Middle East Forum Reports CAIR Misstates the Facts About Sen. Arlen Specter

PHILADELPHIA, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Senator Arlen Specter had to withdraw as
a speaker at a conference on "Libel Lawfare" hosted by the Middle East Forum
(http://www.meforum.org/) today in Washington, D.C., along with the Federalist
Society, the Center for National Security Law and the Thomas Jefferson Center
for the Protection of Free Expression.

In light of an inaccurate and misleading press release issued by the Council
on American-Islamic Relations, several points need to be clarified regarding
Specter's actions, as well as the nature of the conference itself.

First, Senator Specter withdrew from the conference two days prior to the
circulation of an online CAIR petition demanding he do so.

Second, Senator Specter remains one of the sponsors of the Free Speech
Protection Act and, as such, remains a stalwart defender of free speech.

Third, the senator's office confirmed that the petition circulated by CAIR had
nothing to do with his change in plans. As James Taranto wrote for the Wall
Street Journal, "As for Specter, his backing out of the conference could not
have been a direct response to the CAIR petition, since the former predated
the latter."

Fourth, CAIR's press release is incorrect in several ways:

1. The conference is not an anti-Islam event, but addresses the phenomenon
of libel lawfare, being waged by Islamists who seek to censor
discussion
of Islam, radical Islam, terrorism, and the sources of terrorist
funding.
2. CAIR alleges that the conference is based on the premise that
"American Muslims are involved in a concerted effort to suppress
free speech by misusing the American legal system." This is
CAIR's fantasy, not a view held by the conference organizers.

Fifth, CAIR is demonstrating, once again, why such a conference as this one,
protecting free speech from Islamists, is necessary. Again citing the Wall
Street Journal:

We do not have a strong opinion as to whether, as CAIR puts it,
"American Muslims are involved in a concerted effort to suppress free
speech on Islam." Running a petition to pressure an elected official not
to participate in a conference on the subject would seem, however, to
fit that description.

For those unable to attend the conference, its proceedings will be recorded
and made available to the public.

For more information about Islamist lawfare, please visit the Legal Project's
website, http://www.legal-project.org

SOURCE Legal Project, Middle East Forum

Brooke Goldstein, Goldstein@MEForum.org; or Dean Draznin Communications,
+1-323-397-2647