lead to more robust decisions. By voicing their doubts, lifesaving staffers can cut through the dangerous groupthink that can set government policy on a course to disaster.

A house divided against itself. (EPA/Jim Lo Scalzo)

Finally, politicians should be pleased when their staffers speak up simply because it’s better than the alternative. Some time ago, the economist Albert Hirshmann pointed out there were three alternative courses of action an official could take when faced with a failing institution: remain loyal, leave, or speak out. Later researchers added a fourth option: to simply neglect their job and stop caring. So how should frustrated, demoralised or panicked employees decide what to do?

When faced with a failing policy, civil servants can remain loyal and get to work on the necessary turd polishing. That might make their masters feel good in the short term, but it can also drag everyone concerned deeper into a potentially disastrous course of action.

Leaving, meanwhile, might relieve the pressure on the individual staffer and make their political master happy, but simply pulling the pin is unlikely to fix the problem. Rather, some new staffer is likely to come along and make the same mistakes all over again. The upshot could be a revolving door of misfortune. And while staffers could also simply neglect their duties, the comfort that would offer them and their boss alike may well be offset by disastrous consequences for the public.

That only really leaves one option: to speak out.

Cooler heads prevail 
Staffers are likely to be punished for putting their heads above the parapet, and the politicians they serve are often disinclined to listen. But sadly, voice is one of the few ways that endemic problems get corrected before they terminate in disaster.

For any staffer looking to speak up, grave dangers lie ahead. But research suggests there are more or less effective ways of getting your point across. Studies conducted in large American corporates have found that the best way forward is to create underground resistance from the inside. The staff who do so have been described as “tempered radicals”.

Tempered radicals typically work by creating underground networks both inside and outside an organisation. These networks bring together people who care about an issue. They provide the platform for future action. Tempered radicals manage their heated emotions about the issue. They might be fuming, but they try to let rationality rather than passion lead them, using the values of their institution to push forward their claims.

If the people in charge value individual freedom, staffers trying to change course should use arguments about individual freedom to push their agenda forward. Finally, tempered radicals create behind the scenes actions which help to push their agenda forward. These are smaller actions which help to make people’s lives better. Over time, these modest interventions build up to bigger wins.

It’s true that in politics, loyalty is one of the most valued currencies. But being loyal doesn’t mean always saying yes to seniors; it also means staying committed to the values of an institution, even when that might mean questioning or challenging the person temporarily in charge. That can be hard. But it can also help save politicians from themselves.

About Today's Contributor:
Andre Spicer, Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Cass Business School, City, University of London

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

"Downton Abbey: The Exhibition" Is Moving To Florida

Downton Abbey: The Exhibition features several beloved rooms from the TV series, including the Crawleys’ glamorous dining room.

Following its widely acclaimed New York City run, which came to a close yesterday, NBCUniversal International Studios today revealed that Downton Abbey: The Exhibition will open in South Florida on Saturday, November 10, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is pleased to announce.

Downton Abbey: The Exhibition offers a fully immersive experience inside the world of Carnival Films' multi-award-winning global television phenomenon and recently announced feature film. It concluded its New York City run over Labor Day weekend and will now move to CityPlace in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach.

The enhanced exhibition will offer never-before-seen elements connecting fans to their favorite characters, costumes, locations and historic events of the era, as well as showcase exclusive footage. It will provide a fascinating look at all aspects of the post-Edwardian period in which the popular TV series is set and offer in-depth insight into the remarkable events which shaped the world. 

"Downton Abbey: The Exhibition" (Image via DowntonExhibition.com)

⏩ From World War I to the Roaring Twenties, visitors will have the chance to learn about British society, culture and fashion.

Hailed by the New York Times as "a cleverly immersive experience mounted with the same exacting care as the show itself," Downton Abbey: The Exhibition received an overwhelming response, attracting vast crowds daily since opening its doors on November 18, 2017 in New York City.

"Our fantastic experience in New York City confirmed to us that the huge Downton Abbey audience love the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world created by Julian, Gareth and the Carnival team," said Sarah Cooper, COO, NBCUniversal International Studios. "With a movie in production and the Downton fan base more enthusiastic than ever, we're delighted to be moving to Florida and opening up our exhibition to an even wider audience."

"As we are about to start filming the Downton movie, it is an exciting time to announce that residents and visitors to Florida will soon be able to enjoy the amazing experience that is the Downton Abbey exhibition," said Gareth Neame, Producer of Downton Abbey and Executive Chairman of Carnival Films.

With an even larger footprint than its New York City counterpart, the South Florida exhibition will transport visitors on an incredible journey through the grand home of Downton Abbey and offer an inside look into the world of the Crawleys and those that served them below stairs. 

"Downton Abbey: The Exhibition" (Image via DowntonExhibition.com)

From Mrs. Patmore's hectic kitchen and the gossip-fueled servants' quarters, to the family's glamorous dining room and Lady Mary's bedroom, fans will get the chance to walk through some of the series' most recognizable and beloved sets. 

Visitors will also get an up-close look at over 50 of the show's official costumes, worn by their favorite actors including Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Dame Maggie Smith.

