Category: SIOA

Stop Islamization of Europe (SIOE) Protest Attracts Nazis

A group in the United Kingdom and Europe that is protesting mosques is the “Stop Islamization of Europe” (SIOE) group. The slogan of the SIOE group is that “Islamophobia is the height of common sense.” In the United Kingdom, the SIOE has had two protests in front of Harrow Central Mosque in September 2009 and December 2009. In the September 2009 SIOE protests at the Harrow mosque, there was violence between supporters and counter protesters, as SIOE protest supporters went to the mosque chanting “Muslims out.” In the December 2009 SIOE protest at the Harrow mosque, the SIOE reportedly refused the opportunity to dialogue with leaders of the Harrow mosque.

The SIOE group also has other European divisions, as well as a sister group in the United States, the “Stop Islamization of America” (SIOA) group. One of these groups is the ‘Stop Islamiseringen af Danmark’ (SIAD) division in Denmark.

We are also concerned about the May 21, 2010 protests by the Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) against a mosque in Aalborg, Denmark titled “no mosques in our streets.” The Aalborg SIOE/SIAD protest led by SIOE leader Anders Gravers was targeting a mosque in Aalborg because of reports that the mosque’s imam supports genital mutilation of women.

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) shares the concern of challenging those who support abuse against women or any abuse of our universal human rights. But we understand that two wrongs do not make a right, and that seeking to protest houses of worship is not the way to gain the support of others on human rights issues. In fact, protesting houses of worship is a sure way to attract those committed to hate and violence.

The May 21, 2010 SIOE/SIAD march’s chant, however, was not about women’s human rights, but was to call for “no mosques in our streets.” Not surprisingly, we learned that the May 21, 2010 SIOE/SIAD protest was then joined by individuals representing a Nazi organization. TV2 NORD reports that the Nazi organization DNSB (Danmarks Nationalsocialistiske Bevaegelse – Danish National Socialist Movement) joined the SIOE/SIAD protest at Aalborg against the mosque, and the Nazi protesters were led by Daniel Carlson.

According to TV2 NORD, the Nazi DNSB group sought to raise its own banner with the Nazi swastika as part of its participation in the SIOE / SIAD protest against the Aalborg mosque. An embarrassed SIOE leader Anders Gravers then sought to remove the Nazi swastika banner from the protest march, which led to a scuffle.

Denmark: SIOE/SIAD March "No Mosque in Our Streets" Leads to Support and then Confrontation with Denmark Nazi Group
Denmark: SIOE/SIAD March "No Mosque in Our Streets" Leads to Support by and then Confrontation with Denmark Nazi Group when Nazi Swastika Banner Raised

Certainly, anyone who has ever been involved with a public activity or protest is aware of the challenges of unwelcome participants who may seek to “hijack” an event. However, the lesson that SIOE should have learned is that its messages that “Islamophobia is the height of common sense” and “no mosques in our streets” are viewed as messages that Nazi groups can support. This is why those who challenge religious extremist and anti-human rights activities must have a human rights message, human rights leadership, and human rights consistency, that groups like the SIOE and the EDL will never offer the public.

What has the SIOE learned from this humiliating experience? Has it learned not to promote “Islamophobia”? Has it learned that hate only attracts hate? Has it learned that human rights issues cannot be addressed by promoting intolerance and hate? Unfortunately, all that the SIOE has learned is that it needs to have another protest against the Aalborg mosque because the May 21 march was not satisfactory. Like the EDL, the SIOE also has other protests against mosques planned for the summer of 2010, which it calls “hatecentrals,” while they cannot recognize the hatred in their own activities. SIOE plans another protest against a mosque in Copenhagen on August 28, 2010.

SIOE’s leader Anders Gravers, whose Denmark event attracted the support of the Nazi party, will also be coming to America to join in a New York City protest on June 6, 2010 against a mosque in NYC.

Human Rights Begins with Human Freedoms

The SIOE groups claims to be protesting such existing and planned mosques to protest “radical Islam” and on behalf of “democracy.”

But who is the “radical” when they seek to stop others from having freedom of worship? What are the “democratic” values in seeking to intimidate others from seeking the right to believe at mosques? How can anyone be promoting human rights by seeking to deny freedom of conscience at a house of worship?

