Chesler Chronicles

October 8th, 2007 11:05 am

WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG

I want to welcome you all to my Pajamas Media XPRESS blog. I am delighted to be with you. I hope that what interests me will interest, enlighten, strengthen, inspire and delight you. Of course, some postings will also enrage and amaze you since, among many other subjects, I write about Islamic gender and religious apartheid, jihad, Islamist fundamentalism, Muslim and ex-Muslim dissenters, the new anti-Semitism, the demonization of Israel, terrorism, anti-Americanism, and Big Lie Propaganda and the way in which it has increasingly penetrated culture.

I am an old-fashioned independent American thinker. I do not “do” one-line put-downs or savage soundbites. I know how to critique data and conduct studies but I also write so that non-academics can understand what I am saying. I listen respectfully to someone who has an opposing point of view, (or at least I try to). Even when my blood boils, I do not bully, intimidate, mock, scorn, or demonize my opponent.

As you all may or may not know, I am a retired Professor of Psychology, a retired psychotherapist, and a retired courtroom witness. But I remain an author, a lecturer, and a public intellectual (God help us all!) who is often interviewed by the media, but no longer by the liberal/left mainstream media.

Once, my books (there are fifteen, thirteen are published), my articles (there are thousands), and my various political, feminist, civil, religious, and human rights campaigns were widely and prominently covered in the major mainstream media. This changed radically in 2003 when I began writing in defense of Israel and America and about the hijacking of the western university by a virulent form of Stalinist Palestinianism and postmodernism.

I do not represent any one nation-state but rather a state of mind not bound by any political party or ideology. I believe in universal human rights and am therefore not a multi-cultural relativist or a Blame America-firster. Once, long ago, I lived in purdah, in Kabul, Afghanistan. I do not justify the veil, polygamy, purdah, or Islamic religious (shari’a) law. And, I do not necessarily blame the West for indigenous barbarism in the Third World.

For example, tribal warfare, honor murders, bride (or dowry) burnings, female genital mutilation, amputation, and stoning are not caused by western capitalism, colonialism, or imperialism, nor is tiny Israel responsible for such customs. For that matter, neither the West nor Israel can be blamed for the genocides in Rwanda or Darfur, Sudan, or for the mass gang-rapes there and in the Congo.

For holding such views, I have sometimes been slandered as a “racist” by a handful of outspoken western ideologues–but then again, I’ve also been embraced by some of the bravest people in the world: Muslim and ex-Muslim dissidents who share my passion for women’s rights, human rights, freedom of thought and religion, the belief that Israel absolutely deserves to exist and that the West deserves defending.

Unsurprisingly, I have been unable to find a publisher for a collection of my writings that I’ve titled The Islamification of America or for a new book which will expand upon my own long-ago captivity in Afghanistan and upon the fabulous voyages to the Islamic East that other westerners have taken.

However, I am optimistic and determined to publish these works myself if necessary.

“Samizdat” means self-publishing. This word came into vogue in the post-Stalinist Soviet Union. Dissidents published themselves in order to evade officially imposed censorship. My views have been censored but not by the government. (More about what this means in future postings).

Things are far from bleak. More than five million readers have bought one or more of my first thirteen books. Millions of readers from 100 countries visit my website (www.phyllis-chesler.com) every year where I post my articles. Perhaps my internet–and now you, my Pajamas Media readers—will also buy my books, especially if they are self-published.

I am cheerfully resolute on this subject. And why? Because I know that I am very lucky for a truth teller. Unlike my honorable Muslim counterparts, I can still live safely in my own country and publish under my own name. They are often censored, imprisoned, tortured, and killed for their work, driven into exile (if they are lucky), hounded with death threats, forced to live in hiding and to publish under pseudonyms.

Thus, I think the times are exceedingly grave, not only for Jews or Israelis but for all civilians, Muslims as well, who are being terrorized and blown up by Islamic suicide killers. We cannot continue to misunderstand Islamist fundamentalism. We do so at our own peril.

