Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

NYPD Muslim Surveillance: House Democrats Call For End To Controversial Program

WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Thursday urged the New York Police Department to purge its intelligence databases of information gleaned from its clandestine spying on Muslim neighborhoods.

They also criticized the Obama administration for offering tepid responses to questions about whether it endorses such tactics.

Lawmakers introduced a resolution Thursday calling for an end to NYPD programs that infiltrated mosques and monitored even innocent conversations in cafes and bookstores. Muslim business owners were included in police files, even with no allegations of wrongdoing.

The resolution has little chance of passing but it followed a heated debate Wednesday night over a House amendment that would have banned racial profiling by any department that receives federal money. Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., introduced the amendment, saying wholesale surveillance has proven ineffective in disrupting terrorist plans.

“Contrary to the blanket assertions by some that the tactics have kept New York City safe, the NYPD failed to uncover two actual plots against New York City,” Holt said, referring to attempted bombings in Times Square and the New York subway system.

That prompted a strong objection from Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., one of Capitol Hill’s most vocal defenders of the NYPD.

“We should be here tonight giving the NYPD a medal,” King said. “We sit here, 10 1/2 years after September 11, and the most effective law enforcement, counterterrorism unit in the country is being attacked?”

The NYPD says its tactics are all lawful and necessary to keep the city safe. Asked Thursday about what the lawmakers said, Mayor Michael Bloomberg responded: “Where do they live?”

“I don’t think you’ll find many elected officials here who want to look at their constituents and say, `I want to stop what is perfectly legal, appropriate, has been vetted through the courts and everything else, a procedure to try to get as much information as we can from publicly available sources,’” he added.

It’s unclear where the Obama administration stands. White House grants helps pay for the NYPD’s programs but the White House says it has no control over how the money is used.

President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, recently declared his “full confidence that the NYPD is doing things consistent with the law.” An anonymous White House official then issued a clarification to those remarks, saying Brennan wasn’t referring to NYPD surveillance.

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to Congress and one of the lawmakers who introduced the resolution, said he understood the political difficulties the White House faces in wading into a debate over racial profiling and national security.

“But transformational leadership is about standing up and doing the right thing,” he said.

Dozens of lawmakers have been asking the Justice Department for eight months to investigate the NYPD’s tactics and determine whether they are legal. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, the top civil rights official at the department, has not answered questions about the matter. His spokeswoman has said attorneys are reviewing the requests to investigate.

___

Associated Press writer Samantha Gross in New York contributed to this report.

Stop the Judeo-Mestizo Islamization of North America!

(Via LoonWatch.com)

These days it seems even kooky conspiracy theories have gone mutliculti.

Recently a visitor left a comment assuring us he’s not too worried about “the Mooslems” in America, but only because the real problem is the alleged “Mestizo threat,” which is apparently being facilitated by “the Joos,” who are somehow responsible for our “open borders.” Just to be sure we’re clear on his equal-opportunity bigotry, he added that it’s Europe that has the “Mooslem problem.”

Although many bigots seem especially concerned about Mexican Mestizo-Hispanic types taking over the country, a recent report from the Pew Research Center suggests the wave of Mexican immigration to the US has come to a halt, and in fact, the Mexican population in the US is actually decreasing. As it turns out, immigration seems to be influenced largely by economics and labor markets, and not some cabal of puppet masters from a certain religious or ethnic group. But why let facts stand in the way of a juicy, hate-filled conspiracy theory?

Now equal opportunity bigots in America have two contenders for Most Scary Diabolical Plot:  The Left-Islamist Stealth Jihad and the Judeo-Mestizo Reconquista. Why settle for just one when you can have both?

While the Left-Islamist alliance seems to  be  steadily gaining a foothold in the US, where the Mooslems may someday reach a whopping 2% of the  population, it seems there are some alarming trends south of the border that also deserve prompt attention: The Mooslems may be taking over Mexico too! Though they still comprise less than 1% of the population, these Mexican Mooslems are concentrated in a handful of cities–where they willfully refuse to eat pork and–¡Ay, caramba!–possibly consort with the Joos.

