Monday, February 13, 2012

HADITH OF THE DAY: GUIDE US TO THE PATH OF PEACE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "O God, join our hearts, mend our social relationship, guide us to the path of peace, bring us from darkness to light, save us from obscenities, outward or inward, and bless our ears, our eyes, our hearts, our wives, our children, and relent toward us ... Make us grateful for Thy blessing."

Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 367

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ANTI-MUSLIM GRAFFITI SCRAWLED ON NY BUSINESS - TOP
Simone Weichselbaum, New York Daily News, 2/9/12

Bangladeshis in Kensington said they are living in fear after Muslim hate graffiti was found on a storefront in the neighborhood's bustling shopping strip.

The manager of TDS Insurance on Beverly Road near McDonald Avenue, came to work Monday and spotted a nauseating sight:

"It was written on the outside - 'Allah is s--t,'" said Abu Chowdhury, 51, who immediately called the cops.

"I have no enemies," he said. "We are not a religious business."

Although the hateful message was erased hours later, Bangladeshis said the sight left them emotionally scarred. ...

Hoping to quell the growing anxiety, Councilman Brad Lander (D-Kensington) held a meeting Wednesday night with Bangladeshi, Jewish, and Latino residents discussing ideas about how to prevent future hate crimes in their hood. (More)

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HATE COMES TO NY: ANTI-MUSLIM GRAFFITI SMEARED ON BUSINESS - TOP
Eli Rosenberg, Courier Life's Brooklyn Daily, 2/9/12

A hate-filled vandal scrawled anti-Muslim graffiti on a Beverly Road business in Kensington over the weekend, stoking fears that the usually diverse neighborhood would explode in race-fueled retaliation.

"We don't want religious conflict around here," said Mamun Ur Rashid, the owner of TDS Insurance, where someone wrote "Allah is s---," in black marker. "This is something that's bringing up very upsetting emotions."

Police from the 66th Precinct say the vandalism is being investigated as a potential bias crime -- a rarity in Kensington, residents say -- but would not say if they had any leads. (More)

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CA: POLICE PROVIDE NEW VEHICLE DESCRIPTION IN HOMICIDE OF 2 SIKH MEN -TOP
Kim Minugh, Sacramento Bee, 2/9/12

Elk Grove police updated the description of the suspect vehicle in a double-homicide of two elderly Sikh men shot last year when they were out for their routine afternoon walk.

At a press conference this afternoon, police officials said the suspect drove a lifted full-size pick-up truck, tan or gold in color, with a standard-size cab, similar to the one pictured at left. They do not have details on the make or model year of the truck.

Speaking from the Elk Grove City Council Chambers, officials pleaded with the public to continue calling the department with tips or leads.

"No tip is too small," said Elk Grove Mayor Jim Cooper. "Make no mistake, this was a cowardly act."

Gurmej Atwal, 78, and Surinder Singh, 65, were shot March 4 as they walked on East Stockton Boulevard near Geneva Pointe Drive. Singh died at the scene; Atwal died six weeks later in a hospital.

Elk Grove police stopped short of officially calling the shooting a hate crime, but have raised the possibility the men were killed because they were Sikh, a religion whose members have been mistaken for Muslims - and targeted because of it - since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (More)

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CAIR: MUSLIM AMERICANS REACH OUT TO UNREGISTERED VOTERS - TOP
Shazia Kamal, Eurasia Review, 2/9/12

In a 2009 report by Gallup entitled Muslim Americans: A National Portrait, surveyors found that only 51 per cent of Muslim American youth (ages 18 to 29) were registered to vote – the lowest percentage recorded amongst young Americans. With the 2012 elections approaching in November, Muslim Americans are aiming for a higher percentage of registered voters and accordingly a higher turnout at the polls.

Imams and Muslim community activists across the United States are encouraging young Muslims to play their part in addressing and remedying the ills they see in their communities. Their calls are rooted in a verse from the Qur'an which states, "Truly, God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves" (13:11). Understanding this call to action through their faith, Muslim Americans can work towards becoming effective agents of change and a recognisable voting bloc for this defining year.

Muslim institutions, including mosques and civic groups, have kick-started the drive to mobilise the Muslim community by producing informational material on candidates and planning election forums where voters can meet to ask questions about candidates and learn about their respective platforms on issues like foreign policy. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national civil rights organisation, has produced a document called the "2012 Presidential Voter Guide" as part of its "Muslims Vote" campaign. This guide lists biographical information on candidates as well as their positions on issues like the economy, healthcare, national security, foreign policy and civil rights. (More)

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REVIEW OF ALL ANTI-SHARIA EFFORTS IN STATE LEGISLATURES SINCE 2010 - TOP
Bill Raftery, Gavel to Gavel, 1/30/12

2012 marks the third year in a row to see major legislative efforts to ban state courts from using sharia or international law. A recap:

2010
Write up of all 2010 efforts here.
2010 saw three efforts make their way out of their respective legislatures. The Oklahoma constitutional amendment would never take force, having been struck down by a federal district court, a determination upheld by the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in January 2012. ...

