One of Fox News' most effective propaganda techniques is to create imaginary threats perpetrated by those who are considered enemies of America's reactionary right wing. In addition to creating fear and loathing of minorities and immigrants (to name a few of those on Fox's s(hit) list), Fox, according to the Center for American Progress's Report, "Fear Incorporated," provides an "echo chamber for Islamophobia." That Fox is the place where "you can bash Islam with impunity, was shown during the Pam Geller/NY Post/Fox News fear fest surrounding the the so called "Ground Zero Mosque." Replacing that Fox generated controversy is Fox's propaganda campaign against the Islamic Brotherhood, around which Fox has provided an echo chamber for conspiracy theories and attacks on President Obama. Last week, Megyn Kelly, who validated the conspiracy theories of Islamophobe David Horowitz, devoted another segment to promoting "The Grand Deception," a movie produced by "misinformation expert" Steve Emerson which exposes Muslims who look moderate but who are really scary radicals!

Alleged "fair & balanced" news anchor, Kelly reported that "there is a film coming out that takes a look at a group called the Muslim brotherhood and its influence around the world." Pausing and looking very serious, she added "here at home." As she spoke, the chyron provided Fox's scary message: "The Grand Deception Investigates the Growing Threat from the Islamic Brotherhood." She said that the filmmakers seek to show how the Islamic Brotherhood is conning people with their moderate image but in reality they're "hiding radical goals" (she paused) "including goals for America." She played a clip from the film which featured scary background music and talking heads speaking in ominous tones about how the Islamic Brotherhood wants to OMG "to create an Islamic state." (A quick google shows that the speakers are agenda driven).

She introduced  Steve Emerson, who is so paranoid that journalists who request interviews at his secret office ("bat cave") are blindfolded enroute. His questionable credibility includes his initial belief that Muslims were involved with the Oklamhoma City bombing and his connection to a false report about Pakistan's plan to use a nuclear bomb against India. Emerson told Kelly how his group secretly videotaped scary Muslim radicals whose public image is one of moderation. While he spoke, video was shown of Ibrahim Hooper from CAIR. Before playing a soundbite, Kelly said that "it speaks to the points you just raised." The video segment was more be-scared-of-Muslim-radicals stuff including a snippet, with no context, of Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, the National Director for the Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances for the Islamic Society of North America, declaring "our job is to change the Constitution of America." (And of course that's exactly what the Christian right wants to do with in order to make it consistent with the bible!)

Kelly didn't challenge Emerson such as ask what the FBI and other governmental anti-terrorist entities think of his research. But she did continue to feed the Islamophobia when she said that she wanted to talk to him "about one of the more shocking clips in the documentary."  1993 Video was shown in which the imam of Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, NY and the leader of The Muslim Alliance in North America compared this country to a garbage can. Kelly brought Egypt and the hated NY Times into the discussion: "... we are told that the Muslim Brotherhood, some factions of it, are much more moderate. This I give you from the New York Times,  it is at its core a middle class missionary institution led not by religious scholars but by doctors, lawyers and professionals. We were told over in Egypt that that's what the Muslim Brotherhood looked like, not so much these radicals." Emerson brayed about the duplicity so called moderate Muslims who are really as radical as the KKK.

So the fair & balanced Fox News provided validation and support for an anti-Islamic "documentary" that is basically a hit piece on law abiding moderate Muslims. Megyn Kelly did not question the agenda of this movie nor did she include anybody from the moderate Muslim community to rebut the attacks. Hate crimes against Muslims are at a near high. (And who can forget that American patriot who set a fire in a mosque because Fox News taught him that Muslims are terrorists.) As the executive director of CAIR - LA said, about the movie, "This campaign of making Muslims a suspect community comes with serious domestic and international consequence."  The folks at Fox News don't seem to care about that! Talk about a grand deception!