Roundup of anti-Muslim events and activities: 7/18/2018
The following is a list of anti-Muslim activities and events. Organizations listed as anti-Muslim hate groups are designated with an asterisk (*).
National Group Activity
Florida newspaper reveals U.S. congressman attended conference featuring speakers defending sexism and promoting anti-Muslim rhetoric: The Naples Daily News published 听on June 22 that reported U.S. congressman Ron DeSantis and his wife attended a conference organized by the David Horowitz Freedom Center* on November 17 and 18, 2017. The newspaper pointed out that the 2017 conference featured speakers such as fired Google engineer James Damore, who wrote a memo claiming that women were less likely to be in high-level tech jobs because of biology, not discrimination. The 2017 conference also featured other anti-Muslim figures like 听补苍诲 Daniel Greenfield.听In 2011, according to the newspaper report, the conference also featured Bruce Thornton, a professor at California State University at Fresno, who said in a 2011 television interview, 鈥淢uslims听always say, 鈥榃e love death more than we love life.鈥 Then why don鈥檛 we just give them what they love?鈥
Center for Security Policy (CSP)* releases its latest 听on the Muslim Brotherhood : On June 28, CSP published a 鈥淒ecision Brief鈥 outlining why the U.S. Department of State should label the Brotherhood a terrorist organization. However, with anti-Muslim organizations like Frank Gaffney鈥檚 CSP largely pushing for the designation, experts believe the motivation has less to do with foreign policy and more do with domestic politics. Terrorism expert J.M. Berger, a researcher affiliated with George Washington University鈥檚 Program on Extremism,听听in 2016, 鈥淟et me be extremely clear[,] [t]his initiative is concerned with controlling American Muslims, not with any issue pertaining to the Muslim Brotherhood in any practical or realistic sense.鈥
Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) moves ahead with its legal attack against federal refugee resettlement: On July 5, TMLC issued a 听saying that three days earlier it submitted a brief to appeal a lower court ruling, issued on March 19, which struck down the Center鈥檚 lawsuit against the federal government鈥檚 refugee resettlement program. TMLC鈥檚 lawsuit 鈥 filed on behalf of the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee General Assembly and state legislators John Stevens and Terri Lynn Weaver 鈥 sought to challenge the refugee resettlement program in Tennessee. TMLC claims the program violates, 鈥渢he Tenth Amendment鈥檚 state sovereignty principles and the Spending Clause of the United States Constitution.鈥
Middle East Forum (MEF)听reveals support for far-right UK provocateur Tommy Robinson: A July 8, 2018 听issued by MEF, a think tank run by anti-Muslim figure Daniel Pipes,听revealed that the organization has been providing financial and logistical support for Robinson, who was jailed for violating a 听on media reporting of an ongoing criminal trial. MEF鈥檚 press release says it is supporting Robinson in 鈥渢hree main ways,鈥 including contributing to his legal defense fund, organizing political pressure to 鈥渆nsure Mr. Robinson鈥檚 safety and eventual release鈥 and logistically organizing and funding rallies supporting Robinson.
Michigan political campaign hosts webinar on 鈥淚mmigration and the States,鈥 featuring far-right anti-Muslim conspiracy theorists: Patrick Colbeck, a right-wing candidate for Michigan鈥檚 governor seat, hosted a on July 9, 听Philip Haney and Trevor Loudon. Haney is a retired U.S. Department of Homeland Security official who has previously 听the Obama administration was infiltrated by Muslim extremists; Loudon is a far-right conspiracy documentarian who in recent years has been pushing the myth听that a 鈥淢uslim-Marxist鈥 alliance exists which seeks to overthrow the U.S. government.
Local and Regional Activity
Webinar on 鈥淚slamist Censorship鈥: On June 21, Florida-based group The United West* and Sharia Crime Stoppers, run by Michigan-based anti-Muslim activist Dick Manasseri, co-hosted a 听that featured Deborah Weiss, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy. The topic of discussion was 鈥淚slamist Censorship 鈥 Its Roots, Purpose & Role in the 2018 Michigan Governor鈥檚 Race.鈥 Manasseri鈥檚 Sharia Crime Stoppers presentations are full of anti-Muslim conspiracy theories such as U.S. Muslim political candidates being secret Muslim Brotherhood operatives.
Lashing out against interfaith dialogue : On June 24, anti-Muslim Christian pastor Shahram Hadian, who runsTruth in Love Project*, held a with the Ohio state chapter of ACT for America on 鈥淭he Trojan Horse of Interfaith Dialogue.鈥 In his presentation, Hadian claims that Muslims seek to infiltrate, divide and undermine Christian churches in the U.S. Hadian gave talks on the same theme on June 26 and 28, in and , Idaho.
Honoring conspiracy theorists : On June 28, the American Freedom Alliance* 听its annual 鈥淗eroes of Conscience Awards鈥 dinner. This year鈥檚 event featured, among others, far-right conspiracy theory filmmaker Trevor Loudoun from New Zealand. Loudoun has spoken at several anti-immigrant听补苍诲 anti-Muslim听events this year.
