More on Clarion Fund

Update: 10/17/08: The statement below is from PR Newswire. I apologize for the lack of attribution.

A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group announced today that Howard Gordon, the executive producer of Fox's drama "24," has withdrawn his endorsement of the anti-Muslim film "Obsession" currently being distributed to some 28 million households in presidential election swing states by a shadowy non-profit organization called the Clarion Fund.

Another speculation about the Clarion Fund, this one from Israel News.

CAIR vs. Clarion Fund

This escaped my notice, but the Council on American-Islamic Relations has filed complaints with both the IRS and the FEC against the Clarion Fund, the producer of the film "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West"

From MarketWatch

A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group [on 9/23/08] announced that it has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) over the distribution of an anti-Muslim film to 28 million homes in presidential election swing states.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is urging the FEC to investigate whether the Clarion Fund, a non-profit organization that distributed DVDs containing "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," is really a front for an Israel-based group seeking to help Sen. John McCain win the U.S. presidential election. (No information about a board of directors, staff or even a physical address is offered on the fund's website.)

In its complaint to the FEC, CAIR wrote in part:
"The Clarion Fund recently financed the distribution of some 28 million DVDs containing the film 'Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West' in what many political analysts describe as 'swing' states in the upcoming presidential elections. Those same analysts say the distribution of the 'Obsession' DVD was designed to benefit a particular presidential candidate, namely Sen. John McCain...
"According to the website for the Secretary of State for New York, Clarion Fund Inc. is incorporated in New York as a Delaware-based foreign not-for-profit corporation. According to the Delaware Department of Corporations, Robert (Rabbi Raphael) Shore, Rabbi Henry Harris and Rebecca Kabat incorporated Clarion Fund. All three of whom are reported to serve as employees of Aish HaTorah International, an organization apparently based in Israel. Also according to the Delaware Department of Corporations, the incorporators of the Clarion Fund used Aish HaTorah's New York City address (150 West 46th Street, New York) to incorporate Clarion Fund in Delaware... [SEE: http://www.aish.com/aishint/wwprogram.asp]

"It appears that the funding for the production, marketing and distribution of 'Obsession' may have originated from Israel-based Aish HaTorah International."
To read the entire FEC complaint, click here. http://www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/ObessesionlettertoFEC.pdf

There is at least one report of a person who received the DVD also getting an automated phone call asking that person to watch the film and then "keep it in mind when you go to the voting booth."

"American voters deserve to know whether they are the targets of a multi-million-dollar campaign funded and directed by a foreign group seeking to whip up anti-Muslim hysteria as a way to influence the outcome of our presidential election," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.

Awad said CAIR has received numerous complaints from those who were sent the DVD in newspapers delivered to their homes and has recorded at least one report of an anti-Muslim bias incident directly resulting from the DVD distribution.
SEE: Ohio Muslims Fearful After DVD Released in Newspapers http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=9043986

Some newspapers, including the News & Record in North Carolina and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, have refused to distribute the DVDs.
SEE: Post-Dispatch Refuses to Distribute DVD Offensive to American Muslims http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/civil-religion/politics/2008/09/post-dispatch-refuses-to-distribute-dvd-offensive-to-american-muslims/

Interfaith leaders such as Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, have spoken out against the distribution of "Obsession" in swing states. In a statement, Gaddy also called for an FEC investigation: "...when a cynical attempt is made to influence our nation's presidential election by stoking fear of one religious group we believe the media along with public officials, such as the Federal Election Commission, must establish who is trying to influence our politics through religious bigotry."

SEE: Statement of Rev. Welton Gaddy On the Distribution of the Anti-Muslim Film "Obsession" in Newspapers http://www.interfaithalliance.org/news/268-statement-of-rev-welton-gaddy-on-the-distribution-of-the-anti-muslim-film-obsession-in-newspapers

An editorial in the Palm Beach Post outlined the apparent political motivation behind the Clarion Fund campaign:
"Distribution of the DVD... was timed with the post-Labor Day start of presidential election season. About 95 percent of the papers that contained the DVD are in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and New Hampshire.

