Events
6/27/2010
American Freedom Alliance
kindly invites you to the next Cinema Gateway event
The Last 600 Meters
Dessert Reception and discussion
with director and producer
Michael Pack to follow the screening
Thursday, June 27, 2010, 7:30 pm
Location: the Santa Monica Screening Room
Admission: $20.00
Parking: Street
The two deadliest battles of the Iraq War occurred in 2004. The Battle of Najaf was fought in the South against the Shiite Mahdi militia. The Battle of Falluja was fought in the West against Sunni insurgents. These brutal urban conflicts were not the high-tech battles the military had prepared for after the first Gulf War in 1991--but they are the face of modern warfare. This film tells the story of these battles, not through narration, but through the words and deeds of those who fought there. It is an extraordinary document of men at war - the courage that men must summon and the terror they must face.
Call the AFA office at (310) 444 3085 for further information on the screening
view all upcoming Cinema Gateway events
sfddf | 6/17/2010
American Freedom Alliance
invites you to the next
Literary Café
Dr. Martin Sherman discusses the work of non- fiction
Brotherhood of Warriors
by Aaron Cohen
Includes a dessert reception
and a presentation by several IDF veterans on Flotilla issue
Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Location: Please call the AFA office
Admission: $20.00
Parking: Street
At the age of eighteen, Aaron Cohen left Beverly Hills to prove himself in the crucible of the armed forces. He was determined to be a part of Israel's most elite security cadre, akin to the American Green Berets and Navy Seals.Between 1996 and 1998, Aaron Cohen would learn Hebrew and Arabic; become an expert in urban counterterror warfare, the martial art of Krav Maga, and undercover operations; and participate in dozens of life-or-death missions. He would infiltrate a Hamas wedding to seize a wanted terrorist and pose as an American journalist to set a trap for one of the financiers behind the Dizengoff Massacre, taking him down in a brutal, hand-to-hand struggle. In the light of the recent Flotilla incident, this event will allow a review of the book and an in depth examination of the thinking behind the commando raid and whether the Israeli Navy truly " messed up" on this occasion, or if its actions met with its own exacting standards and effectiveness.
Please call the AFA office at (310) 444-3085 for reservations
View all Literary Cafe events
sfddf | 6/13/2010
IS THE (REAL) NEWS DEAD?
An International Conference
Sunday, June 13-14, 2010
Pepperdine University
Malibu California
Click to view Web Site
sfddf | 5/17/2010
MONDAY, May 17, 2010, 7:00 pm
A Human Rights Summit:
The NGOs and the State of Human Rights Today
FEATURING:
Alan Mendoza, Robin Shepherd, Nitsana Leitner, Alan Craig, and Ambassador Pierre Prosper
Park Wilshire 10724 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Reservations Mandatory
Free Admission
Click for details
sfddf | 5/16/2010
American Freedom Alliance
and
Council for Democracy & Tolerance
are pleased to invite you
The Fourth Annual
Heroes of Conscience Awards
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Honoring
  
Baroness Caroline Cox
British Parliamentarian. Founder and CEO of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART)
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
Attorney, International Terrorist Victims Advocacy Institute
Cyrus Nowrasteh
Co-writer and Director, The Stoning of Soraya M.
Master of Cermonies
Sonja Schmidt
and
Introducing
European Convention on Liberal Democracy
Program
6:00 pm: Reception
7:00 pm: Dinner
Couvert: $350.00 per person
Dress: Business Casual
InterContinental Hotel
2151 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Click for details sfddf | 5/6/2010
Literary Café
Thursday, May 6, 2010, 7:30pm
 
Cruel and Usual Punishment
by Nonie Darwish
(author appearance)
and
A God Who Hates
by Wafa Sultan
at the home of Steve and Rita Emerson in Westwood.
Click for details
sfddf | 4/29/2010
A Symposium: Culture of Denial: Is our Government's Refusal to Admit Realities Harming Our Security?
FEATURING:
Maj. Gen. (RET) Paul Vallely, Stephen Coughlin and J.D. Hayworth
Our government, our judiciary and our military are in denial about some of the most basic threats faced by this country. This includes an unwillingness to recognize that successfully interdicting potential terrorist threats may involve, at certain times, the suspension of some civil liberties; the refusal to accept the reality of a home grown Jihadist menace in our midst; the insistence that our military and intelligence services do not need every tool available to them to thwart those pledged to our destruction and the resistance to accepting that it is Islamic teachings that drive terrorists around the world and not poverty nor American policies.