Since many such protesters claim to be Christian, what type of example do they think they are setting for those oppressed Christians in other parts of the world whose churches are regularly protested, worship services disrupted, worshipers attacked, and even churches targeted for terrorism? Are they determined to prove that they can be just as intolerant and disrespectful of our universal human rights regarding other people’s freedom of religion?

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) promotes freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience as our unqualified, universal human rights. We challenge those who deny such universal human rights.

Religious freedom, freedom to worship, and freedom of conscience is defined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “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.”

There is no caveat to these inalienable human rights, no asterisks, no qualifiers. Those who promote religious extremism of any kind may not respect these inalienable human rights. But those who reject, disrespect, and defy such universal human rights do not change the rights of all people, everywhere to such universal human rights.

If we are to defend such human rights, we must be consistent in our convictions for all people, not just for some people. We don’t have to like others, agree with others, or support other faiths – to recognize that the only way to fight for human rights is to be consistent in defending human freedom for all people, everywhere. People that we like and people like us are not the only ones with a right to believe and a right to freedom of worship. People we don’t like and disagree with have a right to believe. We either support universal human rights or not – there is no “relative” human rights just for some people, some times, in some places. But remember, even if we choose not to support such universal human rights, all people will still be entitled to them.

People in every part of the world of every faith have a right to freedom of worship.

We cannot struggle for human rights if we do not acknowledge and respect such basic human freedoms.

We cannot build any consensus of humanity to effect change based on hate and violence.

Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.


European Anti-Islam Group Appoints New Leads to Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) – Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer

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.

We are concerned by the transatlantic effort by a European-based group to promote anti-Islam hatred in America.  While R.E.A.L. challenges religious extremist views that defy human rights, we reject those who seek to promote hatred of religious identity groups.  Last September 2009, R.E.A.L. reported on the efforts of American group Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) that was founded based on a European group Stop Islamization of Europe (SIOE), whose motto is “Islamophobia is the highest form of common sense.”

R.E.A.L. reported on the original SIOA efforts included documenting the plans by the American branch SIOA, led by Daniel (“DL”) and Kendra Adams, had announced efforts to seek to disrupt a Muslim public prayer session in Washington DC on Capitol Hill on September 25, 2009,with animals.

But FOX News reported that it held an event at the Rayburn Congressional Office building instead.   FOX News reported: “There was also no denying that the day of prayer attracted some individuals and groups fanatical in their hatred of Muslims. At a separate event, held simultaneously in a conference room at the Rayburn House Office Building, a group calling itself Stop Islamization of America warned about the supposedly hateful, violent, and anti-Western teachings of the Koran.”   The SIOA is in the process of changing websites and the old SIOA leaders have been deleting posts there, so our link to their announcement to their September 25, 2009 SIOA event is from another group.  Another FOX News report on the Muslim prayer session stated “the most organized pushback so far is from a new organization of a nativist bent called Stop Islamization of America, or SIOA.”   The FOX News report said that “SIOA is using Friday’s event, ‘Islam on Capitol Hill,’ as a launchpad for the group and to stage a counterprotest.”  (Update: screen shot added of SIOA event invitation).

INN reported that the original SIOA plans to disrupt Muslim prayer on Capitol Hill on the SIOA website stated “every protest of this takiya-jihad-dawa event… [to] include some component of donkey, dog, and women.”  INN also reported “The reason for this unusual suggestion is made clear on the SIOA site as well: Muslim doctrine, according to the SIOA, says that ‘Islamic prayer is nullified if a dog, a woman, or a donkey are present.'”

However, thankfully for America tolerance and religious freedoms, the SIOA plans to use their protest against Muslim prayer in Washington DC did not constitute a launchpad for the organization.

The European group Stop Islamization of Europe (SIOE) seeks to revive the SIOA, however, by appointing new leaders and creating a new website and Facebook page to help the reorganization of the Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) group.

The SIOE group stated: “On April 2, 2010, the Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) group leader Anders Gravers reported “We have now formed a new board for SIOA. The new board of SIOA is: Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, Stephen Gash and Anders Gravers. The leaders of SIOA are Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. Stephen and I have discussed for quite some time the fact that SIOA has not developed in the direction we wanted. There are groups enough who just write about the danger of Islam, but very few groups that actually do something to try to stop the Islamisation of the Western civilization. SIOA was meant to be a group that should take action, staging demonstrations, happenings and events against the Islamisation of the U.S. The way Stephen and I see it, we need to make SIOA more active. And in order to do that, we have now — after working for a long time to persuade them to take this on — gotten a yes from both Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer to become the leaders of SIOA. We think they are the right people to bring SIOA to the forefront in the fight against the Islamisation of the U.S.”