2011
Write up of all 2011 efforts here.
Despite having far more bills introduced in 2011 than in 2010, there was only one such piece of legislation enacted. ...

2012
15 sharia/international law bans were carried over from the 2011 session. Combined with 18 newly introduced bills this puts the issue front and center for the 2012 sessions. Already there has been activity, with the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee giving its approval to a ban.

Full roster of 33 bills introduced in 2012 in 20 states and their statuses after the jump. (More)

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VIDEO: 2 OREGON MUSLIMS STRUGGLE TO RETURN FROM LIBYA (CAIR) - TOP

Watch the video here.

Two Oregon men detained overseas by the U.S. after a goodwill mission and family trip to Libya hope to be back home by next week.

The two traveled separately to Libya last fall. When trying to return, Jamal Tarhuni, 55, of Tigard was stopped by Customs officials. Mustafa Elogbi, 60, of Portland, was told he was on a no-fly list. Both are U.S. citizens.

Tarhuni delivered humanitarian supplies with the group Medical Teams International. Elogbi visited family.

The Council on American Islamic Relations reports that Tarhuni was interrogated by the FBI about his religious beliefs.

A representative of the group told KGW that he is asking the U.S. Justice Department how the FBI handled its encounter with Tarhuni.

"He's been told by FBI agents that in order to fly back from the United States he had to submit to this interrogation, but that's not what the law is," said Gadeir Abbas, "The law is that an American citizen has a sacrosanct right to return to the United States."

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said that it has now received three reports of Portland FBI agents' involvement in travel restrictions for Muslim U.S. citizens in the last six months. The other case involved a man who made headlines last year when he was detained in Britain as he tried to travel to Italy. (More)

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CAIR-OHIO, NICC HOST TO "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS" SEMINAR - TOP

On Friday, February 24, CAIR-Columbus and the Noor Islamic Cultural Center will host a "know your rights" seminar. CAIR-Ohio Legal Director Jennifer Nimer and Staff Attorney Romin Iqbal will explain your rights when traveling through airports and border crossings, when contacted by law enforcement, in the workplace, and how to handle immigration delays.

Details here.

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CAIR-MI: BUILDING AFRICAN-ARAB CONNECTIONS DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH- TOP
Khaled A Beydoun and Abed Ayoub, Al Jazeera, 2/8/12

Washington, DC - While reflecting upon the transformative contributions and sacrifices made by African Americans should be a yearlong process, Black History Month offers a special opportunity to do so.

It also offers a moment to emulate the courageous and progressive spirit of leaders such as Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson.

For Arab America, the month presents an opportune moment to set aside racism for reconciliation, convert boundaries into bridges, and take strides toward building a lasting coalition with the community that blazed the civil rights trail in America. The first step of this journey starts back home - in Detroit.

Detroit is home to the most concentrated Arab-American community in the United States, and the hometown of one of the country's most vibrant and sizeable African-American populations. For decades, these two communities lived among one another but never co-existed within Detroit's hyper-segregated landscape, divided by geographic boundaries and cultural rifts. (More)

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CAIR-PA: MUSLIMS IN AMERICA -- BUILDING BRIDGES IN A CLIMATE OF FEAR - TOP

Storytelling, Dialogue and Dessert
Friday, February 24, 2012 from 7 – 9 p.m. (ET)
Philadelphia, PA

Join us for a viewing and discussion of Howa's Dinner Party, a 30 minute video based on the longer documentary Welcome to Shelbyville, which tells the story of a small southern town grappling with new immigrants and refugees and issues relating to their integration.

Hear personal Accounts of Muslims in our area and discuss what truly constitutes welcoming communities. We'll ask and respond to the question, "What can I do to reach out and make a connection."

Simultaneous Arabic translation of both the video and event will be offered.

This event is part of Peace Day Philly 2012 and is co-sponsored by: American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Council on American-Islamic Relations Philadelphia (CAIR-Philadelphia), Nationalities Service Center (NSC) and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Quakers).

Click here to register.

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CAIR-MI: DIVISIVE PASTOR JONES PLANS RETURN TO DEARBORN - TOP
Oralandar Brand Williams, The Detroit News, 2/9/12

Dearborn-- Controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones is making his way back to Metro Detroit.

