2010 – Page 20 – Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

Barefoot in the War of Ideas for Human Rights

The challenge for our generation is how to fight barefoot in the global war of ideas in support of our universal human rights. We must learn how to fight such a war of ideas without the traditional weapons of military, political, and even foreign policy campaigns of might, hate, and cunning. The magnificent goal of seeking real change requires real courage and real compassion, not just angry bluster, momentary adrenaline, and the temporary satisfaction of outwitting an opponent.

The war of ideas for our unqualified, universal human rights is one that must equally challenge anti-human rights ideologies, such as totalitarianism, religious extremism, racism, and misogyny. But while it may challenge such ideologies, a real struggle for human rights does not seek hate and violence against those who hold such ideas, but seeks to change their hearts and minds. We seek to challenge ideologies, not reject individuals as human beings. We seek change with an outstretched hand, not an upraised fist.

The question is: do we really believe in our unqualified, universal human rights?

While this is a secular issue, there is a useful analogy in religious text. There is an example of the barefoot warrior described in the Bible of Joshua in Jericho. When faced with an angelic commander from God, Joshua asks the angel (thinking at first it is a man) – are you on our side or the side of our enemies? The angel replies that he is on God’s side, and demands that Joshua takes God’s side, and remove his sandals as he was now standing on holy ground. Removing one’s sandals required true faith, as while a soldier could lose his shield and weapon, without his sandals (especially in such rough territory), he could not even run away. But he was not defenseless – he had something more powerful, he believed in something greater than himself.

In the secular war of ideas for universal human rights, we also need to remove our sandals and be barefoot in the rocky hills of humanity. It is not enough to ask others if they are on our side on any given issue. We must be on the side of universal human rights for all of humanity. If we are on the side of our unqualified, universal human rights, then we must be on the side of humanity, even those we don’t agree with, even those on “the other side” of our ideological struggle. Our universal human rights are also their rights too. We are not just on “our side,” but we are on “their side” too as human beings.

This requires faith – not only just in our unqualified, universal human rights, but also in humanity itself. Do we believe in our universal human rights? Do we believe that humanity is worth fighting for?

Certainly the past could give anyone pause in answering. We have seen and continue to see great atrocities, the Holocaust, global genocides, global terrorism, continents swept by hate, fear, and senseless violence. It is understandable that anyone might ask, how can you expect the best from your fellow human beings?

But to march as a barefoot warrior on behalf of our shared universal human rights, we have to believe that together we can change. For the future of our descendants, we have to believe that humanity is worth the struggle. What we focus our minds on is what we will surely realize. If we focus on hate, then we are certain to attract hate. If we focus on love, then we must believe that we will attract love.

I have urged many times, for us to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins. It is easy to cynically dismiss this as impractical philosophy. It requires real courage to believe in the power of love. It requires real compassion to believe that Love truly does Win. It is only once we start to make this a part of our lives that we can begin to become a barefoot warrior for human rights.

When we challenge ideologies that defy our human rights and that promote hate, we cannot be a barefoot warrior for human rights and respond to those who promote such ideologies with our own hatred, mocking, and violence. We have to leave those childish things behind. We have to grow up as human beings, if want to be barefoot warriors, responsible for equality and liberty. It is time to be men and women, and to answer the clarion call to our generation for compassion, not just echo the anger of frustration and impatience.

To reach the vistas that are possible together as human beings, we must break the ball and chain of hate and fear that drag us all down. When we urge our fellow human beings to release the burden of hate and fear from their hearts, we are asking them not just to release that burden from themselves, but also from ourselves as well. Their burdens are our burdens in the grand challenge for humanity to reach towards equality and liberty for all.

Much of the world has changed, and we can reach more of the world than ever before. Such global communication abilities have given us great power as human beings. But with great power, comes great responsibility. We have an opportunity to continue the long march started by so many champions of justice for so many individual circumstances, but this time, not just for one identity group, but in the name of equality and liberty for all. Never before did those who came before us have the opportunity to reach so much of the world in a single generation. But with new technologies and a vastly expanded globalism, we now have the opportunity to reach countless others who never had the hope to believe in our shared universal human rights.

Will we rise to the challenge?

