Video Campaign Urges U.S. to "See Something, Say Something" About Anti-Islam Bigotry

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http://news.yahoo.com/video-campaign-ur ... 00630.html

Video Campaign Urges U.S. to "See Something, Say Something" About Anti-Islam Bigotry


By Tom McKay March 26, 2016

A new video campaign seeks to turn the "see something, say something" mantra on its head

Released by progressive nonprofit People For the American Way this week, the 49-second advertisement urges viewers to "pledge that when I see anti-Muslim bigotry, I'll call it out and make clear that religious discrimination has never been the American way."

The video features several staged examples of suggested interventions, all of which challenge hateful rhetoric about Arabs and Muslims.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... 2kqXrFKZVo

"Anti-Islam bigotry doesn't just fly in the face of fundamental American values, it leads to real violence against Muslim-Americans and immigrants," PFAW President Michael Keegan said in a statement on the group's web site. "Every one of us has a responsibility to speak up against bigotry, and our campaign calls on Americans to pledge to do just that."

At a time when the tide of public opinion is turning against them, U.S. Muslims would probably appreciate the goodwill.

Both front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination, real estate billionaire Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have endorsed harsh measures against Muslims in the wake of Islamic State terror attacks in Europe and the the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. ideologically linked to the group. Trump has called for a ban on all Muslim entry to the country, while Cruz recently said the U.S. should "empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized."

Polling has shown widespread anti-Islam sentiments across the country. One poll, taken in North Carolina in late 2015, found 40% of Republican voters believe the religion should be illegal to practice in the United States.

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IF I SEE SOMETHING,
I'LL SAY SOMETHING.
RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION IS NOT THE AMERICAN WAY.

ABOUT THE PLEDGE

In recent months, we’ve witnessed a dangerous uptick in ugly bigotry aimed at Muslim Americans, as well as Muslim refugees fleeing violence in Syria and other regions. No person should be singled out for discrimination or harassment because of their faith—or their lack thereof. This rhetoric isn’t just deeply un-American—it’s dangerous. We’ve seen that hateful rhetoric can lead to physical violence and intimidation.

We won’t tolerate those who inflame anti-Muslim bigotry and we won’t stay silent. You shouldn’t either. Whether it’s in a presidential campaign or a personal conversation, we’re asking all Americans to stand up and call out hateful and offensive anti-Muslim rhetoric. Make it clear that you believe all people, regardless of faith, have a place in our nation and that you’re willing to speak up for that principle.

THAT'S NOT THE AMERICAN WAY.

Now can you share this with others using the buttons under the video?

Source: https://standagainstbigotry.com

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EXPOSING ANTI-MUSLIM EXTREMISM

Right-Wing Activist Warns Foreclosed Homes Will Soon House 100 Million Muslim Refugees
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/r ... Cyeio.dpuf

End Times Radio Host Warns 'Islamic Males' Are Walking Down Streets
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/e ... rd5bb.dpuf

The GOP's Islamophobia Problem Is Much Bigger Than Donald Trump
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/g ... zwn8k.dpuf

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In Time of Crisis, Too Many Politicians Feed Fear and Scapegoating
http://blog.pfaw.org/content/time-crisi ... apegoating

Republican Presidential Candidates: End Your Campaigns of Hate
http://blog.pfaw.org/content/republican ... aigns-hate

PFAW, CODEPINK and Allies Speak Out Against Trump
http://blog.pfaw.org/content/pfaw-code- ... inst-trump

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll3TzdvJVxM

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Ted Cruz Faulted for Adviser With Anti-Islam Views

By Alan Rappeport
March 19, 2016


Senator Ted Cruz in Miami last week.Credit Eric Thayer for The New York Times

Senator Ted Cruz came under fire on Thursday after unveiling a list of national security advisers that included Frank Gaffney Jr., a former member of the Reagan administration who is now best known for holding extreme views about Islam.

