 By Jamie Glazov
Today’s guest for Frontpage Interview is Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, Director of the American Center for Democracy.
A Ph.D. in criminology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ehrenfed focuses on the Saudi penetration of and influence on the U.S. economy, and on the economic warfare against the U.S. and the West. She has published hundreds of articles and three books on these issues. Her last book Funding Evil; How Terrorism is Financed – and How to Stop It, also identified the funders of terrorism. The expose was not to the liking of Saudi billionaire Khalid bin Mahfouz, who sued Ehrenfeld for libel in London. Ehrenfeld is only one of more than 40 writers and publishers who were sued or threatened with a suit in London by Mahfouz. Ehrenfeld alone challenged him and countersued him in the U.S.
Ehrenfeld’s insistence the British libel laws cannot be enforced in the NY state led to new legislation in several states in the U.S. and to the Free Speech Protection Act 2009, now pending before Congress. Her actions shed light on the insidious efforts particularly in the United Kingdom, where plaintiff- friendly libel laws and judges made London into the Mecca of Libel Tourism and the hub from which to undermine American writers’ and publishers’ free speech rights Source: H/T:
By Jamie Glazov Frontpage Interview's guest today is Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, director of the American Center for the Democracy and author of Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed - and How to Stop It. She has written several other books and hundreds of articles. A frequent guest on radio and TV programs, she is the incentive for new legislation to protect Americans free speech rights from foreigners who sue them overseas, to silence them. Visit her site at acdemocracy.org. FP: Rachel Ehrenfeld, welcome to Frontpage Interview. RE: Thank you, Jamie. FP: We’re here today to discuss your success in getting "Rachel's Law" - The Libel Terrorism Protection Act - passed by the New York Legislature last May, and the Free Speech Protection Act, about to be introduced to Congress. In fact, Libel Tourism is the topic of a Congressional hearing being held this week by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). Please remind us what Libel Tourism is. Read more ...Source: FrontPage Magazine
 By Deborah Weiss There are many forms of terrorism, and violence is just one of them. The non-violent, incremental strategies used to achieve the Muslim Brotherhood’s goal to “sabotage the west from within” are more insidious and more likely to be successful than violence. Though non-violent radicalism takes many forms, one of the most dangerous forms is the effort to stifle free speech through the use of foreign defamation law suits. A main case in point is that of Rachel Ehrenfeld. She is an Israeli-American counter-terrorism expert, and is internationally recognized. In 2003, she authored the book, Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop it. In it, she asserted that Khalid bin Mahfouz, a Saudi banker and billionaire helped finance Al Qaeda. To support her claim, she cited official government documents from France, Britain, and the United States. Rachel’s book was written, published, and distributed in America, and was targeting an American audience. However, through the Internet, approximately 23 books were sold in the United Kingdom. This was sufficient for British courts to acknowledge jurisdiction when Mahfouz decided to sue Rachel for defamation in the British courts. Read more ...Source: FrontPage Magazine
U.S House Takes First Step to Protect Free Speech Against "Libel Tourists" Washington, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 6146, crucial legislation that will protect American citizens from foreign libel judgments that undermine their fundamental First Amendment free speech rights. Dr. Ehrenfeld knows first-hand the effects of this destructive practice of forum shopping. She was sued in Britain, where the libel laws are plaintiff friendly, by Saudi billionaire Khalid Salim bin Mahfouz for alleging in her book Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It, that he funded al-Qaeda.
Rep. Peter King, who initiated the federal legislation agrees with Dr. Ehrenfeld, stating that although he supports H.R. 6146, “this bill does not go far enough nor does it resolve the problem of “libel tourism.” Even Rep. Cohen, the author of H.R. 6146, acknowledged his bill is not enough to “ address libel tourism,” and stated on the floor of the House that he is “committed to working with Mr. King to push for a public hearing… which advances additional measures to address libel tourism.”
