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Nativism Watch
Yerushalmi & Gaffney Collaborator to Headline ACT! Chapter Meeting
Dave Gaubatz is scheduled to be the featured speaker at a meeting for the Corona, California chapter of ACT! for America this Saturday, June 8, 2013. Gaubatz worked as the director of operations of the Mapping Shariah project with David Yerushalmi’s Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE). Gaubatz also worked with Frank Gaffney’s Center […]
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Culture
Yerushalmi-Inspired Anti-Sharia Bill Passes NC House, Now in Senate
Last week, the North Carolina General Assembly passed H695 by a vote of 69-42. The bill, referred to as “Foreign Laws/Protect Constitutional Rights,” aims to prohibit state courts from applying any foreign laws in marriage and family cases. The measure, sponsored in the House by Rep. Chris Whitmire, is now being considered in the Senate. […]
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Culture
Anti-Sharia Bill and Yerushalmi Find Defeat in Florida
David Yerushalmi has emerged as the Kris Kobach of the Islamophobia movement, promoting anti-Sharia laws in state legislatures under the banner of “American Laws for American Courts.” His prominence as a legal activist and architect of discriminatory policy is a reality that social justice advocates will need to be proactive in countering. Florida should be […]
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Islamophobia
After Nice, revisiting the politics of the anti-Shariah movement
In the wake of the massacre in Nice, France, many people united to mourn and heal together. Sadly, others decided to exploit the tragedy and attack Muslims. In one example, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called for a loyalty test for Muslims who should be deported if they believe in “Shariah” law. Once again, […]
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Nativism Watch
Idaho lawmaker introduces anti-Muslim bill, cites anti-Muslim think tank
On March 3, Idaho state Rep. Eric Redman cited a report by the notorious anti-Muslim think tank Center for Security Policy to justify a bill he introduced to ban Shariah law from state courts. The Idaho House Ways & Means Committee voted last week 4-3, along party lines, to introduce HB 568, or “American and Idaho Law […]
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News & Politics
Year in Review: Anti-Muslim movement, extreme but not fringe
From attacks on refugee rights to armed protests in front of mosques, anti-Muslim activists were busy in 2015 and found acceptance in the mainstream. Take a look at our top posts from this year to revisit some of these moments and how civil rights activists fought back. Also, don’t miss our review of anti-immigrant activity […]
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Islamophobia
Newly announced ‘Global Rally for Humanity’ event to be hosted by ‘Muslim-free’ gun shop
A new event under the anti-Muslim banner “Global Rally for Humanity” has been announced for Ocala, Florida on October 10. The event is being organized by the Florida Gun Supply, a gun store that was declared a ‘Muslim-free zone’ by its owner, Andy Hallinan, in a Youtube video earlier this year. The rally is scheduled to take place outside the […]
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Nativism Watch
Least surprising news of the day: anti-Muslim law firm to honor Gaffney, Shillman
On October 27, the anti-Muslim law firm American Freedom Law Center (AFLC) will be holding its inaugural “Freedom Fighter Award” ceremony where it plans to honor several individuals responsible for fomenting anti-Muslim fervor in the United States. (We think our invite got lost in the mail.) Two of the honorees are Frank Gaffney and Dr. Robert “Bob” […]
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Islamophobia
Rep. Black to introduce ridiculous anti-Shariah legislation at federal level
Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) wants to ban Shariah law from federal courts. You might be asking yourself, “Do federal courts use Shariah law right now? Is this a problem I never even knew existed? How did I miss this?!” Well, don’t worry, you’re not alone - because this is actually a terrible solution looking for a problem […]
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Islamophobia
Pennsylvania Rep. Metcalfe introduces anti-Shariah bill, again
On Friday, Pennsylvania State Rep. Darryl Metcalfe and 17 co-sponsors introduced HB 1288. The bill’s short title indicates that it seeks to combat a phantom threat: “the application of foreign law which would impair constitutional rights.” Such measures are largely modeled off so-called American Laws for American Courts (ALAC) legislation. Referred to by many as […]
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Islamophobia
Texas, do you even know what shariah law is?
