September 25, 2008 9:20 AM
CAIR obsessed with Another Jewish Conspiracy
They've asked the FEC to investigate the Clarion Fund's ad buy that inserted "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" DVDs into newspapers across the country, including in the Denver Post."According to the website for the Secretary of State for New York, Clarion Fund Inc. is incorporated in New York as a Delaware based foreign not-for-profit corporation. According to the Delaware Department of Corporations, Robert (Rabbi Raphael) Shore, Rabbi Henry Harris and Rebecca Kabat incorporated Clarion Fund. All three of whom are reported to serve as employees of Aish HaTorah International, an organization apparently based in Israel. Also according to the Delaware Department of Corporations, the incorporators of the Clarion Fund used Aish HaTorah's New York City address (150 West 46th Street, New York) to incorporate Clarion Fund in Delaware.Wow, look at that wording. Rabbi! Rabbi! He's a rabbi! Which, by the way, is mentioned neither on his Wikipedia entry or on the "Obsession" about-the-filmmakers page:
According to the 'Obsession' website, Rabbi Raphael Shore is the founder and producer of' 'Obsession'. Sources have reported that Rabbi Raphael Shore is an Israeli citizen who lives in Jerusalem and was employed as an executive director with Aish HaTorah International. Gregory Ross has been identified as Clarion Fund's spokesman and communications director. According to the FEC candidate contributions database, Gregory Ross is a fundraiser for Aish HaTorah International. It was reported that distributors of 'Obsession' asked viewers to register for a screening of 'Obsession' by visiting an Aish HaTorah website."
"Raphael Shore is a documentary producer and founder of Clarion Fund, Inc., a new non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about national security threats. Shore is currently producing a documentary about radical Islam inside America. He previously produced the critically acclaimed documentary Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West (2006). He was the producer/co-writer of Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in the Middle East (2003). Previously, Shore worked for international organizations as an analyst of Middle East issues. He also has expertise regarding the history of anti-Semitism. Shore has been interviewed by CNN, The New York Times, and other media organizations. A native of Canada, he graduated from the University of Toronto."
Word is that Shore is an Orthodox rabbi in addition to everything else you see. But CAIR's insistence on mentioning that every time they say his name is, indeed, in support of their Handy Jewish Conspiracy. In addition to the FEC letter, the organization goes into the Wicked Jewish Conspiracy allegegations on their Web site (the bold phrases are CAIR's doing):
"The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is urging the FEC to investigate whether the Clarion Fund, a shadowy non-profit organization that distributed DVDs containing "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," is really a front for an Israel-based group seeking to help Sen. John McCain win the U.S. presidential election. (No information about a board of directors, staff or even a physical address is offered on the fund's website.)
In its complaint to the FEC, CAIR wrote in part:
..."It appears that the funding for the production, marketing and distribution of 'Obsession' may have originated from Israel-based Aish HaTorah International."
..."American voters deserve to know whether they are the targets of a multi-million-dollar campaign funded and directed by a foreign group seeking to whip up anti-Muslim hysteria as a way to influence the outcome of our presidential election," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
Awad said CAIR has received numerous complaints from those who were sent the DVD in newspapers delivered to their homes and has recorded at least one report of an anti-Muslim bias incident directly resulting from the DVD distribution.
SEE: Ohio Muslims Fearful After DVD Released in Newspapers
...Interfaith leaders such as Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, have spoken out against the distribution of "Obsession" in swing states. In a statement, Gaddy also called for an FEC investigation: "...when a cynical attempt is made to influence our nation's presidential election by stoking fear of one religious group we believe the media along with public officials, such as the Federal Election Commission, must establish who is trying to influence our politics through religious bigotry."
...Editorial and letter writers nationwide have called the film "propaganda" and even compared it to Leni Riefenstahl's 1935 pro-Nazi film "Triumph of the Will." One writer called it "misleading and dangerous." (Broward-Palm Beach New Times, 9/20/08)"
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