Ayaan Hirsi Ali (photo: Wikimedia)

[COMMENTARY] On last week’s Declaring Independence I had the privilege of doing a brief interview of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the extraordinarily brave Somali-born woman who works diligently to fight against the barbaric practices of radical Islam. You can listen to that interview here.

Hirsi Ali’s story is a remarkable one. She was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, into a Muslim family. At the age of 5, she was forced to undergo a clitorectomy, sometimes called a female circumcision. She was later pledged in an arranged marriage to a distant cousin, which she objected to and fled to avoid. She eventually made her way to the Netherlands where, unsurprisingly, she became a powerful advocate of women’s rights.

She ran into controversy when it was revealed that she had lied on her application for political asylum in that country, which she fully admits to doing. It was necessary, she says, to make her already bad situation seem even worse at the time in order to ensure that her application for asylum would be granted. After the resulting fallout, she emigrated to the United States, where she now lives and works as a scholar with the American Enterprise Institute.

One of the issues that we discussed in our interview was the need for the left in this country to take the lead in advancing a strong and coherent critique of radical Islam. I have long detected a split on the left over this issue, a split between what I call the rationalist left and the relativist left. The relativist left often downplays the barbarism of radical Islam or fails to speak out against it as strongly as, for example, it does against the actions and beliefs of the religious right in America.

Let us start with a few indisputable facts. First, let us acknowledge that radical Islam is the most anti-liberal ideology in the world today. This ideology demeans women in a thousand different ways, denying them an education and anything like freedom or equality. It demands the public stoning of gays and lesbians. It inflicts the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy. It is hard to imagine an ideology more contrary to the ideals of freedom and equality.

Second, let us make very clear that this is not an indictment of all Muslims. Like any large religion, there is not one Islam but many Islams. Some forms of Islam have been humanized by the acceptance and integration of liberal democratic ideas into the larger religion, just as the Enlightenment did the same to most forms of Christianity in the West.

Some of the most powerful voices against the barbarism of the radicals come from Muslim scholars like Muqtedar Khan and Louay Safi of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy. And they speak to and for a larger Muslim community that is really no different from the rest of us in seeking a peaceful and just society. Their work is important, and we must embrace it rather than ignore it.

Third, let us recognize that there are voices on the left making this case and that this is not a criticism of all liberals by any means. Christopher Hitchens, for example, has been outspoken both in his attacks on radical Islam and his embrace of moderate Muslims fighting against that radicalism. And while I did not agree with his support of the war in Iraq, which I think fueled the very radicalism that we both oppose, I think he is correct in recognizing both the philosophical and practical danger of that twisted ideology.

But there are others who downplay that threat in various ways. We saw it, for example, in the reaction of author John Le Carre to the Iranian fatwa against Salman Rushdie for writing “The Satanic Verses.” He declared that “there is no law in life or nature that says great religions may be insulted with impunity” and that “there is no absolute standard of free speech in any society.” He further claimed that Rushdie was being “colonialist” by portraying himself as an innocent victim of the fatwa on his life.

We saw it also in the reaction of some on the left to the publishing of those infamous caricatures in a Danish newspaper. One of the most popular liberal bloggers wrote that the publishing of those cartoons was nothing more than “an insult to inflame a poor minority” and that he didn’t have “any sympathy for a newspaper carrying out an exercise in pointless provocation.”

But this is muddled relativism at its most silly. Those caricatures were pointed criticism of the tendency of radical Islam to respond to such criticism with violence; the fact that the response from radical Islamists was to threaten the lives of the artists and firebomb embassies around the world shows both the importance and the accuracy of such criticism.

Unfortunately, the loudest and most prominent voices in critiquing radical Islam in this country are primarily from the right. Indeed, that is where Ali, who describes herself as a liberal, has found most of her support in this country and why she is employed by a right-wing think tank. This is not a good thing, in my view.

The left must take the lead in making a strong critique of radical Islam and a strong defense of liberal democratic ideals because if we allow the right to do so, that critique will inevitably be intertwined with notions of Christian chauvinism, American exceptionalism, and, in some cases, with imperialism, xenophobia and racism as well. We can and must make those arguments because we can do so in a coherent manner, not bundled up with other noxious views that present their own danger to liberal ideals.