"Notice a pattern? Right, those are the swing states that most analysts believe will determine the election. The issue on which polls consistently show John McCain ahead of Barack Obama is national security. One way to make voters worry less about the economy and more about national security would be to send out a DVD that opens with clips of 9/11 and includes scenes of Muslims chanting 'Death to America!'"
SEE: The Secret Cell Helping McCain (Palm Beach Post) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/09/21/a16a_schultz_col_0921.html
SEE ALSO: Anti-Islam Film Targets "Swing State" (IPS) http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43940

Editorial and letter writers nationwide have called the film "propaganda" and even compared it to Leni Riefenstahl's 1935 pro-Nazi film "Triumph of the Will." One writer called it "misleading and dangerous." (Broward-Palm Beach New Times, 9/20/08)

SEE: Putting Lipstick on Propaganda Doesn't Change It (NWF Daily News) http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/clarion_11254___article.html/fund_obsession.html
Jeff VanDenBerg, director of Middle East Studies at Drury University, called the film "a blatant piece of anti-Muslim propaganda." (News-Leader, 9/17/08)

Those interviewed in "Obsession" constitute a veritable who's who of individuals CAIR calls "Muslim-bashers." Speakers include Walid Shoebat, who once told a Missouri newspaper that he sees "many parallels between the Antichrist and Islam" and "Islam is not the religion of God -- Islam is the devil." (Springfield News-Leader, 9/24/07)

Others interviewed in the film include Nonie Darwish, a self-styled "former Moslem" who wrote that "Islam is cruel, anti-women, anti-religious freedom and anti-personal freedom in general," and Daniel Pipes, who warned a Jewish convention of the "true dangers" posed by "the presence, and increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American Muslims." (American Jewish Congress, 10/21/2001)
Another "Obsession" interviewee, Brigitte Gabriel, told the Australian Jewish News: "Every practising Muslim is a radical Muslim." She also claimed that "Islamo-fascism is a politically-correct word... it's the vehicle for Islam... Islam is the problem."
SEE: The World According to Brigitte Gabriel (Australian Jewish News) http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=3403

When asked whether Americans should "resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation," Gabriel said: "Absolutely. If a Muslim who has -- who is -- a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day -- this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America."
SEE: 'Obsession' Stars Have Lectured at U.S. Military Colleges http://www.israelenews.com/view.asp?ID=3168

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT:
CAIR National Communications Director
Ibrahim Hooper
202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726
E-Mail: Email Contact

CAIR Communications Coordinator
Amina Rubin
202-488-8787

SOURCE: Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

From the Clarion Fund Website:

STATEMENT BY CLARION FUND REGARDING FEC COMPLAINT BY CAIR

September 24, 2008 -- The controversial group Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a Federal Elections Commission complaint yesterday against Clarion Fund, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

CAIR alleges that the free distribution of 28 million DVDs of the documentary Obsession is designed to help John McCain win the presidential election. This is a false accusation designed to distract the public and media from the issues raised in the film about radical Islam.

"CAIR is attempting to stifle First Amendment freedom of speech," said Raphael Shore, Clarion's founder and director.

What is Clarion?
Clarion is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization created to educate the public about national security issues such as radical Islam. Its donors are Christians, Jews, and Muslims and include Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Clarion has made Obsession DVDs available to a national audience through newspaper insertions, national magazine insertions, and as an online download.

What is Obsession?
Obsession is a highly acclaimed documentary that has been vetted by major news organizations, leading think tanks, and the management of the 70 newspapers that agreed to include the DVD as a paid advertising insert. Obsession was released in 2006 and received positive media coverage, including a highly rated one-hour special that aired several times on Fox News Channel in November 2006.

The film does not mention any presidential candidate or political party. Clarion does not endorse any candidate for president nor is it acting at the behest of any political campaign. The Clarion website, www.radicalIslam.org, contains hyperlinks to the homeland security policy positions of both McCain and Obama, and endorses neither of them.

CAIR also has claimed that Obsession is intended to foster hatred of Muslims. However, a statement shown at the start of the film points out, "Most Muslims are peaceful and do not support terror. This is not a film about them." Despite being seen by millions, not one incident of hate has been attributed to the film. In fact, Muslims have praised the film.

What is CAIR?
CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in US v. Holy Land Foundation, a terrorism financing trial. A US Justice Department court filing states: "Moreover, from its founding by Muslim Brotherhood leaders, CAIR conspired with other affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood to support terrorists." CAIR has a track record of using litigation and disinformation to intimidate critics of radical Islam.

"CAIR is attempting to distract the public and media from a serious debate about the nature and threat of radical Islam," said Shore.

More from the AP

Clarion Fund Yelling "Fire" in the Theater?

When I first posted this story, I had no idea the intense reaction that would come from the blogosphere. I do not profess to be a full-tilt (or even half tilt) investigative reporter and this story truly needs at least one serious (does this for a living) journalist (Seymour Hersh, Bob Woodward, hello!) to dig to the bottom of this mess. Still, it is gratifying to hear reactions to it both positive and negative--believe it or not.

Now, for the record, I do not disregard the dangers of "fanatics" of any stripe. I believe there are organized fanatics out there who could/would do people harm--and they may as likely to be Evangelical, Christian, Jewish, or any other group except perhaps, Buddhists and Quakers, as they are to be Muslim. But, just as likely, there are people with hidden agendas that run around like Chicken Little telling us the sky is falling. Respectfully I say, we've already seen what telling a lie over and over can get us-- Good Morning, Iraq!