Monday, the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs will hear testimony as lawmakers decide whether to embed into state law stereotypes and fear about the practice of Islam. Like proponents of similar measures in other states, the sponsors of SB 531, claim that Islamic law, or shariah, is a threat to the legal system and […]
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News & Politics
Ted Cruz’s appearance alongside Robert Spencer disturbing but not unusual
One week into his presidential campaign and Sen. Ted Cruz is already stirring up controversy. Last week, the senator from Texas and the presidential hopeful traveled to New Hampshire for the “New England Freedom Conference” as mentioned here at Imagine 2050. Mother Jones, among other publications, took note and put it like this: “Ted Cruz […]
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Islamophobia
Co-sponsor of TN anti-Muslim bill misses irony of her new stance on religious tolerance
U.S. Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), who co-sponsored a state-level anti-Muslim bill in 2010, stopped by Frank Gaffney’s radio show last week to talk about her new resolution aimed at “promoting religious freedom and tolerance” worldwide. Black has introduced Resolution 139, which, she says, is meant to address persecution of Christians and other minority faith groups […]
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Islamophobia
SC lawmaker cites Gaffney’s group to defend anti-Shariah bill
The South Carolina state legislature was scheduled to review a bill Tuesday banning state courts from recognizing Shariah law. It’s interesting that Limehouse’s bill specifically mentions “Shariah.” The authors of these bills are usually careful to scrub any specific mention of Islam or Shariah in order to pass Constitutional scrutiny. H 3521, introduced by Rep. […]
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Islamophobia
Tennessee lawmakers want to ban mythical ‘no-go’ zones
The idea of all-Muslim ‘no-go’ zones has been debunked. Repeatedly. So why do two lawmakers want to ban them in Tennessee? State Sen. Bill Ketron is at it again. Earlier this month, the Murfreesboro senator, along with Rep. Susan Lynn, introduced companion bills in their respective chambers seeking to “eliminate” “no-go” zones in Tennessee. If […]
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Nativism Watch
‘Defeat Jihad Summit’ to feature a parade of Islamophobes
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s recent antics have earned him a place in the hearts of anti-Muslim activists and an invitation to their fearmongering summit. Organizers last week announced that Jindal would join a carefully curated list of participants in a Feb. 11 event called the “Defeat Jihad Summit.” The summit is being co-sponsored by the […]
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Nativism Watch
Gaffney’s Tiger Team launches plan to save U.S. from Shariah
Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy and a handful of other anti-Muslim conspiracy theorists have come together to author a new “strategy” guide to combat the alleged Shariah takeover of America. Calling themselves the “The Tiger Team” (is it just us, or does this sound like a bad sequel to “The Dirty Dozen”?), […]
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Islamophobia
10 states already considering creeping Shariah bills in 2015
On a recent episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart joked: “Looks like we’ve staved off the threat of Shariah law for maybe one more congressional season, but… it’s coming.” It has been easy for comedians and even journalists to dismiss anti-Shariah legislation-often referred to as a solution without a problem-as silly or inconsequential. But […]
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Nativism Watch
Texas lawmaker kicks off new year with anti-Muslim legislation
Texas State Rep. Dan Flynn has introduced one of latest bills that would keep a state courts from recognizing Shariah law, signaling a renewed commitment in 2015 to anti-Muslim bigotry. On Jan. 12, Flynn introduced HB 670, a bill “[r]elating to the application of foreign laws and foreign forum selection in this state.” The bill […]
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Islamophobia
Alabama joins ranks of states that pass anti-Muslim ‘solution without a problem’
On Election Day, Alabama became the ninth state in the U.S. to approve a ban on Shariah. Despite opposition to the measure from a range of communities, including the Alabama Christian Coalition, voters passed the ballot initiative by a wide margin of 72 percent. “This is a tremendous waste of effort. It’s is a waste […]
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Islamophobia
#NotARandomRacist of the day: Brigitte Gabriel
Brigitte Gabriel is one of the most important leaders in the organized anti-Muslim movement in the United States. She is the founder and president of ACT! for America, apparently the largest grassroots organization within that movement. Gabriel is also the author of two controversial books, Because They Hate and They Must be Stopped. Though […]
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Islamophobia
Anti-Muslim grassroots group attempts makeover but doesn’t shed bigoted ways
During the 2014 Values Voter Summit, Brigitte Gabriel enticed audience members to join her organization by claiming, “We are building the NRA of national security” organizations. Following this declaration, Gabriel’s group ACT! for America unveiled a new website last week that seeks to frame its bigoted agenda to appear more mainstream. It’s important to realize […]
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The Islamophobia Movement in America
The Islamophobia Movement in America Reference Guide (download the PDF here) What is Islamophobia? Islamophobia is a hatred or prejudice that focuses on a Muslim threat, real or imagined, especially when that threat carries a perceived social and/or political relevance. It also involves cultivating a fear of Muslims or people perceived to be Muslim. Islamophobia […]
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Islamophobia
Nativists endorse Gaffney’s anti-Muslim infiltration conspiracy theories
A primary talking point of the Islamophobia movement continues to be that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the Obama Administration. And no one seems to be more of an avid believer of this than anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney. In his latest endeavor to expose this stealth infiltration, Gaffney has wrangled up a who’s who […]