"We are most excited to have Downton Abbey: The Exhibition come to West Palm Beach after its New York City run," said West Palm Beach Mayor, Jeri Muoio. "Our legacy as an arts and culture destination paired with the popularity of this exhibition is sure to make for an exciting season here in West Palm Beach. We're grateful to our local partners – Discover The Palm Beaches, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, and CityPlace – for their support in helping bring this extraordinary attraction to our city."

Downton Abbey: The Exhibition will be located at CityPlace, 575 S. Rosemary Ave, West Palm Beach, FL33401. It will open daily between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., including Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Tickets will be priced at $35 and children under 14 will receive free admission. VIP packages and private hire options will also be available. Programming, promotions and hotel packages will be announced at a later date.

⏩ For more information on the exhibition, please visit downtonexhibition.com.

"Downton Abbey: The Exhibition" (Image via DowntonExhibition.com)

About Downton Abbey:

Downton Abbey aired for six seasons on MASTERPIECE on PBS in the US and reached more than 26 million viewers in its final season, making it the highest-rated PBS drama series of all time. 

A Carnival Films/MASTERPIECE co-production, the series was written and created by Julian Fellowes and executive produced by Gareth Neame, Julian Fellowes, Liz Trubridge and Nigel Marchant. The MASTERPIECE Executive Producers were Rebecca Eaton and Susanne Simpson. 

Downton Abbey is one of the largest UK drama exports of all time, seen in over 250 territories worldwide. With 15 wins and 69 nominations, it is the most nominated non-US show in the history of the Emmys. Also, the winner of three Golden Globes, a special BAFTA and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, the series has captured an extensive fan-base worldwide. 

Production on Downton Abbey the movie begins later this summer. The movie is a Carnival Films production, with Focus Features and Universal Pictures International distributing. 

SOURCE: Cultural Council of Palm Beach County

Google At 20: How A Search Engine Became A Literal Extension Of Our Mind

(Shutterstock)

We are losing our minds to Google. After 20 years, Google’s products have become integrated into our everyday lives, altering the very structure of our cognitive architecture, and our minds have expanded out into cyberspace as a consequence. This is not science fiction, but an implication of what’s known as the “extended mind thesis”, a widely accepted view in philosophy, psychology and neuroscience.

Make no mistake about it, this is a seismic shift in human psychology, probably the biggest we have ever had to cope with, and one that is occurring with breathtaking rapidity – Google, after all, is just 20 years old, this month. But although this shift has some good consequences, there are some deeply troubling issues we urgently need to address.

Much of my research spans issues to do with personal identity, mind, neuroscience, and ethics. And in my view, as we gobble up Google’s AI driven “personalised” features, we cede ever more of our personal cognitive space to Google, and so both mental privacy and the ability to think freely are eroded. What’s more, evidence is starting to emerge that there may be a link between technology use and mental health problems. In other words, it is not clear that our minds can take the strain of the virtual stretch. Perhaps we are even close to the snapping point.

Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?

This was the question posed in 1998 (coincidentally the same year Google was launched) by two philosophers and cognitive scientists, Andy Clark and David Chalmers, in a now famous journal article, The Extended Mind. Before their work, the standard answer among scientists was to say that the mind stopped at the boundaries of skin and skull (roughly, the boundaries of the brain and nervous system).

But Clark and Chalmers proposed a more radical answer. They argued that when we integrate things from the external environment into our thinking processes, those external things play the same cognitive role as our brains do. As a result, they are just as much a part of our minds as neurons and synapses. Clark and Chalmers’ argument produced debate, but many other experts on the mind have since agreed.

Our minds are linked with Google 
Clark and Chalmers were writing before the advent of smartphones and 4G internet, and their illustrative examples were somewhat fanciful. They involved, for instance, a man who integrated a notebook into his everyday life that served as an external memory. But as recent work has made clear, the extended mind thesis bears directly on our obsession with smartphones and other devices connected to the web.

Growing numbers of us are now locked into our smartphones from morning until night. Using Google’s services (search engine, calendar, maps, documents, photo assistant and so on) has become second nature. Our cognitive integration with Google is a reality. Our minds literally lie partly on Google’s servers.

Extra memory. (Shutterstock)

But does this matter? It does, for two major reasons.

First, Google is not a mere passive cognitive tool. Google’s latest upgrades, powered by AI and machine learning, are all about suggestions. Google Maps not only tells us how to get where we want to go (on foot, by car or by public transport), but now gives us personalised location suggestions that it thinks will interest us.

Google Assistant, always just two words away (“Hey Google”), now not only provides us with quick information, but can even book appointments for us and make restaurant reservations.

Gmail now makes suggestions about what we want to type. And Google News now pushes stories that it thinks are relevant to us, personally. But all of this removes the very need to think and make decisions for ourselves. Google – again I stress, literally – fills gaps in our cognitive processes, and so fills gaps in our minds. And so mental privacy and the ability to think freely are both eroded.