But fear not, Dear Reader: My blog will also cover other, “lighter,” subjects. I plan to take you with me to the opera, theatre, cinema (aka movies in my childhood), and to museums and concerts in New York City. You will be with me when I attend political and literary events and when I interview some of the most remarkable people in the world. I will also review books.

I welcome your feedback and requests. I will read and try to respond to your questions and comments if you submit them to the blog.

Join me as I continue to cover the Culture Wars. Their outcome will determine our global future.

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15 Comments

1. Helen Smith:

Welcome Dr. Chesler,

I very much enjoyed your book, “The Death of Feminism” and look forward to reading your blog!

Oct 8, 2007 - 4:37 pm 2. David Thomson:

“I have sometimes been slandered as a “racist” by a handful of outspoken western ideologues..”

The leftist cultural milieu is incapable of combating the Islamic nihilists. Not only does it strongly incline towards a dishonest pacifism—but also its feeling of guilt over past racial injustices make it near impossible to effectively fight against dark skinned thugs. Whether we like it or not, alas, the vast majority of Muslim crazies are dark skinned. This fact alone causes the denizens of the Left to become existentially discombobulated and anxiety stricken. At the very most, they can only provide a halfhearted effort against our terrorist foes.

God help us if a Democrat occupies the White House after the 2008 elections. This will most assuredly increase the danger to the United States. The Democratic Party mainstream cannot handle racial issues in an adult manner. It’s as simple as that.

Oct 8, 2007 - 6:36 pm 3. Susan:

“I very much enjoyed your book, “The Death of Feminism” and look forward to reading your blog!”

And I remember ” as a student Women and Madness” and hope we see some of your old school moxie as well as your more recent stuff!

Oct 8, 2007 - 6:46 pm 4. Virginia Ray:

I too feel “The Death of Feminism” is must reading for feminists at this time in history. I also recommend “Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman”. Yesterday, I started to reread, “Patriarchy: Notes of an Expert Witness”, particularly, “Wolf in Feminist Clothing”. I do not think anyone captures the reality of the EARLY anti-violence feminist workers or makes the connections as eloquently as Phyllis Chesler. Only Chelser (and the author of Backlash) still articulate the analysis of the early radical feminists. So much garbage is written by academics who do not actually connect with the women they write about.
Like Phyllis I am obsessed with the status of my gender in the Arab and Persian slave states.
There is an Office of International Women’s Issues in the State Dept – on their website they show what is happening in the State Dept.’s efforts to help Muslim women gain equal rights.

I am proud of what they have tried to do with the leadership of Condi Rice. They have done more then was ever done under any Democrat or Republican before. It is amazing really. Condi Rice, who belongs to a category of people who rarely have political power, a single childless Republican black woman, has recognized the hideous slave status of women in Muslim society and has attempted the first organizing efforts ever attempted from the State Dept.

Rice has not received any support from the feminist community in the U.S. But the state dept bears some responsibility for that. They are not doing any organizing to help US women support women in Afghanistan or Iraq. All they are doing stateside is asking for money. They should be devising hands on ways US women can help victims of domestic abuse abroad – organizing that builds relationships.

In the beginning of the war, the state dept women’s website had some inadequate Republican projects which were better than nothing. But I and other feminists wrote to ask for domestic violence shelters and female police to be trained and armed by our military who could protect women and children in those shelters.

There was a State Dept plan to build 6 regional women’s centers in Afghanistan which might have incorporated shelters into their design. As far as I know there has been one shelter built but we cannot get any information about it. This is Rice’s failure. They should be linking us here and there.

A huge opportunity has been lost to improve the position of women globally and in particular Muslim women who are slaves under their religion by united them with feminists who have been through the wars here and who want to work with women there. Women Against Fundamentalism is such a group. RAWA who did not support the invasion is now outlawed in Afghanistan, perhaps because they also do not support the political processes? Again, we do not get this kind of info from our state dept.

