On August 8, 2010, the Kehilat HaMashiach Synagogue in Spokane Valley, Washington state was defaced outside when someone painted a red Nazi swastika on their outdoor sign. The Kehilat HaMashiach Synagogue is a Messianic Jewish congregation.
KXLY reports that “In Spokane Valley the Kehilat HaMashiach Synagogue was vandalized Sunday when someone smeared their sign with a red swastika. Four days later a white cloth covers the symbol but the congregation of the synagogue know all too well the meaning behind the symbol. They says they want to bring attention to this because they want people to know this type of hatred is still going on in our community.”
Anti-mosque protest leader Kevin Fisher was one of 20 speakers and a primary organizer of the anti-mosque protest event. Kevin Fisher is a former candidate for the local school board and the state legislature, according to APB.
Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Politician Kevin Fisher Leads Anti-Mosque Protest (Photo: John A. Gillis/DNJ)
Kevin Fisher has also expressed his opposition to other belief and spiritual systems, including the Falun Dafa / Falun Gong, who have been oppressed by the Communist Chinese party for 11 years, and which in March 2010 received a U.S. Congressional resolution opposing their oppression in the Communist nation. Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline consisting of moral principles and slow-motion physical exercises, has been persecuted in Communist China since 1999.
Two Falun Dafa / Falun Gong practitioners hold a candle at the candle light vigil in Washington, DC on July 22nd -- marking 11 years of persecution in China. (Jeff Nenarella / The Epoch Times)
We ask those in support of the anti-mosque campaigns if this is the direction that they want to take America, to openly seek to deny our Constitutional and Universal Human Rights for all Americans and all human beings, and to follow a course to openly seek to deny freedom of conscience to others, as the Communist People’s Republic of China has done.
In January 2010, R.E.A.L. attended a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC, where Shen Yun performers and Falun Dafa practitioners were shocked that Hong Kong had blocked one of their performances, based on perceived influence against their freedom of expression and conscience by the Communist People’s Republic of China.
January 2010: Falun Gong Practitioner Leeshai Lemish Asks Americans to Stand Up for Human Freedoms at Shen Yun Press Conference, Condemning Communist Influence to Block Hong Kong Freedom of Conscience and Expression
But now we see Americans who are leading anti-mosque campaigns that share the same perspective of a totalitarian nation such as Communist China to seek to deny freedom of conscience in America.
The Connecticut Post stated that “Flip Benham, of Dallas, Texas, organizer of the protest, was yelling at the worshipers with a bullhorn.” AP reported that the protesters were”yelling what mosque members described as hate-filled slogans.” NBC Connecticut reported that “Muslim leaders in Connecticut are asking police to ensure that they can worship without being harassed after a group was confronted on Friday.”
Christian "Operation Save America" Group Protests Outside Charlotte, NC Mosque Gates (Photo: OSA Website)Christian Group "Operation Save America" (OSA) Leader Promotes Message "Islam is a Lie" (Photo: YouTube)
Washington DC: Hindu Religious Leader Stunned as Christian "Operation Save America" Protesters Heckle and Shout Against Him in Senate Chambers (Photo: YouTube)
Religious extremist hate knows no boundaries or limitations to disrespect, contempt, and intolerance against others. Christians that support religious pluralism and religious freedom should speak up about the Christian extremist actions of the “Operation Save America” group in seeking to disrupt and deny religious freedom and religious worship to others.
The article is posted by a New Jersey-based Tea Party activist. In other postings, the Tea Party activist also promotes “Stop Islamization Of America!” and “Help Pamela Geller Stop Islamization Of America.”
In addition, the Tea Party Patriots blog article promotes the views of an Annie Hamilton of Los Angeles, California that “Islam is NOT a religion,” and states that “there is no such thing as a moderate muslim, regardless of what you’ve heard – from the mouth of the son of a well known Imam. Islam is as Islam does. And Regardless of what you might think, there is no such thing of a ‘mild’ muslim, even the ‘quiet’ ones who live on the street corner, drive the BMW and work in the dr’s office…they go to mosque, satisfy the pillars, pray, etc…and the money they are giving, that is funding terror.”
Over thirty years ago, I came to Washington DC, and joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
My first job responsibility was to swear a promise to the United States of America, and I said:
“I, Jeffrey Imm, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.”
I swore this oath, because America cannot afford individuals in law enforcement that cannot defend the law of the land. If you can’t defend the Constitution of the United States, you have no business working for the American people. Amendment 1 of the Constitution supports the freedom of religion for all Americans.