Will we dare to have the courage to begin a barefoot march for the universal human rights for all?

Some will ask, will this march for human rights end totalitarianism now, will it end racism now, will it end religious extremism and promote pluralism now, will it end misogyny now? The answer to that is both yes and no.

A march for human rights can reach some hearts now, but we know we have a long way to go in this generational struggle. But the march begins with the first steps — within us. If we end such hate and such disrespect for human rights within ourselves, then we have begun the march as a barefoot warrior for human rights.

It is the march itself for our fellow human beings rights that is the living example we set, the living testimony as to what we can achieve together in respect and love. We can demonstrate that there is another path to our future, another choice beside endless hate and endless violence.

It is the march itself that can reach out to others and help others realize that we are not bound to deny the human rights of others. We are not bound to the hopeless cynicism that humanity cannot change. We are not bound to distrust, disrespect, and the disease of hate. We have a choice.

We can choose love, not hate. We can choose to be responsible for equality and liberty.

We can choose to leave our sandals on the rocks and believe in our fellow human beings.

Orange Ribbon for Universal Human Rights - Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) — Orange Ribbon for Universal Human Rights – Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

June 13 – Washington DC: “Never Again” to Hate – Freedom Plaza

On Sunday June 13, 2010, at 2 PM, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) invites Washingtonians to a public event to remember the June 10, 2009 attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and to remember the loss of Stephen Tyrone Johns. Choose love, not hate.

Stephen Tyrone Johns Will Not Die in Vain (Photo: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum) — We Will Remember Stephen Tyrone Johns Sacrifice and Courage (Photo: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum)

The attack by white supremacist and Holocaust denier James Von Brunn on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on June 10, 2009, was based on hate. We will urge our fellow Americans to Choose Love, Not Hate. We will urge our fellow Americans to say “Never Again” to such hate.

(Flier for distribution: Microsoft Word format flier 1, Adobe Acrobat format flier 1, Word format flier 2, Adobe Acrobat format flier 2).

We will meet at the Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, near where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on his speech “I Have a Dream,” and will stand united in our diverse religions, ethnicity, and races. We will stand united for equality. We will also say “Never Again” to hate.

Bullet strikes are seen in one of the doors to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum after a shooting left a security officer dead and the gunman wounded in Washington Thursday, June 11, 2009.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) — "Never Again" to Hate. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

We will remember black security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns who was shot to death on June 10, 2009 while on duty defending a museum that stands in remembrance to the Holocaust. We vow that his death will not be in vain, but that such sacrifices will remind us of the need to be ever-vigilant and defiant against the forces of hate that seek to spread in Washington DC and throughout America.

As those who promote hate seek to create ever-increasing numbers of hate groups in America, our message to them is that America will never retreat on hate. But we don’t answer hate with hate. Instead of an upraised fist, we offer outstretched hands and hearts to those who do hate, to urge them to release the burden of hate from their hearts, and join us in defending the universal human rights and dignity of all people.

We urge all – Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.

We also urge all to make a gift to the USHMM Stephen Tyrone Johns Summer Youth Leadership Program Endowment Fund.

Rally Logistics:

— Date: Sunday, June 13, 2010

— Time: 2 to 4 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time

— Location: Freedom Plaza, Washington DC, 20004 – on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 13th and 14th Streets NW

— Contact: Jeffrey Imm, info@realcourage.org, 301-613-8789

The Freedom Plaza in Washington DC is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his “I Have a Dream” speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. In 1988, a time capsule containing a Bible, a robe, and other relics of King’s was planted at the site.

Directions:

— Map Showing Location of Freedom Plaza in Washington DC

— Street Level Photographic View of Freedom Plaza Area

— Washington DC Metro Subway Stop: Metro Center (Central Station – for Red, Blue, Orange Lines)

— Washington DC Metro Subway Planner Tool

Walking Directions for Metro Center Subway:

— Metro Center Metro Station to Pennsylvania Ave NW & 14th St NW:

1. Exit station through 13TH ST NW & G ST NW entrance.

2. Walk approx. 1 block S on 13th St NW.

3. Turn right on Pennsylvania Ave NW.

4. Walk approx. 1 block W on Pennsylvania Ave NW.

— Driving Directions (see end of posting for Driving Directions to National Theater)

