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OPINION UNITED STATES 4 HOURS AGO

Trump's desperate
search for a
'Reichstag Fire'
Givenhisserious
unpopularity,anincident
forillegalpowergrabis
increasinglyadangerous
possibility.

TheReichstaginflamesduringtheNaziascenttopower
inBerlin,February27,1933[FoxPhotos/GettyImages]
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by Hamid Dabashi @HamidDabashi

Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian

Professor of Iranian Studies and
Comparative Literature at Columbia
University.

DonaldTrumpandhistopIslamophobe
nomenklaturagatheredattheWhiteHouse,now
ledbythemilitantcrusaderStephenBannon,are
onadesperatelookoutfortheir"ReichstagFire"
andtheirfavouritepropagandaoutlet,FoxNews,
isfranticlysearchingforiteveninCanada.
"ReichstagFire"wasanarsonattackonthe
Reichstag,theGermanparliament,inBerlinon
February27,1933.Theincidentwassoonabused
byAdolfHitlerandhisgangtodemanda
suspensionofcivillibertiesinsystematic
preparationforhisputschfortotalfascistpower.
Eversince,theterm"ReichstagFire"isused
metaphoricallytomarkadreadfuleventabused
byanyprotofascistmovementtoblamean
amorphousinternalenemy,tobecoupledwithan
externalenemy,andrapidlyfromthererapidly
movetowardsatotalcontrolofthestate
apparatusbycriminalisingandcrushingpublic
dissent.
GiventhefactofTrump'sseriousunpopularity
withasignificantportionofAmericansociety,
this"ReichstagFire"incidentisincreasinglya
dangerouspossibility.
FromthehistoricWomen'sMarchinWashington
towidespreadairportralliesagainsthisMuslim
ban,Trumpandhishandlersknowonlytoowell
hislossofthepresidentialpopularvotebyabout
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threemillionnationwideisnowgrowinginto
widespreadpublicdiscontent,statelevel
gubernatorialopposition,andsystematic
resistancebythejudiciarybranch.
Fake news and Fox News

Soonafterthe
executiveorderlatein
Januarybanning
Muslimsfromseven
countriesfor90days INSIDESTORY:Republicans
toentertheUnited closetodominatingall

States,theTrump governmentbranches(25:10)

administrationwasgivenwhatitthoughtwasits
"ReichstagFire"momenttojustifyitsdraconian
measuresandpushforevenmore.
Theincidentpresenteditselfwhenreports
emergedthatagunmanhadattackedaMuslim
centreinQuebec,Canada.FoxNews,Trump's
mosttrustedsourceoffakenews,instantlycame
forwardandreportedtheperpetratorwasa
MoroccanMuslim.
This,however,likemostotherthingsonFox
News,wasacaseofbogusreporting.Thesuspect
ofthemassmurderinQuebecwas,infact,a
violent"whitenationalist"namedAlexandre
Bissonnette,whoisanotoriouscharacterknown
tothelocalauthoritiesforhisracistIslamophobic
views.Notonlywastheperpetratorofthiscrime
noMuslim,but,infact,Muslimswerehisdirect
targets.
Noneofthis,however,preventedFoxNewsfrom
jumpingtotheconclusionthattheactofterror
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wasperpetratedbyaMoroccanMuslimand,on
thebasisofthisfalsenews,theWhiteHouse
PressSecretarySeanSpicerinstantlyjumpedthe
gun,declaringitavindicationofTrump'sMuslim
ban.

Demonisation and
ofcial persecution of
Muslims, just as Jews
were in Nazi Germany,
will progress apace
until he manufactures
his 'Reichstag Fire'.

