Fox News Has Mainstreamed Pam Geller's Islamophobic Hate Speech

In the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Oslo, Norway, the manifesto of accused killer Anders Behring Breivik is being examined, and commenters are noting that he frequently cited fringe, so-called “antijihad” writers including Atlas Shrugs blogger Pamela Geller. Geller has long been a reliable source for Fox when the network needs or wants to highlight far-right, fringe, and extremist opinions -- and Geller has only benefited from the exposure. And now that the opinions Geller proudly holds have been connected to a horrific act of violence, Fox News' role in mainstreaming Geller and her brand of Islamophobic activism should be put under the microscope.

Geller And Other Fringe “Antijihad” Bloggers Were “Frequently Cited” In Breivik's Manifesto

NYT: “Breivik Frequently Cited” Geller's “Atlas Shrugs” Blog. Detailing the fringe right-wing blogs cited in Breivik's “manifesto,” The New York Times reported:

The man accused of the killing spree in Norway was deeply influenced by a small group of American bloggers and writers who have warned for years about the threat from Islam, lacing his 1,500-page manifesto with quotations from them, as well as copying multiple passages from the tract of the Unabomber.

In the document he posted online, Anders Behring Breivik, who is accused of bombing government buildings and killing scores of young people at a Labor Party camp, showed that he had closely followed the acrimonious American debate over Islam.

[...]

Mr. Breivik frequently cited another blog, Atlas Shrugs, and recommended the Gates of Vienna among Web sites. Pamela Geller, an outspoken critic of Islam who runs Atlas Shrugs, wrote on her blog Sunday that any assertion that she or other antijihad writers bore any responsibility for Mr. Breivik's actions was “ridiculous.”

“If anyone incited him to violence, it was Islamic supremacists,” she wrote. [The New York Times, 7/24/11]

Jeffrey Goldberg: Geller “Should Be Aware Now That Violent People Look To Her For Guidance.” Commenting on the Times article noting the number of times Breivik cited Geller, Atlantic national correspondent Jeffrey Golberg opined:

Geller is a hatemonger, but she didn't pull the trigger. Free speech means free speech. But she should be aware now that violent people look to her for guidance, and she should write with that in mind. [TheAtlantic.com, 7/25/11]

Village Voice: Geller Should Be Considered Among The “Lunatics.” After noting the frequency with which Breivik cited fringe, right-wing Islamophobic bloggers including Geller, The Village Voice opined:

RTF [Conservative blog Right Turn Forever] acknowledged that Breivik followed Geller and Gates of Vienna, but while those people are known to you and us as lunatics, to RTF they are “popular not only among anti-Islam activists, but amont [sic] even more moderate types concerned about the rise of radical Islam in the West.” (RTF doesn't name any of the alleged “moderate types” who follow these nuts.) [The Village Voice, 7/25/11]

Geller Routinely Uses Downright Outrageous, Hateful Rhetoric

Geller: “President Obama Is Indeed A Bastard, Literally And Figuratively.” In an April 29, 2011, post on her blog, Atlas Shrugs, Geller wrote, “President Obama is indeed a bastard, literally and figuratively.” [Atlas Shrugs, 4/29/11]

Geller Compared Critics Of Muslim Radicalization Hearings To “Pre-War Nazi Germany.” In a March 9, 2011, post on her blog, Atlas Shrugs, Geller compared criticism of Rep. Peter King's (R-NY) hearings on the purported radicalization of American Muslims to “what it must have looked like in pre-war Nazi Germany.” [Atlas Shrugs, 3/9/11]

Geller: Obama “Is A Third Worlder And A Coward” Who's “Appeas[ing] His Islamic Overlords.” In an April 13, 2010, post on her blog, Geller wrote: “Obama is a third worlder and a coward. He will do nothing but beat up on our friends to appease his Islamic overlords. All this is going down while Obama plays footsie at his nuclear nonsense campfire -- sucking up to Iran's enablers while beating up our allies.” [Atlas Shrugs, 4/13/10]

Geller Called Obama “President Jihad” And Said Obama Was “Advocating Jihad.” In an April 1, 2010, blog post titled, “President Jihad: Obama Encouraged Violent Palestinian Muslim protests against Israel,” Geller claimed Obama “is agitating Muslims against Jews” and stated:

The President of the United States is advancing jihad against the oath of office that he took. [Atlas Shrugs, 4/1/10]

Click here for more outrageous and hateful commentary from Geller

Fox News Has Aggressively Mainstreamed Geller

Geller Engaged In Fundraising For Her Issues On Fox. On June 28, 2010, Geller appeared on Fox News' Fox & Friends where she promoted her book about “the Obama Administration's War on America,” discussed her campaign to place signs on taxis that state “Honor killing victims: Is your family threatening you? LeaveIslamSafely.com,” and to instruct Fox viewers how to contribute to her campaigns through her website. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 6/28/10]

Geller On Fox: Developers Of Islamic Community Center Near Ground Zero “Want To Stab Americans In The Eye.” On May 27, 2010, Geller appeared on Fox News' Fox & Friends to criticize the developers of the Park 51 Islamic community center in New York City:

I think that that's wrong. I think there's no tolerance there. I don't know why they'd want to stab Americans in the eye with that. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/27/10]

Geller On Fox: A Mosque “Basically Embodies The Very Ideology That Inspired” 9-11 Attacks. On May 15, 2010, Geller appeared on Fox News' Huckabee to discuss her opposition to the New York City Islamic community center, calling it “an outrage, an insult” and “humiliating to the families and to all Americans.” Geller called the community center “a mosque” which she said “basically embodies the very ideology that inspired those attacks on 9-11.” [Fox News, Huckabee, 5/15/10]

Geller On Fox: “All The Evidence Points To Obama's Anti-Semitic Associations.” On July 27, 2010, Geller appeared on Hannity and claimed that President Obama's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a “photo op” and accused Obama of being anti-Semitic. [Fox News, Hannity, 7/27/10]

Geller Compared Islamic Community Center To A “Ku Klux Klan Shrine” Near A Black Alabama Church. On August 11, 2010, Geller appeared on Fox News' Fox & Friends and voiced opposition to plans to develop an Islamic community center in lower Manhattan. Geller said:

This is not a religious issue or a freedom of speech issue. Would you build a Ku Klux Klan at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Alabama? It has nothing to do with that. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 8/11/10]

Geller On Fox: “Arabic” Is “A Spearhead Of An Ideological Project That Is Deeply Opposed To The United States Of America.” On February 14, 2011, Geller appeared on Fox Business' Follow the Money to discuss Arabic language instruction in Texas schools. Gellar said that Arabic “is the language of Islam and it is a spearhead of an ideological project that is deeply opposed to the United States of America.” [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 2/14/11, via Nexis]