Saudi “religious police” drag woman by hair out of shelter

March 23, 2009: Saudis awaiting change from religious police
— “Visitors to a women’s job training center heard terrified screams — and rushed to see an agent of the religious police dragging a woman by her hair down the stairs of the building.”
— “The woman had apparently run for shelter in the center after the religious police caught her alone in a car with a man she is not related to — a violation of Saudi Arabia’s strict gender segregation, one of the visitors, Nasreen Qattan, told the Associated Press.”

UK: Extremist Calls for Stoning of Gays

(UK) All homosexuals should be stoned to death, says Muslim preacher of hate
— more from Anjem Choudary “who wants to see Britain ruled by Sharia law”

— Mandy would be stoned to death under Sharia law

— Hate preacher: We’d hang mandy for being gay
—– “vowed to hang Business Secretary Lord Mandelson for being homosexual”

Omaha – White supremacist Nazis arrested for gun, drug

March 20, 2009 – Nebraska’s Omaha: Operation Red Swastika nets guns, drugs
— investigation culminating Friday, March 20, 2009 “in the indictment of a group of men on charges ranging from conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Authorities also seized 10 firearms, more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition and an unspecified amount of methamphetamine. The federal agents called the operation Red Swastika.”
— “Some of the men developed their affiliation with white power groups in prison, according to the ATF. The groups include the United Aryan Soldiers and the Church of the Creator.”

Supremacism Isn’t American

Over the past six months, reports have continued to be published about a resurgence of racial supremacism in America.  Madeleine Gruen has reported on her concern regarding counterterrorism reporting that in “the post 9/11 era, white supremacist groups no longer receive the same sort of news media attention they once did.”  Last week, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reported that  “926 hate groups were active in the U.S., up more than 4% from 888 in 2007″… and “more than a 50% increase since 2000.”  The SPLC map of such groups shows a wide range of such groups including both white and black racial supremacist organizations.  We continue to see reports of white racial supremacist groups activities, including reports of a terrorist plot against President Barack Obama (trial scheduled for April 2009), reports of a recent Ku Klux Klan murder reported in Louisiana, reports of white supremacist vandalism, reports of police officers in Nebraska and Florida ordered to resign due to their affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, and reports of white supremacist racial fliers passed out in Tennessee, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

Such white supremacist groups should be taken as a serious threat – they have a history of violence and terrorism in America.  They have been involved in activities such as the cyanide bomb plot led by white supremacist William Krar in 2003 and have advocated violence against the American government, such as white supremacist Neo-Nazi Hal Turner’s support for terrorist attacks on the Senate.  Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was associated with Neo-Nazi and white racial supremacists.

While some racial supremacists seek to gain adherents while they think that no one is looking, on twisted web sites of hate, and in dark corners of our nation, other such groups do so in the light of day and with the media reporting their meetings.   They call their activities as promoting “nationalism.”  On the web site by photojournalist Anthony Karen, he reports about “white nationalism,” stating that “white supremacism” is a “subgroup within white nationalism,” and that “[t]hey avoid the term ‘supremacy’ saying that it has negative connotation

March 8, 2009 – Save Women Now Rally

On March 8, International Women’s Day, we held a public rally from 1 PM to 3 PM in the front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington DC to address the global challenge of women oppressed and killed in the name of extremism.  We demanded that the American government, the United Nations, and international leaders recognize the extremist war on women in America and around the world. Moreover, we demanded action on this extremist threat to women. 

We spoke out on the abuses to women from extremism, who had posters challenging Sharia, and who sought to educate the public on attacks on American girls and women in so-called “honor killings,” such as the attacks on Sarah and Amina Said in Dallas.

We called for the focus of International Women’s Day to be changed to saving women from such supremacists who believe that they have “right” to oppress, mutilate, beat, and murder women.  We stated that extremists have no such “rights,” nor does anyone have any “rights” to oppress and attack women.  We called for the U.S. Congress, our President, and the federal government to recognize that women under attack by extremists are not expendable in tactical designs to negotiate with extremists around the world.  The inalienable human rights of equality and liberty for women and all people must always be our first priority in our foreign policy, domestic policy, and our national security policies.

We called upon the public to convey to their government leaders that tactics based on fear of extremists that would sacrifice women as expendable are immoral and unjust policies, and they must be rejected and challenged.

We encouraged members of the public to sign our petition regarding the extremist war on women to “Save Women Now.”  Since the rally, nearly another 100 have signed our petition – please share our “Save Women Now” petition with your friends and family!

Our rally location at the Capitol Reflecting Pool ensured reasonable foot traffic given the mild temperatures and we were able to reach many individuals who might otherwise never heard about these issues.  Tourists visiting Washington DC stopped to listen to our message, view our placards, and we got a number of “thumbs up” signals from the public crowds.  We were also approached by several individuals interested in further working with us on this cause, including a supporter of the group, the International Campaign Against Honour Killings.

The primary objective of such public rallies is not merely to gather those who share our views together, but to reach out to the general public.  We don’t believe that our campaign for equality and liberty is served by focusing our missionary work of freedom on only “preaching to the choir.”  So you will see us in other public rallies again and again in the future!

We spoke numerous times to the public crowds, and began and ended our rally with a verse from a song that we believe must be the new theme song of the continuing defiance against supremacism.  Our song consists of the fifth verse of “We Shall Overcome,” and its lyrics are as follows:

“We are not afraid, we are not afraid,”
“We are not afraid today;”
“Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,”
“We are not afraid today.”

To the supremacists of the world, free people are NOT AFRAID of you!

We will Fear No Evil! that the American government, the United Nations, and international leaders recognize the extremist war on women in America and around the world. Moreover, we demanded action on this extremist threat to women.

Thank you to all those who attended, all those who listened, and to all those who signed our petition!


NOTE: Our next public rally challenging extremism is scheduled for Sunday, May 17 between 1 to 4 PM in Washington DC at the Capitol Reflecting Pool.  We are also looking to have a public rally challenging the resurgence of white supremacism and calling for a renewed focus on our shared human rights on Saturday April 4 between 4 to 6 PM in Washington DC on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; we are still awaiting our National Park Service permit for the April rally.

More information will be available on upcoming rallies in Washington DC, and hopefully this summer in New York City and the West Coast on Responsible for Equality And Liberty’s (R.E.A.L.) website at https://www.realcourage.org

We will also be looking to see our options for further DC rallies this summer on Saturdays.  Our challenge to hold some rallies on Saturdays is that dates and areas for first amendment rallies are difficult to obtain because many are obtained up to a year in advance.

Arizona: White Supremacist and Hate Groups Named

March 18, 2009 – Arizona Republic: Report on hate groups lists KKK chapter in Tempe
— “In Mesa, the study identified the Nationalist Coalition, a neo-Nazi group, and the Vinlanders Social Club, a group labeled racist skinhead.”
— “In Apache Junction, the study counted the neo-Nazi group National Socialist Movement.”
— “Across the Valley, five hate groups were in Phoenix, while a branch of the Ku Klux Klan was listed in Tempe and an Arian Nation group located in Goodyear, according to the study.”