However, and not to be flippant at all, since we are talking about the biggest fear that people can imagine--terrorists trying to kill us where we live, it doesn't hurt to use mathematical logic to point out the statistical likelihood of this happening.
President Bush likes to point out that there have not been terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11/2001. That is slightly over 7 years ago. Before that, the last terrorist attack in the US was in 1995 (not a Muslim but an ex-U.S. Army private, Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma City). Before that, the last organized attack by a radical Muslim was in 1993 (masterminded) by Ramzi Yousef at the WTC. In all three of these episodes, the total number of persons killed was 3390. Of course, on a purely sociological level, this is 3390 people too many.

However statistically, this means that the likelihood of a person being killed by a terrorist in the US for this 15 year period has been .001115% or 1.1 people in 100,000. For comparison, put this side-by-side with dying an accidental death (The Center for Disease Control nomenclature for traffic accidents, poisoning [mainly drug-related], falls, and suffocation) in any state in the US (which varied by state between 1999-2004 between by20 to 68 in 100,000).

I haven't seen a DVD being sent out to warn people of the "terrorism" of bath tubs, garden hoses, or plastic dry cleaning bags. Center for Disease Control, have you no decency?

And what about this group's right to say what they say? Yelling "fire" in a theater when there isn't one has been ruled by the Supreme Court as a reason to limit free speech. The storyline from the film does its best to convince us that the US "theater" is in clear and present danger from radical Islamic "fire". Is it true, is it not true--that is the unknown. But propaganda is allowable free speech, just as beer ads implying the foamy stuff will make you popular or sexy is okey-dokey.

Free speech tends to err on the side of doubt. So while I do appreciate the St. Louis Dispatch and the Greensboro News and Record who have chosen not to distribute the film-- I would rather a modernized Fairness Doctrine that addresses the print media, so that the papers who ran this "advertisement" would be obliged to provide other sides of the story (and I don't mean flaming letters to the editor)-- pro bono. After all, newspapers may try to protect free speech, but they don't feel bad for charging for it either!

And there are people trying to dispell the myth of the movie. Thanks to a comment I received from regarding my earlier blog entry, there is another place to learn more about the Clarion Fund's "Obsession" film. I certainly applaud the efforts of this diverse, mostly religious group to address the fiction and hate that is framed in this "documentary".

Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen Readers React to "Obsession"

Letter writers who were appalled by the DVD, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" submitted letter to both the Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen. One writer, Ken Gayley said, "was appalled that my local newspaper, which I expect to supply balanced reporting, included a propaganda DVD, "Obsession," with the obvious intention of fanning the flames of hatred and fear, with zero effort to be balanced (not a single dissenting view was presented anywhere in the film, so the purpose was obviously not truth seeking -- which requires considering expert opinions from multiple sides of the question)."

James L. Fritz of Decorah wrote to the Des Moines Register "This DVD connects modern Jihadi to Nazi Germany ideologues. It attempts to scare us into a paranoiac approach to our place in the world.

While I do not deny that terrorism is a real threat, and feel strongly that we must all prepare to deal with it, this is a blatant attempt to frighten us into our own brand of Western militancy. The last eight years of the Bush doctrine have taught us the consequences of stirring the hornets' nest of militant Islam in the Middle East. Saber rattling, "shock and awe" and cowboy diplomacy have only fueled hatred of the United States in the Islamic world and threatened our long-term security here at home."

Mark Kane of Des Moines asks a great question in his letter to the Register, "What did the Register ask to know about the Clarion Fund Inc. before agreeing to insert the DVD?"

Be a Clarion for the Environment - Recycle your "Obsession"

If you are environmentally-conscious, send the Clarion Fund "Obsession" DVD's to:

The Compact Disc Recycling Center of America
68H Stiles Road
Salem, NH 03079

or learn more about recycling CD's, DVD's, etc. go to: http://epa.gov/osw/education/pdfs/finalposter.pdf

Real Dangerous Obsession: Religious Fundamentalism or Politics of Fear

Thanks to hundreds of people who have found and commented on my blog entries about the Clarion Fund and the DVD they have sent to 28 million households, this has led to thinking about points that have been raised about the film.

Is there a danger in Muslim "radical extremism"? You bet. Any group that calls for the death of other people is a threat to be taken seriously. The same can be said for extremists of any religion (The KKK was, and presumably still is, a extreme "christian" group, as are the followers of Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church). The inherent danger though is to lump all Muslims (or any religion)together, as happened in my community when a Muslim group tried to start-up a youth camp a couple of years ago and were treated as if they were trying to open an Al Qaeda training camp.

