2010 – Page 6 – Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

Pakistan Hindu Post: 7 in Family Killed in Balochistan

7 of a family killed in Jaffarabad firing in Balochistan, Pakistan

By Gopinath Kumar (Executive Editor)
Friday, July 30, 2010

(Photo : Hindus in Balochistan during Hinglaj Mela at 2008)

QUETTA : A man and his wife and five children were killed in an incident of firing in Suhbatpur tehsil of Jaffarabad district in Balochistan, police said on Tuesday. The family was killed when they got caught in a gun battle between two factions of the Bugti tribe. Talking to Daily Times, Jaffarabad District Police Officer Javed Iqbal said the incident took place when an exchange of fire broke out between two armed groups of the Bugti tribe in the early hours of Tuesday.

Ten people of a family were sleeping outside their hut in Ghot Jarwar, bordering Dera Bugti, when they came under attack.

As a result, Shankar, his wife and their five children, Mashooq, Badal, Kezo, Amlon and Makri died on the spot, while three others, identified as Asif, Akash and Mahe Heran were injured.

The DPO said the deceased were members of the Hindu community and were residents of Bakhshpur town of Sindh.

Police rushed to the spot soon after being informed about the incident and moved the bodies to Suhbatpur Civil Hospital. The police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to arrest the culprits. Meanwhile, Hindus in the area held a protest demonstration on the national highway, blocking it with the bodies of the deceased. They chanted slogans against the administration for its failure to protect the lives and property of the people.

Interfaith Alliance Rejects ADL View on NYC Islamic Center Construction

Interfaith Alliance in Washington said it was disappointed in the ADL.

Interfaith Alliance Expresses Disappointment in ADL Statement on Islamic Center

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller – Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications 202-265-3000

1212 New York Ave, NW • Suite 1250
Washington, DC 20005

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.

Washington, DC – Interfaith Alliance President, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, expressed his disappointment today about a statement released by the Anti-Defamation League on the proposed Islamic Center in Lower Manhattan near the site of Ground Zero.

It was with a great deal of sorrow that I read the carefully constructed statement from the Anti-Defamation League on the proposed mosque in lower Manhattan. As an organization that for nearly 100 years has helped set the standard for fighting defamation and securing justice and fair treatment for all, it is disappointing to see the ADL arrived at this conclusion.

The Interfaith Alliance’s work is driven by the fundamental principle that protecting religious freedom is most critical in times of crisis. And those who claim to defend religious freedom can not turn their back on it when faced with controversy. It is unfair to prejudge the impact this center can have on reconciliation before it is even built. And we must remember that just because someone prays in a mosque, that does not make them any less of a citizen than you or me.

We agree with the ADL that there is a need for transparency about who is funding the effort to build this Islamic center. At the same time, we should also ask who is funding the attacks against the construction of the center.

We must never bow to bigotry within the US, just as we would never bow to tyranny from the outside.

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The Interfaith Alliance is promoting a 9/11 Unity Walk in Washington DC on Sunday, September 12
2010 Unity Walk – Sunday, September 12
http://www.911unitywalk.org/

The web page states: “We are looking for enthusiastic and open-minded high school-aged youth to participate. If you would like to get involved or learn more, please contact Meg Poole, 9/11 Unity Walk at mpoole@meridian.org “

Anti-Islam Hate Pastor Promotes Qur’an Burning on CNN

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights of religious freedom, freedom of conscience, and freedom of worship for all people. R.E.A.L. rejects hatred and rejects the activities of those who seek to promote hatred towards identity groups and specific religions.

Anti-Islam hate pastor Dr. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center appeared on CNN’s national broadcast on July 29, 2010 to promote his views in calling for an “International Burn A Koran Day,” as R.E.A.L previously reported on July 14, 2010.

July 29, 2010: Anti-Islam Hate Group Dove World Outreach Center Pastor Jones Interviewed on CNN on "Burn A Koran Day" Plans (Photo: CNN Video Snip)

The CNN video is shown online. Excerpts from the interview follow. Hate pastor Terry Jones came on CNN to state that “Islam is of the Devil,” and to promote his right to burn the Qur’an. Terry Jones stated that as the Qur’an “is not sacred to… in doing this action… on burning the Qur’an on 9/11, what we are saying is stop to Islam.” Terry Jones stated that the group viewed that “Islam is of the Devil.” Jones also said that Muslims have “right to worship,” and the CNN interviewer made no comment about Dove World Outreach’s support of protests against mosques, including its July 4 protest of a mosque in Gainesville, Florida.

