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"American voters deserve to know whether they are the targets of a multi-million-dollar campaign funded and directed by a foreign group," Awad said. (Google) |
CAIRO — A Jewish charity is seen behind the funding of a controversial anti-Islam documentary being widely circulated across the United States to scare Americans from Islam and Muslims, reported the St. Petersburg Times on Friday, September 26.
"We don't have to say who its directors are or give financial information until Nov. 6, 2008," Gregory Ross, spokesman for Clarion Fund, said.
Clarion Fund, a shadowy NGO founded in 2006 by Canadian filmmaker Raphael Shore, has shipped out millions of copies of "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against The West" documentary in 14 US states by mail and as an advertising supplement of major newspapers.
The film, produced by Clarion, features interviews with commentators famed for their notorious anti-Islam views, including Martin Gilbert, Daniel Pipes and Steve Emerson.
It also shows footage of terror attacks, clips from Arab TV and historical films.
Clarion Fund has declined to unveil the source of its funding for the film.
But an investigation by the St. Petersburg Times found that the fund is connected to Aish HaTorah, a charity founded in Israel in the 1970s.
According to the daily, Ross, the Clarion spokesman, was listed as an Aish HaTorah international fundraiser on a federal election donation form in June 2007.
The name written on the mail permit for the bulk mailing of the anti-Islam film was Elke Bronstein, who worked for Aish Discovery, which produces high-tech programs and films for Aish HaTorah.
Clarion's address, according to Manhattan directory assistance, is the same address as Aish HaTorah International, a fundraising arm of Aish HaTorah.
The Clarion Fund and Aish HaTorah International are also connected to a group called HonestReporting, which produced the anti-Islam documentary.
Two of three Clarion Fund directors appeared in 2006 as Aish employees on Aish websites. The third appeared on the Aish executive committee.
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The revelation comes two days after the umbrella US Muslim group filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to investigate whether Clarion was a front for the Israeli charity.
"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 Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
In the complaint, CAIR said that Clarion acted as a front for Aish HaTorah to help Republican presidential nominee John McCain win the November elections.
"The Clarion Fund recently financed the distribution of some 28 million DVDs containing the film ‘Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West’ in what many political analysts describe as ‘swing’ states in the upcoming presidential elections," said the complaint.
"Those same analysts say the distribution of the ‘Obsession’ DVD was designed to benefit a particular presidential candidate, namely Sen. John McCain…
The complaint said Clarion Fund 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 to incorporate Clarion Fund in Delaware…
"It appears that the funding for the production, marketing and distribution of ‘Obsession’ may have originated from Israel-based Aish HaTorah International."
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