(Update: screen shot of SIOE posting on new SIOA leaders included).

April 2, 2010: European Anti-Islam Group Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) Announces New Leaders for Its Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) Group: Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer (SIOE Screenshot)
April 2, 2010: European Anti-Islam Group Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) Announces New Leaders for Its Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) Group: Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer (SIOE Screenshot)

In Europe and the United Kingdom, the Europe SIOE group has lead anti-Islam protests against mosques.

In the United Kingdom, the SIOE has had two protests in front of Harrow Central Mosque in September 2009 and December 2009. In the September 2009 SIOE protests at the Harrow mosque, there was violence between supporters and counter protesters, as SIOE protest supporters went to the mosque chanting “Muslims out” while anti-SIOE opponents shouted back. In the December 2009 SIOE protest at the Harrow mosque, the SIOE reportedly refused the opportunity to dialogue with leaders of the Harrow mosque.

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has repeatedly stated our opposition to the SIOA and to the SIOE.  (Update: For the record, R.E.A.L. has reached out to these two new leaders of the SIOA and urged them NOT to get involved with the anti-Islam political activist SIOA group, as we can only see this as a source of significant division in America, as we have seen in Europe.)

R.E.A.L. rejects the SIOE’s protests against houses of worship, and we reject protests and attempts to intimidate worshipers at any house of worship.

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has made its position clear on those who promote “Islamophobia” as the parent group of the SIOA, Stop Islamization of Europe does. We are not afraid. While we challenge those religious extremist of ANY religion that seek to deny our universal human rights, we will not attack or demonize any religion or any identity group.

R.E.A.L. has also made its position clear on those who seek to only promote “Western civilization” as SIOA states that it does. R.E.A.L. supports our universal human rights for all people, everywhere, including our freedom of religion and freedom from religion for all.

On the previous SIOA website, a leader and attendee at a European SIOE event stated that “multiculturalism, tolerance, and ‘niceness’ are destroying the foundations of our cultures,” but that misses the point. In fact, our iberties are based not on individual “cultures,” but on our universal human rights of equality and liberty.

Our challenge to groups and ideologies that defy such universal human rights are not because we reject diverse cultures, not because we reject tolerance, and not because we reject “niceness.” Our challenge to groups and ideologies that defy such universal human rights is because we consistently support universal human rights as being Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

That includes challenging those who promote “Islamophobia.”

We urge all to be Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

DC: SIOA Sought to Disrupt Muslim Prayer Session with Animals

In Washington, DC, the long debated public Muslim prayer session “Islam on Capitol Hill” has come and gone without incident.

The anti-Islam Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) group led by Daniel (“DL”) and Kendra Adams, had announced efforts to seek to disrupt a Muslim public prayer session in Washington DC on Capitol Hill on September 25, 2009. INN reported that the original SIOA plans to disrupt Muslim prayer on Capitol Hill on the SIOA website stated that SIOA members sought “every protest of this takiya-jihad-dawa event… [to] include some component of donkey, dog, and women.”  INN also reported “The reason for this unusual suggestion is made clear on the SIOA site as well: Muslim doctrine, according to the SIOA, says that ‘Islamic prayer is nullified if a dog, a woman, or a donkey are present.'”

However, it appears no animals were brought to disrupt the prayer session, and while there were some protesters, they essentially did not interfere with the Muslim worshipers’ Constitutional right of freedom of religion. Instead, they choose to hold an event of their own in a Congressional Office Building.

FOX News reported that the SIOA held an event at the Rayburn Congressional Office building instead.   FOX News reported: “There was also no denying that the day of prayer attracted some individuals and groups fanatical in their hatred of Muslims. At a separate event, held simultaneously in a conference room at the Rayburn House Office Building, a group calling itself Stop Islamization of America warned about the supposedly hateful, violent, and anti-Western teachings of the Koran.”   Another FOX News report on the Muslim prayer session stated “the most organized pushback so far is from a new organization of a nativist bent called Stop Islamization of America, or SIOA.”   The FOX News report said that “SIOA is using Friday’s event, ‘Islam on Capitol Hill,’ as a launchpad for the group and to stage a counterprotest.”

