Honest Reporting gives Christiane Amanpour and CNN a C- for her reporting of the six-hour series "God’s Warriors," in which she looks at religious fundamentalism in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. However, I would give her and her producers an F.
As a former journalist myself, I am not sure what upset me more: Amanpour playing ominous “bad guy” music only under the interview with a pro-Israel fundamentalist minister and in reference to AIPAC. Or her equating the one Israeli fundamentalist who, in 1984, tried to bomb a Palestinian girl’s school (but was shadowed and arrested by the Israeli police before he could do any harm) with the popular and numerous terrorists who planned, participated in, and support the murder of innocent people around the globe--specifically in England, Israel, and the United States. Terrorists who are funded and protected both by our Arab allies and our enemies like Syria and Iran.
Yes, we Jews do have our fundamentalists and some of them are very scary. Israel bravely took on its fundamentalists last year when they pulled out of Gaza. Israel could do more to confront them in the West Bank as well. But there is no equivalence between the threat Jewish fundamentalists present in Israel or around the world compared to the threat that the world wide Islamist revolution is presenting to Western democracies. The best proof is that there are no Jewish suicide terrorists attacking Muslims, or anyone else, around the world. The same cannot be said of Muslim fundamentalists. But the viewer would not know that based on Amanpour’s report.
A complete list of the inaccuracies and editorializations I found would take up pages. Phyllis Chessler identifies some of the most blatant problems in the series.
I agree with CAMERA’s observation that, "While in reality Jewish "terrorism" is virtually non-existent, the program magnifies at length the few instances of [Jewish] violence" comparing it to "violent jihadist Muslim campaigns" when indeed there is no such comparison "either in numbers of perpetrators engaged or in the magnitude of death and destruction wrought."
What is most dangerous about the inaccuracies in Amanpour’s series is that she masks the real dangers that Islamic fundamentalism presents to the West and, by comparison, demonizes all religious fervor. She feeds a growing trend to see all religion as the cause for war and violence in the world, rather than offering a thoughtful and thought provoking way to see religious faith as distinguishable from the hate-filled, violent fundamentalists who would hijack it.
I expected better from CNN. If you did, too, let CNN know about it. Hopefully it will be more careful next time it takes on an issue that deserves the best, rather than the worst, of investigative journalism.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
As to the comment posted by Mr.GanapathiKamesh, I want to reply, that the responsibility of a Hindu, he menitioned in that towards humanity, I request him to check the history and the present times also, what is being practised in Hinduism, that the people belong to Castes other than Forward Castes, there is a descriminitation and un-touchability. It is known to all the backward castes. But, they are afraid of pointing it out, because they will be targeted, even the Bacward caste people who are educated and highest positions in the Society or in the Offices,etc. Then what humanism he was talking to, so called Hinduism's responsibility towards it. Coming to the Programm on CNN 'God's Warriors, what Mr.Misspublico has mentioned is correct. People should first know whome they are worshipping whether the Creator or the Created. All these things happen as prophecied in the Bible.
Quote " Yes, we Jews do have our fundamentalists and some of them are very scary. Israel bravely took on its fundamentalists last year when they pulled out of Gaza. Israel could do more to confront them in the West Bank as well. " ,
The writer support the transfer of that segment of Israel citizenry ,
If the writer perceives religious fundamentalism as a hate-filled , violent threat against the west ,
If the writer perceives religious fundamentalism as hijacking religion ,
Then let him prove that his description of religious fundamentalism applies to the Israel citizenry residing in Judea and Samaria including those forcefully transferred from Gush Katif , Homesh ect,,, ,
Let the writer proves so about that Israel citizenry segment and not just thru an example or two not representative of the overwhelming majority of the said Israel citizenry ,
Let the writer prove so and not just thru the non-existent Jewish suicide terrorists ,
Or could it be that to induce a support for his political view of transfer , the writer exploit a pattern and mislead more or less the same as Amanpour's one ,
there is no equivalence between the threat Jewish fundamentalists present in Israel or around the world compared to the threat that the world wide Islamist revolution is presenting to Western democracies
If you mean there is no equivalence in numbers, you're right -- there are far more on the Muslim side. But there is an equivalence of immorality. Cold-blooded murder is cold-blooded murder, regardless of religion or political motivation. A fundamentalist Jew who wants to murder innocents to defend his homeland is just as evil as a fundamentalist Muslim who wants to blow up a building in New York to "defend" his people from "the Great Satan".
It will be a great day when both sides give up the blood-lust and take a page from Dr. King or Gandhi, and realize that moral victory -- and eventually political victory -- will only come from NON-violence.
I actually thought Ms Amanpour did an excellent job. I don't think she was being critical about religion or trying to show any religion in a bad light. I think she was taking a small minority from each religion who gives a bad name to all religion and hijakes their religion in the name of G-d for their own agenda. It wasn't a comparison or a look at who is worse or better. I personally felt it was objective and fair. Her report showed the amazing similarities in thinking and desires of these particular groups. It actually open my eyes and gave me some important insights into the motives and fears that each of these group have. As a liberal Jew, it helped my better understand some of their fears. Obviously, the way they go about in resolving there agenda is destructive and self serving, but hopefully, her report will give rise to discussion and alternatives to address these issues.
Have yet to read the comments on this one! I did read the text of the article.
All I have to say ins puh-lease! Jews know what we are like-read the Bible! Thank goodness CNN did not go that far back!
The aim of the program was to show the non-mainstream people who would live and die for their beliefs and believe others who do not do as they do are dispensable or at least need to be converted.
Personally as a Jew I thought they did a very fair job.
Laura