Jawa Report
The Jawa Report is a right-wing Islamophobic blog which boasts of creating 'bigotted propoganda' [sic.]. [1] It is run by an individual who uses the pseudonym ‘Rusty Shackleford’. ‘Rusty Shackleford’ has been registered with blogger.com since February 2003. His earliest blog http://mypetjawa.blogspot.com was first used on 1 January 2004. It is now maintained as a backup blog for the Jawa Report’s main website http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/.
The name of the blog draws on the mythical world of Star Wars, which has a particular cultural resonance in the US, particularly online. In the world of Star Wars, Jawas are nomadic desert dwelling scavengers who, along with the more aggressive Tusken Raiders are in the context of the blog meant to represent Arabs and Muslims. [2] This implicit racism is more explicit in other early postings explaining its purpose. In one ‘Rusty Shackleford’ openly stated that he regards political violence in the Middle East to be rooting in Islam, stating: ‘The root cause of Islamism is Islam. Not poverty. Not oppression. Not Zionism. Islam.’ [3] In the same post he argues that:
In a real war, against real enemies, we need some good old fashioned, sweet down-home, funny, bigotted propoganda…So, poke fun at Islam. Make fun of Muhammed. Paint our enemies in the worst light possible. Tell jokes about them. Create art that ridicules them. Sing songs not suitable for prime-time. Offend people that need offending. [4]
Again drawing on Star Wars, Rusty Shackleford refers to himself as the blog's 'Sith Master Admiral', leading a number of more junior bloggers ('Sith Masters') who also contribute. [5] A posting of 15 July 2009 listed the following contributors: Howie, Trollhammer, Stable Hand, Mike Pechar, Tim, Dread Pundit Bluto, Good Lt, Ragnar, Jane Novak, Kyros and Merri.
Targeting 'Jihadis' online
In October 2007 the Washington Times published an article on what it called, 'Ordinary Americans...tracking down U.S. Web sites used by al Qaeda and jihadi sympathizers and then using the Internet to persuade the service providers to snuff out the sites.' 'Rusty Shackleford' was interviewed for the story and claimed to have 'destroyed 30 Web sites'. Asked why he does what he does, 'Shackleford' told the paper: "Because my wife won't let me go shoot them." According to the story, having taken down a website, 'Shackleford' and other hackers replaced the site with a 'screen shot of a blue AK-47 rifle — the symbol used by some bloggers to indicate "pwning" or owning a site.' [6]
Notes
- ↑ Screengrab, created 24 July 2009, 9:14
- ↑ Screengrab, created 24 July 2009, 10:24
- ↑ Screengrab, created 24 July 2009, 9:14
- ↑ Screengrab, created 24 July 2009, 9:14
- ↑ Screengrab, created 24 July 2009, 08:53
- ↑ 'Blogs target jihadis online', Washington Times, 10 October 2007
