The Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage or SPEECH Act, passed by both the House and Senate and awaiting President Obama’s signature, prevents lawsuits brought against American writers in foreign courts from limiting free speech in America. “It protects authors, journalists, and publishers by preventing U.S. federal courts from acknowledging or enforcing a judgment in a foreign libel suit that goes against the First Amendment... The bill also empowers authors and publishers to clear their names by showing that a foreign judgment is not in line with American law, even when the foreign plaintiff has not tried to enforce the judgment in the United States.”
The Epoch Times
August 5, 2010
By Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld
Washington, D.C.
A bill to protect authors, journalists, and publishers from “libel tourism” recently passed both houses of Congress. The bill, known as the SPEECH Act, prevents lawsuits brought against American writers in foreign courts from limiting free speech in America. The Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage or SPEECH Act passed the Senate and House in July.
Libel tourism refers to bringing a defamation lawsuit in a foreign country that is unrelated to the published material and where protection of free speech is weaker than in the United States. The goal is usually to silence or intimidate the journalist or author. Recent defamation lawsuits in the U.K. and Canada brought against American authors spurred legislators to take action.
Director of the American Center for Democracy Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, who documents and publishes terrorist organization’s funding sources, has been campaigning for protection from the judgments of foreign courts. After she exposed how Saudi billionaire Khalid bin Mahfouz funded al-Qaeda, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations in her 2003 book "Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It," Mahfouz sued her for libel in London.
Bangladesh Bans Books Written by Radical Islamic Author
The Bangladeshi government has banned all books written by Syed Abul Ala Maududi, the founder of the Shariah-adherent Jamaat-e-Islami party. His books call for militancy, terrorism, and world domination by Islam.
In addition to security restrictions that it faces in many countries around the world, al-Qaeda has been facing another significant challenge for years from within the "jihadi" circles it tapped to recruit fighters. The challenge concerns the use of armed violence – and in many cases, indiscriminate violence – to achieve al-Qaeda's goals.
These disagreements are no longer limited to a particular group or country. They have expanded to include a wide mix of "jihadi groups" which have reviewed their ideas and ceased many of their past activities, which al-Qaeda is still carrying out.
The main rift within the circles of the so-called jihadi groups in the Arab world first appeared in the mid to late 1990s.
Illinois State Police Revoke Appointment of Muslim Chaplain Linked to US Muslim Brotherhood
The Illinois State Police has revoked the appointment of the agency’s first Muslim chaplain, who had evidently not gone through background checks. Kifah Mustapha, a Chicago-area imam, has ties to the Palestine Committee of the US Muslim Brotherhood. The Investigative Project on Terrorism also reported that Mustapha raised money for the Holy Land Foundation, a Shariah Charity that was shut down for funneling money to Hamas.
National media is reporting that the Illinois State Police has revoked the appointment of its first Muslim chaplain, likely as a result of his ties to the Palestine Committee of the US Muslim Brotherhood. According to the report:
CHICAGO — The Illinois State Police has revoked the appointment of the agency's first Muslim chaplain, citing only information revealed during a background check. A national Muslim advocacy group Wednesday blamed the move on Islamophobia. Kifah Mustapha, a Chicago-area imam, was appointed the agency's first Muslim chaplain in December. Community groups had praised Mustapha's appointment as a nod to the growing diversity among the agency's nearly 2,000 officers.
But within days, the appointment came under criticism from the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a Washington-based think tank. The group alleged that Mustapha was linked to the Palestine Committee of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, a popular movement in the Muslim world that advocates the formation of Islamic governments in the Middle East. It also alleged he raised money for the Holy Land Foundation, a now-defunct Islamic charity whose founders were sentenced last year for funneling money to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The group cited internal documents and a list of unindicted co-conspirators. Mustapha hasn't been charged with any crimes. Messages left Wednesday for Mustapha weren't immediately returned. According to a statement from the Illinois State Police, after Mustapha underwent training in December and was issued state identification and a bulletproof vest, it was discovered that he had not undergone background checks required to serve in the volunteer position. Mustapha's appointment was rescinded Friday, but that action wasn't publicly disclosed until late Tuesday after media inquiries. "Due to information revealed during the background investigation, Sheikh Kifah Mustapha's appointment as a volunteer ISP Chaplain has been denied," ISP spokesman Master Sgt. Isaiah Vega said in an e-mail. "Specific details of background investigations are confidential and cannot be discussed." Vega declined to say whether there was a connection between the think tank's allegations and Mustapha's dismissal.But the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Chicago, which is representing Mustapha, said the imam was told that was why his appointment was put on hold.
A divided Supreme Court has ruled the government's power to criminalize "material support" of a terrorist organization is constitutionally permissible.
The 6-3 ruling preserves a key provision of the 2001 Patriot Act, amid claims it threatens the free-speech rights of Americans who would assist non-violent activities of certain militant and terror groups.