According to the SIOA announcement, “Seven experts are scheduled to speak on the subjects of Islam, terrorism and civic responsibility.  Rabbi Jon Hausman – Conservative political moderator Rebecca Bynum – Publisher, Senior Managing Editor – New English Review Dave Gaubatz – Veteran counter-terrorism investigator, author Catherine Martin – Veteran grass roots activist, Northern Virginia John Cosgrove – Counter-terrorism consultant Martin Mawyer – Founder, Christian Action Network Jerry Gordon – Senior Editor – New English Review.”

On September 27, 2009, the New English Review reported on the September 25 launch of the SIOA group at the Rayburn Congressional Office Building, including photographs and synopsis of speakers’ comments.  The New English Review reported on on another related new group “Former Muslims United” (FMU) that launched on September 24, in the House Longworth Office Building.  The new group “Former Muslims United” (FMU) is being led by Nonie Darwish and was attended by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.

It is not known who sponsored the  SIOA conference on Capitol Hill, but the New English Review references a press release by Congresswoman Sue Myrick in their report.

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has made its position clear on those who promote “Islamophobia” as the parent group of the SIOA, Stop Islamization of Europe does.  We are not afraid. While we challenge those religious extremist of ANY religion that seek to deny our universal human rights, we will not attack or demonize any religion or any identity group.

R.E.A.L. has also made its position clear on those who seek to only promote “Western civilization” as SIOA states that it does.   R.E.A.L. supports our universal human rights for all people, everywhere, including our freedom of religion and freedom from religion for all.

On the SIOA website, a leader and attendee at a European SIOE event states that “multiculturalism, tolerance, and ‘niceness’ are destroying the foundations of our cultures,” but that misses the point. In fact, our iberties are based not on individual “cultures,” but on our universal human rights of equality and liberty.

Our challenge to groups and ideologies that defy such universal human rights are not because we reject diverse cultures, not because we reject tolerance, and not because we reject “niceness.” Our challenge to groups and ideologies that defy such universal human rights is because we consistently support universal human rights as being Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

That includes challenging those who promote “Islamophobia.”

We urge all to be Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

DC: Muslims Taunted At Public Prayer Event

— Washington Times: “About 3,000 Muslims gathered Friday for a first-ever prayer service in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol in what turned out to be a peaceful assembly despite the taunts of Christian evangelists on the surrounding sidewalks.”
— FOX News: “At remote locations, distanced far away from the proceedings and under the watchful eyes of uniformed and plainclothes Capitol Police, scattered groups of Christians used microphones and public address systems to voice their displeasure with the Muslim event.”
—- “One such group, whose members displayed two oversized tablets similar to those seen in Biblical depictions of the Ten Commandments, called itself ‘Operation Save America’ and distributed pamphlets saying: ‘Abortion is Murder!! Homosexuality is Sin!! Islam is a Lie!!'”
— FOX News: “There was also no denying that the day of prayer attracted some individuals and groups fanatical in their hatred of Muslims. At a separate event, held simultaneously in a conference room at the Rayburn House Office Building, a group calling itself Stop Islamization of America warned about the supposedly hateful, violent, and anti-Western teachings of the Koran.”
— Washington Post: “Across the street from the service, Christian protesters gathered with banners, crosses and anti-Islamic messages. One group, which stood next to a 10-foot-tall wooden cross and two giant wooden tablets depicting the Ten Commandments, was led by the Rev. Flip Benham of Concord, N.C.”
—- “‘I would suggest you convert to Christ!’ Benham shouted over a megaphone. Islam ‘forces its dogma down your throat.’ A few Christian protesters gathered at the rear of the Muslim crowd, holding Bibles and praying.”
— FOX News describes SIOA as “nativist”
—-  “The most organized pushback so far is from a new organization of a nativist bent called Stop Islamization of America, or SIOA”

We Are Not Afraid

Responsible for Equality And Liberty’s (R.E.A.L.) goal in outreach to the public on human rights is based on our commitment to human dignity and respect. We seek to defend the truths that we hold self-evident – that all men and women are created equal – and that they have inalienable human rights of such equality and liberty.

Some believe that this is an “optimistic” view towards humanity. Some believe that this is a “naive” view towards humanity. A week ago, I was at a meeting on “building a culture of peace,” where the speaker gloomily responded to a question from me that he does not hold out much hope for democracy, and thinks that democracy’s days are numbered. Some believe that fear, anger, and hopelessness are the human condition.