The CNN interviewer asked Terry Jones “why would you sound or do something as hateful as to burn their most sacred book?” Terry Jones’ reply was “Because we believe that the times call for it. It calls for radical times. If we do not stand up, if we do not do something, if we do not… this church and other churches call people to stand up, do you know what is going to happen to us? We are going to end up like Europe… A true Muslim is a believer in the Qur’an…in Sharia law…” Terry Jones ended by asking “Is that a religion we want in America?”

See this link to the complete CNN interview.

The Independent also has a report on this topic.

The Dove World Outreach Center promotes a sign in front of their Florida-based church that reads “Islam is of the Devil,” with campaign shirts with the same message, and a book with the same name. The Dove World Outreach Center led a July 4, 2010 protest march against a Muslim mosque in Gainesville, Florida. The Dove World Outreach Center has allied itself with the anti-Semitic hate group Westboro Baptist Church, and has been a long-time supporter of the Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) group. SIOA supporters have called for support of the “Burn A Koran Day” on the SIOA Facebook page and have called for financial support for the Dove World Outreach Center.

Dove World Outreach Anti-Islam Hate Campaigns: "Burn A Koran Day," Protest Against Florida Mosque, Partners with Westboro Baptist Church (Photos: Facebook)

Dove has appeared at events led by the Executive Director of the Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) group, and photos of Dove members with their “Islam is of the devil” has appeared on that Executive Director’s website.

Dove World Outreach at November 2009 Columbus Protest Led by Current Executive Director of the SIOA (Photo 2: AtlasShrugs)

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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, including the freedom of religion supported under Article 1 of the United States Constitution. 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.

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

Remember Women’s Struggle for the Vote: Suffering Suffragettes

Suffering Suffragettes material below provide from JoAnna London, a supporter of the League of Women’s Voters (LWV)

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This is the story of our Grandmothers & Great Grandmothers who lived only 90 years ago.

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.

And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.�
Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden’s blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of ‘obstructing sidewalk traffic.’

(Lucy Burns)
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
(Dora Lewis)

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.
Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the’Night of Terror’ on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson’s White House for the right to vote.

For weeks, the women’s only water came from an open pail. Their food–all of it colorless slop–was infested with worms.

(Alice Paul)

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
So, refresh my memory. Some women won’t vote this year because–why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn’t matter? It’s raining?

(Mrs. Pauline Adams in the prison garb she wore while serving a sixty-day sentence.)

Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO’s new movie ‘Iron Jawed Angels.’ It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

(Miss Edith Ainge, of Jamestown , New York )

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.

(Berthe Arnold, CSU graduate)

My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women’s history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was–with herself. ‘One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,’ she said. ‘What would those women think of the way I use, or don’t use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just�
younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.’ The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her ‘all over again.’

HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn’t our usual idea of socializing,
but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.

(Conferring over ratification [of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution] at [National Woman’s Party] headquarters, Jackson Pl [ace] [ Washington , D.C. ]. L-R Mrs. Lawrence Lewis, Mrs. Abby Scott Baker, Anita Pollitzer, Alice Paul, Florence Boeckel, Mabel Vernon (standing, right))

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn’t make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men: ‘Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.’
Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.

We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party – remember to vote.

(Helena Hill Weed, Norwalk , Conn.�

�

Serving 3 day sentence in D.C. prison for carrying banner, ‘Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.’) History is being made.

George Washington Quoted on Religious Liberty and Tolerance

During a visit to Newport, R.I., in 1790, a year before the Bill of Rights was ratified, President George Washington received a letter from Moses Seixas, warden of the Touro Synagogue. President Washington replied, in part, to the the Touro Synagogue to state that:

— August 1790 – George Washington: “The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent national gifts. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.”

…

— “May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.”

United States President George Washington - 1789 - 1797 — United States President George Washington - President: 1789 - 1797

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Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.

The Big Lie of the Protocols of Elders of Zion Shows How Hate Kills

Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel stated “the Holocaust began with words.”

There were words that sought to promote hate to Jews and to other minorities in Nazi Germany. Among the first of these was the apocryphal anti-Semitic screed promoted in Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and in Hitler’s speeches from 1921 forward, viewing “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,” an apocryphal claim of a plot for Jews to control the world, as factual.