This post is written to renew my request for such an organizing effort to originate from the website below:
Office of International Women’s Issues
http://www.state.gov/g/wi/

There is now a hunger to help these women by all segments of US society. To date, both the democrats and republicans have failed women in this regard.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should work with Hillary Clinton on this effort because we are all sick of politics as usual.

I have been talking to feminists about this since the beginning of the war. No one would listen then, but there has been a great change lately. Now it seems everyone is asking, what can we do?

So I went to the State Dept.’s OIWI website to bring back the project news, and was embarrassed to learn all they are doing is asking for money donations. The last time they tried to organize any project was 2005.

I thought those projects were inadequate but now it is worse. I know elections are coming and it is impossible for politicians to stop playing political games.

I hope in the time remaining before a new administration, someone at the State Dept will be moved to organize and that person will be familiar with the US domestic violence movement’s analysis, tactics and strategy.

Now please do not think I did not notice the educational networking and Medal of Courage Awards which I thought was excellent work. I publicized the list of women and their efforts. I also appreciate the news that one Courage Award winner has been imprisoned and hope Sec. Rice makes that a talking point.

But I am asking for non partisan efforts to involve US citizens in efforts that help support women struggling for equal rights in Muslim countries or in secular countries under the Muslim religion.

That organizing is not being done. And it is impossible to contact them. For instance, this interesting conference took place and I would like to know what has happened since but there is no way to find out.

They held a “Policy Forum in the Department of State on Increasing Women’s Roles in USG Peace-building, Post Conflict Reconstruction and Stabilization Initiatives” This was organized by the Office of International Women’s Issues in the State Department Washington, DC June 27, 2007.

On June 27, 2007 the Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues (G/IWI) and the Office of the Coordinator for Stabilization and Reconstruction (S/CRS), jointly convened the first Policy Forum in the Department of State on Increasing Women’s Roles in USG Peace-building, Post Conflict Reconstruction and Stabilization Initiatives. The forum drew upon both internal USG expertise on this issue and expertise from NGO practitioners. It was followed by an inter agency breakout session on implementation strategies.

There is no form to ask questions on the State Dept website. I contacted my Representative (Ryan) to find out what has happened since this conference and received an answer showing he had no idea what I was talking about – same for the Senators –

It is hopeless for an individual trying to deal with the feds. The only time we are real to them is when they are running for election. After that they are busy selling their votes to the corporations and we are just garbage to them.

Oct 8, 2007 - 8:07 pm 5. Fern Sidman:

“I do not represent any one nation-state but rather a state of mind not bound by any political party or ideology. I believe in universal human rights and am therefore not a multi-cultural relativist or a Blame America-firster.”

This is indeed the crux of Dr. Phyllis Chesler’s philosophy and credo. You will not hear the term, “multi-cultural relativist” espoused by any other political thinker or ideologue. She has blazed a most unique path in the current discourse on global affairs and has the courage of her convictions despite the slings and arrows that are foisted in her direction.

Today’s political polemicists, theoreticians and scholars are, for the most part products of the Western academy and as such hubristically promulgate the “party line”, unable, or too fearful to break with their “politcally correct”, left leaning schools of thought. Not so with Dr. Phyllis Chesler. You can expect a most refreshing, candid and sometimes brutally honest assessment of world affairs. She is not afraid to take on Islamofacists, second wave feminists, or those who cloak their hatred of Israel and America in intellectual jargon. To get a more cogent idea of what I mean, I would strongly recommend that required reading of all Pajamas Media viewers be “The Death of Feminism” and “The New Anti-Semitism”, among her other books.

I applaud Pajamas Media for welcoming Dr. Chesler to their site.

Oct 8, 2007 - 8:19 pm 6. Velfke:

Your work combines the prophetic tradition with original and important scholarship. You are what we need now in these dark times: clarity and direction. Brava for embarking on this new road!

Oct 8, 2007 - 8:29 pm 7. Sid:

I look forward to reading your posting in the future. Best of luck to you.