Islam in Mexico

by Nayantara Mukherji, Inside Islam, University of Wisconsin

Although traditionally known for its strong Catholic community, Mexico is also home to a small yet diverse community of Muslims. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the country had about 110,000 Muslims in 2009. That’s less than 1 percent of the population of Mexico. But according to Zidane Zeraoui, professor of international relations at the Technological University of Monterrey, the history of Islam in Mexico goes back to its earliest days. In my interview with Zeraoui here in Madison, he emphasized the fact that Muslims and Jews actually came to Mexico early in the colonial period.

There were ‘false Christians,’ or marranos who came to Latin America as Catholics converted by force. Officially, they were Catholics, but inside, in their private lives, they were still practicing their religions.

Zeraoui said there are many indications of early Jewish and Muslim migrations in Mexico. For example, many buildings in Mexico (including churches, convents, and government buildings) are built in an architectural style called “Mudéjar,” a term that refers to Muslims living under Christian rule in Spain. The city Zeraoui lives in, Monterrey, was founded by marranos, and even today, Jewish and Muslim influences remain strong in the city. Unlike the rest of Mexico, Zeraoui says people in Monterrey prefer goat meat to pork, an influence of kosher and halal food practices. They even have a type of meat they call “Sarassan meat.”

In Monterray, we don’t eat much pork, but if you were to go to Mexico City, the basis of food is pork.

Muslims in Mexico are generally concentrated in four cities: Tequesquitengo in Morelos, Torreón in Coahuila, San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, and Mexico City. About half the Muslims in Mexico today are converts/reverts. The groups are extremely diverse, and include both Shias and Sunnis.

Nayantara Mukherji is a journalist, editor, Inside Islam radio producer, and a recent addition to the writing team at the University of Wisconsin.

Written by, Tara Bannow, Iowa City Press-Citizen

Leaders from the Iowa City Mosque have been doing more recently to reach out to the community in hopes of teaching more locals about Islam and setting straight some of the rampant misconceptions about their faith.

“If you just listen to Fox News, you don’t get the right idea,” said Abdullah Naayer, an Iowa City resident who’s active at the mosque.

More than a dozen people gathered at the Iowa City Public Library on Sunday afternoon, where representatives from the mosque, 1812 W. Benton St., were ready to teach them about the basic tenets of Islam and answer questions. Although many of the guests were Muslim, non-Muslims had been encouraged to attend.

Iowa City resident Marcus Espey organized and led the event. Since converting to Islam in time for Ramadan last July, he’s been working to spread the truth about the religion and clear up some of the misconceptions, which tend to center on terrorism and mistreatment of women.

“There are a lot of people that don’t practice Islam the right way,” he said. “That could misrepresent it.”

The mosque is hosting other outreach events, as well, Naayer said. Every month, leaders from the mosque meet with members of the local Christian community to create a supportive community.

“It’s just to get to know each other, have an understanding for each other and come to form a mutual respect and to be there for each other in the faith,” he said.

Espey wasn’t raised in any religion, yet always found himself fascinated by them.

“I always asked my mom, ‘Why aren’t we going to church? Why aren’t I getting baptized?’” he said.

It wasn’t until a guest speaker at one of his classes at Kirkwood Community College talked about Islam that he became interested and started reading the Quran.

“For some reason, my heart just lifted up and I was focusing on every word he was saying,” Espey said.

Members of the community are always welcome to come to prayer services at the Iowa City Mosque, which are at 12:30 p.m. every Friday, Naayer said.

“We are very open to anybody coming and visiting,” he said.

Reach Tara Bannow at tbannow@press-citizen.com or 887-5418.

Original post: Muslim community working to educate, dispel myths

Sheree Sabater

(BuffaloNews)

LOCKPORT — Two women from Niagara Falls were sentenced to weekend jail terms Friday for their hate crime assault on a Pakistani woman last summer.

Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas ordered Sheree A. Sabater, 39, to four months of weekends in the County Jail and three years’ probation. Antoinette S. Ivey, 32, drew two months of weekends in jail and five years’ probation.

The 26-year-old Muslim victim, who was walking with her two children July 14 near the Tops Market on Portage Road in Niagara Falls, was wearing a head scarf at the time, police said.

“This woman and her two children were just minding their own business,” Farkas said. “These two drunk, high, out-of-control women, and I use that term loosely, pummeled her to the ground in front of her children.”

