Portland, Oregon, Friday 9/26/2008 –
The Good Faith Coalition* is calling on all Oregonians who value interfaith understanding and religious freedom to contact The Oregonian to express their concerns about the proposed distribution in the Sunday Oregonian of the DVD entitled: “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West”
[Note: the DVD was in fact circulated with the home delivered issues of the Oregonian on Sunday, September 28, 2008]
Billed
as an advertising insert, this inaccurate and biased DVD depicts
Muslims as terrorists and as a rising threat.
Oregonian as a paid advertisement from a group called The Clarion Fund.
The Clarion Fund is circulating millions of copies of this DVD to
newspapers across the country, especially in swing states.
is unbalanced and misinforms and that it will incite more fear, hatred
and bigotry within our community. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the
Greensboro, NC News & Record have taken the ethical position and
refused to distribute the DVD.
Protocols of the Elders of Zion or other propaganda strongly biased
against a particular group, we trust their paper would do the right
thing andj not distribute such hatred and lies. This is not a 1st
Amendment issue. Hate speech is not protected by the 1st Amendment.
good will from many faiths and human rights groups to urge The
Oregonian to take a moral stand and refuse to circulate this hateful
and inflammatory DVD.
Managing Editor/News:
Therese Bottomly,Phone: 503-221-8434,
Fax: 503-294-5012,
E-mail: theresebottomly@news.oregonian.com
Managing Editor/Enterprise:
Stephen EngelbergPhone: 503-221-8510,
Fax: 503-294-5012,
E-mail: sengelberg@news.oregonian.com
Executive Editor:
Peter BhatiaPhone: 503-221-8393,
Fax: 503-294-5012,
E-mail: pbhatia@news.oregonian.com
Editorial Page Editor:
Robert CaldwellPhone: 503-221-8197,
Fax: 503-294-4193,
E-mail: bobcaldwell@news.oregonian.com
Past Member, Metropolitan Human Relations Commission
Past President, Japanese American Citizens League
Dean Emeritus, School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University David Leslie
Executive Director, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Executive Director, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Jan Elfers
Director of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Carla Starrett-Bigg
Director of Development and Communications
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Jeff Selby
President, Japanese American Citizens League
Scott Sakamoto
Past-President, Japanese American Citizens League
Portland Japanese American Citizens League Board
Arab Muslim Police Advisory Council
The Institute for Christian-Muslim Understanding (ICMU) Board
The Rev. Dr. James Moiso
Pastor Emeritus, Westminster Presbyterian Church
Rev. Kate Lore
Social Justice Minister
First Unitarian Church of Portland
Ahmad Shahriar
Bilal Mosque Association
Maxine Fookson
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Member of the Jewish Community
Sheikh Mohamed Abdel Rahman
Islamic Center of Portland (Masjed Assaber)
Rev. Chuck Cooper
Director of Ministries, Micah’s Village
Executive Director, Institute for Progressive Spirituality
Executive Director, Hospitality House
S
ister Mollie Reavis, S.N. J.M.Co-president, Institute for Christian-Muslim Understanding
Jan Abushakrah, PhD
Co-president, Institute for Christian-Muslim Understanding
Muhsen Al-Dhalimy
Imam, Islamic Center of Portland (Beaverton)
Mike Branch
Director, Sehetak ( A public Health Organization)
Jim Hanna
PSU Middle East Studies Advisory Board, Member
Jim Kennedy
Co-Chair, Arab Muslim Police Advisory Council
Member, Porltand Japanese American Citizens League
Sal Kadri
CEO, Value CAD
Hala J. Gores
Attorney At Law
Chair, Arab Muslim Police Advisory Council
President, Arab American Cultural Center of Oregon
Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member
American Trial Lawyers Association, Minority Delegate
PSU Middle East Studies Advisory Board, Member
Gloria Tuma
Elder, Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
Ned Rosch
Foundation Director
Member of the Jewish Community
Thomas H. Nelson
Attorney at Law
Aseel Dyck
Member, Institute for Christian-Muslim Understanding
Zaha Hassan
Attorney At Law
Co-Founder, American United for Palestinian Human Rights
Former Co-Chair, Middle East Subcommittee, National Lawyers Guild
Rev. Dr. Héctor López
Retired Conference Minister, Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ
Founding Member, Interfaith Council of Greater Portland
Member, Portland Human Rights Commission
Wajdi Said
Muslim Educational Trust
Interfaith Council of Greater Portland
Loen Dozono
Community Organizer
Rev. Lynne Smouse Lopez
Pastor, Ainsworth United Church of Christ
Portland
Goudarz Eghtedari
American Iranian Friendship CouncilRev. Dr. Phil Harder
United Methodist Minister, Ret.
Vancouver, Washington
Laila Cully
Member, PSU Middle East Studies Center Advisory Board
Muslim Educational Trust
Larry DeBlock
Muslim Educational Trust
Ann Huntwork
American-Iranian Friendship Council
Kazi Ahmed
President/CEO, NuMedics inc.
Portland, Oregon