So what do Bruce Springsteen and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have in common?
That’s the question Rogier Van Bekel, a center-left political writer of some stature, asked when he stumbled across David Horowitz’s new supersite, www.discoverthenetwork.org. As the Web site’s name would suggest, it is Horowitz’s guide to the worldwide leftwing “network.”
When Horowitz refers to the Left as a “network,” he’s talking about the web of money trails, the intertwined personal histories, the associations between individuals and groups, the front organizations, and the many hidden connections that form the well-oiled political machine. Horowitz recently unveiled his masterpiece, a comprehensive expose of the Left.
From the moment of its birth, Discoverthenetwork.org caused a lot of headaches for Horowitz. Detractors were incensed that he had created such a broad classification, entitled simply “individuals.” Hence the outrage of Rogier Van Bekel, who couldn’t believe that Bruce Springsteen would be lumped together with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. What did the two have in common? Was Horowitz suggesting that Springsteen, a self-described “progressive,” was cut from the same cloth as terrorist thugs? Could you even call a Muslim extremist a “leftist”? Aren’t “progressives” and radical Muslims as different as night and day?
Well, Mr. Van Bekel, I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. How did we end up in the peculiar situation we are in today, in which the agendas, interests, and the rhetoric of Muslim extremists have become so close to those of hardcore left-wingers?
To the benefit of Mr. Van Bekel, Springsteen does not belong in the same category as al-Zarqawi. And to the benefit of Mr. Horowitz, he was open to this criticism, and subsequently revised his website into five more specific categories.
But the issue isn’t resolved there. The fact remains that some on the ultra-Left have willingly aligned themselves with Muslim extremists. Perhaps Bruce Springsteen isn’t a good example of this, but I could think of plenty who are.
Michael Moore showed his true colors on April 14, 2004. Moore wrote in his blog, “The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not ‘insurgents’ or ‘terrorists’ or ‘The Enemy.’ They are the revolution, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow – and they will win.”
This statement is from a man who “really supports the troops.” Or does he support their enemies, those who used violence and threats of violence to dissuade voters from casting their ballots? The same enemy that tries to keep girls out of school, for fear that they might learn to read? That shoots election workers? That proclaims that democracy is “the worst form of government” because it entails the right to choose one’s religion? That is composed of Ba’athists and al-Qaeda members? Is this the “revolution” he was talking about? Well, it’s nice to hear Moore finally admit whose side he’s on.
Need another example? Lynne Stewart is a lifelong leftist and a despicable human being. She is also in jail, thank goodness, serving time for aiding a terrorist organization.
As a member of a communist front organization, the National Lawyers Guild, she served as the defense attorney of terrorist leader Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, leader of Al Jama’a al-lslamiya (the Islamic Group). This organization has strong ties to al-Qaeda.
Rahman’s main claim to infamy is that he masterminded the 1993 bombing of the Twin Towers. While in jail, Rahman passed information to Stewart, which Stewart passed to the media, in direct violation of the law. She also facilitated illegal communications between Rahman and his interpreter, who then became a link to his followers on the outside.
Defenders of Stewart say that she is being persecuted for speaking out against the War on Terror, and that illegal police tactics were used to ensnare her. The aforementioned National Lawyers Guild has rallied to her defense, and leftist billionaire George Soros has donated $20,000 for legal expenses. Osama bin Laden, a close ally of Rahman, has also thrown his support to Stewart. He has called for her release on at least one of his many videotapes.
Stewart has spent a lifetime defending some extremely unsavory characters, including members of the Black Panther Party and the Weather Underground. She is a longtime fan of Castro, Stalin, and Mao. I think the label “far-left” would be entirely descriptive of Lynne Stewart.
But how did she get to be so enamored with Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman? He is certainly no lefty. Rahman has fought for the subordination of women and Islamic theocratic revolution in Egypt.
Van Bekel is right to ask what “progressives” are doing on the same page as radical jihadists. But that’s not David Horowitz’s question to answer. He should be asking that question to Lynne Stewart, Michael Moore, and the innumerable other left-wing crackpots who cheer for the bad guys.
Osama bin Laden said it best when he pronounced, “The interests of Muslims and the interests of the socialists coincide in the war against the crusaders.” That videotape ran on al-Jazeera, on Feb. 12, 2003, just before the Iraq war began. Osama must be a smart man, because he knows who his allies are in this country. They make strange bedfellows, but they are bedfellows nonetheless.
Ben Duffy is a Collegian columnist.