Originally created by forgers in Tsarist Russia, the anti-Semitic “Protocols of Elders of Zion” fraudulently claims of an organized Jewish plot to take over the world. Where this hate screed has been sold in book form, its cover shows a hate image of a snake with the Star of David all over its body encircling the world. This image was part of Henry Makow’s recent article, re-posted by a NYC blogger, promoting the “Protocols” as fact. (It should give pause to many that this NYC blogger also promotes protests against Muslim mosques in America.)

UnitedStatesAction.com has captured on the Internet, the 1921 London Times articles proving “The Protocols” are a forgery. It provides a transcript of Philip Graves’ articles published in the London Times, August 16 to 18, 1921, entitled “The Protocols of Zion – An Exposure.” Philip Graves’ articles go into detailed historical analysis to prove the apocryphal nature of the hoax documents.

But despite their exposure as a total fraud and forgery, Adolf Hitler continued to use the apocryphal, anti-Semitic screed the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” as a rationale to exterminate Jews. When Adolf Hitler came to power, the Nazis made “The Protocols” required reading for German students. In The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry 1933–1945, Nora Levin states that “Hitler used the Protocols as a manual in his war to exterminate the Jews.”

Words of hate kill.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum reports: “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the most notorious and widely distributed antisemitic publication of modern times. Its lies about Jews, which have been repeatedly discredited, continue to circulate today, especially on the Internet. The individuals and groups who have used the Protocols are all linked by a common purpose: to spread hatred of Jews. The Protocols is entirely a work of fiction, intentionally written to blame Jews for a variety of ills. Those who distribute it claim that it documents a Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world. The conspiracy and its alleged leaders, the so-called Elders of Zion, never existed.”

But the apocryphal “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” did not just fade away with Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. The Protocols have also been republished throughout the Middle East and Arab world in contemporary times. In January 2010, Egyptian television station Al-Faraeen broadcast a television series promoting the apocryphal “Protocols” as factual and owner Tawfiq Okasha defended this. (Responsible for Equality And Liberty replied and condemned such promotion of hate screeds.)

The charter of the Foreign Terrorist Organization Hamas explicitly refers to the Protocols of Elder of Zion as factual, and it is referenced in Article 32 of the Hamas Charter.

The apocyrphal “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” have also been widely promoted in Europe and the United States, as well as a wide spread appearance on the Internet. In Turkey, the “Protocols” remains one of the most popular books. In the 1920s, American automobile tycoon Henry Ford published 500,000 copies of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” to be distributed across America.

There have been contemporary books that have addressed the apocryphal nature of this book such as the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s (SWC) Stephen L. Jacobs “Dismantling the Big Lie: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” and Will Eisner’s “The Plot: The Secret History of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

But we should not believe that the anti-Semitic apocryphal hate screed “the Protocols” is limited to history, conspiracy theorists, the Middle East, or Nazi supporters. Hate has no expiration date, no borders, no races, and no single religion. Like a virus, hate can spread from the worst to the best of us, and hate can contaminate and destroy us all.

My own personal contact with the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” came with what I would have thought to be an unlikely source – the U.S. mainstream church, the Presbyterian Church (USA) or PCUSA. This was my first contact with the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” other than reading about it in history books. Back in 2004, I learned that a PCUSA group supported by the Presbyterian Peacemakers held an event at Wooster College where the “Protocols” was promoted as fact and the Israeli flag was show morphed into a swastika. Regardless of your views on Israeli politics or foreign policy, there remains no question that the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” is an anti-Semitic forgery and hate screed.

As a Christian, I felt the responsibility to speak out to members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) on this subject. Therefore, I reached out to hundreds and hundreds of PCUSA leaders, members, and pastors on this issue. I purchased and sent copies of Professor Stephen Jacob’s book “Dismantling the Big Lie,” to Presbyterian leaders, including the individual who organized the conference where “The Protocols” was presented as fact.

