Greenwald's idea of good journalism is a poisonous influence on the intercept; he approaches journalism as a lawyer; in other words to win an argument not report the facts. On twitter Greenwald defended Begg by linking to 'islam21c' a hate site which features praise for neo-nazi Gilad Atzmon and lauds people who committed genocide against Bangladeshis. Hussain is anti-Semite whose idea of good Jews are Neturei Karta who believe that Jews brought the Shoah upon themselves and recently ralled in support of the Jobbik neo-nazis. Hussain's idea of a good American is white supremacist Ron Paul, Murtaza denied Paul's racism and generally endorsed him. The intercept poses as progressive yet it defends a taliban thug with men like a Jew hater who supports a White supremacist.
The article on Begg resembles a defense attorney's statement more than journalism; the effort to prettify Begg is so delusionally contrary to reality and basic honesty that it could qualify as magical realism. Greenwald and Hussain described Begg as a wrongfully imprisoned victim who later became a 'human rights activist.' Moazzam has boasted about traveling to Afghanistan out of sympathy for the taliban and his support for them has grown; hence his call for the taliban to storm gitmo. They argue that Begg suffered torture, when he only claims to have been tortured; claims that lack evidence entirely. The article mentions Begg's writings, in his book he admitted to training at a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan run by Jamaat - e - Islam, which was involved in genocide against Bangladesh. After that he journeyed to other conflict zones and confessed to his meeting with "members of a European al Qaeda cell in 2000." Moazzam's pet cause has been campaigning for the release of Shaker Aamer wikileaks revealed that Begg outed Aamer as an al-qaeda recruiter.
The reader is treated to the pornogaphic spectacle of describing cageprisoners as an incomparably noble human rights organization on the basis of no evidence other than cage prisoners' site which blames 911 on Jews. By that standard of evidence NAMBLA is a premier human rights organization, parapsychologists have proven that ESP exists etc. Cage prisoners exists to serve imprisoned members of the taliban and al-qaeda; the group's prisoners of conscience is one long list of terrorists like Sajid Badat, Abu Qatada. age prisoners' most prominent clients included Mahmoud Abu Rideh an Al-Qaeda killed in Afghan and Abu Qatada who attempted to incite murder of Jewish children. To paint cage prisoners as a human rights organization is an as obscene as describing Gudrun Burwitz's Silent Support outfit as a civil liberties organization and elderly care center.
Evidence for claims made by Greenwald and Hussain is either distorted or nonexistent not unlike proof for a focus on the family broadcast concerning human origins. Begg's claims of harassment by the UK state lack evidence entirely but are presented as fact in an entire paragraph. Moazzam's defenses about his Syria travels are conflated with truth; perish the thought that a man who visited multiple terror training camps would visit one in the Levant! The claim of MI5 involvement in his trip are trumpeted without proof; an allegation that should be received with skepticism since MI6 not MI5 would handle a matter overseas.
After treating the word of someone who sees nobility in taliban slavers as fact the authors try to prove hypocrisy by complaining "charging someone with "terrorism" offenses for allegedly helping rebels which the U.S. government itself is aiding and for whom intervention was advocated by the U.S. president." Rebels have not received any lethal aid from the US which was quick to black list Islamist groups in Syria as terrorists; so charges of hypocrisy fall flat. To conflate the entire Syrian opposition with hardline Islamists who target Syrians for torture and terrorist attacks is a classic pro-Assad apologist trope. Glenn believes that mass murder of Syrian Muslims can be dismissed by pointing to Al-Qaeda yet condemns US actions that actually target AQ as evil.
Syria does prove Greenwald's hypocrisy; he has been keen to justify any Islamist terrorist attack against the west and presents himself as a champion of Muslims. When the Oslo attacks were believed to have been Al-Qaeda's work Greenwald justified slaughter by writing that Norwegians "prompted" the attacks and brought it upon on themselves. By contrast Greenwald sees the death of a single man as uniquely tragic and unjustifiable; that man was Anwar Alwaki a possible successor for Bin Laden. Yet he remains silent about a dictatorship trying to kill as many Sunnis as possible; he refused to condemn Assad and endorsed apologia for the regime. The appeal of Muslims and any real or imagined Islamic extremism to Greenwald depends entirely on violence directed against the US and its allies.