The victim said in a later Buffalo News interview that she heard one of the attackers say, “She’s Pakistani and I want to kill her.”

The nationality was just a lucky guess, Assistant District Attorney Cheryl L. Nichols said.

“I didn’t know who she was,” Ivey said in court.

Sabater said, “I feel foolish.”

Original post: 2 women sentenced in hate crime

Kansas lawmakers pass anti-Islamic law measure

A bill designed to prevent Kansas courts or government agencies from making decisions based on Islamic or other foreign legal codes has cleared the state Legislature after a contentious debate about whether the measure upholds American values or appeals to prejudice against Muslims.

The Senate approved the bill Friday on a 33-3 vote. The House had approved it, 120-0, earlier in the week. The measure goes next to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, who hasn’t said whether he’ll sign or veto the measure.

The measure doesn’t specifically mention Shariah law, which broadly refers to codes within the Islamic legal system. Instead, it says that courts, administrative agencies or state tribunals can’t base rulings on any foreign law or legal system that would not grant the parties the same rights guaranteed by state and U.S. constitutions.

But several supporters specifically cited the potential use of Shariah law in Kansas as their concern. Sen. Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, said a vote for the legislation is a vote to protect women. “In this great country of ours and in the state of Kansas, women have equal rights,” Wagle said during the Senate’s debate. “They stone women to death in countries that have Shariah law.”

Associated Press, 11 May 2012

What kind of man rips a veil off a woman’s face (via. Islamophobia-Watch):

Man arrested for attack on Muslim woman in Solihull

A Shirley man has been summoned to appear at Solihull Magistrates Court after he allegedly ripped a veil from a Muslim woman’s face in Touchwood.

Police reported that Ian Brazier, 26, had grabbed the victim, also 26, by her head and removed her face covering as she walked past the Disney store, on March 3. It’s alleged that he then threw the veil to the floor and left the shopping centre. A Solihull Police spokesman said the woman had not been physically harmed but was left severely shaken by the incident.

Officers tracked down Brazier following a CCTV image appeal. He will now appear at Solihull Magistrates on June 13.

Chief Inspector Kevin Doyle, from Solihull Police Station, said previously: “Reports of crimes like this are exceptionally rare both in Solihull and the wider West Midlands. We are treating this incident as a hate crime as we believe the woman was deliberately targeted because of her faith symbolised by her attire.”

Solihull News, 9 May 2012

Via ENGAGE

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Tom Trento

by Jacob Hausner

That Tom Trento is a hate-filled propagandist is common knowledge by now. He is as much a ‘human rights’ activist as David Duke or any racist who relies on lies, half-truths and innuendo to plead his case.

Trento has for quite some time been active in agitating anti-Islam and anti-Muslim efforts in Florida. In 2008, in the run up to the election of President Barack Obama, Trento was busy peddling the hate-filled anti-Muslim movie, “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War with the West.”

The website, Obsession for Hate, both catalogued and detailed the propagandistic efforts of the funders of “Obsession,” Aisha HaTorah and the Clarion Fund, to affect the outcome of the election. The not-so veiled strategy was to freely distribute 28 million DVD’s of Obsession in newspapers inside key electoral swing states, to fear-monger about the so-called pending Islamization of the USA. If anyone recalls the election of 2008, Barack Obama’s faith was a central talking point in which Republicans sought to take advantage, thinking they could sway voters by maligning the president as an evil, madrassa-indoctrinated, fifth-columnist “Muslim.”

“Obsession” failed, but that did not stop Trento.

It is 2012 now, and another election is around the corner, queue-in Trento and his fanatical band of doomsday, fear-mongering naysayers! Once again Islam and the Muslims are to be feared, and even more so, ironically because of the Arab Spring!

Trento produced the video below, calling on his compatriots to join him to protest an upcoming Islamic Society of North America conference in Florida:

Now, I would have been content to just post this article in response: ‘The United West’ Video: Is It From the Onion? No, This Lunacy is Real!, but on further consideration I don’t want to leave the Islamophobes with any excuses!

About the only thing that Trento got right in the above video is that, yes, Hasan Al-Banna did create the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928.