Buttheproverbialcakeinthisdesperatesearch
fora"ReichstagFire"goestothenotorious
KellyanneConway,Trump'stopchatterbox
consigliere,who,inaninterviewsoonafterthe
Muslimban,referredtotwoIraqirefugeesas
"mastermindsbehindtheBowlingGreen
massacre"withbaldfacedcharlatanism.
Thereisnosuchthingasa"BowlingGreen
massacre."Shejustmadeitupandthe
dimwittedinterviewerjuststaredatheranddid
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notobjecttothisfiction.Yes,twoIraqiswere
arrestedinthatcityforallegedlyhavingtiestoan
explosivedeviceusedagainstUStroopsinIraq.
Buttherewasno"BowlingGreenmassacre",
exceptintheviciouslydementedmindof
Conway,thefloweringachievementofAmerican
charlatanism.
State of
emergency
Trumpandhis
handlersaredesperate
tofindaMuslim WATCH:Whitenationalist
RichardSpencertalkstoAl
"ReichstagFire"and Jazeera(8:54)

theywillusethe
incidenttofurtherdemoniseIslamintheUSand
pushforaMuslimregistryorevenworse.
TheillegalandunconstitutionalMuslimbanis
onlythefirstsalvo.Trumphasalongerspectrum
inmind.Demonisationandofficialpersecutionof
Muslims,justasJewswereinNaziGermany,will
progressapaceuntilhemanufactureshis
"ReichstagFire".
Inadditiontoadomesticthreat,Trumpandhis
gangwillneedaforeignwartosafeguardhis
presidencyforthisandthenextterms.Henever
stoppedcampaigningafterhiswin.Heknowsfor
afactheisavastlyunpopularpresident.His
entirefirsttermwillbespentcampaigningforthe
second.
OPINION: Trump's Muslim ban is a dangerous
distraction

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2/10/2017 Trump'sdesperatesearchfora'ReichstagFire'|USA|AlJazeera

"DonaldTrumpneedsawar,"BradleyBurston
correctlydiagnosesandfurtheradds,"Butnot
justanywar.Heneedsjusttherightglobalnon
Christian,allpowerful,allfrightening,non
white,nonnegotiableenemy.HeneedsaHoly
War."
Theonly"HolyWar"Trumpcanwageisofcourse
againstMuslims.
StandingnexttohimisoneSteveBannon,an
obsessedcrusaderyouhavetogobackalltheway
tocharacterssuchasRaynaldofChatillonorGuy
ofLusignanoftheCrusadersperiodtofindthe
likesofhim:vicious,malignant,hatredof
MuslimsandJewsdefinitivetowhoandwhathe
is.
Bannonhasamalignantlyilliterateconceptionof
aperpetualwarbetweenIslamandChristianity
thathehaspickedupoffsomelunaticwebsite
likehisownBreitbart,fullyondisplayinavile
speechhegaveviaSkypetoagangoflikeminded
militantChristiansin2014.
OPINION: All international laws Trump's Muslim
ban is breaking

Atonecrucialpointinthisspeechhesays:"I
believeyoushouldtakeavery,very,very
aggressivestanceagainstradicalIslam,"andif
youthoughthemeans"radicalIslam"andnot
"Islam",heimmediatelycorrectsyoubyadding:
"IfyoulookbackatthelonghistoryoftheJudeo
ChristianWeststruggleagainstIslam,Ibelieve
thatourforefatherskepttheirstance,andIthink
theydidtherightthing.Ithinktheykeptitoutof
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theworld,whetheritwasatVienna,orTours,or
otherplacesItbequeathedtousthegreat
institutionthatisthechurchoftheWest."
FromSamuelHuntingtontoNewAtheiststo
BenjaminNetanyahutoBannon'sChristian
zealotryhavebeenpointingtoanalloutwarwith
onefinalstandingMuslimcountrynotentirely
subservienttotheUSChristianmilitarism:Iran.
Trump'sNationalSecurityAdviserand
Bannon'sfellowmilitantIslamophobeMichael
FlynnjustcameoutputtingIranonnotice.
Consistentlyraisingpublicawarenessand
mobilisingcivildisobedienceagainstTrump's
policieshavenowbecomethehallmarksofa
wholenewgenerationofantiwarcivilrights
movementintheUS.
HamidDabashiisHagopKevorkianProfessorof
IranianStudiesandComparativeLiteratureat
ColumbiaUniversityinNewYork.
Theviewsexpressedinthisarticlearethe
author'sownanddonotnecessarilyreflectAl
Jazeera'seditorialpolicy.
Donald Trump United States Human Rights

Politics US & Canada

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