This fascinating panel, featuring a member of Congress, a former member of the military and a former member of the State Department, will offer a very clear perspective on where our government is going wrong in its understanding of the world and what we can doto educate it.
Location: Skirball Cultural Center
2701 No. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles
Time: 7:30 pm
Admission: $20.00
Attendance is open to the public. Please call the AFA office for further information at 310-444-3085.
Click for Details sfddf | 4/25/2010
American Freedom Alliance
and Nessah Educational and Cultural Center
are pleased to present
A German Life
the story of one man's journey from evil to redemption
with a special presentation by the director
Bernd Wollschlaeger, M.D.
Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 7:30 pm
When Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger's children started asking him questions about his parents,he decided to break the wall of silence around them and tell the truth: his father had been a highly placed officer in the Wehrmacht. This gripping documentary involves a highly-decorated Second World War German tank commander, a young man seeking the truth and spiritual orientation, the relationship of father and son entwined in German-Jewish history,a conversion to Judaism and the dissolution of a family
Click for Details
sfddf | 4/24/2010
American Freedom Alliance
cordially invites you
to a private screening and dinner
to meet
Bernd Wollschlaeger M.D.
author of
A German Life
and director of Stauffenberg and My Life In the Shadow of a Hero.
8:00 pm, Saturday, April 24, 2010
at the home of Howard and Sonya Waldow
11963 Crest Place Beverly Hills CA 90201
Couvert : $200 per couple
RSVP: American Freedom Alliance office (310) 444 3085
See Details sfddf | 4/8/2010
Literary Café
Thursday, April 8, 2010, 7:00pm
The Rise of Nuclear Iran
by Dore Gold at the home of
Shelly Ventura in Century City
Click for details sfddf | 3/21/2010
American Freedom Alliance
invites you to the next Cinema Gateway event
Media Malpractice
Directed by John Ziegler
With Q & A with Director to follow screening
Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Location: Leslie Sacks Fine Art Gallery
11640 San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood
Admission: $15.00
Parking: Street
DVDs will be on sale at the event.
Call the AFA office at (310) 444 3085 for further information on the screening
Click here for details
sfddf | 3/9/2010
Time: 7:30pm
Upcoming Literary Café Event
Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 7:30pm
The Israel Test
by George Gilder
at the home of Bob and Leslie Hamilton in Brentwood
(author appearance)
Click for details
sfddf | 3/7/2010
Time: 2:30 pm-6:30 pm
Sunday, March 7, 2010,
2:30 pm-6:30 pm
AFA Lecture Series
George Gilder: Israel's Role
in the Defense of Western Civilization
sfddf | 2/28/2010
Location: Magnin Auditorium, Skirball Cultural Center, Bel Air
Time: 7:00pm
Sunday, February 28, 2010, 7:00pm
The Stoning of Soraya M.
(Director appearance)
Location: Magnin Auditorium, Skirball Cultural Center, Bel Air
This drama, set in 1986 Iran, centers on a French journalist whose car breaks down in a remote Iranian village. He enters into a conversation with a woman who relates the story of her niece, Soraya, whose arranged marriage to an abusive husband has a tragic ending. This movie is a searing indictment of a system of justice oblivious to humanistic principles and in contempt of women and their basic human rights.
Appearances by the director, producer and members of the cast.
Click for details
sfddf | 2/21/2010
General Information
Date: Sunday, February 21, 2010
Time: 10:00 am - 7:30 pm
Location: A residence in West Los Angeles (Call AFA for details).
Attendance fee: $75.00 suggested donation
Seminar Co-sponsors: American Freedom Alliance, Operation Green Out!, National Association of Scholars, Freedom Advocates, Junk Science.com
Audience: By invitation only (non-transferable)
Seminar Program
10:00 am - 10:30 am: Registration
10:30 am - 11:45 am: The Development of the Green Movement, Junk Science and Radical
Environmentalism - Steve Milloy
11:45 am - 1:00 pm: The United Nations and its Role in Fostering Environmentalism as Religion - Claudia Rosett
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm- 3:15 pm: The U.N's Agenda 21 and the Global Governance Movement - Michael Shaw
3:15 pm - 4:30 pm: The Politics of Sustainability and the Penetration of our Societal Institutions - Holly Swanson
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm : Afternoon break
5:00 pm - 6:15 pm: Sustainability and its impact on our Schools and Universities - Ashley Thorne
6:15 pm - 7:30 pm: Workshop: Where Do We Go From Here?