We disagree. We believe that humanity can do better than that. We believe that courage, love, and hope are the human condition that we must positively aspire towards building.

We have had many public awareness events and rallies. In one form or another, we traditionally begin such events with either the song or the rallying cry: “We are not afraid.” At the United States Capitol building, at the Lincoln Memorial, at the Washington Monument, in Chicago, in New York City, we start with the verse from the song “we shall overcome,” entitled “we are not afraid.”

We are NOT afraid.

We believe that to be a people responsible for equality and liberty, we need to put our fear away. This does not mean that we do not recognize that we have threats and challenges. This does not mean that we do not recognize that there are ideologies that are inimical to our universal human rights of equality and liberty. But we can choose how we will react to such threats and such enemies of freedom, and we can choose how we will educate others and defy such challenges. We can choose to act in fear. Or we can choose to act in courage. It is our choice.

Fear does not lead to responsibility. Fear does not lead to hope. Fear silences love and respect. Fear is the antithesis of the real courage that we must have to defend our fellow human being’s human rights.

And fear leads to hate.

There are some that have grown so used to doing things reflexively out of fear that they no longer realize it. Fear has controlled their thinking and their behavior so totally and for so long that it has programmed their lives. For some organizations, fear has even become a basis for their activism and for their slogans.

Sadly, we see so many organizations that are dependent on and based on fear. We don’t forget that fear is the tool that supremacists and totalitarians use as well. That is why it is so essential for positive activist groups and human rights groups to begin by rejecting fear. We are NOT afraid.

Some groups use the very idea of fear in the text of their group’s slogan. The “Stop Islamization of Europe” (SIOE) group has chosen the slogan that states: “Racism is the lowest form of human stupidity, but Islamophobia is the height of common sense.” While intending to be clever, sadly their slogan reveals much about what they really believe, as does their references to “Nazislam.” SIOE states that it “does not accept the notion of moderate Muslims.”

We understand that the leaders of the “Stop Islamization” network are afraid. We understand that they feel threatened. We understand that they feel desperate. But as I have stated before, European organizations could learn a lot from American challenges to supremacism, such as the prolonged struggle in America with racial supremacism.

Can you imagine if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had sought to promote human rights by promoting “Whiteophobia” as “common sense”? But history shows us that he did not. He challenged the anti-freedom ideology of “white supremacism” to call for change, and he promoted the universal human rights that all human beings deserve everywhere, of every faith, of every race, of every gender, and of every national origin. He did not choose fear and hate, he chose courage and love. When we are faced with great challenges, it is essential that we choose wisely.

Fear does not promote human dignity, respect, and dialogue. Fear does not promote healthy societal change. Fear does not promote human rights.

So if the fear-based “Stop Islamization” network is not working to promote human rights, what exactly are its goals? SIOE states that it seeks “a free, open and honest debate about the place, if any, of Islam within Western democracies.”

Responsible for Equality And Liberty accepts the most basic of our universal human rights, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
— Article 1: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
— Article 2: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.”
— Article 3: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.”

In America, we accept freedom of religion as a guaranteed freedom for all human beings. Like freedom of speech and freedom of press, we don’t have to like or agree with every other religion. But in America, we have that guarantee to everyone we like and to everyone we don’t like. Such freedoms are a bond of trust between the inalienable rights of equality and liberty inherent in our identity and defined in our Constitution.

We are NOT afraid.

The European-based “Stop Islamization” network is now about to announce a chapter in the United States called “Stop Islamization of America (SIOA).” The SIOA promotes the SIOE and the larger “Stop Islamization” network on its web page, including links to all of the European groups that promote “Islamophobia” as part of the SIOE slogan. The SIOA states that “our values and goals are in support of the entirety of Western civilization.”

We believe that a fear-based “Stop Islamization” network is not the answer for defending our universal human rights for all of humanity. We believe that equality and liberty are not just “our values,” nor are they unique to “Western civilization.” When Responsible for Equality And Liberty supports universal human rights for humanity, we support such universal human rights for all people everywhere. We reject the idea that the truths we hold self-evident of humanity’s inalienable rights of equality and liberty are unique to any one “civilization” or “culture.”

Moreover, we believe that is the root concern that we must challenge today. On the SIOA website, a leader and attendee at a European SIOE event states that “multiculturalism, tolerance, and ‘niceness’ are destroying the foundations of our cultures,” but that misses the point. In fact, our liberties are based not on individual “cultures,” but on our universal human rights of equality and liberty.

