The news that the family of Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry owned a ranch known by the name “Niggerhead” has sparked outrage. But both Perry–and Mitt Romney, who is leading the Republican presidential pack for now–have no shame and have faced little scrutiny when it comes to their courting of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian activists and advisers.

Perry, who says that his support for Israel derives from God, is close with an ardent backer of Israel who is tied to the viciously anti-Muslim movie “Obsession,” as investigative journalist Wayne Barrett reported earlier this week in the Daily Beast. And one of Romney’s “special advisers” in his “shadow National Security Council” is Walid Phares, an Islamophobe featured in the Center for American Progress report, Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America.

Barrett writes that Rabbi Irwin Katsof, who has taken Perry to Israel twice, is a “singularly important bridge between Perry and Israel’s supporters in the U.S.” Barrett also uncovers details that link Katsof to the Islamophobic film “Obsession,” which was sent to mailboxes in swing-states during the 2008 presidential election.

Perry’s ties to Katsof should come as no surprise, given that Perry surrounds himself with other “violent Jewish extremists,” as Max Blumenthal reported for Al Akhbar English. These revelations about those close to Perry should cloud the image of Perry as a friend to the Muslim community–which might be a good thing politically for Perry, who is seeking the support of a party whose base is not friendly to Muslims.

Romney, whose tack in the campaign has been to be the moderate, responsible Republican who can beat Barack Obama, is courting advisers with similar views on Israel/Palestine and Islam. While his “shadow” national security team includes neoconservative stalwarts like Dan Senor, the most alarming member of the team is Phares. Phares was a member of the Lebanese Front, the Christian militia that took part in the Sabra and Shatila massacres in Lebanon.

Here’s the Center for American Progress profile of him in their Fear, Inc. report:

Walid Phares is currently a senior fellow and the director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C. Phares, age 53, also acts as an “expert” lecturer on “Islamist Jihadism” for the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies. Phares is touted as an authentic expert on Muslims and political Islam despite being a former militiaman and foreign affairs spokesman for the mostly Christian Lebanese Front, which was responsible for the Sabra and Shatila massacres of Muslims during the September 1982 Lebanese Civil War. Phares promotes the conspiracy theory of mainstream Muslim organizations posing as radical Islamist cells. He warns that “jihadists within the West pose as civil rights advocates” and patiently recruit until “[a]lmost all mosques, educational centers,and socioeconomic institutions fall into their hands.” He was originally scheduled to testify at Rep. King’s criticized hearings on the alleged radicalization of the Muslim American community but was dropped at the last moment after his sordid history with the Lebanese Forces was uncovered. When Phares was asked about his connection to the leadership that allowed the atrocities to occur, he simply replied, “Everybody did silly stuff, on both hands… but amazingly enough, the Guardians of the Cedars [a right-wing Christian religious group within the Lebanese Forces] have been the most moral fighters.”

The inclusion of Phares as one of Romney’s advisers should put lie to the notion that there exists a “moderate” GOP. But the most frustrating thing of all is that Obama won’t make an issue out of Islamophobia and a candidate’s views on Israel. Obama runs away from any contact with Muslim groups and will spend a big chunk of his re-election campaign defending his record as a great ally of Israel. Meanwhile, no matter who is president in 2012, Palestinians will continue to suffer under a U.S.-backed occupation and Muslims in America will continue to deal with systematic rights violations and bigotry.

Alex Kane, a freelance journalist based in New York City, blogs at alexbkane.wordpress.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexbkane.