Addiction or integration? 
Second, it doesn’t seem to be good for our minds to be spread across the internet. A growing cause for concern is so-called “smartphone addiction”, no longer an uncommon problem. According to recent reports, the average UK smartphone user checks his phone every 12 minutes. There are a whole host of bad psychological effects this could have that we are only just beginning to appreciate, depression and anxiety being the two most prominent.

But the word “addiction” here, in my view, is just another word for the integration I mentioned above. The reason why so many of us find it so hard to put our smartphones down, it seems to me, is that we have integrated their use into our everyday cognitive processes. We literally think by using them, and so it is no wonder it is hard to stop using them. To have one’s smartphone suddenly taken away is akin to having a lobotomy. Instead, to break the addiction/integration and regain our mental health, we must learn to think differently, and to reclaim our minds.

About Today's Contributor:
Benjamin Curtis, Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics, Nottingham Trent University

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

"At Vitoria": A Spanish City's Medieval Promise Between Christians and Sephardic Jews

"At Vitoria" - front cover (PRNewsfoto/Archway Publishing)

How could a medieval Jewish cemetery cause so much debate? 

"At Vitoria" by Marcia Riman Selz transports the reader from 1950's Bayonne, France back to medieval Spain and weaves a story of success, love, terror, tragedy, shame, and honor. 

The historical and cultural details make for an evocative narrative that draw the reader in and provide an engaging sense of realism.

"At Vitoria" introduces the reader to the CREVAGOS, a Jewish family that copes with adversity and trauma amid joy and daily needs, while living under the shadow of the Spanish Inquisition. Hard work, intelligence and clever spirit create a family of survivors. 

"At Vitoria" is also the story of how, in 1492 when Jews are expelled from Spain, the Christians of Vitoria, grateful to Jewish physicians for saving lives, take an oath to preserve the Jewish cemetery. 

Almost 500 years later, this promise draws raw emotions from both Christians and Jews.

"'At Vitoria' is based on actual historical events and has relevance for today's world," said Selz. "The medieval Christians and Jews of this novel and their descendants show that respect for individual differences, honor, and strength of spirit can generate very desirable results."

Kirkus Review calls the book "a well-constructed, highly informative historical novel."

"The novel's strength is in its descriptions of the traditions and daily living of a medieval Jewish family," stated a BlueInk Review.

"At Vitoria" is a heart wrenching, but ultimately heart-warming read, with a life-affirming message. It is sure to cause smiles, tears, and renewed pride in humanity.

Marcia Riman Selz (Via marciarimanselz.com)

About the author:

Marcia Riman Selz, PhD has had a long career as a marketing consultant to financial institutions. However, after a vacation in Spain, she felt compelled to write about Vitoria and the extraordinary events surrounding the city's medieval Jewish cemetery. Selz is working on her next novel about growing up on the south side of Chicago. 

⏩ "At Vitoria: A City's Medieval Promise between Christians and Sephardic Jews" By Marcia Riman Selz is available at the Archway Publishing Online Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

SOURCE: Archway Publishing

Epic Level Entertainment Announces New Film "Charlie Says" and New Partner, Dana Guerin

"Charlie Says"  (Epic Level Entertainment)

Epic Level Entertainment announces Dana Guerin has joined the company as a producer, and that their first film together, Charlie Says, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival. 

Charlie Says, which recounts the story of the three female members of the Manson Family who were imprisoned for the notorious murders, is directed by Mary Harron and written by Guinevere Turner, the team behind American Psycho.

Guerin, whose entertainment career includes titles such as The Vault, Outlaws and Angels, and The Taking of Deborah Logan, has been developing the Charlie Says project for the past six years, alongside Harron and Turner. 

She brought the film to Epic Level when she joined the company earlier this year.

"We are ecstatic to welcome Dana to Epic Level Entertainment," says producer John Frank Rosenblum. "I had the pleasure of working with Dana at On Track Entertainment in the 90s, where she was ahead of her time in the repurposing of new media properties for basic cable broadcasting. With her latest film, Charlie Says, she is telling the female perspective of a story that had previously been dominated by the male perspective, ensuring that it was also written, directed and primarily produced by women. Here again, Dana shows that she is ahead of the curve with what the public wants, and indeed now demands, from popular entertainment."

Charlie Says is a story about the three young women who were sentenced to death in the infamous Manson murder case, but when the death penalty was lifted, their sentence became life imprisonment.  

One young graduate student was sent in to work with them, and to help them understand the consequences of their actions. Through this prison counselor, Karlene Faith, we witness their transformations as they face the reality of their horrific crimes.

Epic Level Entertainment has historically focused on horror and genre entertainment. While these themes will remain a mainstay of the company's slate, Guerin's addition will expand their productions to include relevant contemporary themes aligned, for instance, with the #MeToo movement, among others.

"Epic Level Entertainment is excited to be part of the solution with three partner/producers who are female, including myself, Dana and Paige Barnett. Female driven films are more in demand than ever, and Epic Level Entertainment is bringing them to the forefront," says Cindi Rice, Producer.

"Charlie Says" (Epic Level Entertainment)

⏩ Epic Level Entertainment is debuting Charlie Says at the Venice Film Festival on September 2nd.

SOURCE: Epic Level Entertainment

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