— Parking lots: the nearby National Theater reports the following parking lot areas include:

— PMI

— 1220 E Street, NW – Enter on E Street between 12th and 13th Streets

— 424 11th Street, NW

— 1325 G Street, NW – Enter on G Street between 13th and 14th Streets

— QUICK PARK

— 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW – Enter on 13th Street between E and F Streets

— Freedom Plaza is an open air plaza which is in front of The National Theater, whose address is 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. Directions to Freedom Plaza are essentially not much different than going to the front of the National Theater (National Theater driving directions, street map of area, parking directions, Metro directions).

What if it Rains?

It is summer. It rains, and hopefully it will not be raining at 2 PM.

But if we get caught in a thunderstorm, we will simply walk across the street under the cover of the National Theater marque, which is literally across the street at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004.

If we have to speak there on the street, then we can also do that as well. The National Theater has no shows that day, and we have submitted an Assembly Notification for that location with the Washington DC police, as a fallback alternative.

The photo below shows Freedom Plaza on the RIGHT and the National Theater marquee on the LEFT. We just walk across the street.

What if it Rains? If we have a brief thunderstorm, will stand under the shelter in front of the National Theater (Left), which is right next to Freedom Plaza (Right)

DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO NATIONAL THEATER:

FROM MARYLAND AND NORTH OF D.C.
ROUTE #I- 95 SOUTH
Pass Capital Beltway (I-495)
EXIT #22 – BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON PARKWAY
EXIT RIGHT TO ROUTE #50 WEST – TOWARD WASHINGTON
Becomes New York Avenue
Continue about 10 miles
LEFT ON 4TH STREET, NW
RIGHT on E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

FROM SPRINGFIELD AND SOUTH OF D.C.
ROUTE #95 NORTH
EXIT ROUTE #395 NORTH
EXIT 12TH STREET, NW
Stay in Left Lane
LEFT ON E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

FROM BALTIMORE AND EAST OF D.C.
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON PARKWAY – ROUTE #295 TOWARD WASHINGTON
EXIT RIGHT TO ROUTE #50 WEST – TOWARD WASHINGTON
Becomes New York Avenue
Continue about 10 miles
LEFT ON 4TH STREET, NW
RIGHT on E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

FROM SOUTH ARLINGTON AND ALEXANDRIA
RTE #1 NORTH OR #I-395 EAST
EXIT (Or from Route #I-395 Continue) ONTO 14TH STREET BRIDGE INTO DOWNTOWN D.C.
RIGHT ON PENNSYLVANIA AVE, NW
LEFT ON 13TH ST. NW ONE BLOCK TO E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is to the left at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

FROM ANNAPOLIS AND THE EASTERN SHORE AND ROUTE #50
ROUTE #50 WEST TOWARDS WASHINGTON
Becomes New York Avenue
Continue about 10 miles
LEFT ON 4TH STREET, NW
RIGHT on E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th and 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

UPPER MARLBORO, ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE AND SUITLAND AREA
SUITLAND PARKWAY WEST
EXIT ROUTE #395
Follow signs toward Maine Avenue and Richmond/Downtown exit)
EXIT 12TH STREET NW – DOWNTOWN
LEFT ON E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

FROM FREDERICK, GAITHERSBURG, WEST OF D.C.
ROUTE #270 SOUTH
At the Beltway – Route #495, follow the signs to Northern Virginia
Cross Bridge.
EXIT RIGHT TO GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKWAY.
EXIT RIGHT AROUND TO THEODORE ROOSEVELT BRIDGE ON LEFT
STAY IN MIDDLE LANE TO CONSTITUTION AVENUE
Go 12 blocks.
LEFT ON 12TH STREET, NW
LEFT ON E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

FROM UPPER D.C., CONNECTICUT AVENUE OR 16TH STREET
SOUTH TO H STREET, NW – OR FROM 16TH STREET SOUTH TO K STREET, NW
RIGHT ON 13TH STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is to the left at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