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Islamophobia
Overturned anti-Shariah ban to cost Oklahomans $303,333
It was revealed last week that anti-Muslim paranoia is going to cost the state of Oklahoma a lot of money in attorney fees. $303,333 to be exact. The hefty bill is a result of 2010 court case that challenged the constitutionality of an amendment aimed at banning Shariah law in Oklahoma. In 2010, Oklahoma voters […]
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News & Politics
Cathie Adams’ Islamophobia just more of the same from Eagle Forum
If there’s one person who won’t be fooled by those stealthy Muslims, it’s Cathie Adams. For those who didn’t already know, this became evident last month after the Texas Eagle Forum president went on a lengthy diatribe against Muslims and exposed what she claims to be Muslims’ malicious intentions. Adams, the former state chair for […]
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Islamophobia
Sen. Hays continues to push Islamophobic agenda in Florida
The song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” seems to be the most fitting way to describe a Florida state senator’s willingness to uphold the agenda of an anti-Muslim group in the state legislature. The Randy Newman tune comes to mind because the anti-Muslim organization ACT! for America has seemingly found a friend in Sen. […]
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Islamophobia
Ga. lawmaker cites Gaffney’s organization in latest anti-Shariah effort
This week in cognitive dissonance: A Georgia lawmaker who sponsored a bill that would allow more prayer in schools is also pushing a measure explicitly designed to smear Islam and marginalize Muslims. State Rep. Dustin “Dusty” Hightower introduced House Bill 895, which, if passed, would require state courts to ignore “foreign law” in decisions. While […]
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Immigration
New Anti-Sharia Legislation Introduced in Several States
The 2014 legislative year has already seen legislation proposed that would ban the application of Sharia law in state courts. There are currently nine states that have introduced some variation of a bill aiming to block Islamic law. Most of the bills have carried over from 2013 with the exception of Vermont, which has introduced its […]
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Islamophobia
Former Federal Judge Michael Mukasey Joins AFLC’s Advisory Board
The Islamphobic law firm American Freedom Law Center (AFLC) announced in December that former Bush-era attorney general and judge, Michael Mukasey, has joined their advisory board. Mukasey is known for his controversial remarks about Islam and Muslims as well as his unwavering support of the Patriot Act and the unauthorized wiretapping of suspected terrorists. Salon […]
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Islamophobia
Geller, AFDI’s Islamophobic Ads Approved to Run on Boston-Area Transit
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced today that it has agreed to run a newly modified Islamophobic advertisement on public transit vehicles in the greater Boston area. The ads are being paid for by anti-Muslim activists Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer via their organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI). The recently approved ad […]
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Islamophobia
Florida Senator Makes 4th Attempt at Passing Anti-Sharia Legislation
Today, Florida State Sen. Alan Hays filed SB 386: Application of Foreign Law in Certain Cases. This is the senator’s fourth attempt to introduce and pass legislation aimed at banning the use of Sharia laws in the court system. Last session’s bill, SB 58, seemed poised to become law after it passed the House, passed an important […]
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Nativism Watch
Missouri Governor Vetoes Anti-Sharia Bill
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed legislation Monday that would have prohibited judges from considering Sharia, or Islamic law, in their decisions. Missouri would have become the seventh state to enact a law based on David Yerushalmi’s American Laws for American Courts model legislation. Similar bills are awaiting votes in the Texas and North Carolina legislatures. […]
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Culture
Imagine 2050 Releases Latest ‘Islamophobia’ Magazine
Imagine 2050 released its latest magazine today – Islamophobia, the New Nativism – an issue devoted to the continuation of uncovering the confluence of the Islamophobia movement with the anti-immigrant movement in the United States. Where last year’s issue, “This Rhetoric is not Cost-Free:” Islamophobia & Nativism in the US, addressed what was becoming an […]
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Culture
Heritage Foundation Finds Support from Tanton Network and Other Highlights This Week
On Monday, the Heritage Foundation released its much maligned study on the costs of immigration reform. The study, a re-working of a widely panned 2007 effort, was predictably lauded by the anti-immigrant movement’s representatives in the Beltway. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and NumbersUSA, two of the three most influential of such groups, […]
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Culture
Florida Victory and Other Highlights This Week
Today is the last day of recess for the United States Congress; they return to Washington, DC on Monday, May 6th. The Senate Gang of Eight’s immigration bill remains in committee, with senators having until next Tuesday, May 7th to file amendments. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) has scheduled a meeting on Thursday, May 9th […]
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Culture
Update: Florida Anti-Sharia Bill Falls Short by One Vote
By Kalia Abiade [UPDATE: 05/03/13] Florida Senate Bill 58, “Application of Foreign Law in Certain Cases,” has officially died on the Senate floor and will not become law this year. The measure needed two-thirds support on a procedural vote, which it missed by one senator. The bill got only 25 of the 26 votes needed yesterday […]
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Culture
Tennessee’s “Chief Islamophobe” Looking to Block School Voucher Bill