By now there is a plethora of well researched, academic and even lay literature on the “Muslim Brotherhood.” Just Google “Muslim Brotherhood” and you will come out with dozens of interesting titles.

One does not have to agree with or like the Muslim Brotherhood to, at the very least, concede that the Muslim Brotherhood never “joined” the Nazis in World War II. That is just a blatant lie!

So let’s look at the lies presented by Trento, one by one:

Trento Lie #1.) “Muslim Brotherhood joined the ‘Nazis’ during World War II.”

Truth: As Matthias Kuntzel noted in his book, “Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11″ (Telos Press, 2007),

‘it would be wrong to characterize the Muslim Brothers as ardent followers of the Nazis.’

Richard Wolin in an exchange with Jeffrey Herf (author of “Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World”) comments on this, saying,

Here there is simply no squaring the circle; too many aspects of Nazi ideology–its paganism, its Aryan racial doctrines, its conception of Germanic geopolitical supremacy–are incompatible with the key tenets of political Islam. As Küntzel rightly concludes, Hassan al-Banna was too devout a Muslim to latch on to someone as impious as Hitler as a political role model.

Trento Lie #2: “In 1981, that same Muslim Brotherhood assassinated Anwar Sadat.”

Truth: A quick read on Wikipedia could have easily disabused Trento of this embarrassing falsity. Anwar Sadat was assassinated by Khalid Islambouli and a group of renegade Egyptian military soldiers. Islambouli, in fact was not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood but instead of a group called the “Egyptian Islamic Jihad,”

After graduating from the Egyptian Military Academy with excellent grades, he was accepted as an officer in the Bombardment Forces of the Egyptian Army with the rank of Lieutenant. Sometime after this appointment, Islambouli joined the proscribed Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement.

Trento Lie #3: “In 2011, that same Muslim Brotherhood overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, for the express purpose, as the United West predicted, to establish the Islamic caliphate in Egypt.”

Truth: Trento seems to be living in the past when the internet and new media wasn’t readily available. As it turns out it wasn’t the “Muslim Brotherhood” that overthrew Hosni Mubarak, (who wasn’t really a “president” as Trento so reverently refers to him, but a “dictator”) they were actually late to the protest game, it was a mass popular movement of “Egyptians” that toppled Mubarak. To suggest otherwise is tantamount to spitting on the sacrifices of all those brave souls who were killed, injured and tortured by Mubarak-thugs. Most rational people realize this.

Trento Lie #4: “Obama…gave the Muslim Brotherhood 1.5 billion dollars”

Truth: Seriously? Do we have to even answer this one? In fact, the money was not given to the Muslim Brotherhood, but to Egypt, just as it has been for over thirty years ever since the Camp David accords, when President Jimmy Carter reached a peace deal between Egypt and Israel.

Trento Lie #5: “Now, in May, the Muslim Brotherhood is coming to Tampa Bay, Florida for the express purpose of continuing the ‘cultural jihad’ to turn the United States eventually into an Islamic State.”

Truth: Trento is referring to the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) “East Zone Conference.” ISNA happens to be one of the oldest and largest Muslim organizations in the United States, and perusing their website, ISNA.net, and looking at the program and topics of the conference, there was surprisingly NOT one lecture, seminar or group activity relating to “cultural jihad to turn the United States eventually into an Islamic State.”

If we were to find anything relatively close to what Trento is talking about I am sure it would have been on ISNA’s own website, right!? Alas, it does not exist, and much like Trento’s ludicrous video, this too is an outlandish, kooky lie, ginned up to try and rally anti-Islam bigots and shock troops to counter a peaceful Muslim conference.

Hopefully, Trento’s “protest” won’t devolve into the type of hate-filled “protests” we have come to know and expect from him and his friends:

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1 in 6 Americans Believe Obama Is A Muslim, Lest that 1 in 4 Can Identify Him As Protestant

Obama Is Muslim Believed By One In Six Americans, Only One In Four Identify Him As Protestant

WASHINGTON (RNS) After nearly four years in the Oval Office, President Obama is incorrectly thought to be Muslim by one in six American voters, and only one quarter of voters can correctly identify him as a Protestant, according to a new poll.