FROM FAIRFAX, NORTHERN VIRGINIA SUBURBS, AND ROUTE #66
ROUTE #66 EAST TOWARD D.C.
CONTINUE STRAIGHT ONTO THEODORE ROOSEVELT BRIDGE
STAY IN MIDDLE LANE TO CONSTITUTION AVENUE
LEFT ON 12TH STREET, NW
Go two blocks
LEFT ON E STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

FROM GEORGETOWN and KEY BRIDGE
M STREET, NW, EAST
M STREET BECOMES PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE AS IT ANGLES OUT OF GEORGETOWN
LEFT ON 17TH STREET, NW
Go one block
RIGHT ON H STREET, NW
RIGHT ON 13TH STREET, NW
Parking lots on E Street between 12th and 13th, and on 12th or 13th between E and F Streets.
E Street becomes Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th. The National is to the left at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

June 7 Media Reports Associated with Gaza Ships

Israel: Known terrorists on flotilla

(Iran/Gaza) Report: Iran to send ships to Gaza
— Iranian Red Crescent planning two aid ships this week

— Iran raises Gaza threat by vowing to challenge Israel’s blockade

Turkey calls on Israel to accept probe into raid

(Turkey) Today’s Zaman: “IHH responds to Israeli accusations of terrorism”

(Turkey/U.S.) Schumer Wants Probe into Turkish Flotilla’s Terrorist Ties

Diplomats Ponder How To Investigate Events Leading To Deadly Israeli Raid

Daily Telegraph: “IHH releases pictures of bloody Israeli commando after Gaza raid”
— IHH group linked to radical Islam issues photos of injured Israeli soldiers

US Jews to hold flotilla protest

Remember Stephen Tyrone Johns with Donation to USHMM

As we remember the loss of Stephen Tyrone Johns this week in the June 10, 2009 terrorist attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), the USHMM also urges all to make a gift to the USHMM Stephen Tyrone Johns Summer Youth Leadership Program Endowment Fund.

Hizb ut-Tahrir America – Anti-Democracy Group Event July 11

The anti-democracy group Hizb ut-Tahrir America is planning another event on July 11 in a Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, IL.

According to the Counterterrorism Group’s Madeleine Gruen

— “Hizb ut-Tahrir America (HTA) released a video announcement for its 2010 “Khilafah Conference,” to be held on July 11 at the Chicago Marriott, Oak Brook. The conference is titled, ‘Emerging World Order: How the Khilafah Will Shape the World.'”

— “Last year, HTA announced its presence in the United States by hosting a conference at the Hilton in Oak Lawn, Illinois. The conference drew approximately 500 supporters, but did not appear to generate lasting momentum for HTA beyond the flurry of press reporting surrounding the event.”

— “Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) has a presence in more than 45 countries around the world and seeks to establish an Islamic state. Once its government has been established, HT intends to spread Islam to the rest of the world.”

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According to HTA the event will be at:

Date: Sunday, July 11th 2010

Time: 1:00PM – 6:00PM

Venue: Chicago Marriott Oak Brook
1401 W. 22nd St.
Oak Brook, IL 60523

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See additional R.E.A.L. postings on the anti-democracy Hizb ut-Tahrir movement at:

http://bit.ly/htwatch

FOX News: Radical Islamist Group Is Returning to Chicago for Major Recruitment Drive

Hizb ut-Tahrir Uses Social Media to Promote Its “Emerging World Order” Conference – by Madeleine Gruen

Hizb ut-Tahrir America Announces Annual Conference – by Madeleine Gruen

NYC: Two New Jersey Men Arrested at JFK Airport Sought to Kill Non-Muslims

In NYC’s John F. Kennedy airport, two New Jersey men were arrested and have been charged with planning terrorism . The initial reports have indicated that the two men arrested, Mohamed Hamoud Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, were planning to join terrorist groups in Somalia, and were flying from JFK airport to Egypt en route to Somalia. In Somalia, they planned to join the Al Shabaab, which has been linked to Al-Qaeda. They planned to arrive in Cairo, Egypt, and then perhaps take a boat to Somalia. They had previously been in Jordan in 2007, and AP reports that they unsuccessfully tried to get to Iraq in the past.

Police Photos of Mohamed Alessa and Carlos Almonte (Photo: Department of Justice)

The criminal complaint against them has been unsealed and released to the press. In the criminal complaint, Mohamed Alessa sought to better accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan in killing American soldiers.