To those who seek to promote human rights, I urge you to consider, can you unquestioningly support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? How credible are human rights activists that cannot defend the most fundamental international document of our universal human rights?
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
Notice Article 18 states “everyone,” not just those we like, those we agree with, or those who are popular. In our international Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there are no caveats creating exceptions to such human rights for Christian churches in Pakistan, for Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques in Indonesia, or even for Muslim mosques in America. Everyone has the right to believe.
But both law enforcement and human rights activism are really not a popularity contest. Certainly in every case, supporters of both seek popularity. But both are a commitment to a consistent application of the law and our universal human rights for all people – all the time.
Some people won’t like that. They won’t like laws that keep our society safe and civil when it inconveniences them. They won’t like human rights that apply to those that they may not like. They won’t care for those who flout their populist arguments with the law and with our universal human rights.
As a child, I remember the struggle in America for black Americans’ human rights in the 1960s and 1970s. There were plenty who did not like either the laws or the struggle for such human rights. Certainly if you had taken a poll in a nation which once had 4 million members of the Ku Klux Klan, you would have found there were plenty of people who would’ve opposed both the campaigns and the laws granting black Americans their human rights – and this in a nation whose national declaration is founded on equality and liberty. During those tumultuous days, there were protesting mobs that sought to stop racial integration of schools. I remember one populist campaigner Alabama Governor George Wallace whose racial segregationist policies were part of his campaign to seek to become president of the United States, and he had many, many supporters around the country.
I have seen first hand how such bitter disagreements on human rights can divide our nation, our cities, even our families. But we have an obligation to be a UNITED States of America, not just when it is easy, but also when it is difficult, when we have to make unpopular stands to be TRUE to the truths that we hold self-evident – as Americans.
Some people don’t like the law. Some people don’t like human rights. But the law is the law – and our universal human rights are our universal human rights, not just for those we like or people like us, but for everyone.
Many may not like the exercise of Constitutional rights or human rights by many people. If we took a national poll every time someone did something controversial, we can be certain of the results. But whether we like it or not, Americans and human beings have Constitutional rights and universal human rights. Don’t forget those are your rights too.
We cannot trade away our Constitution and our universal human rights to whatever CNN/Opinion Research Center finds through some telephone calls, what some people post on Facebook, or what some say with protest signs. Imagine if that was you that the nation was judging any time you did something unpopular or controversial. Imagine if that was you whose very freedoms were being assessed by cable television news hosts or the latest talk radio programs. We have the right to do and say things that may be unpopular, that many may disagree with, and that many may believe to be wrong. It is called FREEDOM.
Our Constitution, our law, and our universal human rights are not just toys for angry politicians, angry groups, and sensationalist journalism. Our Constitution, our Declaration, and our law are the foundation of America’s identity. Our Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the commitment of a pact by United Nations’ countries of the world, including the United States of America, after the horror of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany – as their way of saying “Never Again” and creating an international declaration for universal human rights and justice for all – all the time.
I may no longer be a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but my commitment to their goals of Fidelity – Bravery – Integrity to our Constitution and the truths that we hold self-evident that it is based on will not waver.
To those who seek to defy Americans’ Constitutional rights, remember there are those who vowed an oath to continue to defend such Constitutional rights – whether it is popular or not.
We urge all Americans to be consistently responsible for equality and liberty. It is the American way, and it is who and what America is all about.
R.E.A.L. Supports the Constitutional Freedoms of the United States of America - including Freedom of Religion
In Afghanistan, a pregnant Afghan widow, Bibi Sanubar, was publicly flogged with 200 lashes and then shot three times in the head for “alleged adultery” by the religious extremist Taliban organization. Taliban leader Mullah Daoud reportedly claimed responsibility for the murder of the pregnant woman in a Taliban “court” along with two other Taliban chiefs. Another report states that a local Taliban leader, Mohammad Yousuf, carried out the execution.
Afghanistan Taliban "Police" Beat Women in Public - in Kabul - in 2001 - Will Afghanistan Return to This?
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights for all people, men and women, and reject any ideological misogyny that seeks to oppress, victimize, mutilate, and murder women, wherever it may be, and whatever justification it uses for such hate against women. R.E.A.L. reject religious extremist rationalization for denying the human rights of women or of any other human being. We urge those whose hearts are burdened with hate to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.