Oct 8, 2007 - 8:37 pm 8. Nancy:

What a wonderful edition to Pajamas and an excellent title for your blog. I look forward to learning from you each time. All of your books are gems. The truth will prevail.

Oct 8, 2007 - 8:49 pm 9. Howard Rotberg:

To my “sister” in the struggle for human rights and freedoms in the face of appeasement by our “intellectuals” and “politically correct”, I wish all success. I admire you and you should gain strength from knowing you are not alone…you are a leader.
http://www.howardrotberg.ca

Oct 8, 2007 - 10:39 pm 10. Ariella Haviv:

Fern Sidman said of Phyllis Chesler, “She is not afraid to take on Islamofacists, second wave feminists, or those who cloak their hatred of Israel and America in intellectual jargon.”

I would add that she possesses no fear when it comes to confronting the dreaded “Patriarchy”, America bashers, anti-Zionist academicians, (including Israeli ones) Holocaust deniers of all stripes, the “Orientalism” of the late Prof. Edward Said and his minions of Stalinized Palestinian apologists, among others. (Now, now, please calm down, Prof. Norman Finkelstein. What in the world makes you think I’m referring to you?). Purveyors of the Big Lies, BEWARE !! You have been put on notice. You now face a most formidable challenger and truth teller in the form of Dr. Phyllis Chesler.

Let the free expression and exchange of ideas begin, unfettered by censorship and libelous rhetoric.

Oct 8, 2007 - 10:55 pm 11. Acksiom:

Well, my first litmus test for intelligence and integrity is a person’s position on routine and ritual male genital amputation, i.e. prepucetomy done without a direct medical health necessity, AKA male circumcision.

So — what, then, is your position on the topic? You mention routine and ritual female genital amputation as one among several examples of notable issues — where then, as one who identifies herself as a believer in “universal human rights”, do you stand on providing the same protection of the fundamental human right to genital integrity to little boys as is currently provided, throughout much of the western world at the national level of legislation, to little girls?

Hopefully, you’ll actually at least acknowledge just the mere existence of the question — in sad contrast, alas, to Dr. Helen’s behavior on the subject.

Oct 9, 2007 - 4:34 am 12. Marcia:

I look forward to reading your passionate, brilliant, and thought provoking posts.

Oct 9, 2007 - 5:12 am 13. Karen:

Welcome!
I am truly looking forward to reading your blog posts. I can not even imagine saying that about any other “feminist.”

Oct 13, 2007 - 8:39 pm 14. miriam:

You are as welcome as the flowers of spring.

Oct 14, 2007 - 10:59 am 15. Lou Santacroce:

To All Who Come Across Dr. Chesler’s Columns and Comments:

Rejoice! You have finally encountered a sane, intelligent, principled writer who speaks and writes nothing but the bald-faced truth about the current state of the world. I first encountered her work in the 1970’s; her ground-breaking “Women and Madness” literally changed my way of thinking (It’s humiliating now to look back on the things I use to believe about women and their “place” before I encountered that book), and was the reason that, more than 20 years later, I began asking her to appear on my now-defunct NPR program, “At the Opera,” to talk about the “place” of characters like Lucia, Elektra, Brunhilde and other female inhabitants of the world’s greatest art form. I’m happy to know that she will be writing about cultural, as well as political “doings” (and, of course, I’m happy that she mentioned my name in her column about Luica; I can use the publicity), but I’m even happier to know that, with her debut this week on PajamasMedia.com, readers will be able to learn the unvarnished truth about the continuing abuse of women — here and abroad — the NEW “New Order” that, once again, seeks the complete annialation of the Jewish state and its people, and — in general — the continuing problems faced by those of us who would like nothing better than to live in peace and security with ALL people, providing they would allow us to do the same. Yes, Dr. Chesler and I are friends of some years standing, and that’s exactly why I am writing this little post; I know, from experience, that her work contains 100% truth, with nothing added nor subtracted. You can love it or hate it, but this is what it IS.

Oct 14, 2007 - 1:57 pm