The accused Alessa and Almonte had been training in an “outdoor facility in West Milford, New Jersey” and had been teaching military tactics to an undercover law enforcement officer in Jersey City, New Jersey. The accused repeatedly listened to and played recording of American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki “promoting violent jihad and martyrdom.” Anwar al-Awlaki, who is now believed to be in Yemen, has regularly praised terrorist organizations and was in contact with the Fort Hood accused terrorist Nidal Hasan. In addition, the accused reportedly also watched videos by Adam Gadahn (aka Azzam al-Amriki) praising Nidal Hasan.

Inspirations for Mohamed Alessa and Carlos Almonte to Kill Non-Muslims: Anwar Al-Awlaki, Nidal Hassan, Adam Gadahn

The criminal complaint also addresses the accused regularly discussing plans to “wage violent jihad” and join “violent jihadist groups operating in Somalia.” In their discussions, they reportedly considered joining various “violent jihadist groups that were operating in Somalia, including Al-Shabaab, Hizbul Islam, and Ahlu Sunna wa’l Jama’a, ” but Almonte viewed that Al-Shabaab “is the main one… the main thing.”

The criminal complaint states that “On November 29, 2009, in Jersey City, New Jersey, in the presence of Almonte, Alessa stated, in part: “We’ll start doing killing here, if I can’t do it over there.” Alessa also reportedly stated “A lot of people need to get killed, bro, swear to God… I have to get a… assault rifle and just kill anyone that even looks at me the wrong way, bro. Nah, I swear to God, bro. I wanna, like – I’m not – my – my soul cannot rest until I shed blood. I wanna, like, be the world’s known terrorist… I swear to God.” He also reportedly stated: “I’m gonna get a gun…. I’ll have more bodies on it – than the – than the hairs on my beard. You know what I’m saying? It’s already enough, you don’t worship Allah, so… that’s a reason for you to die… We’re being pushed by every corner of the earth, yanni. They only fear you when you have a gun and when you – when you start killing them, and when you – when you take their head, and you go like this, and you behead it on camera, and you – you have to be ruthless bro. I swear to God, bro. Enough of this punk (expletive). It’s that everyone has to be ruthless to – with these people. We’ll start doing killing here, if I can’t do it over there. I’m gonna get locked up in the airport? Then you’re gonna die here, then. That’s how it is. Freaking Major-Nidal-shaved-face-Palestinian-crazy guy; he’s not better than me. I’ll do twice what he did.”

According to the complaint, on November 30, 2009, Alessa instructed Almonte and the FBI undercover agent on how to kill a guard with a knife, and then Alessa told the FBI undercover agent “and whenever they think I’m leaving, they always think I’m gonna come back, yanni. I leave this time, God Willing, I never come back. I’ll never see this crap hole. Only way I would come back here is if I was in the land of jihad and the leader ordered me to come back here and do something here. Ah, I love that.”

The complaint also reveals Alessa talking to Almonte and the FBI undercover agent about saving up money for the trip to Somalia. The complaint indicates that the duo planned to fly to Cairo, Egypt, and then considered various options on getting to Somalia, including taking a boat from Egypt to Somalia. During the discussion on funds saved for the Somalia trip, Alessa reportedly told Almonte and the FBI undercover agent that about stealing equipment, saying “you get your weapons when you get there… and then, you kill non-Muslims and you take the spoils of war. The leader gets them (referring to weapons), and distributes it amongst the ranks. Best life.”

The duo frequently worked out, and according to the complaint “Alessa stated [on January 3, 2010] that stronger muscles mean bigger muscles which means killing more non-Muslims.” On the same date, they listened to another lecture from Anwar al-Awlaki who “emphasized that an individual need not rely on others or have a leader in order to wage violent jihad.”

According to the complaint, on January 17, 2010, Alessa providing instruction to Almonte and the FBI Undercover Agent regarding: “(1) how they should love believers of Islam and hate non-Muslims; (2) the enemies of Allah, specifically: (a) the devil; (b) one’s self; (c) non-believers; (d) hypocrites; (e) Jews; and (f) Christians; and (3) the importance of waging violent jihad.”