The intercept goes beyond innocent until proven guilty; they believe that the UK government is guilty of conspiring against Begg until proven innocent. Without any proof the arrest is presented has vast state plot to sabotage Begg's 'activism' which has gone on for years. Either the people MI5-MI6-reptilian plot to destroy a taliban supporter's fraudulent preening 'activism' are lazy or Begg's supporters are desperately clutching at straws. After defining persecution complex fantasies as truth the article moved on to alleging that the arrest of a man for criminal activity is a blow against dissent, hysteria without evidence only the word of Nawaz Hanif; a cageprisoners supporter. Hanif argued that the entire thing was orchestrated to suppress a report; a nonsensical concept since cage prisoners' ability to release reports is unimpaired.
Next the reader is treating to frothing hysteria about governments plots to "to stifle political activism among those criticizing civil rights abuses as well as foreign military expansionism." As evidence they cite people like Tarek Mahenna who was convicted on terrorist conspiracy charges involving al-qaeda. The next 'victim' is Emerson Winfield Begolly who plead guilty to soliciting terror attacks against Jewish children and assaulting FBI agents. Readers are expected to seriously believe that heinous criminals were guilty only of "highly public expressions of dissent" which is a blatant lie; criminals acts do not become noble dissent when they are motivated by clero-fascism. The dishonesty suggests sympathy for their views there is no other reason to pretend that joining al-qaeda and trying to arrange daycare bombings online is free speech and an alternative to a drum circle.
The trend of conflating crime with free speech continues by citing imprisoning for sending money to Hamas as "dissent" and Hamas is described as "Palestinians deemed terrorists by the U.S. Government." To argue that Hamas are not terrorists and that people should be free to fund them proves sympathy for Hamas; especially since Greenwald condemned Peter King for similar support for the IRA. The fact that crimes are illegal is expected to accepted for the article's hyperbolic outburst that "aggressive political dissent among Muslims will not be tolerated and can easily be criminalized as "terrorism."" In other words "we're not free to join Al-Qaeda, solicit murder, assault FBI agents or fund anti-Semitic death squads, tyranny!"
Apparently "whatever animosity he (Begg) has felt has not been towards America but to the government which abused him." Begg's support for the taliban and al-qaeda is a matter of public record, he runs an organization that exists to serve al-qaeda and the taliban and celebrates American deaths in hurricanes and condemns American Muslims for foiling terrorism. Begg's website includes images of the president being lynched: the intercept has hailed a group with content identical to KKK sites as a human rights organization! Greenwald and Hussain have micturated down their readers' backs and told them its raining.
Even if it was true, what of it? To argue that Begg's lie of having no enmity towards Americans somehow legitimizes him treats the Afghan victims of the taliban as if they don't exist. The argument creates a hierarchy of life in which victims of taliban slavery and genocide (violence that Begg is complicit in) simply don't exist. That hierarchy is why First Look can pretend a pro-taliban attention hound is a victim for circumstances created by his choices while ignoring those who suffered solely because of choices made by men like Begg. That hierarchy is not limited to Greenwald and Hussain; its central to opposition to the Afghan war thats why GIs relieving themselves on dead bodies will be condemned but massacres committed by the taliban will be ignored by 'anti-war' activists.
Supposedly "government suppression of activists" and "dissent" is "expanding", their evidence? Victims of this the arrest of three people who conspired to attack politicians with molotov cocktails. They cite the detention Greenwald's own partner; a self serving contrivance since the UK rejected their legal action against the detention. Its also irrelevant since Miranda is not a UK citizen. Greenwald and Murtaza praise Begg and insisting that his arrest is "almost certain to further stifle political activism within the Muslim community and more broadly as well" yet their own article shows that isn't the case by displaying the shrill pro-Begg campaign.
Hyperbole is followed by dishonesty that the west uses " tactics are commonly condemned when implemented by authoritarian governments such as China, Egypt and Russia." If that was true the entire First Look staff would have been in prison a long time ago for criticizing Obama. Their nonsense also equates Begg to dissident in dictatorships, an insult to democrats in regimes since Begg is only comparable to torturers and thugs employed by China, Egypt and Russia. The man's entire identity revolves around his support for taliban slavers and mass murderers. An article filled with lies on behalf of a terrorist support network is not journalism it is mealy mouthed extremist propaganda produced by and for people who want to believe it. It proves little but sympathy for men like Begg who find utopia by turning entire countries into graveyards.
