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The Insidious Influence of the SPLC

Belk

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It would appear that Hirsi Ali did hold and advocate some extremist views. It appears that lately she has moderated her stance so perhaps they will take her off. I agree that Nawaz does not appear to be an extremist and likely should not be on the list.
 
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AllButNone

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That's not true.

In support of your position...

At the same time the FBI removed links to the SPLC, it also removed links to the ADL, which, as Rion's link shows, was also touted by the right wing media in the same way the media touted the SPLC's removal.

Amusingly, here's a speech Comey made just a few months ago, concernign the ADL.

The speech doesn't match the right wing narrative. At all. On the contrary, it seems like the FBI has emphatic support for the ADL and its mission and maintains quite a bit of cooperation.

Whether or not it's the same for the SPLC is unclear, but if it remains this positive on the ADL despite the ADLs removal from the FBI webpage, there's little reason to think removal from the FBI webpage is evidence of anything other than the FBI succumbing to some right wing pressure to publicy distance itself.

Indeed, The Daily Caller provided what seems to be the FBIs official position on the matter.

“Upon review, the Civil Rights program only provides links to resources within the federal government,” an FBI spokesman told The Daily Caller in 2014. “While we appreciate the tremendous support we receive from a variety of organizations, we have elected not to identify those groups on the civil rights page.”

Although the Daily Caller jumps into speculation as to why the FBI removed those organizations, Comey's speech seems to make clear that in the case of the ADL, it wasn't due to any loss of respect or cooperation.

So why, then, would the removal of the SPLC from an FBI webpage be evidence of anything?
 
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Rion

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You linked to their cherry picking.


She's a woman who was abused by people within her religion and became an atheist as a result. She then began to receive regular death threats for being an apostate while living in the Netherlands. I don't think that you can ignore the context of her comments. If she had been a former Catholic who was abused by a priest and then said the things she has said, no one would bat an eye. Like many firebrands, she's not exactly great at nuance, and a fair assessment can be found here:

Is Ayaan Hirsi Ali an Anti-Muslim Extremist?
 
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KCfromNC

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Figured out a possible reason for this random attack on the SPLC. Pence recently met with Focus on the Family and promised them support from the administration. The FRC, which is part of that organization, is labeled a hate group due to their consistent anti-homosexual propaganda and lobbying.

Weird that the message would make it here so quickly, but I guess getting the word out from the Trump admin is a really important hobby for some.
 
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Cearbhall

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I really don't get why people continue to give this group the time of day.
I don't know why people give Focus on the Family the time of day. Who cares if a group is mainstream? The United States isn't somehow immune from having mainstream ideological problems. That status just makes it more alarming.
 
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essentialsaltes

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Just because a group is mainstream does not mean that nothing is wrong with them.
 
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