Indeed, the ACLU, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, the PEN American Center, the Families of the 9/11 victims, and many others support the Free Speech Protection Act, 2008, sponsored by Senators Arlen Specter, Joseph Lieberman and Chuck Schumer, and Rep. Peter King. Source: Shariah Finance Watch
 By Adam Cohen When Rachel Ehrenfeld wrote "Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It," she assumed she would be protected by the First Amendment. She was in the United States. But a wealthy Saudi businessman she accused in the book of being a funder of terrorism, Khalid bin Mahfouz, sued in Britain, where the libel laws are heavily weighted against journalists, and won a sizable amount of money. The lawsuit is a case of what legal experts are calling "libel tourism." Ms. Ehrenfeld is an American, and "Funding Evil" was never published in Britain. But at least 23 copies of the book were sold online, opening the door for the lawsuit. When Ms. Ehrenfeld decided not to defend the suit in Britain, Mr. bin Mahfouz won a default judgment and is now free to sue to collect in the United States. The upshot is a First Amendment loophole. In the Internet age, almost every American book can be bought in Britain. That means American authors are subject to being sued under British libel law, which in some cases puts the initial burden on the defendant to prove the truth of what she has written. British libel law is so tilted against writers that the United Nations Human Rights Committee criticized it last month for discouraging discussion of important matters of public interest. Read more ...Source: The New York Times
 By Andrew C. McCarthy
Last spring, legislators in New York State joined with the governor, David Paterson, in passing a law entitled the Libel Tourism Protection Act. The act has a narrow focus. It empowers the state’s courts to invalidate a judgment of libel or defamation against a writer or publisher who resides or does business in New York, so long as that judgment was obtained in a country that affords writers and publishers a lesser degree of free-speech protection than does the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Though the law does not say so explicitly, it was passed without much controversy because a writer in New York State was in danger of being driven into penury by one of the world’s richest men—a Saudi banker with Irish citizenship who has undertaken to intimidate and silence writers, editors, and publishers daring to examine his role in the murky world of Islamic charitable giving. Over the past decades, Sheikh Khalid bin Mahfouz has become the world’s foremost “libel tourist,” journeying beyond his own country to find a hospitable judge’s ear in Great Britain. According to the late Robert O. Collins—whose 2006 book Alms for Jihad, co-authored with J. Millard Burr, was one of bin Mahfouz’s targets—the tactic has been brilliantly successful. In three dozen cases in which legal action has been either threatened or carried through to trial, bin Mahfouz has succeeded in securing apologies and cash damages. Cambridge University Press, the publisher of Collins and Burr’s study, had every copy of their book put through a shredder and pulped. Source: Commentary MagazineH/T: Shariah Finance Watch
By Ilan Weinglass
As many readers may know, The Free Speech Protection Act, is currently being considered by the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The Act is essentially a federal version of New York State's "Libel Terrorism Protection Act," aka "Rachel's Law," designed to protect U.S. authors from superfluous, though legally enforceable, lawsuits in foreign jurisdictions. For those wishing to make a difference, a sample letter for a Congressman or Senator may be found here.
It is vitally important that this law pass, as Khalid bin Mahfouz and others have been using the rather absurd British libel laws to chill research into Saudi funding of terrorism and extremism. Source: The Terror Finance Blog
Some commentators believe Mr Justice Eady is single-handedly creating a new, tougher, law of privacy in Britain.
But his actions are having the opposite effect in the U.S. - where there are plans for new laws to protect freedom of speech.
The spur was a 2004 case in which a Saudi billionaire used our courts to sue an author for libel over a book which was published in the U.S. and sold just 23 copies here.
In Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It, the author Rachel Ehrenfeld alleged Sheikh Khalid bin Mahfouz helped fund Osama bin Laden.
Mahfouz could have sued in America, where almost all his books were sold - but instead chose Britain, where the libel laws are generally agreed to offer far less protection to writers.
Mr Justice Eady ruled against Dr Ehrenfeld, ordering her to pay £30,000 damages.
As a result, senators have introduced the Free Speech Protection Act to shield writers from libel suits brought in foreign courts. Source: Daily Mail
 Please send this letter to your lists, and to the addresses below. This will support "Rachel's Law" which is a very important bill to protect our First Amendment for all writers, speakers, bloggers, and in the end, all of us against the threat of being sued in England by the Middle East. This is THE ACTION OF THE DAY! Dear ...
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREE SPEECH PROTECTION ACT (S-2977 & H.R. 5814), aka "Rachel's Law", now before the Judiciary Committees in the House and Senate.
New York’s new law and the proposed federal legislation grew from the court battles of New York journalist and terrorism investigator, Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, whom a Saudi billionaire sued in Great Britain for Funding Evil; How Terrorism is Financed - And How to Stop It - although she is American and her book sold here, not in the U.K. But plaintiff-friendly British libel laws have made London a mecca for libel tourists wishing to intimidate authors worldwide. The suit against Dr. Ehrenfeld - like 40 previous cases that silenced many other American and New York authors - is an obvious attempt to dilute First Amendment protections of free press, and prevent investigations of terror-financing.