Afghanistan: Taliban Held Public Executions While in Power (File Photo: Dawn)
R.E.A.L.' s Jeffrey Imm Outside White House in Washington DC Protesting Calls for Taliban Reconciliation, Concern for Impact on Women's Rights
According to the UK Mirror: “Insurgent commander Mullah Daoud said the woman was whipped, then shot in front of locals after he and two other Taliban chiefs passed sentence. Daoud said: ‘We gave this decision so in future no one should have these illegal affairs. We whipped her in front of all the local people, to show them an example. Then we shot her.'”
AFP reports: “The Taliban publicly flogged and then executed a pregnant Afghan widow by emptying three shots into her head for alleged adultery, police said on Monday. Bibi Sanubar, 35, was kept in captivity for three days before she was shot dead in a public trial on Sunday by a local Taliban commander in the Qadis district of the rural western province Badghis. The Taliban accused Sanubar of having an ‘illicit affair’ that left her pregnant. She was first punished with 200 lashes in public before being shot, deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Mohammad Sayeedi said. ”She was shot in the head in public while she was still pregnant,’ Sayeedi said.”
Pakistan Dawn reports that “Local Taliban commander Mohammad Yousuf carried out the execution, Sayeedi said, before the woman’s body was dumped in an area under government control… Head of Badghis provincial council Mohammad Nasir Nazaari confirmed the execution and said the Qadis district is entirely under Taliban control.”
“The deputy head of the religious council for western Afghanistan, Mohammad Kabaabiani, said the execution ran counter to Islamic principles. Head of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission in western Afghanistan, Abdul Qadir Rahimi, condemned the killing. ‘Any such trial is unacceptable and is a violation of human rights. All trials must take place in an authorized court observing every single measure of justice,’ said Rahimi.”
Ms. Magazine states that: “The execution of Bibi Sanubar is one of many recent murders attributed to Taliban. Other recent incidents include a woman who worked at a non-profit who was murdered while leaving work in April, a couple who were shot outside of a mosque last year after being accused of eloping, and a Kandahar provincial council member and women’s rights activist who was murdered outside of her home last year. During the Taliban’s rule from 1996 to 2001, public executions and amputations were commonplace.”
The Voice of America reports that “Authorities say Taliban militants kept the woman in captivity for three days before her execution Sunday in a remote area of northwestern Badghis province. They say she was first flogged 200 times and then shot in the head three times. Officials say a Taliban court had found the woman guilty of having an ‘illicit affair’ that left her pregnant. Afghan police say a local Taliban commander, Mohammad Yousuf, carried out the execution, but a Taliban spokesman Monday denied that the group was responsible.”
The Daily Mail reports that “‘Justice’, Afghan style, is still relatively harsh. Rape victims, for example, are prosecuted for having sex outside of wedlock. Under Afghan law Sanubar would have been jailed for up to three years if found guilty of adultery, but many women are then returned to their families to face traditional punishments, including so-called honour killings.”
— Jakarta Post: Worst to come for Ahmadiyah as more turn a blind eye
— “A single day erased a year’s worth of effort by the Jamaah Ahmadiyah congregation members to renovate their dilapidated, old mosque which has stood since 1977 in Cisalada village in Ciampea district, Bogor regency.”
— “On July 12, the district chief of Ciampea, Budi Lukmanul Hakim, accompanied by 24 public order officers and 300 police officers, destroyed the steel foundations for what was to be an extension of the mosque.”
— “The action caused Rp 250 million in losses for the congregation.”
— “‘It took us one year, starting from Lebaran, to collect donations from the congregation to achieve that sum of money,’ said Ahmad Hidayat, an Ahmadi cleric.”
— “The foundations were destroyed on orders expressed in a letter issued by the district chief after the administration was pressured by hard-line mass organizations in three surrounding villages, according to the Institute for Democracy and Peace (Setara).”
— “‘The demonstrators also demanded the local court and police disband Ahmadiyah and seal our mosques,’ he said, adding that the mosques had not been sealed thanks to good coordination between the congregation and local administration officials.”
An-Nur Mosque -JP/R. Berto Wedhatama
Indonesia: Orders to close Ahmadiyya Mosque in Manis Lor and attacks by extremists
— “Manis Lor is a small village, located 45KM south of Cirebon city in Kuningan Regency, with a population of approximately 4,350 out of which 3,000 (70%) are Ahmadis. They have one big and seven small Mosques in Village.”
— “H. Aang Hamid Suganda, Head of Kuningan Regent, vide Warrant Number: 451.2/2065/SAT.POL.PP dated July 22, 2010, ordered Civil Order Police Chief Indra Purwantoro to close and seal all eight Mosques belonging to Ahmadiyah Muslim sect in Manis Lor. This order is in clear violation of constitution, which guarantees freedom of worship to all its citizens.”