THe FBI had been watching the accused for 4 years, and according to the criminal complaint, “On October 9, 2006, a member of the public (‘Individual 1’) who knows the DEFENDANTS sent a tip through the FBI’S website concerning the activities of the DEFENDANTS. In that electronic message, Individual 1 stated” ‘every time they (referring to the DEFENDANTS) access the Internet all they look for is all those terrorist videos about the Islam holly [sic] war and where they kill US soldiers and other terrible things… They keep saying that Americans are their enemies, that everybody other than Islamic followers are their enemies.. and they all must be killed.”

The complaint also stated that a family member told law enforcement that the accused “watched a video on the computer about suicide vest bombs.”

Criminal Complaint

— Criminal complaint against Mohamed Mahmood Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte

List of media reports:

— New Jersey Star-Ledger: Two N.J. men arrested at JFK airport before boarding plane to join Islamist terrorist group, authorities say
— New Jersey Star-Ledger reports: “Mohamed Hamoud Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 26, of Elmwood Park were apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens before they could board separate flights to Egypt, where they were to start journeys to Somalia”
— “Officials said the suspects were not planning an imminent attack in the New Jersey-New York area but were believed to be joining with the terrorist fight against Americans in Somalia.”
— “Authorities said the men planned to wage jihad as part of a Somalia-based Islamist terror group called al Shabaab, an organization of several thousand fighters spread through Somalia’s southern region. Al Shabaab, whose full Arabic name means ‘Mujahideen Youth Movement,’ has had ties to al Qaeda since 2007, according to national security experts.”

— New Jersey Star-Ledger: N.J. suspect charged in terror case told neighbors he’d be away on trip for six months

— New Jersey Star-Ledger: Federal authorities charge 2 men from N.J. with pursuing dream of ‘holy war’ in Somalia
— Star-Ledger: “Also according to the complaint, Alessa said he wanted to be more successful at waging jihad than the Fort Hood shooter. ‘He’s not better than me. I’ll do twice what he did.'”
— “He also said he would start his holy war in the United States if he couldn’t get overseas and then hauntingly foreshadowed his own apprehension. “We’ll start doing (killing) here, if I can’t do it over there. I’m gonna get locked up in the airport? Then you’re gonna die here, then.'”

— AFP: Two charged with terror plot against Americans abroad
—- FBI Samuel Robinson: “The defendants discussed in substance and in part, violent jihadist groups operating in Somalia”

— NY Times: 2 New Jersey Men Arrested on Terrorism Charges

— Cliffview Pilot: “Locals charged with joining ‘holy war’ versus U.S.”
— FOX News: Feds Unseal Terror Charges Against 2 NJ Men

— NY Daily News report

— AP: NYPD: 2 NJ terror suspects had tried to go to Iraq

— CBS TV News Video

Stock Photo of Somalia Violent Extremists (ABDIRASHID ABDULLE/AFP/Getty Images)

NYC: Terrorist Threats Continue in NY Post Mosque Articles’ Comments Section

On the New York Post website, at least one individual is continuing to use the reader “comments” sections to post terrorist threats calling for Americans to “blow up” the planned 45 Park Place, NYC mosque renovation, which has been called in the press the “ground zero mosque” (it is two blocks away from the “Ground Zero” 9/11 attack area).

As we reported on June 3, 2010, individuals have been using the NY Post reader “comments” section on articles about the 45 Park Place renovation and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf to post hateful comments and to post open terrorist threats calling for the facility to be “blown up.”

We first noticed this in a NY Post article dated May 24, 2010, where a reader “Truthful” writes in the comments section that “I say let them build it and when that expensive beautiful building is built, someone should blow it up… 9when it is filled with people… What a fitting tribute to 9-11.”

May 24, 2010 - New York Post Reader Comment on 45 Park Place Mosque - Calling for Terrorist Bombing

On June 5, 2010, such threats were once again made on the NY Post website. One of the individuals making such public threats calls himself “Truthful,” “TheTruth15,” “Herman Muster,” and other screen names.

In the June 5, 2010 NY Post article, “Imam unmosqued – Ground Zero booster tied to sea clash,” by writer Andy Poltis, the New York Post links Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf as a member of a group Perdana Global Peace Organization that has provided funding for the Gaza flotilla.

