Rachel’s Law

John R. Houk
© May 8, 2008

I received an email from Allyson of Shariah Finance Watch. The name of the blog alone should be a hint to the nature of the email.

Allyson writes that the Governor of New York signed in to Law the Libel Terrorism Protection Act. I will hence forward refer to LTPA as Allyson does – Rachel’s Law.

There is a good reason for Rachel’s Law. Rachel Ehrenfeld wrote a book entitled Funding Evil. The book is an exposé on Islamist networks funding terrorist activities from the West that go toward the agenda of violent jihad, which means the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).

I say “The West” but the brains of much the Western Terrorist fund raising originates from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Muslim Brotherhood’s loose offshoots like Hamas of Palestine and Jamaat ul-Fuqra of Pakistan (a mere few).

Rachel’s Law emerged because a Saudi billionaire – Khalid bin Mahfouz – sued Ehrenfeld for placing his name among the funders of evil. In America bin Mahfouz would have to prove his case as the plaintiff that Ehrenfeld tarnished his name. Of course that would not happen and Mahfouz would risk American scrutiny of his operations by being forced to divulge discovery documentation or witnesses that the defense would ask for (Hello CAIR and Andrew Whitehead). So what did bin Mahfouz do?

He sued Ehrenfeld in the United Kingdom where the book Funding Evil was never published thus was not on the British Market. BUT some correctly curious British citizens purchased the book somehow (I forget the details; it was by Internet or other means). At the time I believe we are talking less than ten.

Bin Mahfouz utilized British Civil Law to sue Ehrenfeld who is NOT a British citizen for defamation. Guess what? In Britain (and much of Europe) the Defendant has to prove they did not injure or defame the Plaintiff rather than the other way around as in America.

Ehrenfeld is not a British Citizen and chose not to raise the money for an expensive lawsuit in a foreign nation that was backed by a billionaire’s money. She did not show up.

The British moronic Judge (or whatever they call them in the UK) decided to sock it too Ehrenfeld with a heavy financial judgment in favor of bin Mahfouz.

Now International Law comes into play. Can the International Community (that would be the auspices of the UN) force a U.S. citizen to pay damages awarded a foreigner in a foreign Court under proceedings that would be Unconstitutional in America?

The Law was (and still is in other States) murky in America.

Ehrenfeld began to fight back in America. First she went to the New York State Court system seeking legal protection. The New York Courts ultimately ruled they had no jurisdiction over a foreign Court.

Then politicians in the State of New York got behind Ehrenfeld because bin Mahfouz’s British Judicial Award affected publishing houses in New York (and America) that did business Internationally at least in marketing. Publishing houses would not publish anti-Jihad or anti-Islamist books for fear of a foreign Civil Suit.

Thank God the New York Legislature stepped up to the plate and passed Rachel’s Law which was signed into law on May 1st.

It doesn’t stop in New York though. There are 49 other States in America’s Union. The fight is going on to make Rachel’s Law a national law.

Here is the email I received from Allyson:

Want to Protect your First Amendment Rights? Then please help preserve them, by making a contribution to support the hero behind Rachels Law! This is very important!

Email Sent: Wed 5/7/2008 7:14 PM
Shariah Finance Watch Link

Dear Journalists, Blogers, Writers and Readers: Please help preserve our First Amendment rights - the cornerstone of American democracy!


Is preserving Freedom of Speech worth $10, $15, or $20.00 to you?Please consider making a small donation to the efforts of Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, the force behind the recently enacted Rachel’s Law, New York’s Libel Terrorism Protection Act which was signed by New York Governor David Patterson on May 1, 2008. Dr. Ehrenfeld has struggled on behalf of all of us for the past four years to pass a bill protecting the First Amendment from foreign libel lawsuits. According to R. James Woolsey, former Director of the CIA: “Rachel Ehrenfeld has done all serious students of this long war in which we are engaged a great service…”


Simply click here: http://www.acdemocracy.org/support.php#donate to contribute. If everybody will make a small contribution, it will allow Dr. Ehrenfeld to continue her critically important work. This law is only the start of what is required to ensure that American authors and publishers can write and distribute works that deal with funding terrorism and publish work vital to our national security without fear of being driven to bankruptcy.


Background

Following the publication of her book Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed - and How to Stop It, published in the U.S. in 2003, Dr. Ehrenfeld identified Khalid bin Mahfouz, a billionaire banker to the Saudi royal family as a leading terrorism financier. In 2004, Bin Mahfouz responded by suing Ehrenfeld — not in the U.S., but in England, which is friendlier to libel claims because 23 copies of Funding Evil had entered England through on-line sales.