Later, I traveled to Ohio’s Wooster College myself to speak as a Christian to other Christians on the need to reject such anti-Semitic hate, where Professor Stephen Jacobs spoke to assembled Presbyterians at the Wooster College. It was clear that some were still not persuaded, and as I stood in the doorway of the exit speaking to one of the leaders of the pro-Protocols conference, I knew that he too was not convinced. Nor was there any apology coming from representatives of the Presbyterian Peacemakers at the Wooster College that I met. While the Wooster College apologized for the incident, over six years later, I have never seen a public apology by the PCUSA for a PCUSA-sponsored group holding an event promoting of the “Protocols of Elders of Zion” as factual.

So when you think that promotion of such hate screeds are limited to conspiracy theorists, bigots, and extremists, think again. To those who think that standing up against anti-Semitic hate is just a “Jewish” responsibility and does not affect other religious, racial, and minority groups, also think again. As Professor Jacobs concludes in his book “The Big Lie,” “because there is no sense of internal logic to either prejudice or hatred, it remains quite possible that those who hate the Jews as well as these other group will tomorrow adapt such notions to them. The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion will remain within the arsenal of those who specifically hate the Jews, but it is equally possible that the false and malicious arguments of the Protocols will be adapted to meet other needs and other agendas.”

Professor Jacobs also states that “People need to see the lies for themselves and the refutation of the lies…we must educate the young people the world over to be textually analytical and discriminating when it comes to materials which make startling and/or grandiose claims that serve to divide the human community from itself even further than it has been in the past or which challenge the legitimacy of group or subgroup.”

And to those who think that apocryphal hate screeds such as the anti-Semitic “Protocols of Elders of Zion” have no impact on American society, think again.

This week, in America’s nation’s capital (and my home) in the Washington DC area, once again a Jewish synagogue, in a DC area Maryland suburb, has been defaced with swastikas, slurs, and even death threats.

Hate is alive in America.

But so is Love.

We can choose which one that will be the compass for our lives and our interactions with other people.

The motto of the Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) group is:

Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.

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NOTE: After Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, the united nations of the world gathered to develop a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was its own way of stating “Never Again.” The Universal Declaration of Human Rights calls for freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and freedom of worship – for EVERYONE.

Article 18 reads: “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.”

NYC: Anti-Mosque Blogger Promotes Anti-Semitic “Protocols of Elders of Zion”

A New York City news blogger, “Eyes for You” that frequently promotes protests against mosques, the efforts of the Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) group, and demonizing of Muslims, has now moved on to promoting the apocryphal screed “The Protocols of Elders of Zion.” He quotes verbatim from an article by Canadian conspiracy theorist Henry Makow. On Henry Makow’s blog, referenced in the “Eyes for You” article, Makow has the image of a “Jewish snake” with a man’s head and the Star of David repeatedly shown over the snake’s body – and the snake encircling the world. The image is with the referenced Makow blog article promoting “The Protocols of Elders of Zion.”

“Eyes for You” is the author of posts such as:

— This Man Is Building An International Alliance Against Islam
— Tempers Flare at Community Meeting Over Proposed Mosque in Staten Island
— Muslims in NYC Planning to Build Second, Smaller Mosque Near Ground Zero ‘LA ILLAH ILLA ALLAH’
— The Coming Caliphate A Mosque At Ground Zero?
— The Man Who Would Stop the Ground Zero Mosque
— Ground Zero is American Holy Ground. No Mosque Near Ground Zero
— No Mosque at Ground Zero
— Praising SIOA’s efforts in ‘Anti-Islamic’ Bus Ads Appear in Major Cities

New York City news blogger, “Eyes for You” is now promoting the Anti-Semitic apocryphal hate screed, the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” in a posting “‘Protocols of Zion’– Damage Control.”

In the posting, New York City news blogger, “Eyes for You” states:
— “Mankind is slipping into a permanent coma according to a diabolical plan that has been public knowledge for over a century.”
— “When The Protocols of the Elders of Zion were leaked in the 1890’s, Masonic Jewish bankers did effective damage control.”
— “They tricked the gullible goyim into believing it was a ‘forgery’ written by ‘anti-Semites.'”
— “The bankers couldn’t exactly admit the truth, that they were enslaving humanity, could they? ( Their whole system is based on deception and secrecy.)”
…
— “The “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” repays constant rereading because it eerily described one hundred years ago what is happening today.”

UnitedStatesAction.com has captured on the Internet, the 1921 London Times article proving “The Protocols” are a forgery. It provides a transcript of Philip Graves’ articles published in the London Times, August 16 to 18, 1921, entitled “The Protocols of Zion – An Exposure.”