“Wow. He said it 100 times that he’s not a Muslim,” said Zainab Al-Suwaij, executive director of the American Islamic Congress, expressing surprise over the persistent number of American voters (16 percent) who make the mistake.

Is there something insidious behind the belief, a concerted attack to link the president with a religion that’s considered alien — or worse — by some Americans?

“I think it’s more a lack of information than an attack on him,” said Al-Suwaij.

While Americans across the board get the president’s religion wrong, the religious group that most often thinks Obama is Muslim is white evangelical Protestants (24 percent). American unaffiliated with a religious group make the error least often: just 7 percent identify Obama as Muslim.

Daniel Cox, PRRI’s research director, said the small but not insignificant sliver of Americans who still believe Obama is Muslim is “fascinating.”

“Quite frankly, I’m not really sure what to make of it other than this person, although he speaks quite comfortably about his faith, doesn’t wear his religion on his sleeve,” Cox said. “It’s an important part of who he is, but it’s not an important part of his public persona.

The poll also found that white evangelical Protestants, who were suspicious of Romney in the early GOP primaries, are warming up to Romney now that he’s the presumptive nominee.

Romney’s support among white evangelicals has jumped 27 percent since October; evangelicals support him over Obama, 68 to 19 percent.

“There are clear signs that white evangelical Protestants are moving beyond any reservations they may have held earlier in the campaign about Romney’s Mormon faith,” said Cox.

Earlier this year, when primary voters faced more choices, evangelicals showed a preference for Catholics Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich, who campaigned hard on social issues dear to conservative Christians before dropping out.

“Americans want someone with strong religious convictions, but they don’t have to be the same as their own,” said Cox. “The exception is white evangelicals, who want them to be the same.”

But with a Mormon now the presumptive GOP nominee, that’s no longer a possibility for evangelicals, and the poll shows they are coalescing around Romney, Cox continued. “It’s a binary choice for them between someone who is on the right side of their issues and someone who is not.”

White evangelicals — depending on how the term is defined and how the question is asked – make up between 20 and 25 percent of American voters. Among Republicans, they are a particularly powerful bloc, representing about 40 percent of GOP voters.

Obama’s support lies in Catholic and mainline Protestant territory. Catholic voters overall say they would be more likely to vote for Obama (46 percent) than Romney (39 percent), though white Catholic voters state a preference for Romney over Obama (48 to 37 percent).

The scenario of four years ago, in which Obama enjoyed strong support among Hispanic Catholics and weaker support among white Catholics, seems to be playing out again.

White mainline Protestant voters also prefer Obama over Romney (50 to 37 percent) and religiously unaffiliated voters stand even more firmly in the Obama camp (57 to 22 percent).

The poll also showed:

– Obama maintains a significant lead over Romney in a head-to-head matchup (47 to 38 percent).

– Sixteen percent of voters have yet to make up their minds about a presidential candidate. Among this group, Obama holds a slight edge (42 to 37 percent).

– More than 60 percent of white evangelical, white mainline Protestant and Republican voters know that Romney is Mormon. Less than half of Catholic and Democratic voters know this.

The poll, of 1,006 Americans surveyed between May 2 and 6, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Zuhdi Jasser to speak on 'Muslim terror' at UC San Diego, May 15th (Seth Wenig/AP)

StandWithUs, UC San Diego Pro-Israel Group, Host Anti-Muslim Conference

Via loonwatch.com

Zuhdi Jasser, who in a great feat of Orwellian irony was ridiculously appointed to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), is now speaking on behalf of StandWithUs. It should come as no surprise that StandWithUs:

…manages an impressive stable of Zionist speakers, including several who are Arabs, Muslims, or ex-Muslims: Brigitte Gabriel, Ishmael Khaldi, Walid Shoebat, Khaled Abu Toameh, and Nonie Darwish.