Click here for additional information sfddf | 2/10/2010
Time: 7:00pm
You are invited to join a select group of individuals who will participate in the January American Freedom Alliance Literary Café, which will take place:
Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 7:00 pm
Genesis and the Big Bang
by Gerald Schroeder
with author appearance
Location:
A residence in Westwood (Call AFA for location)
Admission: $15.00
Please call the AFA office at (310) 444-3085 for reservations
Parking: Street
Gerald Schroeder is a scientist with over thirty years of experience in research and teaching. He earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This was followed by five years on the staff of the MIT physics department prior to moving to Israel, where he joined the Weizmann Institute of Science and then the Volcani Research Institute, while also having a laboratory at The Hebrew University. His Doctorate is in two fields: earth sciences and physics. Schroeder’s formal theological training in biblical, talmudic and kabalistic interpretation includes fifteen years of study with some of the most famous names in the rabbinic world. His unique approach in integrating biblical and scientific knowledge is demonstrated by the success of his first book, Genesis and the Big Bang. His formal training in chemistry, physics and the Earth and planetary sciences provides the basis for the broad scientific perspective he brings to his books and lectures.
If you wish to attend, please let us know at your earliest possible convenience by responding to this email.
We thank you for your interest in the Literary Café and look forward to a lively and meaningful discussion.
with the author.
sfddf | 2/9/2010
American Freedom Alliance cordially invites you
to a private screening and dinner to meet
Bernd Wollschlaeger M.D.
author of
A German Life
and director of Stauffenberg and My Life In the Shadow of a Hero.
8:00 pm, Saturday, April 24, 2010
at the home of Howard and Sonya Waldow
11963 Crest Place Beverly Hills CA 90201
Couvert : $200 per couple
RSVP: American Freedom Alliance office (310) 444 3085
See Details
____________________________________________________________________________________
 Wednesday, Feb 9, 2010, 7:30pm
Gerald Schroeder
World famous physicist and author of
Genesis and the Big Bang, The Science of God and God According to God
View Invitation
a dessert reception to meet
the extraordinarysfddf | 1/21/2010
Time: 7:30 pm
Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:30 pm
Dinesh D’Souza
Lecture: What’s So Great About Capitalism?
Kerckhoff Grand Salon, UCLA
Click for Details sfddf | 11/30/2009
Time: 7:30pm
A Public Debate featuring:
Stephen Meyer, Rick Sternberg, Michael Shermer and Don Prothero
Two advocates for Intelligent Design; Two advocates for Evolution
Location: Saban Theater, 8440 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills
Admission: $20.00 Students: $10.00
RSVP: Saban Theater Box Office (323) 655-0111
sfddf | 7/30/2009
American Freedom Alliance
cordially invites you to its
Mid-Summer Buffet
to meet and greet the
AFA European Fellows for 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Click to view invitation
sfddf | 2/15/2009
AMERICAN FREEDOM ALLIANCE FILM SERIES 2009
The Cinema Gateway is a flim series which offers screenings and premieres of films relevant to the defense of western values and ideals.
Over the course of six months these films will offer rare insight into the problems the West faces from external threats and internal unpreparedness.
Each screening will offer a panel composed of those closely associated with the flim's production
Attendance is open to the public. Admission is $10.00 per person.
Please call the AFA office for further information at 310-444-3085. sfddf | 2/11/2009
Time: 11:00 am
Join Avi Davis in his weekly interviews of key political,
cultural and literary figures who are fighting to
defend Western values and ideals
Western Word Radio
Streamed live every Wednesday
| 2/2/2009
AMERICAN FREEDOM ALLIANCE LITERARY EVENINGS 2009
The Literary Café is a monthly meeting of opinion makers and taste makers in Southern California who join together to discuss and debate a major work of non-fiction which addresses a threat to Western civilization.
The gatherings will take place at AFA member homes and will be limited to 30 participants.