Rather than back down, Ehrenfeld courageously chose to fight the false charges and worked to preserve the First Amendment rights that are the cornerstone of American democracy. Rachel’s Law will protect American journalists and authors from foreign lawsuits that infringe on First Amendment rights. This law, however, is only the start of what is required to ensure that American authors and publishers can write and distribute works that deal with funding terrorism and publish work vital to our national security without fear of being driven to bankruptcy.

(attention other bloggers, please post this, and lets support this effort which affects all of us. This is the first time on my blog I have requested a donation, because this is an effort that protects us too.)

I went to check out Allyson’s blog and have discovered that there is now a national move in Congress to enact a Federal version of Rachel’s Law. You need to read it to keep informed on keeping our First Amendment rights untouchable from foreign Courts, foreign Islamists funding evil and local Islamists in America that support Libel Terrorism.

JRH
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Specter, Lieberman, King Introduce Free Speech Protection Act

Posted by allysonrt
May 8, 2008
Shariah Finance Watch

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2008)—U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Representative Peter King (R-NY), Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, today announced the introduction of the Free Speech Protection Act of 2008. This bill would protect American journalists from libel suits brought in foreign courts that do not have the same protections for free speech that are found in the U.S. constitution. It mirrors H.R. 5814, legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative King.

“Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of expression of ideas, opinions, and research, and freedom of exchange of information are all essential to the functioning of a democracy, and the fight against terrorism,” Senator Specter said. “There is a real danger that American writers and researchers will be afraid to address the crucial subject of terror funding and other important matters without these protections.”

“Discovering the truth requires full and open debate, which is not possible when courts are used to chill inquiry and research,” Senator Lieberman said. “The freedom of American journalists should not be threatened by foreign courts that do not adhere to America’s principles of free speech.”

“Our journalists provide us with insight on issues that affect all Americans, such as war and terrorism,” Rep. King said. “We cannot allow their voices to be silenced by those who prefer to keep secret the inner details of these issues. American authors and journalists should be able to practice their first amendment right without the fear of a lawsuit.”

This legislation creates a federal cause of action and federal jurisdiction so that federal courts may determine whether there has been defamation under United States law when a U.S. journalist, speaker, or academic is sued in a foreign court for speech or publication in the United States. The bill authorizes a court to issue an order barring enforcement of a foreign judgment and to award damages.

The impetus for this legislation is litigation involving Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, a U.S. citizen and Director of the American Center for Democracy. Dr. Ehrenfeld’s 2003 book, Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It, which was published solely in the United States by a U. S. publisher, alleged that a Saudi Arabian subject and his family financially supported Al Qaeda in the years preceding the attacks of September 11. He sued Ehrenfeld for libel in England, although only 23 books were sold there.

The United Kingdom has become a popular venue for defamation plaintiffs from around the world, because under English law it is not necessary for a libel plaintiff to prove falsity or actual malice as is required in the United States. The U.S. journalists or publications who are named as defendants in these suits must deal with the expense, inconvenience and distress of being sued in foreign courts, even though their conduct is protected by the First Amendment in the United States.

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Contact:Chris Gindlesperger (Specter) – 202.224.5225
Erika Masonhall (Lieberman) – 202.224.4041
Carol Danko (King) – 202.225.7896
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Rachel’s Law
John R. Houk
© May 8, 2008
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Specter, Lieberman, King Introduce Free Speech Protection Act

WHAT IS SHARIAH LAW?
Understanding Shariah law is integral to understanding the dangers of Shariah-compliant finance. Shariah law is Islamic law dating back to the 9th century and is today the law of the land in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan and the law under which the Taliban operates. Recent polls reveal that only 10-15% of Muslims worldwide want to live under this all-encompassing system of Islamic jurisprudence that covers all aspects of a Muslim’s life including religious, social, political, and military obligations. However, with a current population of 1.5 billion Muslims, this translates to a huge pool of Jihadist recruits and supporters - a base of approximately 150 - 225 million Muslims.

Shariah law authorities, some of whom are now being paid handsomely by Barclays, Dow Jones, Standard & Poors, HSBC, Citibank, Merrill Lynch, Deutschebank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Credit Suisse and others have the power to dictate Shariah compliance as deemed by “scholarly consensus” on matters of … MORE ON ABOUT PAGE.