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” was part of the Anti-Semitic campaign used by Adolf Hitler in his book, Mein Kampf. When Adolf Hitler came to power, the Nazis made “The Protocols” required reading for German students. In The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry 1933–1945, Nora Levin states that “Hitler used the Protocols as a manual in his war to exterminate the Jews.”

The apocryphal “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” has also been republished throughout the Middle East and Arab world in contemporary times. The charter of the Foreign Terrorist Organization Hamas explicitly refers to the Protocols of Elder of Zion as factual, and it is referenced in Article 32 of the Hamas Charter.

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights, including our universal human right of dignity, and our universal human rights of freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience. 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.”

We condemn the promotion of hate against identity groups and religions, and we reject attacks against houses of worship as seeking to intimidate and spread fear among those seeking their universal human rights of freedom of worship. We call upon all those who hate to unburden the hate from their hearts.

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

California Tea Party Activist Denounces Temecula Mosque Protest

In an emailed press release titled “Menifee, Hemet, and Murrieta Tea Parties not involved in Temecula Mosque Protests,” California Tea Party activist Shellie Milne states that “The organizers of the Menifee, Hemet, and Murrieta Tea Parties wish to emphatically state that not only are they not involved in organizing any planned Mosque protest, but that we would strongly condemn the use of dogs to harass anybody, anywhere.” The press release also stated that “The vast majority of Tea Party people are honest, decent, patriotic Americans who love their country and believe in the values that made America great. We are neither racists or ‘Islamophobes.'” An excerpt of Shellie Milne’s press release was also posted as a comment on the Huffington Post.

California Tea Party Activist Shelli Milne Opposes Temecula Mosque Protest (Photo: Menifee/Sun City Tea Party Meetup Group) — California Tea Party Activist Shellie Milne Opposes Temecula Mosque Protest (Photo: Menifee/Sun City Tea Party Meetup Group)

The national Tea Party Patriots website lists Shellie Milne as a contact of local California Tea Parties in Riverside County, and refers to their web site at MenifeeTeaParty.com, which redirects you to the “Tea Parties of Riverside County.” The “Tea Parties of Riverside County” website includes their complete press release on the Temecula mosque protest. Shellie Milne’s telephone numbers are listed on that website as the point of contact for weekly “Tea Parties of Riverside County” meetings. Shellie Milne has told Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) that her activism included going to help others create and build new Tea Party organizations in California.

A meetup group also lists Shellie Milne as the Assistant Organizer of Menifee/Sun City Tea Party. A meetup group for the Murrieta Tea Party shows Shellie Milne as an Assistant Organizer, where on September 1, 2009, she wrote “Our family is new to the area and very determined to take our Country back. The Constitution must be saved. Sitting on the computer and just talking about it is not going to help anyone – get up and educate those around you.” Shellie Milne is also a member of “Moms for America.”

Responsible for Equality And Liberty’s (R.E.A.L.) Jeffrey Imm reached out to California Tea Party activist Shellie Milne for further details from her press release. California Tea Party activist Shellie Milne stated that she was a firm supporter of the United States Constitution and all of its freedoms, including freedom of religion. In her press release, Shellie Milne stated that Tea Party representatives are not “Islamophobes.” As a Mormon, Shellie Milne told R.E.A.L. that she was familiar with religious discrimination, and she supports the U.S. Constitutional freedom of religion.

California Tea Party activist Shellie Milne stated that the local Tea Parties around Temecula had a meeting of leaders who stated their objection to the mosque protest plans by the Southwest Riverside County (SWRC) Tea Party Citizens in Action group led by Diana Serafin, who Shellie Milne said that she knew. Shellie Milne stated that other local Tea Parties were going to prepare a press announcement rejecting the Temecula mosque protest, which we have not yet received, and we will provide an updated report should we receive any further press release.

California Tea Party activist Shellie Milne stated that local Tea Party groups had had “trouble” with the Southwest Riverside County (SWRC) Tea Party Citizens in Action group, and have sought to distance themselves from that group. In addition, Shellie Milne stated that the national Tea Party Patriots was a group that “anyone could join,” and that the Tea Party Patriots has had difficulty policing its website due to such openness.

