Dear Mr Horowitz,
Thank you for taking the time to create your indispensible "Guide to the Political Left", identifying the individuals and organizations that make up the modern left and promote its pernicious (often hidden) agendas.
It was so much easier to spot the leftists during the Cold War, when they all lived in the U.S.S.R. and hated us for our freedoms. Now, thanks to you, I understand that the leftists of today are Middle Eastern Muslims, though they still hate us for our freedoms.
I must admit that until you mapped out the left-wing conspiracy, I had never appreciated that Ayatollah Khomeini was one of those "religious individuals who promote leftwing social agendas", a political leaning he apparently shares with Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
It is probably inappropriate to congratulate the people who made it onto your blacklists. Nevertheless, special recognition surely belongs to the late Professor Edward Said, who fought his way onto your list of "radical members of the Islamic faith" despite being an Anglican, and to George Habash, an Orthodox Christian who also snuck in under the wire. Likewise, kudos to Radical Muslim James Zogby, the Lebanese-American commentator who refused to be held back by the fact that he is a Maronite Christian.
How heartening it is to see that, in the new Middle East that we are forging, it is now possible to be blacklisted as a Radical Muslim without having to go through the formality of being, well, Muslim. (Or - in Zogby's case - radical).
I don't want to sound pushy but, if Christians are eligible for your list, shouldn't you include "that old Arab Helen Thomas" too? She's Lebanese-American, she's Christian, and she's criticized President Bush: you can't get more Radical Muslim than that. And the Jerusalem Post, which was moved by the spirit of the season to publish a Christmas Eve editorial promoting sectarian divisions between Palestinian Muslims and Christians, smoked out another two for you when it subtly mentioned that key PA spokespeople such as Hanan Ashrawi and Saeb Erekat are Christian. **
Put 'em on the Radical Muslim list!
I hope you don't think I'm being facetious by suggesting that perhaps "Arab" is not a synonym for "Muslim" (or for "radical" either, for that matter). Personally, I can sympathize with your difficulty: they all look the same to me too.
Seasons Greetings Happy Hunting,
Lawrence of Cyberia.
(hat tip to Rising Hegemon)
** Yes, I am aware that Hanan Ashrawi isn't actually a PA spokesperson and that Saeb Erekat isn't actually a Christian. I'm just quoting the JPost here, accuracy has nothing to do with it.
Update, 11:40pm - the Jerusalem Post has partially corrected its editorial, but I preserve the original for posterity here.