Each event will feature a discussion either with the author or with a specialized expert in a chosen field. Participation will be by invitation only. However if you have an interest in attending the Literary Café, please contact us at skruger@americanfreedomalliance.org to determine availability of space. We look forward to your participation in this important exchange of ideas and concepts for the future of Western civilization.
Admission is $15.00 per person.
Click for details sfddf | 11/18/2008
Location: Leslie Sacks Fine Art Gallery
Time: 7:30pm
American Freedom Alliance
presents
Building London's Mega Mosque:
Who is Opposing it and Why?
with a presentation by Councillor Alan Craig , President, Christian People's Alliance
7:30 pm Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Leslie Sacks Fine Art Gallery
11640 San Vicente Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90049
Reception to follow at gallery
Admission: $15.00
Seating is limited. By reservation only. Email isdev@ix.netcom.com or phone AFA office (310) 444 3085
sfddf | 9/24/2008
Remembering Munich: The Legacy of Appeasement
A week long series of events commemorating
the 70th Anniversary of the Munich Agreement
and its implications for our times.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 7:30 pm:
The Road to Munich: An Historical Overview
Panelists: Prof. Jeffrey Blutinger (Cal State University Long Beach), Prof. Harry V. Jaffa (Chapman University School of Law), Prof. Randy Willoughby (University of San Diego) Moderator: Prof. Michael Bazyler (Chapman University School of Law)
Location: Chapman University School of Law, Orange County
Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:30 pm:
The Price of Peace: Are We Entering a New Period of Appeasement?
A discussion featuring Robert Spencer (author) and Cliff May (President of the
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies).
Location: Ackerman Union, UCLA.
Friday, September 26, 2008 11:00 am:
Press Conference
Featuring former prime ministers John Howard (Australia) and Petr Pithart (Czech
Republic) and Czech survivors of World War II.
Location: Museum of Tolerance.
Sunday, September 28, 2008 12:30 - 2:30 pm:
A Remembrance: Munich - The Legacy of Appeasement
Featuring the reflections and commentry of leaders from around the world.
Location: Grand Salon, InterContinental Hotel, Century City.
Sunday, September 28, 2008 2:30 pm:
Reception and award of the Winston S. Churchill Medal of Freedom to John Howard and the Tomáš Masaryk Award to Petr Pithart.
Location: Garden Court, InterContinental Hotel, Century City.
sfddf | 6/15/2008
Location: Davidson Executive Conference Center
American Freedom Alliance
presents
An International Conference
HOW FREE IS THE UNIVERSITY?
Sunday, June 15- Monday, June 16, 2008
Davidson Executive Conference Center
at the University of Southern California
3415 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, California 90089-0871
Conference Fee: $250
For more information
call our offices ( 310) 444 3085.
sfddf | 6/15/2008
Time: 8:00 pm
Indoctrinate U
a riveting examination of the true state of academic freedom in the United States
8:00 pm Sunday, June 15, 2008
Tickets: Non-students $10.00 Students (with valid ID) : free
Bovard Auditorium, University of Southern California
3551 Trousdale Parkway,
(Downtown Los Angeles nr. corner of Figueroa and Jefferson at USC)
Parking in parking structures PSX and PSA.
Father's Day Special:
Father and son come for the price of one!
Tickets may be purchased on line
at www.americanfreedomalliance.org/microsite/howfree/index.htm or at the door.
A program in support of How Free Is the University?, an international conference Sunday, June 15- Monday, June 16, 2008 at USC.
For further information and reservations please call the AFA hotline ( 310) 225 7108
sfddf | 5/18/2008
Location: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA
Time: 4:30pm
Click to view website
American Freedom Alliance
is pleased to invite you to the
Second Annual Heroes of Conscience Dinner
In Tribute
Philippe Karsenty
Stephen Coughlin
Honoring
Howard and Sonya Waldow
Ed Ames
and
Remembering
Tashbih Sayyed
Master of Ceremonies
Hugh Hewitt
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA
4:30 pm: Presidential Museum Tour
5:45 pm: Cocktail Reception
7:00 pm: Dinner
For further information and tickets call (310) 444 3085
sfddf | 3/13/2008
Location: European University of Rome, Italy
European Freedom Alliance
in conjunction with
European University of Rome and Lepanto Foundation
present
IdentityCrisis:
Can European Civilization Survive?