By Kalia Abiade State Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) is among other conservative lawmakers threatening to kill a school voucher bill because they fear Muslim schools could receive funding. Under the proposal, parents of children attending failing schools would be eligible to receive vouchers to pay full or partial tuition at private schools. Private religious schools […]
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From the Field
New Community-Led Ad Campaign Targets Pamela Geller, AFDI Hate Speech
Last year, hateful advertisements generalizing Muslims as “savages” began to run on buses and in train stations of several major American cities. The ads have prompted myriad responses to counter their hateful message. The most recent response is a new internet campaign, Talk Back to Hate, which launched last month to raise funds via the […]
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Culture
CIS Senior Analyst To Speak Before Islamophobic Tea Party Group
As was announced a few days ago, Stephen Steinlight will be speaking before the Sugar Land Tea Party group in Texas tomorrow, November 15. Steinlight is the Senior Policy Analyst for the nativist group Center for Immigration Studies, one of the three most influential organizations operating from within within the established anti-immigrant movement. CIS was […]
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Culture
Tragic Sikh Temple Shooting Comes Amid Increase in Organized Hate
Today’s shooting at a Sikh temple outside Milwaukee is a tragic sign that the violent rhetoric of a growing anti-Muslim movement has deadly consequences. Reports indicate that six individuals were murdered inside the temple and the shooter was killed by a police officer in an exchange of gunfire. Several others were critically injured, including an […]
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Culture
Kansas Becomes the Latest State to Ban Sharia Law
Last week, Kansas governor Sam Brownback signed into law the “American Laws for American Courts” bill, SB79. The bill passed the Kansas Senate by a vote of 33 to 3 and unanimously passed the House with 120 votes. Tennessee, Louisiana and Arizona have also passed similar legislation modeled after a bill written by the American […]
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Culture
Imagine2050 Releases Special Islamophobia Issue
Imagine2050’s latest magazine was released today with an entire issue devoted to the growing problem of Islamopobia in the United States. The issue is available for download here. The magazine, “This Rhetoric is not Cost-Free”: Islamophobia & Nativism in the US, focuses primarily on the growing Islamophobia movement in the United States, and its connections […]
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News & Politics
Islamophobes Gather on Day 2 of CPAC
Though most reports of Day 2 at CPAC will focus on the arrival of Newt Gingrich and his massive entourage, it was the event that Newt actually delayed, “Islamic Law in America: How the Obama Justice Department Is Selling Us Out,” that was much more of a talking point. The “distinguished” panel of guests were […]
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Culture
Act! for America’s New Petition: Just More of the Same
It’s beginning to look like nothing ever changes. Last Thursday, the garden-variety Islamophobes at Act! for America circulated an email requesting its constituents to sign a petition, asking whether or not the respondent favors the widely used “American Laws for American Courts” model statute (ALAC). This effort, Act! claims, would gauge support for so-called “anti-Sharia” […]
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Culture
Center for American Progress Releases New Report: Fear, Inc.
by Jerry Higgins Last week, Center for American Progress (CAP) released a report titled, Fear, Inc. The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America. CAP is a “nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all.” The report describes how the Islamophobia Network is divided […]
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Immigration
Sponsors of Islamophobic Legislation Have Anti-Immigrant and White Nationalist Ties
By Jerry Higgins Much has been written in recent months about the wave of anti-sharia legislation being introduced across the United States. Seventeen states have introduced bills or resolutions aimed at curbing sharia law in this country. Currently two states have passed such laws, Tennessee and Louisiana. Three more have had such bills introduced but […]
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News & Politics
Bills of Imitation: Who is Behind the Anti-Sharia Movement?
In a previous post, I discussed the Islamophobic sentiments that have recently swept the legislative corridor of the United States. Though it has become a common populist interest, this movement is certainly not a spontaneous phenomenon. Anti-Muslim arguments have gained popular traction through a number of groups and persons, but the most concerted effort has […]
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Islamophobia
Latest Geller, AFDI transit ads conflate Islam, anti-Semitism
The latest anti-Muslim advertisements paid for the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) are running on Washington, D.C., transit vehicles — and they are just as deplorable as the others we’ve come to expect from the group. The ads are the product of anti-Muslim bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, who co-run AFDI, and have become […]
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Islamophobia
Geller, AFDI Resubmit Islamophobic Transit Ad for Boston-Area
Anti-Muslim activist Pamela Geller announced Monday that her organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), has submitted a newly revised version of an anti-Muslim advertisement to be featured on public transit vehicles in the greater Boston area. The newly revised ad reads: “In any war between the civilized man and those engaged in savage acts, […]
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Culture
Pamela Geller Uses VAWA to Amplify Anti-Islam Platform
By Kalia Abiade While many advocates cheered last Thursday when President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act just ahead of International Women’s Day, some conservatives dug in their heels to defend their opposition to the bill. Right-wing ringleader, Rush Limbaugh, chose to ignore statistics on intimate partner and sexual […]