Jones plans to demonstrate April 7 in front of the Islamic Center of America on Ford Road. It is the same mosque Jones sought to protest "Islamic extremism" in front of last year.

Jones, who has presided over a burning of the Qur'an, the Islamic Holy Book, is coming to Dearborn to protest "The Rise of Sharia" and what he calls "Special Muslim Privileges."

In a press release issued Monday, Jones complains about Halal meals to Muslim students at Dearborn's public schools and footbaths at public schools across the country, including the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

"Changes are being made at the expense of taxpayers," Jones said. "The Muslim community refuses to integrate; instead, they demand and push their religion, their rituals, upon us and upon our society. Dearborn is a prime example of this along with many others around the nation."

David Mustonen, the spokesman for Dearborn Public Schools, said Wednesday that "there are no additional costs to prepare, organize and store (Halal) meals." ...

A local Muslim civil rights activist said his group doesn't have "any special" plans for Jones.

"Terry Jones is trying to find some relevancy when he's irrelevant," said Dawud Walid, the executive director for Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan (CAIR-MI). (More)

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REPORT CALLS MUSLIM TERRORISM A 'MINUSCULE THREAT' - TOP
Omar Sacirbey| Religion News Service, 2/8/12

The threat of homegrown Islamic terrorism is "tiny" and often exaggerated by government officials, a leading anti-terrorism expert said in a report released Wednesday (Feb. 8).

Charles Kurzman, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a researcher at the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, said 20 Muslim Americans were indicted for violent terrorist plots last year, down from 26 in 2010.

Kurzman's report, "Muslim-American Terrorism in the Decade Since 9/11," said that compared to the 14,000 murders in the U.S. last year, the potential for Muslim Americans to take up terrorism is "tiny." (More)

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U.S. OFFICIALS: ISRAEL TEAMS WITH TERROR GROUP TO KILL IRAN'S NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS (NBC) - TOP
Richard Engel and Robert Windrem, NBC News, 2/8/12

Deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists are being carried out by an Iranian dissident group that is financed, trained and armed by Israel's secret service, U.S. officials tell NBC News, confirming charges leveled by Iran's leaders. (More)


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  • CAIR: Va. Legislature Drops Anti-Sharia Bills (Virginian-Pilot)
    [CAIR] attacked Morris' bill first, pointing to language in it that was identical to a measure drafted by anti-Shariah activist David Yerushalmi. Although Marshall's bill was more narrow, it seemed to have the same anti-Muslim undertones, said the council and outside legal experts.
    • Va. Anti-Muslim Activist 'Proud' of Attacks on Mosques
      [A]t the unofficial CPAC panel "Islamic Law in America: How the Obama Justice Department Is Selling Us Out," sponsored by Pamela Geller andRobert Spencer, James Lafferty of the Virginia Anti-Sharia Task Force was"proud to say" that most of the mosques attacked in the US were in the South.
  • CAIR: Texas Lawmakers Study Ban on Sharia Law (Houston Chron)
    I called Mustafa Carroll, the Houston spokesman for [CAIR], and told him the Texas Senate had planned on study on Sharia and Texas family courts. Chuckling erupted over the phone line. "I didn't mean to laugh, but it's just unbelievable," he said. "It's a red herring." Carroll compared Sharia to the Ten Commandments: "It has no impact on anyone but those determined to follow it."
  • CAIR-FL: Islamic Open House Deemed a Success (Tampa Trib)
    Hassan Shibly, executive director of CAIR's Tampa chapter, headed the 90-minute program. He recounted the history of Islam, outlined its beliefs and took questions from the audience of around 50 people, about half of whom weren't practicing Muslims.

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VERSE OF THE DAY: FEAR AND HOPE - TOP

"Surely God's mercy is always close to those who do good to others."

The Holy Quran, 7:56

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AMERICAN MUSLIMS POSE LITTLE TERROR THREAT, STUDY SAYS - TOP
Scott Shane, New York Times, 2/8/12

WASHINGTON -- A feared wave of homegrown terrorism by radicalized Muslim Americans has not materialized, with plots and arrests dropping sharply over the two years since an unusual peak in 2009, according to a new study by a North Carolina research group.

The study, to be released on Wednesday, found that 20 Muslim Americans were charged in violent plots or attacks in 2011, down from 26 in 2010 and a spike of 47 in 2009.

Charles Kurzman, the author of the report for the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, called terrorism by Muslim Americans "a minuscule threat to public safety." Of about 14,000 murders in the United States last year, not a single one resulted from Islamic extremism, said Mr. Kurzman, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina.