There is also a danger in declaring that the sky is falling which this documentary clearly wants us to believe is true. I grant you that there is often a fine line between being vigilant and being Chicken Little. Still, the goal of this group is to instill knee-knocking fear about radical extremists and affecting the upcoming election.

Then is it a political football that is being kicked around? Most assuredly. By targeting voters in key electoral areas, the Clarion Fund is, by proxy, pushing an agenda that is partisan. Republicans love surrogates to remind voters that they are the one's to trust when it comes to fighting terrorism (certainly polls reflect this belief). This group, though, is a special interest group--they are clearly concerned that if the US takes it's eyes off the Middle East that Israel will be imperiled, that Muslim extremism, like the so-called Domino Effect in Indochina during the post-WW II years, will roll from nation to nation in the Middle East.

The thing that most troubles me is that key folks in this group are foreign nationals. These folks are telling us to beware of other foreigners--curiouser and curiouser, don't you think? If interests outside the U.S. are allowed through fear tactics to influence the outcome of an election in this manner, what does it say about our "national security"?

I hope that the same newspapers that accepted this DVD/advertising supplement will use their resources to investigate this group and find out who's behind it and to what end. Failing to do this would, I'm afraid, say that they are more beholden to advertisers than to the public interest.

More Links to the Clarion Fund

Since posting about the Clarion Fund and the film “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West”, I have received more comments about this story than any other single posting I've made. As I appreciate the work that other bloggers do (and take the time to point out), I will point out some other places to learn more:

Pupaganda opines about the Clarion Fund, "Indeed, although this lack of information, apparently deliberate, does not hide the obvious fact the neocons are behind the Clarion Fund. As the video clip above reveals, the unmistakable neocon imprimatur is all over this propaganda DVD."


Literal Mayhem points out that the attorney of record for the group, Eli D. Greenberg via Open Secrets gave a donation of $2,000 to John Edwards in 2003 (of course, it is not unheard of attorneys to donate to other attorneys). But he raises the specter that this is reverse "dirty tricks"--giving the appearance that it is one side that is doing it and funding it from the other side--a long reach, but worth looking into.

eaazi has more about the Clarion Fund "team".


Richard Silverstein has an interesting take as well.

Clarion Fund Puts Lipstick on Terrorism Pig Documentary

Who is the "Clarion Fund" and why is it paying for placing 28 million copies of "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" DVD's in swing state newspapers?

The Clarion Fund, who's website only identifies the group as "a 501(c)(3) organization. We are independent and do not accept funding from the U.S. Government, political institutions, or foreign organizations." It does not identify who it's board of directors are, but says it's "mission is to educate Americans about issues of national security." Their focus "is on the most urgent threat of radical Islam. By utilizing the following three mediums, Clarion Fund is helping Americans understand that the mainstream media is not adequately conveying the reality of radical Islam."

Through some web digging, I was able to identify three players, Raphael Shore who is a Canadian citizen who is the producer/co-writer of the film and founder of the Clarion Fund, Wayne Kopping, a South African national, the director and co-writer and Gregory Ross, who is the communications director of this New York based non-profit group. Ross was "originally from Los Angeles and have lived overseas for many years. I moved back to LA from New York after 9-11, and a stint on Wall Street, and started working in the Hollywood Entertainment community." Ross does not disclose how the film was produced, but is quoted as saying "The film was financed by a concerned citizen who has a long standing relationship with our organization. The cost was under $500k and it took over a year to complete." Something about this group doesn't pass the smell test, particularly when no information is available about its donors and board of directors.

Maybe most concerning about this film is that, according to Ross "I know that the U.S. Department of the Navy uses the film and that it has also been shown on Capitol Hill on many occasions in order to education politicians. We have also screened it at countless universities and colleges. However we are unsure as to if it is being used in their curriculums – we certainly hope it is." A film that

By law, 501(c)(3) organizations are not permitted to engage in political activity, endorse or oppose political candidates, or donate money or time to political campaigns, so it was surprising to learn that there was an article on the group's new Web site, www.radicalislam.org, that backed Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The article discussed both candidates and concludes:

"McCain's policies seek to confront radical Islamic extremism and terrorism and roll it back while [Barack] Obama's, although intending to do the same, could in fact make the situation facing the West even worse."

According to Clarion Fund director of communications Gregory Ross, the article "crossed the line" and was removed.

Gregory Ross also said in an interview with Frontpage magazine, a right-wing online publication, "we are just a few weeks from completely our next documentary, “The Third Jihad” - though it is not a sequel. This new film will take a look at radical Islam’s activities here in the U.S. We should be releasing the film in early October. So stay tuned."

Stay tuned indeed, as this group tries to scare voters with their own form of psychological terrorism.