an international conference
Thursday March 13 and Friday, March 14, 2008
European University of Rome, Italy
Università Europea di Roma, Italia
Click here for the European Freedom Alliance website
Click to view brochures
sfddf | 3/11/2008
Location: Grand Salon at Kerkhoff Hall, UCLA
Time: 7:30 pm
American Freedom Alliance and Scholars for Peace In the Middle East present
a Public Debate
THE ROOTS OF ISLAMIC ANTI-SEMITISM
featuring
Matthias Kuentzel
winner of the London Book Award for Jihad and Jew Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11
and
Robert Spencer
New York Times best selling author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:30 pm
Grand Salon at Kerkhoff Hall, UCLA
405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles
Parking Structure 6 ($8.00) at the North end of Westwood Plaza - the campus extension of Westwood Boulevard
Admission:
$15.00 with pre-paid reservation $20.00 at the door
Students with valid ID free
For reservations
call 310.444.3085
An event in support of the AFA commemorative week
The Lesson of Munich: Appeasment in the Modern World
September 28 - October 5 2008, Los Angeles, CA
Directions:
1) Exit parking structure 6
2) Go straight up stairs
3) Turn left on walk
4) Enter UCLA store
5) Go to rear elevators on left, go to 2nd floor
6) Left over bridge to Kerckhoff Hall, go to end
7) Turn right and immediately left into patio
8) Turn right to Grand Salon
Click to view PDF flyer
Click for registration form (PDF File)
sfddf | 2/13/2008
American Freedom Alliance
takes great pleasure inviting you to
the launch of the
European Freedom Alliance
and
Institute for Eurabian Studies
with presentations by
Dr. John Eibner
Chairman and CEO of Christian Solidarity International
and
Bat Ye’or
author of Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis
and a telecast address from
Hon. Marcello Pera
Former President of the Italian Senate
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
6:00 pm: Cocktails 7:00 pm: Dinner
An event in support of the European Freedom Alliance international conference
Identity Crisis: Can European Civilization Survive? March 13-14, 2008 European University of Rome, Italy
sfddf | 1/24/2008
Event Postponed
The Perils of Multiculturalism: Does its Over-Emphasis Threatenour Moral and Ethical Standards?
Event Postponed to Tuesday April 15th.
Watch this post for future update.
sfddf | 12/18/2007
Time: 7:00pm
American Freedom Alliance presents A Colloquium
The Causes and Consequences of Anti-Americanism Around the World
featuring
Bruce Bawer author of While Europe Slept , Andrei Markovits author of Uncouth Nation: Why Europe Dislikes America and James Q. Wilson Int’l. scholar & author of The Moral Sense
7:30 pm Thursday, December 18, 2007
Skirball Cultural Center
Magnin Auditorium
2701 North Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
By reservation: $20.00 At the door: $25.00
Students with valid ID : $10.00
sfddf | 12/9/2007
Time: 11:00 am- 3:00pm
American Freedom Alliance
invites you to a luncheon for the induction of Associate Fellow
Lores Rizkalla
KRLA Radio talk show host
and to welcome guest speaker
Philippe Karsenty
President , Media-Ratings(France) and AFA 2008 honoree,
who will address the international furor surrounding the Mohammed al-Durah case in France
Sunday, December 9, 2007 11:00 am-3:00 pm
Location: An estate in Brentwood (address and directions will be provided upon registration)
Couvert:
Luncheon: $500 Presentation only: $100
R.S.V.P. by December 4th
For further information please call the AFA office (310) 444 3085
An event in support of AFA’s Annual Heroes of Conscience Dinner, Sunday, May 18, 2008 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
Lores Rizkalla
Born and raised in Los Angeles to parents who fled Egypt to escape jihadist attacks, Lores Rizkalla writes and speaks on political, social and gender issues, with particular emphasis on the Islamo-fascist war against the West. After teaching social studies as a high school teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District for seven years, Lores entered the non-profit world, as the director of Women Impacting Nations, a Christian women’s organization. She has spoken to women’s groups and churches nationally and internationally. Lores has hosted Lores Rizkalla Live Sunday nights at 10pm on KRLA 870 AM in Los Angeles since February 2006. She continues to teach and is currently writing her first book, highlighting the unique history-shaping influence of women throughout the ages.