There is no need for any mushy relativism here. The ideology and practice of radical Islam is morally repugnant. The abuse of women and the opposition to freedom and equality are nothing short of barbaric, and we need not mince our words in opposing them. The ideals of a society that respects freedom and equality really are better, they really are worth defending, and progressives should be on the front lines of that battle.

The Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group with an office in Southfield, Mich., has asked the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to investigate whether the distributor of millions of copies of an anti-terrorism DVD is a front for right-wing Israel-based groups trying to help Republican presidential candidate John McCain. If so, that could be a violation of campaign law, since foreign nations are not allowed to attempt to influence American elections.

Millions of DVD copies of the film “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against The West” were delivered recently to the doorsteps of potential voters in November’s upcoming presidential election between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, via their Sunday newspapers through an advertising purchase by a shadowy group called the Clarion Fund. The Clarion Fund is secretive about its funding, but is staffed, the Detroit Free Press reports, by former employees of Aish HaTorah International, a Jewish educational organization based in Jerusalem. The Clarion Fund denies an official, direct connection to Aish HaTorah.

The distribution, which began last week with inserts in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, the Lansing State Journal and others, follows highly visible giveaways of the “Obsession” DVD at the Democratic and Republican parties’ conventions.

The 60-minute documentary showcases scenes of Muslim children being encouraged to become suicide bombers, interspersed with shots of Nazi rallies. “The threat of Radical Islam is the most important issue facing us today,” reads the sleeve of the DVD. ”But it’s a topic that neither the presidential candidates nor the media are discussing openly. It’s our responsibility to ensure we can all make an informed vote in November.”

CAIR refers us to a report in the Detroit Free Press:

“In its complaint, CAIR cites New York Secretary of State records showing that three people who incorporated Clarion Fund also are employees or have been employees of Aish HaTorah International, a Jerusalem-based Jewish educational organization that has offices around the world.

“American voters deserve to know whether they are the targets of a multimillion-dollar campaign funded and directed by a foreign group seeking to whip up anti-Muslim hysteria as a way to influence the outcome of our presidential election,” Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, said in a statement.

The three named as those who incorporated Clarion Fund and also employees of Aish Ha Torah are Obsession’s producer, Raphael Shore, Clarion spokesman Gregory Ross as a former employee of Aish Ha Torah, and Ari Morgenstern, spokesman for the Endowment for Middle East Truth, which is a partner with the Clarion Fund in “The Obsession Project.”

According to a report from Talking Points Memo:

The Clarion Fund was founded by filmmaker Raphael Shore, in partnership with the right-wing Israeli organization Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET). Since these organizations are 501(c)(3) non-profits, it would be illegal for them to use the DVD as an express effort to win people’s votes — but they can embark on educational campaigns. 

A representative of EMET, Ari Morgenstern, reportedly told a reporter from the Rome-based Inter Press Service that the film was an initiative of EMET. The Web site for EMET denies that statement, though EMET does support and endorse “Obsession.”

The Detroit Free Press rejected the Clarion Fund’s request to distribute the “Obsession” DVD, and issued the following statement:

“For more than 100 years, the metro Detroit area has been a melting pot of ethnic backgrounds. The complex diversity adds greatly to the culture and quality of life that metro Detroiters enjoy. An oft overlooked fact is that the Motor City is also home to the largest contingent of Muslims and descendants of the Middle East outside of the Middle East.

It is with that fact in mind that the Detroit Free Press decided to reject the Clarion Fund’s request to insert the DVD, ‘Obsession: Radical Islam’s War against the West’ to home delivery subscribers earlier this month. It would have been potentially divisive and counterproductive to the good work local Arab and Muslim organizations and individuals are doing to contribute to the rebirth of Detroit and Southeast Michigan.”

Rich Harshbarger
VP/Consumer Marketing
Detroit Media Partnership

Mike Lloyd, Editor of The Grand Rapids Press, recently defended his decision to include the DVDs for distribution in an article titled “Free speech or smear tactic? DVD ignites debate”:

“Wrong or right, we were influenced by the boldly stated words at both the beginning and end of the DVD. The opening line was: This film is about radical Islam terrorism. It’s important to remember that most Muslims do not support terror. This is not a film about them.”

But to Prof. Ali Metwalli, who teaches in the business school at Western Michigan University, the caveats are not effective. “I do not accept that this is not a broad attack on all Muslims. The little remarks at the beginning and at the end of the DVD get lost. What you retain are the strong feelings created by the pictures of horror that dominate the middle.”