Mr. Gaffney was introduced as part of a “high profile” coalition of experts that will offer Mr. Cruz counsel on foreign policy. The inclusion of Mr. Gaffney, who once wrote an op-ed in The Washington Times suggesting that President Obama is Muslim, raised eyebrows among many who consider him to be a fringe conspiracy theorist.

“It’s a terrible mistake for anyone to seek advice from Frank Gaffney on matters of foreign policy or much of anything else for that matter,” said Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “His world is one of conspiracy, where the Muslim Brotherhood is infiltrating the highest reaches of our government and our country is on the verge of adopting Shariah law.”

The announcement came as Mr. Cruz is desperately trying to make up ground against Donald J. Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Mr. Trump has yet to reveal who advises him on foreign policy, claiming this week that “I’m speaking to myself” on the subject.

In tapping Mr. Gaffney, who now runs the Center for Security Policy think tank, Mr. Cruz is utilizing the same expert that Mr. Trump cited when proposing a moratorium on Muslim immigration last year. Mr. Trump pointed to a Center for Security Policy poll that found a quarter of all Muslims thought that violence against Americans in the United States is justified as a part of global jihad. He was criticized at the time for justifying a controversial policy with a dubious survey.

Mr. Gaffney was respected for his foreign policy views in the 1980s when he rose to a senior position in President Ronald Reagan’s Defense Department. More recently, however, he has been shunned for adopting what some have called extremist positions.

In 2010 he mused that the Obama administration might have morphed Mr. Obama’s campaign logo with an Islamic crescent to create a new logo for the Missile Defense Agency. The following year he was barred from the Conservative Political Action Conference for suggesting that two of its board members were working with the Muslim Brotherhood.

“This alliance with Frank Gaffney shows that there is literally no right-wing activist too extreme or too bizarre for Ted Cruz,” said Michael Keegan, president of People for the American Way, an equal rights advocacy group.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, also took issue with Mr. Gaffney’s role and called on Mr. Cruz to reconsider the selection.

“By choosing infamous Islamophobes as foreign policy advisers, Senator Cruz indicates that he subscribes to their conspiratorial worldview and to the anti-Muslim bigotry that would inevitably shape their policy recommendations,” said Nihad Awad, CAIR’s national executive director. “We ask Senator Cruz to drop any adviser who has a past history of promoting conspiracy theories or religious bigotry.”

The Cruz campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-d ... p=cur&_r=0

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The Growing List Of Anti-Islam Incidents Since Paris

BY JACK JENKINS DEC 1, 2015 9:04 AM



The United States has seen an “unprecedented” spike in Islamophobia since the tragic terrorist attacks struck Paris, France on November 13, 2015, with Muslims all over the country falling victim to shootings, personal assaults, harassment, protests, and attacks on their houses of worship.

According to the Center for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the horrific mass murder in Paris — perpetrated by people claiming affiliation with the militant group ISIS — has sparked a widespread backlash against Muslims in the U.S., even though virtually every major Islamic group in the country condemned the attacks. CAIR, a Muslim civil rights group, published a preliminary report on the wave of hatred in late November, with a growing wave incidents occurring since then.

Using CAIR’s report and our own research, ThinkProgress has compiled an incomplete list below of anti-Muslim attacks and incidents that have occurred in the United States since the Paris attacks. Although our list of 27 46 51 69 70 incidents includes violent attacks, threats, assaults, protests, airport profiling, and instances of vandalism, it does not include the sharp rise in Islamophobic political rhetoric coming from Republican presidential candidates such as Donald Trump, nor does it include Republican and Democratic governors who are refusing to accept Syrian refugees on the grounds that they could be ISIS agents — a response some argue is Islamophobic. It also excludes harder-to-track everyday instances of Islamophobia, such Muslim schoolchildren who are labeled as terrorists by teachers and fellow students.

Note: We are updating our list and map as more incidents occur. Last updated: 3/23/2016

• • • • Anti-Islam Incidents Since Paris

See the full list here: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/1 ... nce-paris/