Shellie Milne stated that the Tea Party Patriots had attempted to remove the mosque protest event posted there by the Southwest Riverside County (SWRC) Tea Party Citizens in Action group, but apparently the Tea Party Patriots has been unable to remove the continued July 30 event listing for the Temecula mosque protest that R.E.A.L. reported on July 28. Shellie Milne suggested that this may be due to some technical problem with the Tea Party Patriots website. On the “New Patriot Journal” listed as the news section for the Tea Party Patriots, we have been unable to see any reference to Temecula or the Temecula mosque, or any public statement on the Tea Party Patriots’ rejection of the Temecula mosque protest.

R.E.A.L. asked Shellie Milne about the other Tea Party groups and leaders that have made derogatory comments against Islam and sought to lead or support protests against American mosques, including high profile political individuals with or linked to the Tea Party.

Shellie Milne stated that she believed that the Tea Party was to support the U.S. Constitution and its freedoms, no matter what your emotional feelings might be about any one group. Shellie Milne stated her supporters reject the Temecula mosque protest planned for July 30 in California. Shellie Milne stated that she believed that those who do not focus on defending the U.S. Constitution are missing the point of what the Tea Party is about.

R.E.A.L. encourages others in the Tea Party movement to follow the leadership of Shellie Milne to reject “Islamophobia” and to recognize our freedom of religion and freedom of worship is defended by U.S. Constitution that the Tea Party activists state that they are seeking to defend.

Throughout July 2010, R.E.A.L. has contacted the National Tea Party organization FreedomWorks (1-888-564-6273) for comment on stories that continue to arise on Tea Party leaders, Islam, and mosque protests, and has not yet heard back from them on this issue. A search of “mosque” or “Temecula” on the FreedomWorks website shows no comments on the Temecula mosque protest or any mosque protest. (We have received feedback from FreedomWorks on racial issues in the recent past, but not on the mosque protests or statements on Islam.) Other R.E.A.L. supporters have contacted the Los Angeles Tea Party group and other California Tea Party groups on this topic. Shireen Qudosi posted an article on the topic “Tea Party Protest Against Temecula Mosque Points to Rising Tensions Between Islam and Right Wing Groups” at Qudosi.com.

Since there is no central leadership of the “Tea Party,” the challenge is that different groups all claim to represent the “Tea Party” view. On July 4, 2010, the Southwest Riverside County (SWRC) Tea Party Citizens in Action group, whose leader has promoted the Temecula mosque protest, stated that it had 25 individuals at its July 4 “parade” event. The question remains, on protests against mosques and Islam by Tea Party members around America, who speaks for the Tea Party on this issue, and why do the national Tea Party organizations remain silent on supporting freedom of religion and worship?

SWRC Tea Party Citizens in Action (Left) and Murietta Tea Party (Right) - the SWRC Tea Party Leader Promotes Temecula Mosque Protest, the Murietta Tea Party Leader Denounces It - Who Speaks for the Tea Parties on Freedom of Religion and Worship?

To other Tea Party activists who seek to stand up in support of freedom of religion and worship, we invite them (as we did at the beginning of July) to contact us at responsible.public@gmail.com, or to sign our online petition on this

On the R.E.A.L. website, we created a category for this topic called “Tea Party and Islam,” to allow readers to follow our reports on this subject, as we get additional news, statements, and reports on this subject.

The shortcut for this category is: http://bit.ly/tea-islam

While national Tea Party groups are silent on this issue, there are Tea Party groups and leaders around the country that continue to protest mosques and hold events on Islam. In the coast-to-coast protests against mosques and Islam, too often the Tea Party organizations keep getting mentioned.

The Texas NE Tarrant Tea Party is holding a July 29 event in a Texas school on how to stop the “Islamization of America,” days after an attack on an Arlington, Texas mosque children’s playground and harassment of worshipers. Led by “European Judeo-Christian” “culturist” John Press, the Brooklyn Tea Party’s leader is now calling for eminent domain to stop the construction of a mosque in Brooklyn, weeks after a Brooklyn protester told the press that he would “bomb the mosque.” Tennessee Tea Party groups and candidates for Congressional office continue to seek to protest and block a proposed mosque, while mosque signs have been vandalized. Unwillingness to defend freedom of religion and freedom of worship has consequences.

California Tea Party activist Shellie Milne’s responsibility in denouncing the planned Temecula protest against house of worship is an example that other Tea Party activists should support, if they support American Constitutional and universal human rights.