Philippe Karsenty
Philippe Karsenty is a French journalist and media critic. After a brief foray into French politics in 2002, he founded Media Ratings, the first ever French media rating agency. Media-Ratings has paid particular attention to the failure of the French media to document the rise of militant Islam in France. Mr. Karsenty has successfully exposed the largest media hoax of this century - the so called "Mohammed al-dura murder" in which a twelve-year-old boy was supposedly targeted and killed by Israeli troops during the outbreak of the Second Intifada in September, 2000. The staged incident, broadcast on French public television, inflamed the Muslim world and has been used by Arab leaders ever since to encourage the murder and maiming of Israeli civilians.
Click to view PDF Invitation
sfddf | 10/25/2007
Location: Nessah Educational Center
Time: 7:30 pm
American Freedom Alliance presents a Seminar
The Demise of Free Speech in Academia Anti- Semitism and the Marginalization of Christian Groups on Campus
featuring
Professor Thomas Klocek, of De Paul University, suspended for expressing pro-Israel views and Greg Lukianoff, President, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education(FIRE)
7:30 pm Thursday, October 25, 2007
Nessah Educational Center
Admission: $15.00
Students with valid ID : $10.00
sfddf | 10/25/2007
Time: 5:00pm
Cocktail Reception: Meet Professor Thomas Klocek and Greg Lukianoff
Click to read speakers biographies View Flyer
sfddf | 6/10/2007
Location: Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA
  
Click to view The Collapse of Europe Event Web Site
Click to Order CDs and DVDs From This Event
View Preview Clips of the Conference DVDs
On Sunday June 10, 2007 the American Freedom Alliance will hold a one day conference on the topic:
“THE COLLAPSE OF EUROPE?”
at Pepperdine University in Malibu
The conference will address this topic from a number of angles - sociological, political, economic and cultural. It will feature such recently published authors such as Claire Berlinski ( Menace in Europe), Henryk Broder (Hurray, We Surrender!) from Germany; Daniel Pipes (from the U.S.) and Mark Steyn (America Alone) from the U.S.
SOME OF THE TOPICS THE CONFERENCE WILL ADDRESS INCLUDE:
1. The Rise of Islamo-fascism in Europe
2. The European welfare state and its impact on the
European economy
3. Negative Growth: Europe’s aging population
4. The Impact of the French riots and the Danish cartoon
riots on European politics and culture.
5. Immigration: the battle for control of the street
6. Anti-Semitism and the end of the European Enlightenment
The American Freedom Alliance is an organization devoted to promoting freedom of conscience, freedom of expression and freedom of inquiry among the practitioners of the world’s religions.
Please call us at (310) 444 3085 to be put on our mailing list or access our website at www.americanfreedomalliance.org for more information.
11500 W. Olympic Blvd, Suite 400, Los Angeles CA 90064
Phone: (310)444 3085 Fax: (310) 444 3086 email isdev@ix.netcom.com
sfddf | 5/24/2007
Tashbih Sayyed, 1942-2007
For information on the life and work of Tashbih Sayyed, please visit www.tashbihsayyed.org
Dear Friends of AFA:
It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of Tashbih Sayyed, an associate fellow of the American Freedom Alliance, Editor of Muslim World Today and founder and president of the Council for Democracy and Tolerance.
Tashbih was the personification of all that is truly noble in the human spirit. He was vigorous in defense of human freedom, unremmitting in his love of humanity and committed for most of his life to denouncing the extremists who laid claim to the Islamic faith and perverted it.
The extremely successful Heroes of Conscience dinner on Sunday, May 20 was held while Tashbih lay gravely ill in hospital. It is deeply ironic that this fund raising event, conceived and executed in order to support the work of his organization, came at the end of his life and not when he was able to savor the outpouring of love and tribute offered for his lifetime of toil. Nor was he exposed to the hope and sense of united purpose that Sunday night's event generated.
Those who worked beside him will remember his humor, patience, honesty and humility as he fought for his love of freedom and his rejection of opppression in the Muslim world. We vow to continue his work and fight for the cause he held so dear.
Our love and support goes out to his wife Kirin, his daughter Supna, his son Wahaj and all his friends and family.
Tashbih will be laid to rest Sunday, May 27th, at 1:00 p.m. at Harbor Lawn Mount Olive Memorial Park and Mortuary
1625 Gisler Ave, in Costa Mesa, 92626
The phone number for the Memorial Park is 714-540-5554
There will be traditional Muslim prayers from 1:00 to 1:20, followed by a brief graveside service.
