FL Attorney General Agrees to Muslim Advisory Group

Agreement follows controversy over 'propaganda' film shown to staffers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a meeting today with
state and national Islamic leaders in Tallahassee, Florida, Attorney General
Bill McCollum agreed to establish a Muslim community advisory group.

Today's meeting came following a controversy in which McCollum's office
reportedly directed staff throughout the state to view the controversial
anti-Islam film "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West." The film
includes interviews with infamous Islamophobes like Nonie Darwish, Walid
Shoebat, Daniel Pipes, and Steven Emerson.

During the meeting with representatives of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the ACLU of
Florida, and the Florida Muslim Bar Association, McCollum also agreed to offer
educational programs on Islam and Muslims to his staff and to help build
better relations between the Muslim community and law enforcement agencies.

"The challenge for all state and federal law enforcement agencies is to treat
Muslim Americans as partners in keeping our country safe," said MPAC Executive
Director Salam al-Marayati, who took part in today's meeting. "Reliance on
propagandistic films like 'Obsession' is an obstacle to that objective."

"We commend Attorney General McCollum for taking the time to meet with us and
to address our concerns by creating a Muslim advisory group," said CAIR-Tampa
Executive Director Ahmed Bedier, another meeting participant.

Interfaith leaders who took part in the hour-long meeting with the attorney
general included Rabbi Steven Jacobs and Rev. Dr. Sandra Hulse. "We ought to
be obsessed with the truth, not distortions that lead to demonization and
hatred of any group," said Rabbi Jacobs following the meeting.

Critics of the "Obsession" film say it offers an inflammatory portrayal of
Islam and stigmatizes all Muslims as potential terrorists.

SEE: McCollum, Muslims to Discuss Film (St. Petersburg Times)
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/12/State/McCollum__Muslims_to_.shtml

Nonie Darwish once wrote that "Islam is cruel, anti-women, anti-religious
freedom and anti-personal freedom in general." Walid Shoebat 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). He was also quoted as saying: "What was in [Islam's
Prophet] Mohammed...was Satan."

Shoebat's claims of being a former terrorist have been questioned by academic
experts, most recently following his speaking appearance last week at an Air
Force Academy conference on terrorism. Critics say Shoebat, who tells
audiences "I am a proud Islamophobe," is an evangelical Christian who falsely
claims to be a former Muslim terrorist.

SEE; "Speakers at Academy Said to Make False Claims" (New York Times, 2/7/08)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/us/07muslim.html

In 2001, Daniel Pipes claimed the "presence" and "enfranchisement" of American
Muslims present "true dangers to American Jews." Pipes once wrote on his
website: "Yes, I do support the internment of Japanese Americans in World War
II."

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations

Ahmed Bedier, Executive Director of CAIR-Tampa, +1-813-731-9506,
abedier@cair.com; or Edina Lekovic of MPAC, +1-213-383-3443,
communications@mpac.org