CAIR, CAIR-NY Call on New York Young Republican Club to Disinvite Anti-Islam Speaker Pamela Geller
(NEW YORK, NY, 8/2/19) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and its New York chapter (CAIR-NY) today called on the New York Young Republican Club to disinvite Pamela Geller, an anti-Islam speaker who claims that “Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by Islam” and that Islam “mandates” lies and deception.
The club plans to host Geller at the Women’s National Republican Club on August 15th for its August Speaker Series.
SEE: New York Young Republican Club August Speaker Series With Pamela Geller
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-york-young-republican-club-august-speaker-series-with-pamela-geller-tickets-64975692044
Geller is a notorious Islamophobe who seeks to mainstream the false idea that terrorist acts carried out by Muslims spring not from perversions of Islam but from the religion itself. She is the president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, an anti-Muslim organization known for its demeaning print media advertising that has likened Muslims to savages.
SEE: CAIR Backgrounder on the American Freedom Defense Initiative
http://www.islamophobia.org/islamophobic-organizations/39-american-freedom-defense-initiative.html
“The New York Young Republican Club should not provide a legitimizing platform to a speaker who promotes a false, vitriolic conception of Islam and American Muslims, some of whom are themselves Republicans,” said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher. “If the New York Young Republican Club is interested in hosting a speaker who accurately portrays Islam and Muslims, we would be happy to work with them to suggest credible and objective alternatives.”
Previous Islamophobic Statements by Geller:
“The fact is that the quran [sic] is war propaganda, and you are the target.” On her blog, 2013.
Geller attacked the Pope, saying “At a time when Christianity worldwide is under siege by Islamic jihadists, the leader of the Catholic Church claims that the quran [sic] teaches non-violence. As Christians across the Muslim world live in abject terror and fear kidnapping, rape and slaughter to the bloodcurdling cries of ‘Allahu akbar,’ the pope gives papal sanction to the savage.” On her blog, 2013.
Geller ranted against a group of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in Denver who had launched a “Love Thy Neighbor” ad campaign. She called them “craven quisling crew,” “knaves,” “nudniks” and “clowns.” On her blog, 2012.
After news emerged that U.S. Marines had urinated on corpses in Afghanistan, Geller stated, “I love these Marines. Perhaps this is the infidel interpretation of the Islamic ritual of washing and preparing the body for burial.” On her blog, 2012.
“Asking for prayer space in public schools for Muslim children is imposing Islam. If the child is religious, send them to madrassa.” In a New York Times interview, 2010.
Sharia law is “the most radical and intolerant system of governance on the face of the earth.” In her book, Stop Islamization of America, 2011.
"Islam is not a race. This is an ideology. This is an extreme ideology, the most radical and extreme ideology on the face of the earth." In an interview on Fox Business' "Follow the Money," 2011.
"Hitler was inspired by Islam.” In an interview on the Alyona Show, 2010.
Geller promoted a conspiracy theory alleging, Muslim groups "control information and how it is processed at senior levels of the CIA, the FBI, the Pentagon, and the various branches of the military.” Her blog, 2010.
“I don’t think that many westernized Muslims know when they pray five times a day that they’re cursing Christians and Jews five times a day. I don’t think they know that…I do not believe in the idea of a moderate Islam.” In a New York Times interview, 2010.
"Now do I see everything through the prism of Israel? No, I don't, but I do think it's a very good guide. It's a very good guide because, like I said, in the war between the civilized man and the savage, you side with the civilized man. … If you don't lay down and die for Islamic supremacism, then you're a racist anti-Muslim Islamophobic bigot. That's what we're really talking about." In a New York Times interview, 2010.
“Pious Muslims are jihadis.” On her blog, 2008.
The Washington-based civil rights organization has witnessed an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president.
CAIR has repeatedly expressed concern about Islamophobic, white supremacist and racist Trump administration policies.
Muslim community members are asked to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR-NY at (646) 665-7599, or by filing a report at: https://www.cair-ny.org/incident-report/
CAIR-NY is New York’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com; CAIR-NY Litigation Director Ahmed Mohamed, 646-481-2103, ahmedmohamed@cair.com