English libel law is an international menace, a national disgrace, a pre-democratic anachronism. It defends crooks, terrorists and tyrants from investigation. It threatens the free speech of people all over the world and causes untold damage to the reputation of this country.
In a tremendous victory for free speech rights and to provide legal protections from "libel terrorism" to New York authors and publishers, "Rachel's Law" adopted by the NY legislature and signed into law by Gov. David Patterson on April 30, 2008. Read more ...Source: Shariah Finance Watch
By ARLEN SPECTER and JOE LIEBERMAN Our Constitution is one of our greatest assets in the fight against terrorism. A free-flowing marketplace of ideas, protected by the First Amendment, enables the ideals of democracy to defeat the totalitarian vision of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. That free marketplace faces a threat. Individuals with alleged connections to terrorist activity are filing libel suits and winning judgments in foreign courts against American researchers who publish on these matters. These suits intimidate and even silence writers and publishers. Under American law, a libel plaintiff must prove that defamatory material is false. In England, the burden is reversed. Disputed statements are presumed to be false unless proven otherwise. And the loser in the case must pay the winner's legal fees. Consequently, English courts have become a popular destination for libel suits against American authors. In 2003, U.S. scholar Rachel Ehrenfeld asserted in her book, "Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It," that Saudi banker Khalid Bin Mahfouz helped fund Osama bin Laden. The book was published in the U.S. by a U.S. company. But 23 copies were bought online by English residents, so English courts permitted the Saudi to file a libel suit there. Read more ...Source: The Wall Street Journal H/T: Shariah Finance Watch
 ISLAMIC CONGRESS RESPONDS TO CANADIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION’S DECISION ON HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST MACLEAN’S Toronto - Legal Counsel to the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC), Faisal Joseph, responded today to the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s decision not to hear a complaint filed against Maclean’s magazine. The complaints, filed in April 2007, assert that an October 2006 article published by Maclean’s, The Future Belong to Islam, subjected Muslim Canadians to hatred and contempt. “We are disappointed that the Tribunal made this decision without hearing the compelling evidence of hate and the expert testimony we recently presented to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal,” said Joseph. “The Commission’s decision contradicts the findings of its own Investigator’s report which states that this Article contains hallmarks of hate identified by the Commission in its earlier case law,” continued Joseph, referring to paragraphs 35 and 41 of the Investigator’s report, which state: /Based on the excerpts cited by the complainant, it appears that the article may bear some of the characteristics identified by the Tribunal in Kouba as being ‘hallmarks’ of material that is likely to expose persons to hatred or contempt. Muslims appear to be portrayed, for example, as a ‘powerful menace’ (in this case, a demographic menace), and as being dangerous or violent in nature./ Read more ...Source: Canadian Islamic Congress H/T: Shariah Finance WatchFaisal Joseph & Canadian Islamic Congress
Latest recipients of the Distinguished Islamofascist Award
Please - SUPPORT passage of the NATIONAL version of New York State's "Rachel's Law"---THE FREE SPEECH PROTECTION ACT (S-2977 & H.R. 5814)---- The "Free Speech Protection Act" was introduced by Reps. Peter King (R-NY) and Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA). Like NYS's "Rachel's Law" this federal bill would protect American journalists from libel suits brought in foreign jurisdictions lacking the same free speech protections found in the U.S. Constitution. The bill has been assigned to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. If free speech is important to you, PLEASE contact the House and Senate Judiciary Committees' Members and staff (contacts below) and urge them to approve the bill and vote for its passage as soon as possible. Read more ...Source: Jihad WatchRachel Ehrenfeld
Latest recipient of The MASH Award
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2008)—U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Representative Peter King (R-NY), Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, today announced the introduction of the Free Speech Protection Act of 2008. This bill would protect American journalists from libel suits brought in foreign courts that do not have the same protections for free speech that are found in the U.S. constitution. It mirrors H.R. 5814, legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative King. Read more ...Source: Shariah Finance Watch
 Albany, NY (May 1, 2008) -- New York State Governor David Paterson yesterday signed the "Libel Terrorism Protection Act" (S.6687/A.9652), which on March 31 passed the state's Assembly and Senate unanimously. Also known as Rachel's Law, the bill sponsored by Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens) and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) will protect American journalists and authors from foreign lawsuits that infringe on First Amendment rights. The bill also received unprecedented support from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Read more ...Source: Dhimmi Watch
 |
|
|
Copyright Muslims Against Sharia 2008. All rights reserved.
E-mail: info AT ReformIslam.org
|
|
|
Posts