Our challenge to ideologies that defy such universal human rights are not because we reject diverse cultures, not because we reject tolerance, and not because we reject “niceness.” Our challenge to ideologies that defy such universal human rights is because we support universal human rights as being Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

We won’t abandon women in Saudi Arabia or any other part of the world. We won’t abandon Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, other Muslims, and other religious minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Philippines, Thailand, Somalia, Israel, and the rest of the world. We won’t deny those who legitimately call for reform a place in promoting human rights. We won’t accept the September 12 mentality of fear by so many who are willing to do anything just to be have “security,” “safety”, or “protect our culture,” no matter what happens to the rest of the world.  Our fellow human beings and our universal human rights are not expendable.

Our running days are over. We are NOT afraid.

Real courage allows us as individuals to challenge ideas against freedom, not because of our fears, but because of courage and responsibility. Real courage requires that we demand such universal human rights not just for America, not just for Europe, but fearlessly and without question for the entire world.

But such courage starts by REJECTING fear. It starts by rejecting acceptance of any type of “phobia.” Rejecting fear gives us the courage to be responsible for human rights, human diversity, and human dignity.

Those who are courageous defenders of human rights do not fear those who go to pray, whether it is on the Capitol lawn, whether it is in front of the White House, or whether it is on the street in front of us. We have more courage and more sense than to challenge those exercising their American and universal human rights of freedom of religion, whether we like it or not. Those who seek to defend human dignity do not sit around “brainstorming” creative ways to victimize others by seeking to find “donkeys,” so that “Islamic prayer is nullified,” and making asses of ourselves.

In America and around the world, there are extremists and supremacists who seek to do real damage and harm to human beings’ rights and lives every day. At our September 12 public awareness event at the Washington Monument, I spoke about a reported mob of 20,000 in Pakistan that marched into the city of Gojra, burned down a church, 100 Christian homes, and burned down women, children, and the elderly alive. In Egypt, Christian Copts are routinely oppressed, hunted, raped, kidnapped, and murdered for the “crime” of being Christian. In Pakistan, Hindus flee the nation for religious extremism, and in India they have been the target of vicious terrorist attacks as we saw in Mumbai. In Thailand, Buddhists are regularly attacked by extremists in the South with a death toll exceeding the 9/11 attacks. In the Philippines, 120,000 have died in the ongoing attacks in that nation. In Israel, Jewish citizens and others have continued to be victims of an endless series of attacks by extremist organizations, including those whose charter embraces the apocryphal “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” promoted by Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

The challenges we face today are literally life and death issues for our fellow human beings around the world who are counting on our voice, counting on our real courage today. Is the best that we can do to seek to just protect our “Western civilization”? Is the best that we can do to promote the fear of “Islamophobia” as “common sense”? Or can we rise to our generational challenge and have the courage to consistently and unequivocally defend universal human rights for all people, everywhere — whose very lives are threatened today?

Unlike the “Stop Islamization” movements, we do not attack “Islam” and Muslims, and we have no disrespect intended for either.  Moreover, we see significant efforts to discriminate, oppress, and demonize Muslims in America, which is simply wrong. We recognize that there are supremacists and extremists who seek to affiliate themselves with every religious faith. We recognize and we challenge religious extremists of any religious persuasion or rationale, who would then justify denying human rights based on such rationales.  We do not believe those who would make such rationalizations represent such religions either.  The “Stop Islamization” movements in both Europe and in the United States seek to attack and demonize Islam.

We have come a long way through courage, not through fear. We continue to fight against the institutionalized hate of supremacism, but we did not give up on humanity or on our fellow Americans.

So we must not give up on our fellow human beings in challenging extremist  views today – whatever basis they may come from and no matter who they seek to discriminate against. We must not accept the idea that fear can and will rule our lives and our choices. So many of our fellow human beings are dependent on us choosing courage over fear.

It is our destiny to die as human beings. At some point in all of our lives, we will all inevitably suffer to varying degrees. Recognizing this is neither fatalistic nor craven, and I have spent years helping my fellow human beings to learn to how protect themselves from harm.

But while we are here on our shared Earth, we live. While we are here, we can choose how we live and what we live for.  We don’t have to let extremists  terrorize us into living our lives based on fear.

We can choose to decide that we are NOT afraid.

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