Well its finally over, Eid that is and I can sufficiently say that I must have crossed all prior limits of eating cake and sleeping in. Not to say that it was a bad experience at all. These are the kind of things one can enjoy in a country like Pakistan, the ability to wedge out without making too much of a dent in your savings.
However it is quite sad to see that this Eid, Muslims in North America got quite a shock as well as other tolerant folk, when they received with their daily papers a paid supplement by The Clarion Fund, a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to address “the most urgent threat of radical Islam”. This supplement contained a paid ad as well as a hour long DVD.
The DVD has been entitled “Obsession” and is an hour-long movie that features graphic images of terrorism, video of anti-American speeches from Mideast television and comparisons with Nazi Germany. It has been sent to about 28 million households through newspapers and direct mail.
Only a few newspapers in the U.S refused to carry this “paid ad” and free DVD inset and in all it was sent via 70 papers which includednames like “The New York Times”
Clarion Fund spokesman Gregory Ross said the group spent several million dollars in donations from individuals he would not name, and he said running the ad in swing states was a means of drawing media attention and not meant to influence the election’s result, a move barred by federal tax law covering nonprofits.
“We found (newspapers were) the most economical and best way to get it out there,” Ross said.
I understand that these newspapers cannot refuse to carry this ad based on principals of “Free Speech” but distributing hate propaganda which is religious based is not exactly free and fair journalism is it? Would they run an ad by the KKK along the same merits against African Americans?
What is interesting to note is that the focus of this DVD’s distribution seems to be on the swing states in the U.S right before the upcoming elections.
I often wonder who funds organizations like the Clarion fund and why are their motives not questioned like we question the Taliban.
in any case the fires of hate are spreading even as we speak. I wonder what it will take to put them out.
Wah,
This goes on unabated but American are still hung up on antisemitism of 1930s and 1940s?
Just been browsing through your blog and had to say have been pretty impressed with your style of writing and use of language 🙂 Look forward to reading more of your writing and wish you luck with it.
Just wanted to comment on this blog because you speak of hatred and being from India I have seen shades of it here as well. According to me there is one Creator and the fact we worship him in different ways should not be a basis for creating hatred. We are all born as wailing babies the same way and yeah end up buried under the earth the same way.Instead of wasting energy on the baseless destruction hatred spews why not focus first on being good human beings??
@ taz America has double standards… they always did… one rule for them another for the rest of us
@ Saanj Thanks I really appreciate the kind words I absolutely agree with you on being good human beings first glad to have a neighbor commenting here 🙂 do keep visiting and giving feedback!!! Aik din baqi sab ko bhi shayad samajh me aajaye ga.
I’ve been involved in taxations for longer then I care to admit, both on the private side (all my working life-time!!) and from a legal point of view since passing the bar and pursuing tax law. I’ve supplied a lot of advice and corrected a lot of wrongs, and I must say that what you’ve posted makes impeccable sense. Please carry on the good work – the more individuals know the better they’ll be outfitted to handle with the tax man, and that’s what it’s all about.