CAIR: Head of Racist Group to Bash Islam at Congressional Briefing

CAIR asks Georgia representative to add balancing perspective to biased panel

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) today called on Rep. Paul C. Broun (R-GA) to add a balancing
perspective to an upcoming congressional briefing on Islamic finance that
features a presentation by the head of a racist anti-Muslim group. (SEE:
http://broun.house.gov)

Broun recently circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter inviting fellow
representatives and their staff to attend the briefing, titled "The Truth
Behind Sharia/Islamic Finance," on Thursday in the Rayburn House Office
Building.

Rep. Broun's invitation letter claims Islamic finance "violates U.S. laws" and
"has supported Islamist extremists and sponsors of terrorism." The afternoon
briefing features two individuals known for their hostility to Islam and
Muslims.

One of the presenters, David Yerushalmi, is the president and founder of the
Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE), a group that has advocated
imposing prison terms for "adherence to Islam" and questions whether women and
African-Americans should be allowed to vote.

In February of last year, Yerushalmi's group offered a policy proposal that
stated in part:

"Whereas, adherence to Islam as a Muslim is prima facie evidence of an act in
support of the overthrow of the U.S. Government through the abrogation,
destruction, or violation of the U.S. Constitution and the imposition of
Shari'a on the American People...It shall be a felony punishable by 20 years
in prison to knowingly act in furtherance of, or to support the, adherence to
Islam." (The final reference to "adherence to Islam" has since been changed to
"adherence to Shari'a" in the text.)

SEE: A SANE Act to Deal with the Islamic Threat to America's National
Existence http://www.saneworks.us/SANE-Immigration-Proposal-article-379-1.htm

Other articles on the SANE website make racist statements such as: "There is a
reason the founding fathers did not give women or black slaves the right to
vote."

SEE: On Race: A Tentative Discussion, Part II
http://www.saneworks.us/On-Race-A-Tentative-Discussion-Part-II-article-64-25.htm

Another SANE article states: "Race matters and affects your intelligence. Jews
are the smartest white people around. Orientals smarter than Whites. Latinos
next. Then Blacks."

SEE: Here is a Long 4-part Series on the Genetics of IQ and Race
http://www.saneworks.us/Here-is-a-long-4part-series-on-the-genetics-of-IQ-and-race-newsblog-2138.htm

The New York Jewish Week newspaper reported last year that Yerushalmi
"condemns democracy in the United States and, in comments that evoke classical
anti-Semitic stereotypes, says he finds truth in the view that Jews 'destroy
their host nations like a fatal parasite.'" (8/24/07)

SEE: Tables Turn On Arab School Critics
http://jewishweek.org/news/newscontent.php3?artid=14445

In a March 2, 2006, article for The American Spectator, Yerushalmi wrote:
"Muslim civilization is at war with Judeo-Christian civilization...The Muslim
peoples, those committed to Islam as we know it today, are our enemies."

Yerushalmi also claimed to be the attorney for Alex Alexiev, the other speaker
on Thursday's congressional panel and one of the producers of the
controversial PBS documentary "Islam vs. Islamists."

The taxpayer-supported documentary linked to the founder of SANE has been
criticized as agenda-driven and biased. An article in the Arizona Republic
newspaper quoted the executive producer for the PBS series that funded the
documentary as saying the film had "serious structural problems (and)...was
irresponsible because the writing was alarmist." (4/10/07)

SEE: Producer: PBS Dropped 'Islam vs. Islamists' on Political Grounds
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0410crossroads0410.html

"Any fair presentation of Islamic finance should exclude those who hold racist
or anti-Muslim views and include actual experts on Islam," said CAIR National
Legislative Director Corey Saylor. "Elected officials deserve accurate and
unbiased information, not thinly-veiled bigotry."

On January 23, Saylor will host an event at the National Press Club in
Washington, D.C., on the exploitation of Islamophobia by some candidates in
the 2008 elections.

SEE: CAIR to Host Event on Exploitation of Islamophobia in Elections
http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=777&&ArticleID=24062&&name=n&&currPage=1http://www.saneworks.us/Here-is-a-long-4part-series-on-the-genetics-of-IQ-and-race-newsblog-2138.htm

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 33 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 Legislative Director Corey Saylor, +1-202-384-8857,
csaylor@cair.com

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations

Corey Saylor, National Legislative Director of CAIR, +1-202-384-8857,
csaylor@cair.com; Ahmed Rehab, Media Relations Director of CAIR,
+1-202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Amina Rubin, Communications Coordinator of
CAIR, +1-202-488-8787, arubin@cair.com