The report also found that no single ethnic group predominated among Muslims charged in terrorism cases last year -- six were of Arab ancestry, five were white, three were African-American and two were Iranian, Mr. Kurzman said. That pattern of ethnic diversity has held for those arrested since Sept. 11, 2001, he said.

Forty percent of those charged in 2011 were converts to Islam, Mr. Kurzman found, slightly higher than the 35 percent of those charged since the 2001 attacks. His new report is based on the continuation of research he conducted for a book he published last year, "The Missing Martyrs: Why There Are So Few Muslim Terrorists." (More)

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STUDY: HOMEGROWN TERRORISM DOWN FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW - TOP

A new study released today (Feb. 8) by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security documents that concerns of counterterrorism officials about a potential wave of homegrown violent extremism have not materialized over the past two years. The study, "Muslim-American Terrorism in the Decade Since 9/11," reports that 20 Muslim-Americans committed or were arrested for terrorist crimes in 2011, down from 26 in 2010 and 49 in 2009.

The full report is available on the center's website. The center is a consortium of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and RTI International.

Since 9/11, 193 Muslim-Americans have been arrested or convicted of violent terrorism offenses, making 2011 about an average year for such offenses.

"Muslim-American terrorism continued to be a miniscule threat to public safety last year. None of America's 14,000 murders in 2011 were due to Islamic extremism," said Charles Kurzman, author of the study and professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC. "The challenge is for Americans to be vigilant about potential violence while keeping these threats in perspective." (More)

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MUSLIM-AMERICAN TERRORISM IN THE DECADE SINCE 9/11 - TOP
Duke University and University of North Carolina, 2/8/12

Muslim-American Terrorism Down in 2011

Twenty Muslim-Americans were indicted for violent terrorist plots in 2011, down from 26 the year before, bringing the total since 9/11 to 193, or just under 20 per year (see Figure 1). This number is not negligible – small numbers of Muslim-Americans continue to radicalize each year and plot violence. However, the rate of radicalization is far less than many feared in the aftermath of 9/11. In early 2003, for example, Robert Mueller, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told Congress that "FBI investigations have revealed militant Islamics [sic] in the US. We strongly suspect that several hundred of these extremists are linked to al-Qaeda."1 Fortunately, we have not seen violence on this scale. (More)

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CAIR ASKS FOR FEDERAL PROBE OF PORTLAND FBI OVER DETENTION OF MUSLIM MEN - TOP
Helen Jung, The Oregonian, 2/8/12

A Muslim civil rights organization has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the Portland office of the FBI for coercion and intimidation against Muslims trying to fly home to Oregon from abroad.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the FBI blocked Mustafa Elogbi and Jamal Tarhuni from flying back to the Portland area last month from Libya. The two men, both naturalized U.S. citizens and Oregon residents for more than 30 years, had visited Libya after the ouster of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

The group had asked last week for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to intervene in Tarhuni's case, but got no response.

Both men have done nothing wrong, said Gadeir Abbas, an attorney with the Washington, D.C.-based council. But at the FBI's behest, authorities in the United Kingdom questioned Elogbi and kept him in solitary confinement for two days when his Jan. 8 return flight stopped there on a layover. He was not allowed to continue home and was sent back to Tunisia.

"British customs officials have been enlisted to do what the FBI would not be allowed to do in the United States -- to detain Mr. Elogbi without due process and to intimidate him into giving up his constitutional right to silence," Abbas wrote. (More)

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CAIR SEEKS PROBE OF PORTLAND FBI AFTER 2 MEN BARRED FROM RETURN TO US -TOP
Associated Press, 2/8/12

CAIR attorney Gadeir Abbas, who has represented dozens of Muslims who have had their travel to the U.S. restricted, said the tactics used by the Portland FBI have been especially brazen. Elogbi's case is particularly troublesome because it appears he was detained by British authorities at U.S. request. (More)

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VIDEO: CAIR SAYS PORTLAND FBI IS COERCING MUSLIMS TO GIVE UP RIGHTS - TOP

Watch the video here.

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CAIR-LA CONGRATULATES 43RD NAACP IMAGE AWARDS NOMINEES MOOZ-LUM & ALL-AMERICAN MUSLIM - TOP

(LOS ANGELES, CA, 2/8/12) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today congratulated the 43rd NAACP Image Awards nominees, AMC Independent film Mooz-lum, and TLC reality show All-American Muslim.

Mooz-lum was nominated in the ‘Outstanding Independent Motion Picture’ category and All-American Muslim was nominated in the ‘Outstanding Reality Series’ category.

