Follow-up on SIOA

I have a conference call available tonight at 7 PM if you have any questions or criticism on disagreement with the SIOA. The telephone number is 712-432-0950, Access Code: 452093#. I am also inviting Ms. Pamela Geller and Mr. Robert Spencer to join so that they can defend their point of view, if they wish.

I have a couple of clarifications about my private email yesterday on SIOA and R.E.A.L.'s position on Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) and Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE). I don't agree with their approach and their plan on SIOA as a sister organization to SIOE. That disagreement is not a "personal attack" on Ms. Geller and Mr. Spencer, who have been announced as the new leaders of a revived SIOA (that was originally announced in September 2009). I have written separately to Ms. Geller and Mr. Spencer on SIOA, and I am copying them here. If I have misrepresented them in any way, that is not my intent, and if so, I apologize for that. However, I believe that it is going to be a mistake and counterproductive for them to take on the leadership of SIOA, given its past bad press and links to SIOE. I urge you to ask them to reconsider their involvement with SIOA.

The SIOA's sister organization SIOE's slogan is "Islamophobia is the height of common sense." Ms. Geller says her new leadership of SIOA is going to have a different slogan. Mr. Spencer tells me that he rejects the idea of promoting "Islamophobia," and that linking SIOE's slogan to SIOA is unfairly "putting words in our mouths" and is a "form of slander." I have no doubt that he means what he says. However, the obvious question that anyone is going to ask is going to be, if someone rejects "Islamophobia" why would they associate with a group that promotes it like SIOE? And the public and media will be asking not just the new SIOA leaders, but also new members of SIOA, who deserve full disclosure.

SIOE Announcement

As I stated back in September 2009, from R.E.A.L.'s human rights perspective, I don't think being associated with any group that openly claims to promote "Islamophobia," such as SIOA's sister organization SIOE makes sense. Moreover, I think it is counterproductive to form a new group with the name "SIOA," given past negative press. Back in September, SIOA became known in the international media regarding its opposition to and calls to disrupt a public Muslim prayer event in Washington DC. According to the Israel National News, "more confrontationally, the SIOA website calls for 'every protest of this takiya-jihad-dawa event... [to] include some component of donkey, dog, and women.'"

R.E.A.L. can't accept calls to disrupt public prayer or calls for Islamophobia, as part of our human rights argument.

On April 2, 2010, Ms. Geller indicates that taking over the leadership for SIOA would mean working with SIOE as "our 'brothers' in Europe." Their efforts may be well-intentioned. But I respectfully think that is a bad idea and a mistake, given SIOE's continued and open promotion of "Islamophobia." Perhaps the new SIOA will state that they will disassociate from SIOE. If so, then few will find this credible given new leadership's close recent working relationship with SIOE, even here in Washington DC. Especially when a group is getting national news media coverage being called "Islamophobes," it's just not smart or productive to have an "SIOA" that has so much linkage to the SIOE, even with new leaders.

I urge you to ask Mr. Spencer and Ms. Geller to reconsider their involvement with the SIOE and SIOA.

If you are interested in further information or discussion, call me at 301-613-8789, or join our 7 PM conference call at 712-432-0950, Access Code: 452093#.

Jeffrey Imm, usa@realcourage.org