Anti-Islam preacher presenting in New York City : On July 6, Tony Costa, along with Acts 17 Apologetics, a project of the Bronx-based Foundation Advocating Christian Truth (FACT) organization, delivered a three-and-a-half hour that included discussing 鈥淭he Dangers of Cultural Marxism鈥檚 Impact on Society & The Church.鈥
Former Muslim comes to Pennsylvania, preaching hate : On July 9, the Pennsylvania Pastors network invited Mark Christian 鈥 a Muslim convert to Christianity who runs the Global Faith Institute* 鈥 to speak at their event. Christian 听鈥渉ow Islam has infiltrated our culture, what the implications are, and what pastors and churches must know to respond appropriately.鈥
Anti-Muslim conspiracy theory group speaks in Washington State : On July 7, Understanding the Threat (UTT)* gave a presentation in Spokane, Washington. The event was hosted by the Spokane Conservative Republicans. Led by disgraced former FBI agent turned anti-Muslim hate peddler, John Guandolo, UTT has seen a number of setbacks in recent months, including cancelled shows and the departure of former business partner and anti-Muslim hate figure Chris Gaubatz to join high-profile Twitter troll Amy Mekelberg鈥檚 organization, Rise Align Ignite Reclaim, or RAIR Foundation USA.
Anti-LGBT group sponsors three-day tour of anti-Muslim hate in Illinois : From July 13 to 15, anti-Muslim speakers Aynaz 鈥淎nni鈥 Cyrus and Philip Haney participated in a , sponsored by the Illinois Family Institute, which is listed by the 人兽性交 as an anti-LGBT hate group. Cyrus and Haney were joined throughout the tour by Samya Johnson, a Lebanese-born Christian who runs a media-based ministry that seeks to proselytize to and convert Muslims in America and around the world.
Radical right-wingers gather outside Islamberg, New York, for the third annual 鈥淣ational Ride for Security鈥 : The organization behind the event听is American Bikers United Against Jihad, whose founder Rami 鈥淩am鈥 Lubranicki, regularly posts anti-Muslim content on social media. Lubranicki is accused of a violent hate assault in 2017 against a man of Palestinian descent in Washington, D.C. Participants gathered to protest what they claim is a terrorist training camp run by Muslim extremists. A 2017 听report on Islamberg cited local residents, law enforcement officials and experts at the Anti-Defamation League who reject that claim. The protest was announced over Facebook by Lisa DeJong, a New Yorker affiliated with the American Patriot Three Percenters, a Three Percenter militia group听whose chapters around the country听have been labeled antigovernment extremist groups.
Legislation and Policy
SCOTUS upholds Muslim ban : On June 26, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) 听the Trump administration鈥檚 most recent executive order to bar individuals from entering the United States from five Muslim-majority nations (Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen), plus Venezuela and North Korea. When Trump first proposed the ban in December 2015 as a political candidate, he justified his proposal by citing a poll 听by the anti-Muslim hate group Center for Security Policy. The American Freedom Law Center (AFLC), co-founded by Robert Muise and anti-Muslim extremist David Yerushalmi, issued a press release that same day, stating that SCOTUS 鈥渁grees with AFLC,鈥 which had submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of the administration. Hatewatch previously reported that AFLC鈥檚 amicus brief relied on a flawed research publication co-authored by Yerushalmi that has been previously dismissed by outside experts as a 鈥渃lownish pseudo-study.鈥
Upcoming Events
On July 17, the Southeast Michigan Tea Party will be hosting Philip Haney in Utica, Michigan. According to the event , Haney 鈥渨ill give us his reasons why this is happening and also discuss the recent Supreme Court appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, his premise of a National Security Meltdown (and what can be done about it) and an update on the Michigan primary, as Philip has been an active supporter of Senator [Patrick] Colbeck for Governor.鈥 Colbeck, whose gubernatorial campaign has trafficked in anti-Muslim rhetoric, has been 听by Brian Dickerson, a Detroit Free Press newspaper columnist, as a 鈥渞acist demagogue.鈥
On July 18, the Tucson chapter of ACT for America will be 听Col. (ret.) John Gold.听According to an event description, some of the听topics Gold will cover include, 鈥淚slamist issues threaten American[s] - Immigration without assimilation is invasion. The first IFTAR dinner at the Trump White House was very different this year! What does that really mean?鈥
In their own words:
鈥淭he leftist elites don鈥檛 care if Islamization spells the end of our culture. That鈥檚 what they want also. So the steady incremental Islamization in schools will proceed apace with little opposition just as did the sexualization of the students. It will proceed apace because most parents can鈥檛 imagine that their local schools would cooperate in advancing the Islamic agenda while at the same time belittling the Western Christian heritage. For many parents, the first indication that something is wrong will come when, at some future point, their daughter returns from school wearing the mandatory hijab.鈥 鈥 William Kirkpatrick, in a July 1 , 鈥淚slamization in the Schools,鈥 for the Catholic publication Crisis Magazine.
鈥淏ut today鈥揳s Donald Trump correctly pointed out and was savagely attacked for doing so鈥搘e have people almost exclusively from s鈥搕hole countries arriving on our shores every minute. They contribute nothing. They take, take, take. They come from extremist countries and lifestyles where it is okay to kill people for being Jewish or Christian, harass them for selling or eating bacon or speaking against the false alleged prophet mohammed, or for dating the 鈥榳rong鈥 person or for being raped. They demand that America bend over backwards for their every ridiculous religious and/or cultural adherence, including refusing to ring up frozen packages containing pepperoni pizza and wearing a headscarf or full-Ninja face-veil.鈥 鈥 Far-right media personality and anti-Muslim figure Debbie Schlussel, in a July 4 blog .
鈥淩emember that Mohamed Atta, about the plane he had hijacked on September 11, 2001, told passengers over the intercom: 鈥淪tay quiet and you鈥檒l be OK.鈥 The Catholic Church appears to have adopted that statement as its policy regarding Muslim persecution of Christians.鈥 鈥 Robert Spencer in July 7听听written on the website of fellow anti-Muslim extremist Pamela Geller.