Robert Spencer: The SPLC’s “Terror from the Right” Deception

The Daily Caller reported Thursday that “the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) considers the Orlando nightclub shooting, an ISIS-inspired attack that left 49 dead, a right-wing plot, along with the shootings of police officers by anti-white terrorists.”

The SPLC’s list, “Terror from the Right,” claims to be “a synopsis of radical-right terrorist plots, conspiracies and racist rampages,” but it includes Islamic jihadist Omar Mateen’s massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

As Mateen was doing his killing, he paused several times to call 911. Among his statements as he was murdering 49 people: “I pledge my allegiance to [unidentifiable name] on behalf of the Islamic State…Call me Mujahideen…my name is Islamic soldier.”

As far as the Southern Poverty Law Center is concerned, that’s “Terror from the Right.” Remember that the next time you hear someone say that attacks from “right-wing extremists” are more common than attacks from Islamic jihadists.

What’s ironic is that it was the Orlando jihad massacre that exploded the common lie (which still circulates) that “right-wing extremists” are responsible for more murders in the United States than Islamic jihadists. Georgetown University professor Engy Abdelkader recently appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show and made the outlandish claim that the FBI had said that “white supremacist groups” were more of a terror threat than Islamic jihadists.

The FBI made no such claim; in reality, it originated with far-Left pressure groups. Back in June 2015, the George Soros-funded New America Foundation published a study that garnered enthusiastic international publicity, as it purported to demonstrate that “right-wing extremists” and “white supremacists” were a larger threat to the U.S. than Islamic jihadis.

The mainstream media was thrilled. Mediaite crowed: “White Americans Are Biggest Terror Threat in U.S.” The New York Times exulted: “Homegrown Extremists Tied to Deadlier Toll Than Jihadists in U.S. Since 9/11.” The Huffington Post cheered: “White Supremacists More Dangerous To America Than Foreign Terrorists, Study Says.” NPR rejoiced: “Right-Wing Extremists More Dangerous Than Islamic Terrorists In U.S.” TruthDig was thrilled: “White Right-Wing Terrorists Are Biggest Threat to Americans, Study Finds.” And on and on.

The media delight stemmed from the fact that the study confirmed its biases and relentless endeavor to downplay and deny the jihad threat. Thus the New York Times and NPR and the rest were not in the least interested in the fact that the New America Foundation study was obviously skewed, as it was based on the number of those killed by jihadis and by right-wing extremists since September 12, 2001, leaving out 9/11. The study also ignored the many, many foiled jihad plots, and the fact that jihadis are part of an international movement that has killed many thousands of people, while right-wingers and white supremacists are not. It stated that right-wing extremists had killed 48 people from September 12, 2001 to June 2015, while Islamic jihadists had killed only 26 people in the U.S. in that span. If 9/11 had been added, the tally would have been 3,032 killed by Islamic jihadists and 48 by purported right-wing extremists.

But all right, let’s play by the New America Foundation’s rules. Counting the Orlando jihad massacre, but leaving out 9/11 as the NAF study did, the death toll now stands at 76 killed by Islamic jihadis, and 48 by purported right-wing extremists (I repeat “purported” because to get to its count of 48, the NAF counted as “right-wing” attacks killings that were perpetrated by people who were obviously deranged psychopaths devoid of any ideology).

Will the New York Times’ appalling Scott Shane now issue an amended report? Will NPR? Mediaite? HuffPo? Or any of the other “news” organizations that so enthusiastically propagated this false study in the summer of 2015?

I won’t be holding my breath.

And now we learn that the SPLC has inflated the numbers of “right-wing extremist” attacks by including Islamic jihad attacks among them. No wonder the Left is so complacent about the jihad threat, while so exercised about the supposed threat from the “right-wing.”

The real scandal here is that the establishment propaganda media still continues to present this far-Left hate machine, the SPLC, as if it were a reliable source.

Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and author of the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book is The Complete Infidel’s Guide to Iran. Follow him on Twitter here. Like him on Facebook here.