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Responsible for Equality and Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights to freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience for all people of all faiths. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
We urge those who promote hate and intolerance to unburden the hate from their hearts.
In the Afghanistan mountains of Badakhshan, 10 aid workers and medical volunteers associated with the Christian group International Assistance Mission (IAM), were murdered while helping people in need of care. Both the Taliban and Hizb-i-Islami have reportedly claimed responsibility for the massacre of the aid workers, which included six Americans, one German, one Briton, and two Afghans.
Portraits of Real Courage - IAM Aid Workers Killed in Afghanistan - (left to right) Row 1: Tom Little, Dan Terry, Cheryl Beckett, Brian Carderelli; Row 2: Dr. Thomas Grams, Glenn Lapp, Karen Woo, Daniela Beyer; Row 3: Marham Ali and Jawed. Most Photos from IAM website. Dr Grams Photo: Minnesota Star Tribune; Glenn Lapp, AP; Karen Woo, Nicholas Razzell.
The IAM aid group workers and volunteers killed were:
Tom Little - IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Tom Little, New York optometrist, America
— IAM states: “Tom was affectionately known as ‘Mister Tom’ amongst the many staff at the National Organization for Ophthalmic Rehabilitation (NOOR). He arrived in 1976, with his family, and worked as an Optometrist and Manager at NOOR, setting up clinics and ophthalmic workshops. He was much loved by both foreigners and Afghans, and was the inspiration for other IAM team members coming to Afghanistan. Tom leaves behind his wife and 3 daughters.”
— Media reports:
— Tom Little, man of peace
— Danger part of daily work
Dan Terry, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Dan Terry, Wisconsin aid worker, America
— IAM states: “Dan came to Afghanistan in 1971, he had a heart for the rural areas of Afghanistan and worked for many years in Lal-wa Sarjangal. Dan specialized in relating to local communities and liaising with aid organizations and the government to improve services in remote areas. Dan is survived by his wife, 3 daughters, and one granddaughter.”
— Media reports:
— Wisconsin Native Killed In Afghanistan
— Aide worker killed in Afghanistan has Janesville ties
Cheryl Beckett, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Cheryl Beckett, Knoxville, Tennessee interpreter (IAM lists Ohio), America
— IAM states: “Cheryl Beckett was working as an aid worker in Afghanistan since 2005 and had been involved in community development with a focus on nutritional gardening and mother-child health. She had been asked to assist the IAM medical team as a translator for women patients. Cheryl was a Pashto speaker who worked in a clinic in Pul-e Charkhi on the outskirts of Kabul. She is survived by her parents and 3 siblings.”
— Media reports:
— “Faith led daughter’s work in Afghanistan”
— “Afghan victim’s dad: group was not proselytizing”
Brian Carderelli, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Brian Carderelli, Harrisonburg, Virginia videographer, America
— IAM states: “Brian Carderelli was a professional free-lance videographer. Brian served a number of other organizations in Afghanistan active in development and humanitarian efforts throughout the nation. Brian quickly fell in love with the Afghan people and culture and hoped to stay within the country for another year.”
— Media report:
— “Slain aid worker Brian Carderelli found beauty in daily Afghan life”
Dr. Thomas Grams, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: Minnesota Star Tribune)
— Glen Lapp, Lancaster, Pennsylvania nurse, America
— IAM states: “Glen trained as an intensive-care nurse and worked in Lancaster, New York City City and Supai, Arizona, and had previously worked in the responses to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He came to Kabul in 2008, and initially worked in the IAM HQ. Then after 5 months of Dari language training he began his work with NOOR, he was responsible for organizing the mobile eye camps that reached the remote areas of Afghanistan.”
— Media report:
— “Mennonite worker slain in Afghanistan remembered”
Karen Woo, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: Nicholas Razzell)
— Daniela Beyer, Chemnitz, Germany
— IAM states: “Daniela was a linguist and a translator in German, English, and Russian. She also spoke Dari and was learning Pashto. She worked for IAM between 2007-2009 doing linguistic research and joined the eye camp so that she could translate for women patients. She is survived by her parents and 3 siblings.”
— Media reports:
— Bild (German): Das gefährliche Leben der Dolmetscherin aus Chemnitz
Mahram Ali, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Marham Ali, Wardak, Afghanistan
— IAM states: “Mahram Ali worked as a watchman at NOOR’s maintenance workshop since the end of 2007. He stayed guarding the vehicles in Nawa when the rest of the team walked over the pass into Nuristan. He leaves behind a wife and 3 children, at secondary school age and below.”
