Christian Zionism and American Islamophobia: Giraldi, Utley Jan. 30 in DC

Christian Zionism and American Islamophobia
January 30, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The Council for the National Interest, the International Council for Middle East Studies, and the Freda Utley Foundation will be hosting a program titled “Christian Zionism and American Islamophobia” at the National Press Club (Zenger Room, 13th floor, 529 14th St., NW, Washington, D.C.) on Wednesday, January 30, beginning at 12:15 p.m. The one-hour conference will be followed by Q &A, and is open to journalists.

A major focus of the seminar will be on evangelical Christian Zionism’s support for a new war against Muslims, this time with Iran, and its antagonism toward Muslims and Islam. Four leading experts and scholars will discuss Christian Zionism’s relationship with the state of Israel as well as aspects of the evangelical embrace of an Armageddonist world view, and its ongoing campaign against the alleged imposition of Sharia law.

The topics and speakers are:

“The Political Impact of Christian Zionism,” by Phil Giraldi, Ph.D., Director of the Council for the National Interest. Dr. Giraldi is a contributing editor to The American Conservative and a regular columnist for Antiwar.com. He was formerly a CIA counterterrorism specialist and served as Base Chief in Barcelona. He will address the real world consequences of the alliance of Christian fundamentalists with the Israel/Likud Lobby in the United States.

“Christian Zionism, the Armageddon Lobby, and the Shaping of American Foreign Policy,” by Jon Basil Utley, associate publisher of The American Conservative and an advisor to Antiwar.com. He has written extensively on this topic and will discuss the Jewish resistance to Likud Zionism, and push for new wars in the Middle East by evangelical leaders who have changed from forecasting Armageddon to trying to hurry up its coming.

“Evangelical Christian Zionism Views Islam,” by Norton Mezvinsky, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History (emeritus), Connecticut State University, and the President of the International Council for Middle East Studies (ICMES) in Washington, D.C. His many published writings include articles on Christian Zionism. His book, Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel, co-authored with Israel Shahak, has been published in four languages in addition to English.

Professor Mezvinsky will define evangelical Christian Zionism, briefly pinpoint its position in regard to the state of Israel, and then focus upon its antagonism directed against Islam and Muslims.

“The Cultural and Historical Context of ‘Islam in Christian-Zionist thought’ in America” by Fuad Shaban, Ph.D., Vice President of Yarmouk Private University in Syria. Dr. Shaban is the author, Islam and Arabs in Early American Thought, and For Zion’s Sake: The Judeo-Christian Tradition in American Culture. He is a visiting professor and lecturer at many Arab and American universities, including Duke and James Madison.

“Rarely reported upon and little understood is the major support group in America for new and unending wars in the Middle East,” commented Jon Basil Utley, one of the scheduled speakers. “All the learned analyses one may read from American think tanks, academia and business journals are, time and time again, shown to be irrelevant in the formulation of Washington’s foreign policy. Rather it is repeatedly made by a mix of military industrial complex interests, the Israeli (Likud) Lobby and evangelical Republicans believing that chaos in the Middle East is part of God’s plan. These and related issues will be thoroughly discussed at our conference on January 30,” Mr. Utley said.

Space for the conference is limited. Reservations are recommended. To make a press reservation, email Fran Griffin of Griffin Communications at griffin@griffnews.com or call 202-643-1048.