These speakers are not only “Zionist” as described above, but also extremely “anti-Muslim” and “Islamophobic.” Add to that list, Zuhdi Jasser who will be joining “Stand with Us” for a conference titled, “Rescuing Human Rights.” It’s likely as concerned about human rights as Pamela Geller’s Jessica Mokdad ‘Human Rights’ Conference was:

STANDWITHUS, UC SAN DIEGO PRO-ISRAEL GROUP, HOST ANTI-MUSLIM CONFERENCE

by Richard Silverstein (Tikkun Olam)

Next week, StandWithUs and the UC San Diego pro-Israel student advocacy group, Tritons for Israel, will host a rather mysterious campus event.  According to a speaker contract SWU uploaded to the web in March, it is a conference called, Rescuing Human Rights, featuring the Wall Street Journal’s leading anti-jihadi columnist, Brett Stephens, necon legal scholar Avi Bell who was one of the Goldstone Report’s harshest critics, anti-jihadi “human rights” lawyer Brooke Goldstein, and the anti-jihadi Muslim activist Zuhdi Jasser.  He was the founder of the American-Islamic Forum for Democracy, and featured star of several Clarion Fund Islamophobic films including Obsession and Third Jihad.

Mid-May is Apartheid Week across many American campuses and the suitable pro-Israel response seems to be to host events accusing Muslims of being the dark forces of the universe.  That appears to be the origin of this pro-Israel campus event on May 15th.

Why is this so mysterious?  Because I can’t find any online record of this event.  I do know thanks to a tweet in his Twitter timeline that Zuhdi Jasser, at least, will be speaking on campus next week.  Jasser is the go-to figure for the pro-Israel neocon right whenever it needs a Muslim who excoriates other Muslims who aren’t sufficiently right-wing or patriotic.  He is a devout supporter of Israel and also supported the NYPD’s illegal surveillance of local Muslim community members.  Jasser also makes common cause with the Tea Party types and has publicly attacked Muslim Americans running for office as Democrats and engaged in Muslim baiting.  In short, Zuhdi Jasser is “our” sort of Muslim, a “moderate” one who can be counted on as a bulwark against the swarms of jihadist Muslims seeking to overrun western civilization.

StandWithUs’ speaker contract guarantees Jasser $4,250 for his May 15th campus appearance plus hotel and travel expenses. These fees will be jointly paid by SWU and Tritons for Israel. However, I found a UC San Diego student fund allocation for $4,280 for this event that went to Tritons for Israel. This may be funding Jasser or the other three speakers listed  Students at UDSD will be interested to know that their student fees are paying for an Islamophobic campus hate fest.

Interestingly, I’ve found no online reference to the event itself notifying anyone where or when it will be held.  I’m not even sure the conference for which funding was requested in April is still happening (though Jasser is certainly speaking).  My guess is the sponsors are trying to keep it under the radar so it won’t generate the off-campus visibility I’m trying to offer to it here. They’re probably trying to isolate the promotion to campus. But I hope the local Arab/Muslim community will find out about this shandeh and turn out en masse to let the community know that it won’t stand still and allow Islamophobes define them.

In researching this post, I discovered that another ersatz pro-Israel human rights group, the UK’s Henry Jackson Society has held confabs featuring the same name for the past few years. They’ve also produced an essay by that name, written by a pro-Israel Tory solicitor arguing that international human rights law as practiced in Europe is fahrkochteh and should be scrapped. Of course, what especially irks him is that Israeli generals and politicians with blood on their hands may be arrested and indicted for war crimes if they step foot on British soil.  This is yet another example of the international nexus of pro-Israel advocacy groups who take cover under the guise of human rights, but whose agenda is serving as a promoter of Israel’s nationalist agenda and an apologist for its faltering human rights record.

For more on Brigitte Gabriel, see: Brigitte Gabriel: A Case Study in Sincere Hypocrisy

For more on Walid Shoebat, see: Walid Shoebat

For more on Khaled Abu Toameh, see: Khaled Abu Toameh: Obsession for Hate

For more on Nonie Darwish, see: Nonie Darwish: Caught in a Pool of Lies

File Photo Republican Sahar Hekmati (right) and Stockbridge City Councilman Mark Alarcon (left) welcomed former U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell to Henry County, in 2011. Hekmati has filed suit against some in the Henry County Republican Party who have publicly accused her of being a criminal and a terrorist.

By Jason A. Smith, Henry Daily Herald

A Republican woman in Henry County is suing to clear her name, accusing some in her own party of branding her a criminal and a terrorist.

“It becomes physically, emotionally, and mentally draining, to attend a Henry County Republican Party meeting,” said Sahar Hekmati. “Everywhere I turn, someone’s calling me a terrorist.”