As a college professor, he fervently believes in academic freedom. “I will fight for that to no end. But I do not want to be tarnished by nor do I want my children tarnished by what 19 very bad men did on 9/11.”

Metwalli, who has resided in Grand Rapids since 1980, said he is one of “many Muslims with successful lives and careers here. Ninety-five percent of us — at least — don’t think the plane hijackers are practicing Muslims. They are just using our faith. Under Islam, you cannot kill or hurt any other human being. That places you in hell forever. God gives life. God takes life. Nobody else.”

The Lansing State Journal reportedly distributed the DVDs, but did not return calls requesting a statement at the time of this publication. However, the Lansing State Journal’s operator did tell Michigan Messenger that they had been inundated with phone calls from customers since the distribution.

Who or what is the Clarion Fund?

The Clarion Fund is a non-profit group created “to educate Americans about issues of national security,” according to its Web site. The staff and organizational information of the group is not listed on the Web site, nor is there source of funding. Gregory Ross, who identifies himself as the communications director for Clarion Fund, stated in a recent interview, “the film was financed by a concerned citizen who has a long-standing relationship with our organization. The cost was under $500,000 and it took over a year to complete.” Ross also said that, “the U.S. Department of the Navy uses the film and that it has also been shown on Capitol Hill on many occasions in order to education politicians.”

In yet another report, Ross claims that the movie was not intended to sway voters to one candidate over the other, and that its focus on a swing state was an effort to get the attention of reporters in swing states. “If we were to distribute only in Hawaii and Maine, the press would be like, ‘Look we’re in Pennsylvania, we’re in Florida, we’re not covering something in Hawaii now,” Ross explained in an interview with Election Central.

Because it was established only recently, the Clarion Fund has not yet filed its first required disclosure (Form 990) with the IRS. It is not disclosing its officers.

The address Clarion used to satisfy The New York Times’ requirement that political or opinion advertisements include the advertiser’s contact information — 255 West 36th St., Suite 800, in Manhattan — turns out to be Grace Corporate Park Executive Suites, an office-space rental operation that also rents “virtual office identity packages” for as little as $75 a month.

The Clarion Fund’s only previously known address was that of its incorporator, New York attorney Eli Greenberg, on Madison Avenue. Gregory Ross said the Fund was based in New York and California.

Reports the Harrisburg Patriot News:

A spokesman with the New York City-based Clarion Fund — which this month distributed through newspapers and the mail 28 million copies of its 2005 documentary about ‘radical Islam’ — acknowledged it might have crossed the line with some postings on its Web site.

Clarion Fund has removed from its site articles that could be considered an endorsement for Republican presidential candidate John McCain, spokesman Gregory Ross said, to ensure the fund doesn’t violate its tax-exempt status.

“Being a [nonprofit] means we have to play certain rules,” Ross said. “The organization is solely focused on militant Islam, and we want America to be safe and feel safe. We don’t have a political agenda. … We’re trying to prevent another 9/11 from occurring.”

An IRS spokesman would not comment about Clarion Fund’s Web site, but referred to an IRS publication explaining the law on nonprofits and the Internet.

The tax code allows 501(c)(3) nonprofits — which include religious, educational and charitable organizations — to engage in voter registration drives and voter education, but they are not supposed to work on behalf of candidates. A group’s Web site falls under those rules.

“Because the linked content may … change over time, an organization may reduce the risk of political campaign intervention by monitoring the linked content and adjusting the links accordingly,” the IRS states.

WatchObsession.org

Yet another distributor of the “Obsession” DVD, Tom Trento, said in a recent report:

Tom Trento, who heads WatchObsession.org, the group that distributed the movie at the Democratic and Republican parties’ nominating conventions, told JewsOnFirst that their goal is to awaken the country — to get everyone in the country to watch the video before the election so everyone can “see the insidious nature of radical Islam.” Trento said that his group’s Web site then directs viewers of the video to “a scorecard that shows how elected officials have voted” on terrorism-related issues so they can decide “how they can intelligently vote” in November.

Clarion Fund’s Ross and Watch Obsession’s Trenton both confirm yet another video to be released in October, “The Third Jihad,” which will have a “limited” theatrical release, to be followed by Internet DVD sales.

The following video is a clip of the DVD “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” that is being distributed this month in newspapers in Michigan, and across the nation:

There’s also a clip of the film “The Third Jihad” available online at YouTube.