The June 5 reader comments, below the article, calling for terrorism in NYC in the reader comments of the NY Post state that:
— “I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: After it’s built, blow it up. Preferable on a Friday afternoon…” and “I am… advocating death again”
— (graphic snapshots of hate comments – June 5, 2010 image 1, image 2, May 24)

June 5, 2010 - New York Post Reader Comment on 45 Park Place Mosque - Calling for Terrorist Bombing

Articles on Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and the 45 Park Place mosque have seen a wide range of hate comments in the New York Post reader comments section of the newspaper, in addition to the above blatant calls for terrorist violence.

Calls for violence by Americans against the 45 Park Place mosque have also included an open call for the bombing of the 45 Park Place mosque, during a broadcast from the KPRC-950 AM radio station by Michael Berry, a regular broadcaster with a daily program on that radio station.

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) condemns such calls for hate and terrorism.

R.E.A.L. has reported these comments for abuse and is writing the author of the June 5 New York Post article on this, so that the New York Post can be more vigilant in reviewing comments on such articles. We will update this post with any comments we hear back from the New York Post.

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) promotes our universal human rights for all people and for all Americans. We reject calls for hate and violence. We reject calls to deny any of our fellow human beings their universal human rights, including their freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and freedom of worship. We urge our fellow Americans to be consistently responsible for equality and liberty – for all people.

Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.

Tennessee: ‘KKK,’ Swastika Spray-Painted On Driveway

Media reports on hate symbols spray-painted on a drive in a Madison neighborhood in Tennessee.

WSMV – Tennessee: ‘KKK,’ Swastika Spray-Painted On Driveway
— Police Increase Patrols In Madison Neighborhood
— WSMV media images
— WSMV reports: “Symbols of hate found in a Madison neighborhood is spreading fear and increasing police patrols.”
— “Someone spray-painted ‘KKK’ and a swastika on a Madison driveway in the middle of the night. The black woman who lives there noticed the markings early Wednesday morning as she got in her car to go to work and called police.”

The Tennessean — Hate symbols painted on driveway
— The Tennessean reports: “Carla Gordon always felt welcome in her Madison neighborhood. That is, until Wednesday morning, when she walked outside to find ‘KKK’ and a Nazi swastika painted on her driveway.”
— “‘Honestly, it’s really, really scary,’ said Gordon, 49, who is black and works for the Tennessee Department of Labor. ‘I remember telling people that in all of my 49 years I’ve never experienced outright racism, let alone hate. This is my first experience with that.'”
— “Metro police are investigating two possible hate crimes in the neighborhood, one at Gordon’s house and more graffiti at a Hispanic neighbor’s home two houses down, which had identical messages painted on a car.”

The Tennessean: "Carla Gordon woke up at her home Wednesday morning to a Nazi swastika and 'KKK' painted on her driveway in Madison" (Photo: JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN)

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) urges those who hate to unburden the hate from their hearts.

Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.

Rhode Island Synagogue Vandalized with Swastika, Racial Slurs

In Warwick, Rhode Island, the Temple Am David synagogue was vandalized by hate mongers putting graffiti including a backwards swastika and racial slurs on the synagogue. A member of Temple Am David, Paula Oliveri, told news media that the synagogue works with the community and with Holocaust survivors. The police are reviewing surveillance footage from the synagogue’s cameras.

If you have information regarding those responsible, you are urged to contact the Warwick Police Department: Phone Number: (401) 468-4200, Crime Stoppers Tip Line: 732-8477(732-TIPS).

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June 7, 2010 update: Two arrested in Synagogue vandalism
— WPRI reports that Ryan N. Johnson and juvenile arrested for swastika and racial slur vandalism at Temple Am David
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The Associated Press reports that “Police Chief Stephen McCartney says if the vandalism is determined to be a hate crime, the perpetrator could face stiffer penalties. State Jewish leaders say the vandalism may have been sparked by the Israeli commando raid on a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip that left nine people dead.”