Jawed, IAM Aid Worker (Photo: IAM)
— Jawed, Panjshir, Afghanistan
— IAM states: “Jawed was employed as cook at the Ministry of Public Health’s Eye Hospital in Kabul and had been released from there in order to attend the Eye Camp. He leaves behind a wife and three children below school age. Besides being the team’s cook, he also assisted with the dispensing of eyeglasses. Jawed had been on several eye camps into Nuristan in the past, and was well loved for his sense of humor.”
The Independent has reported that the massacre of the IAM aid workers has made other charities “forced to rethink” their aid in Afghanistan.
The Baptist Press reports: “Ten workers affiliated with a Christian aid group were murdered in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan after providing eye care to people in a remote area of the country. International Assistance Mission, an openly Christian charity, has operated in Afghanistan for 44 years, negotiating with the Soviets, the mujahedeen government and then the Taliban for permission to continue its work assisting people in need of care. But on Aug. 5, only one member of a team survived an ambush by several men wielding guns. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the deaths of six Americans, one German, one Briton and two Afghans, though police have not ruled out an attack by thieves.”
According to the Washington Post, “The Taliban asserted responsibility for the attack, accusing the medical volunteers of being foreign spies and trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, accusations the group denies. Police in Badakhshan province have not ruled out that thieves unaffiliated with the Taliban could be responsible, as the victims’ belongings were ransacked after they were killed.”
The Washington Post also reports that “Dirk Frans, executive director of the International Assistance Mission, appeared at a news conference and confirmed the names of the 10 dead team members, whose mission to provide eye care for poor Afghans in dangerous and remote Badakhshan province ended in tragedy…. At the news conference, Frans repeatedly denied that the volunteers were proselytizing or working for the government.”
International Assistance Mission (IAM) Aid Convoy Traveling in Afghanistan (Photo: Reuters)
In the IAM public statement, the organization stated “IAM is a Christian organization — we have never hidden this. Indeed, we are registered as such with the Afghan government. Our faith motivates and inspires us — but we do not proselytize. We abide by the laws of Afghanistan. We are signatures of the Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs Disaster Response Programmes, in other words, that, ‘aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint.’ But more than that, our record speaks for itself. IAM would not be invited back to villages if we were using aid as a cover for preaching. And in particular, this specific camp led by Tom Little, a man with four decades experience in Afghanistan, has led eye camps for many years to Nuristan — and was welcomed back every time.”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) applauds the examples of real courage and commitment to our universal human rights, not just with words, but with deeds, of the volunteer aid workers of the International Assistance Mission (IAM), and we extend our sympathies to the families of the murdered aid workers.
To those who still fear to commit to our universal human rights with even words, we urge you to learn from the examples of selflessness and dedication to our fellow human beings of the IAM aid workers. To the Taliban religious extremists, it remains a disgraceful definition of their ideological commitment to hate against those they perceive to be different that Taliban figures would readily claim responsibility for this act, regardless of who is ultimately found to be responsible. In the perspective of such Taliban extremists, the life of a Christian has no value, even aid workers helping the Afghanistan people. This demonstrates the ultimate corruption and cancer of hate and intolerance that extremistviews by people of any religious, race, or identity group can become.
We urge all those who promote hate and intolerance to understand that the human rights of those you hate are also your human rights. When you attack the human rights of others, you also attack your own human rights as well.
According to the Connecticut Post, Christian group “Operation Save America” (OSA) leader pastor Flip Benham called for taking a “war” to American mosques, stating “This is a war in America and we are taking it to the mosques around the country.” The Connecticut Post stated that “Flip Benham, of Dallas, Texas, organizer of the protest, was yelling at the worshipers with a bullhorn.” AP reported that the protesters were”yelling what mosque members described as hate-filled slogans.” NBC Connecticut reported that “Muslim leaders in Connecticut are asking police to ensure that they can worship without being harassed after a group was confronted on Friday.”
Washington DC: Hindu Religious Leader Stunned as Christian "Operation Save America" Protesters Heckle and Shout Against Him in Senate Chambers (Photo: YouTube)
Religious extremist hate knows no boundaries or limitations to disrespect, contempt, and intolerance against others. Christians that support religious pluralism and religious freedom should speak up about the Christian extremist actions of the “Operation Save America” group in seeking to disrupt and deny religious freedom and religious worship to others.
