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After several months of trying to arrange a time that
would be good for both of us to sit down and talk, I finally received the
pleasure of catching Glen Reinsford.
He runs the website
www.thereligionofpeace.com - a controversial website known for its
statistical information and constant updates on Islamic terrorism stretching
across the globe. Also unique to his site is an absence of individual
opinion, replaced with news and spreadsheets, with only a handful of links to
editorial pieces.
His diligence in pursuing information, while leaving most of the conclusions to
the reader, was what inspired me to interview him.
Chadd: Firstly I've spent a great deal of time looking over your
website - it's been both applauded as a source of incredible information and a
terrible hate site. What draws me to your site over Robert Spencer's
jihadwatch.com is the amount of accurate information with as little injected
opinion as possible. So then, where do you get all this precise
information from?
Glen: I guess the information comes from a variety of sources (by
the way, I'm not a great speller in realtime, so be kind). Just about
everything in the way of news and opinion pieces comes from the Web. Same
with the list of attacks, which are found on Internet News sources. Many
of the articles that I write are based on my own reading.
Chadd: What kind of fact checking do you do to insure that your
pieces aren't simply Islamic hate with made up numbers?
Glen: That's a good question. Surprisingly the most inflated
numbers out there are on pro-Islam sites, such as JihadUnspun. I never use
their numbers. Over the years, I have learned to identify which sources
are reputable and which aren't. I can also recognize when the best time to
get final numbers is, which is usually not in the immediate aftermath of an
attack. I often go back and correct the figures as they solidify.
Chadd: You made a bold claim on your website. 2006 was among
the worst years of the [Iraq] conflict and this is reflected in the amount of
civilian casualties there were, you asserted that roughly 250 were killed by
Americans and the rest by Islamic militants. You explained that you came
to this number by checking news sources, but could you give a bit more
information as to how you got this number?
Glen: Actually, I explained that I sifted through IraqBodyCount.net's
database. They may have an anti-war agenda, but they do rely on reliable
news sources. Throughout the year, I periodically checked their database
and analyzed each incident to determine how the civilians died.
Chadd: Would you state that the claims are relatively easily
verifiable if one were to use a similar method? And what types of methods
would you recommend if someone were to challenge your claim? Furthermore,
how long did you spend researching this number?
Glen: My method was to analyze three
months worth of data at a time as it became available. Since they are a
month behind, my final run-through was in early February of this year.
Now, it's always possible that IBC could go back and add incidents or new
casualty estimates, but I don't think this was the case.
Glen: ...unless I embarrassed them too much.
Chadd: It should come as no surprise that a number of Muslims refer
to your website as a hate site. Have you ever been officially contacted by
organizations such as CAIR or the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee?
Glen: Not that I know of. I dialogue with any reasonable person
who contacts me. I am always eager to have what is on the site challenged,
because I don't want anything inaccurate posted.
Chadd: Have you ever been challenged? And if so, have you
ever made an edit based on a challenge? Officially I mean, not by an
anonymous internet poster.
Glen: I've been challenged in e-mail, which is the only way for
folks to contact me. I have absolutely made corrections over the years,
although I haven't had to make many. (I'm not sure if this qualifies as
official or not).
Chadd: What inspired you to make the website? Was there a
single incident?
Glen: Actually yes. I can't remember exactly when, but some
months after 9/11, there was an incident in India in which ... hang on just a
second ... getting details...
Glen: yes, I must have already had the idea for this site at the time,
since I went live so soon after this. The massacre at a Hindu temple in
Ahmedabad, India about a year after 9/11. It was almost ignored in the
Western press, and it occurred to me how common Islamic terror is that such a
brutal incident should receive only passing attention. I also have to
credit CAIR, since I watched them closely in the year following 9/11 and was
repulsed by their lack of moral perspective.
Chadd: There's been a rise of momentum in the theory that if we wouldn't
provoke the proverbial beast, we would otherwise be safe. For example if
we'd just stop supporting Israel we wouldn't have had to worry about 9/11.
Knowing what you know, what do you feel about that? And to add onto that
question, do you think 9/11 could have been avoided by not supporting Israel?
And do you think that's a worthwhile price to pay for security?
Glen: There will always be an excuse for Islamic terror, because there
always has been. Islam is engineered to seek political and social
dominance and to not stop until that happens. Just the mere fact that
Muslims are so obsessed over tiny Israel seems to prove this. There is
plenty of other land in the Middle East, but the real problem is that Israel is
Jewish. If Israelis all converted to Islam tomorrow, there would be no
more "grievance."
To answer your last question... no, I do not believe in
concession, because it will only result in further demands. The line has
to be held somewhere.
Chadd: When you're not running websites highlighting Islamic terror,
what do you do?
Glen: I get along splendidly with my Muslim neighbor.
Chadd: Do you ever worry of someone taking out
an act of violence towards you? And by extension, have you received any
honorary fatwas declared against you?
Glen: No fatwas yet, but here's hoping. I'm not too worried about
my own safety. The death threats that I've gotten haven't been worth
taking seriously.
Chadd: And finally do you have any recommendations for any readers who
might be interested in carrying out a similar cause - and would be interested in
spreading information like you, or Robert Spencer?
Glen: Yes, read as much as possible with an open mind. Don't
speak (or think) in absolutes either. Not all of Islam is bad, and
certainly not all Muslims (or even a majority, for that matter) are bad people.
Don't put the agenda before the truth and always be willing to recognize when
your own worldview needs to be adjusted.
Chadd: Thank you very much for taking the time to have this interview,
it's been a pleasure.
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