Daniel Pipes's worldwide influence

Submitted by Gabriel Grosso (Italy), Feb 13, 2006 at 17:09

I don't agree with everything Daniel Pipes says, especially when it comes to foreign policy. Does he have a "worldwide influence"? Probably not. Sometimes, he just breaks the taboos of PC-speak. I don't know exactly what words Pipes used, but I remember that he justified profiling passengers at airports. Very few people would have the guts to say that. But then, if you think about it, what Pipes argued is common sense.

That's why we are reading his web-site and writing comments. It is not just Americans who read this web-site, it is Europeans as well. And it is not just conservatives who read it. I don't call myself a "conservative". I guess Pipes is unpopular in some circles because he breaks the taboos of PC. Then, of course, it is easier to call Pipes an "extremist" than to discuss his views. Those who read this web-site are not Islamophobes, but they are probably just people who are fascinated by his ways of analysing the international situation. They are not all right-wingers and they are not all conservatives.

In the case of the Danish Cartoons, I wanted to read Pipes's opinion, because I knew I would find something different from the very predictable articles of the European press. We don't need to agree with everything Pipes says. It is enough to agree with some of it and to find the man interesting because he gives us alternative views.

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