"We congratulate the makers of Mooz-lum and All-American Muslim on these well-deserved nominations," said CAIR-LA Communications Manager Munira Syeda. "Both the film and the TV show seek to shine light on American Muslims' experiences, a rarity in the entertainment industry. We hope these recognitions will further encourage Hollywood writers and directors to be more inclusive of the American Muslim narrative."

Mooz-lum follows the story of a young Muslim man as he enters college. New relationships with Muslims as well as those of other faiths challenge his ideals. All-American Muslim follows the life of five religiously diverse Muslim families in Dearborn.

The annual NAACP Image Awards show celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the arts and those who use creative means to promote social justice. The two-hour awards show will air live on February 17 at 5 p.m. PST. More information about the NAACP Image Awards and a full list of nominees and categories is available here.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Manager Munira Syeda, 714-776-1847, E-mail: info@losangeles.cair.com

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CAIR-MI: SIKH TEMPLE VANDALIZED -- BUT WERE MUSLIMS THE TARGET? - TOP
Sarah Cwiek, Michigan Radio, 2/8/12

Vandals targeted a Sikh house of worship in suburban Detroit this week. But there are signs they intended to target Muslims.

According to the Sikh Society of Michigan, the Sikh temple (known as a Gurdwara) in Sterling Heights has been under construction for several years, without any incidents or controversy.

That changed when someone vandalized the building sometime on Sunday night.

The vandals spray painted "don't builed" [sic] on an outside wall. They also left images of a cross, a gun, and a misspelled version of the name "Mohammed."

Muslims revere Mohammed as a prophet, but it has nothing to do with the Sikh religion. The word leads many to believe to believe the vandals thought they were targeting Muslims.

Dawud Walid, executive director for the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), calls the vandalism a hate crime.

"We joined the Sikh community in calling for local and federal law enforcement to use their full resources to investigate this recent hate crime," Walid said. (More)

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ARK-LA-TEX MOSQUE STIRRING CONTROVERSY - TOP
Gary Cooper, KTBS, 2/8/12

"What I'm concerned about is someone [who] disliked that and show them that they are not wanted and put a bomb there and could blow that building up and my home as well,” adds Hall. (More)

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ANTI-MUSLIM N.C. REP. MYRICK WILL NOT SEEK ANOTHER TERM IN CONGRESS - TOP
Tim Funk and Jim Morrill, Charlotte Observer, 2/7/12

U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick's surprise announcement Tuesday that she'll leave Washington after nine terms sparked a scramble by would-be successors that reached halfway around the world -- literally. ...

Myrick also had her share of foes, including Charlotte area Muslims and Hispanics who often criticized her outspokenness on issues relating to national security and immigration.

"We lost someone who worked tirelessly to fuel the flames of fear against the Muslim community and worked to make it hard for us to practice our faith openly," said Jibril Hough, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Charlotte, who welcomed the news that Myrick was retiring.

Local Muslims criticized her for writing the foreword to a book - "Muslim Mafia" - whose researcher called Islam a disease. And in 2003, during remarks about domestic security threats, Myrick upset U.S. Arabs and Muslims by saying: "Look at who runs all the convenience stores across the country." (More)

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ISLAMOPHOBIC FILMMAKERS PROMOTE COMMENT LEGITIMATIZING NORWAY TERRORIST - TOP
Eli Clifton and Ali Gharib, Think Progress, 2/7/12

The Clarion Fund, an organization which produces Islamophobic documentaries, came under renewed scrutiny last month when news broke that their film "The Third Jihad" was screened at an NYPD conference. Facing calls for his resignation, NYPD commissioner Raymond Kelly, after some dissembling, admitted he was interviewed for the project and apologized for his role, calling the film "inflammatory." Clarion, however, bragged about the attention.

Now, Clarion appears to be throwing caution to the wind -- along with any plausible defense that the group is not Islamophobic -- by promoting a comment from a reader seeking to redeem the views of the anti-Muslim right-wing extremist who terrorized Norway this summer, killing 77, including 69 people at a youth camp. In an e-mail newsletter to supporters, Clarion Fund quoted the reader suggesting that a recent report that militant Islamic extremism posed the top threat to Norway redeemed the unheralded warnings of Anders Breivik, the anti-Muslim killer.

The newsletter, published by the organization's radicalislam.org website, promoted the comment from a "reader in Norway." It read:

What a hot current topic this is! Just today the news came out in Norway, "officially" and in spite of all the PC-ness of this government, that according to the national security forces, the threat of Islamist terrorism is the foremost threat against Norway. You probably remember the July 22 shootings. One of Breivik's arguments was that the authorities were not taking this threat seriously because you musn't offend a Muslim. Interesting development. (More)


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