NBC 10 News asked Temple Am David Cantor Richard Perlman if the attacks may be linked to Gaza, and he told the NBC 10 News “I certainly hope that his has nothing at all to do with that. However, one would be silly to believe that that may not be a possibility. What’s going on in the Gaza is a terrible thing.”

(Note: From our experience in covering Nazi hate crime, it would appear that most committed Nazis involved in hate crimes usually know how to draw the Nazi swastika correctly, rather than “backwards,” suggesting that perhaps the vandal was someone other than a Nazi.)

NBC Channel 10 News Video Report

WPRI News Video Report

— WPRI: “Synagogue vandalized with hate symbols – Swastika, racial slur spray-painted on temple”

— Associated Press: “Racist graffiti found on Warwick synagogue”

— Providence Journal: Swastika, racial slur spray-painted on exterior of Warwick synagogue

— Providence Channel 10 News: Swastika spray-painted on temple

Warwick police are investigating the spray-painting of a swastika and part of a racial slur on the exterior of Temple Am David in Warwick, Rhode Island. Notably, the swastika is "backwards" from a Nazi swastika. (Photo: The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson)

Gaza: Hamas Raids, Closes Groups for Women and Children

Hamas has raided and closed groups designed to support charity efforts for women and children in Gaza, according to the Jerusalem Post: and according to the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights.

Hamas raids, closes NGO offices
— Jerusalem Post: “The NGOs raid on Monday were: Sharik Youth Institution, Bonat Al-Mustaqbal (Future Builders) Society, the South Society for Women’s Health, and the Women and Children Society.”
— “the Gaza-based Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights expressed outrage over the raids and called on the Hamas government to open an investigation.”

Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights Report:

— “Gaza Internal Security Break into Offices of Five NGOs; Confiscate Belongings:Al Mezan Condemns the Assaults, Calls for Respecting the Law”
— “Five non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were raided and some of their belongings were confiscated by persons who presented themselves as members of the Gaza internal security apparatus. When they broke into the NGOs offices, these persons did not provide their names. They did not have any documents from courts or any other authorized bodies that would enable them to lawfully search the NGOs offices. Al Mezan condemns these assaults against NGOs and views them with much concern. Al Mezan calls on the Gaza Government to initiate an investigation into these acts, ensure full respect of the law, and protect the right of NGOs to work freely.”
— “According to affidavits given to Al Mezan by persons employed by the NGOs, between 10am and 12am on Monday 31 May 2010, the Gaza Government’s internal security apparatus broke into four NGOs offices in the town of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. The NGOs are: Sharik Youth Institution, Bonat Al-Mustaqbal (Future Builders) Society, the South Society for Women’s Health, and the Women and Children Society. The raiders searched the offices and made a list of the equipment and other belongings in the NGOs. Later, between 6pm and 8pm on the same day, a group of persons, who also identified themselves as from the internal security apparatus, went to the offices of the same NGOs and called the directors by telephone. They confiscated most of the equipment and belongings, including computers, faxes, cameras, part of the documents, reports as well as the keys to their doors. The security members informed the directors that their organizations were closed. They did not provide any reasons behind this decision.”
— “At approximately 3pm on Monday 31 May 2010, eight members of the Gaza internal security apparatus appeared at Sharik Youth Institution office in Gaza City. They searched the office and confiscated 18 laptops, two desktops, three digital cameras and three USB memory sticks. They also took some papers and lists of names. One of the Sharik staff members made a list of the confiscated equipment. He asked the security members to sign the list One of them signed; however, without writing his name on it.”
— “In a separate incident, at approximately, 8am on Tuesday 1 June 2010, a group of persons who identified themselves as from the internal security apparatus broke into and Palestinian Mini Parliament and the National Reconciliation Committee. They confiscated the keys to their doors and ordered them closed.”
— “Al Mezan views these assaults on NGOs and the way they were carried out without any respect to the law with great concern….Al Mezan asserts that attacks on NGOs violate constitutional rights under Article 26 of the amended Palestinian Basic Law. Article 26 of this law provides for Palestinians right to participate in public life, particularly by forming syndicates, unions, institutions, clubs and popular institutions.”

Sharik Youth Institution Sea Camp (Photo: Sharik Youth Institution)

Sharik Youth Institution on International Women's Day (Photo: Sharik Youth Institution)