At the beginning of July 2010, R.E.A.L. created an online petition for Tea Party supporters to sign and show their public support for freedom of religion and freedom of worship. It simply states: “This petition is provided for Tea Party activists who support the United States Constitution, including our freedom of religion and worship, which must not be interfered with according to the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. This petition is for those Tea Party Activists who do NOT accept protests against mosques or any other houses of worship. This petition is for those Tea Party activists that seek to disassociate with those Tea Party activists who reject our universal human rights of freedom of worship and religion — for all. ”

R.E.A.L. is waiting for the first signature.

The online petition is at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/tpfree/petition.html

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Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.

Texas: Vandalism and Suspected Arson at Arlington Mosque

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights of freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and freedom of worship for ALL people — without exception.

In Arlington, Texas, police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) are in the process of investigating whether hate crimes were committed in the vandalism and arson attacks at the Dar El-Eman Islamic Center mosque on Mansfield Road. The mosque was the target of graffiti vandalism, suspected arson in the children’s playground, and harassment of mosque attendees by passers-by in an automobile.

On July 23, 2010, vulgar graffiti with derogatory messages were found spray-painted on the parking lot, and on July 25, 2010, there was a suspected arson attack on a children’s playground in the mosque area. When firefighters arrived to the scene, the fire had burned out, but there was extensive damage to the playground equipment.

Anyone with information is asked to call Arlington, Texas police. They ask anyone with information to call them at (817) 459-6640. The FBI is also working the case.

Texas: Burned Children's Playground at Arlington Mosque (Photo: Arlington, Texas Police Department)

The Dallas Morning News reported that “Jamal Qaddura, president of the DFW Islamic Educational Center, said the spray-painted obscenities were about 15 feet high. Damage to the playground equipment, he said, was estimated at $20,000.” The Dallas Morning News also reported that Muslims going to Dallas area worship services were harassed, stating ” Qaddura said worshippers at the mosque were subjected to racial slurs yelled by a carload of people after services Sunday evening. ‘I don’t want to repeat them,’ he said. ‘You don’t want to hear them. About our religion, and about us.'” WFAA reported that “Qaddura believes the damage is related to resentment over a planned Islamic community center near ground zero in Manhattan.”

The Dallas Morning News also has a video on the news subject.

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We urge those who promote hate and intolerance to unburden the hate from their hearts.

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

Arizona – Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing” Trial Starts November 29

In Arizona, the trial of Faleh Almaleki for the “honor killing” of his 20 year old daughter in November 2009 has been scheduled to being on November 29, 2010.

Arizona Republic states: “A Glendale man accused of slaying his daughter in an ‘honor killing’ is scheduled to stand trial later this year. Faleh Almaleki, an Iraqi immigrant, is suspected of running down his daughter, 20-year-old Noor Almaleki, for being ‘too Westernized.’ He was reportedly furious with Noor for leaving her Iraqi husband, a cousin in an arranged marriage, and returning to the United States. Police say Almaleki, 49, used his Jeep Cherokee to run over his daughter and another woman in a Peoria parking lot Oct. 20, 2009. Noor died of her injuries. The other victim, Noor’s boyfriend’s mother, survived.”

Faleh Hassan Almaleki (Left) and Murdered Noor Faleh Almaleki (Right)

Also see R.E.A.L. public awareness campaign on extremist basis for “honor killings” against Muslim women and girls.

Update: On April 15, 2011 – CNN reported that Noor Almaleki’s murderer was sentenced to 34 years in prison:

CNN reports: “An Arizona judge sentenced an Iraqi immigrant on Friday to more than 34 years in prison, about two months after his conviction for running over his 20-year-old daughter because he claimed she’d become ‘too Westernized.’ A Maricopa County, Arizona, jury in February convicted Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 50, of one count of second-degree murder in the death of Noor Faleh Almaleki. He was also found guilty of aggravated assault for causing serious injuries to Amal Edan Khalaf, the mother of Noor’s fiance, as well as two counts of leaving the scene. On Friday, Judge Roland Steinle sentenced Almaleki to a total of 34½ years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for his crimes. That includes 16 years — less than the maximum possible sentence of 22 years — on the murder charge, which will be served concurrently with a 15-year aggravated assault sentence. In addition, Almaleki will get consecutive 3½-year terms for leaving the scene.”