On a local television station, Hekmati was shown at a local Republican gathering, where the voices of females in the audience could be heard, saying, “She is a terrorist … she is a terrorist … she follows all the rules … She’s a felon.”

Hekmati, 37, of Ellenwood, has filed a lawsuit in Henry County Superior Court against five people — Eleanor Smith, Judy Peterson and Vicki Temple, as well as two unnamed individuals, to stop what she calls harassment.

The lawsuit, filed April 27, alleges the defendants, on multiple occasions, orally, and in writing, have accused Hekmati of being a criminal and a terrorist, and that they did so for the purpose of defaming, embarrassing and ridiculing her, according to litigation.

The court document charges the statements allegedly made by Smith, Peterson, Temple, and the two unidentified people, constitute libel and slander, and that Hekmati is entitled to general and punitive damages.

“The defamatory statements are false,” the lawsuit states. “[The] defendants acted maliciously, recklessly, and in bad faith.”

Attempts to reach Smith, Peterson and Temple by phone were unsuccessful Tuesday. In a report by a local television station, the three reportedly denied the charges through an attorney.

Hekmati came to the United States, in 1987, as an Afghan refugee, and has been heavily involved in local Republican politics in recent years. She is a former president of Henry County Republican Women organization, the current chairman of the 13th congressional district, and the current president of the Conservative Republican Women of Henry County.

Hekmati said she has suffered verbal abuse, over the last three years, from some in the Republican Women of Henry County, and the Henry County Republican Party.

“I’ve been called a terrorist,” she said. “I’ve been told they have called Homeland Security on me.”

Hekmati added that the harassment has escalated within the last year, from both men and women in the Henry County Republican Party.

“Enough is enough!” she said.

Henry County Republican Party Chairman Bill Herndon declined to be interviewed and did not answer questions about Hekmati’s case. Other Republicans in local government also declined comment.

Hekmati added some Republicans in Henry County recently took issue with her being appointed by District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes, a Democrat, to serve on a Citizens Budget Review Panel.

“That doesn’t mean you’re supporting a Democrat, or endorsing a Democrat,” said Hekmati. “I was honored that he asked me, because it showed that he was looking beyond party politics. I was looking for the best interests of not only my district, but my county. For them to use that against me is insulting!”

Hekmati said not long after working on the Citizens Budget Review Panel earlier this month, she was removed from the Henry County Republican Committee.

Holmes said partisan politics was not a factor in his decision to appoint Hekmati to the panel.

“In the fifth district, there are Republicans, Democrats and Independents, and I represent all of them,” said the commissioner. “I’ve worked with Sahar on a number of things, including giving to non-profit organizations in the county, and a third-grade dictionary project where we go out and purchase dictionaries and deliver them to third-graders. Sahar has been somebody that I’ve respected. … The reason I picked her is, she has been involved in the community, she cares about the community and this county.”

Commenting on statements allegedly made by the defendants in the lawsuit, Holmes said: “There is no place for those kinds of comments in this county, this state, or this country. It’s hurting the political process, and it doesn’t cast a very good light on us in this county.”

Hekmati said she wants an atmosphere of peace to return to the Henry County Republican Party, and to her personal life.

“My ultimate goal is not to have constant turmoil in my life,” she said. “I don’t want to be harassed. I want to be free to be a Republican in Henry County.”

The attorney representing Hekmati, John Sparks, said the alleged actions against his client amount to bigotry.

“Why defamation occurs really doesn’t matter,” said Sparks. “They accused her of being a felon, which isn’t true. They accused her of being a terrorist, which isn’t true … I don’t think it has anything to do with the Republican Party. It would be defamation regardless of the groups they were in.

“There are two kinds of relief she can get,” Sparks continued. “One is that these people stop defaming her. The other relief that’s available is monetary damages. It’s up to what a jury thinks is fair.”

Sparks said cases like Hekmati’s sometimes take a year or more to go to trial. He believes his client has a strong case against the defendants.

“These statements are on tape. Some of them are on the Internet,” said Sparks. “So yes, I feel like we have a very good case … They have 30 days to file a written answer with the court from service of the lawsuit.”

Original post: Afghan Republican woman sues for defamation