R.E.A.L. Outreach to Public at CNN Washington DC on Extremist “Honor Killings”

See also previous R.E.A.L. reports on Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing” in Arizona in November 2009:

Arizona – Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing”: Police: ‘Honor killing’ suspect may have been aided by family

Arizona: Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing” — New Report with Additional Interview, Facts

Arizona – Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing” — Lawyer for Accused Father Says Prosecutors Should Not “wrongly seek the death penalty against his client because he is a Muslim”

Arizona – Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing”: Father charged with murder may need mental exam

Arizona – Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing”: Father Charged With Murder

Arizona Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing”: Father Pleads “Not Guilty” in Murdering Daughter

Arizona – Noor Almaleki Case: Hearing for Father Accused in Honor Killing Canceled for Third Time

Arizona – Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing”: Arraignment Delayed Again, Friends Start to Speak

Arizona: Terrorism Against Women — Noor Almaleki Just Wanted To Be Normal

Arizona — Noor Almaleki “Honor Killing”: Hassan Almaleki Arraignment Delayed, On Suicide Watch

Arizona — Noor Almaleki Honor Killing: Father To Be Arraigned, Face New Charges

Arizona: Woman in Suspected “Honor Killing” Dies — 20 Year Old Noor Almaleki

Arizona — Noor Almaleki Case: Arizona Jails Father in ‘Honor Killing’ Try

Arizona: Noor Almaleki Case — Father in “Honor Killing” Attempt Captured in UK — Extradited Back to US

Arizona — Noor Almaleki case: Family Says Noor Almaleki “Failed to Live by Traditional Muslim Values” — Woman in Critical Condition in Alleged “Honor Killing” Attempt

Arizona: Noor Almaleki’s Lifestyle may have put woman in hospital

Arizona: Father runs down daughter in Peoria parking lot — Noor Faleh Almaleki attacked for being “too westernized”

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Religious Pluralism Versus Religious Extremism

R.E.A.L. supports the freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and freedom of worship for all, as guaranteed by the nations of the world in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 18. Article 18 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.” We view Article 18 as a fundamental necessity to ensuring religious pluralism. We support such freedoms for all. We also recognize that exclusivity in views on religion will exist, whether such exclusivity is based a personal belief in the validity of only one religion, or it is based on the belief in the equal validity of multiple religions. Our support for religious freedom and pluralism is not a challenge to any religion, but a promotion of religious freedom.

R.E.A.L.’s support for our universal human rights and pluralism, with an emphasis on Article 18 of the UDHR, calls for such promotion of religious pluralism, but recognizes the reality of those who seek to defy our universal human rights with religious arguments. We reject religious extremist views that promote hate and intolerance. We reject religious extremist ideological arguments that seek to prevent the universal human rights of all people, based on such arguments. We reject religious extremist views that seek to even prevent religious freedom, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience for other human beings, a painful reality that we see too often in the United States and around the world.

Our definition of such views as religious extremism is not about denying the personal exclusivity of any religious path to our fellow human beings, or the exercise or promotion of their religion as part of their freedoms.

R.E.A.L. promotes religious pluralism, but in doing so, also challenges those ideologies, groups, and activists who seek to promote a religious extremist view that seeks to consciously deny others basic human rights, including the freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience necessary for religious pluralism.

In defense of such religious pluralism, we challenge extreme groups that seek to use arguments that they call “Christian,” “Islamic,” or another religious identification to deny others freedom of religion, worship, and conscience, to call for hate, to call for violence, to oppress women and minorities, to seek the destruction of our universal human rights of equality and liberty. We reject anti-human rights views as “Christian extremism” or “extremism,” but we do not attack or reject Christianity or Islam as a religion. Many of our supporters are devout members of religious faiths and we respect those faiths. Our human rights goals are the consistent defense of our universal human rights. We recognize that religious extremist views are difficult and complex discussions. But we also know from history that “white supremacist” views were once something Americans were unwilling to define, discuss, or challenge. We believe that to be honest in our commitment to pluralism, it is necessary to recognize the existence of religious extremist views that not only seek to undermine pluralism, but also seek to undermine religious freedom and freedom of conscience itself.

Our goal is to protect such religious freedoms for all faiths, based on pluralist tolerance for our differences, and based on an uncompromising defense of our Universal Human Rights.