Avi Davis
With great sorrow I must inform you that Tashbih Sayyed, a courageous foe of the global jihad, has passed away.
After a long career at Pakistan Television, Tashbih's differences with the Zia ul-Haq regime in Pakistan (which gave the Islamization of Pakistan its first great boost) led him to come to the United States, where he founded two newspapers, Pakistan Today and Muslim World Today, and wrote eight books, including Mohammad – A Secularist's View. He appeared in documentaries including Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West. He was the President and founder of The Council for Democracy and Tolerance, an adjunct fellow of the Hudson Institute, and a member of the Jihad Watch Board.
Tashbih was insightful, humorous, and above all, fearless in his opposition to the jihad ideology of Islamic supremacism. Despite numerous threats and a relentless barrage of insults and personal attacks, he kept on trying to awaken the world to the magnitude of the threat we face, never trimming his truth-telling to fit current fashion.
He was a dear friend, and he will be greatly missed.
May his memory be eternal.
Robert Spencer
Tashbih Sayyed was that most rare of human beings: a man absolutely fearless in his commitment to the truth. After 9/11, American Muslim advocacy groups began, with the willing complicity of the mainstream media, to flood the airwaves with a huge mass of disinformation and misinformation about jihad activity in the United States and around the world, and above all about its provenance within Islamic theology and tradition. Instead of acknowledging that there was a mandate to wage war against unbelievers that was rooted in the Qur’an and Islamic tradition, Islamic spokesmen routinely denied this, and castigated those who contended otherwise as “bigots” and “Islamophobes.”
Amid all this Tashbih stood virtually alone as an honest man. He stood out sharply among contemporary Muslim spokesmen and activists by admitting that there was a problem within Islam that needed to be solved. As he once told me: “My whole life is devoted to one end: to make the Muslims understand that their theology needs to be reformed and reinterpreted. Anybody who thinks that there’s nothing wrong with their theology is either a blind person or an apologist. There are many things in Muslim Scripture that need to be reshaped and reframed and reinterpreted, so that they cannot be used by terrorists to justify homicide bombings and honor killings.”
This stance, of course, earned him ostracism and threats, but Tashbih was undaunted. I will never forget his reaction when I asked him whether he thought I should go ahead and write a sira – a biography of Muhammad – as I had been considering doing. He said “Of course you should” so quickly that it took me aback: usually when I broached the idea with people their reaction had been to tell me that if I did write such a book I would be threatened and possibly even killed. But Tashbih never flinched. He went on to explain to me that it needed to be done, that the truth needed to come out about these issues -- and clearly that was all that mattered, as far as he was concerned. He knew that if the world was going to prevail against the global jihadist threat, we would all have to take certain risks. And he himself never hesitated to put his life on the line for the truth.
Would that now we had hundreds, and hundreds of thousands, and millions like him, with his quiet strength, his good humor, and his indomitable and unshakeable love for the truth. If we did, the outcome of this present conflict would not be in the slightest doubt.
Tashbih, I am honored that you called me your friend, and I will miss you tremendously. And the forces of civilization have lost a warrior who cannot be replaced.
Robert Spencer
Goodbye Tashbih
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
The news reached my attention, just like any unexpected hurricane, devastating almost everything. No doubt, Tashbih Sayyed is not a known name in Bangladeshi households. But, we, who had the opportunity of knowing this excellent human being, saw the towering height of his knowledge on comprehensive subjects as well as his firm commitment in ensuring a world freed from culture of religious hatred.
I was not ready at all to absorb the shocking news of sudden demise of brother Tashbih. When my Jewish brother Dr. Richard Benkin passed me a mail on this news, I thought I was mistaking in reading or understanding something. I was ready to read any good news about Tashbih. It was my delight when I heard last year of him receiving an award from American Jewish Congress. But, this time, the news was to completely devastate my heart.
As one of millions of Tashbih friends wrote on hearing his death news, “We regret to inform you that we have lost a very dear friend.
We are deeply saddened over the passing of our treasured friend and true hero Tashbih Sayyed. Tashbih was a moderate Muslim. Tashbih’s insights, firm moral principles and courage to speak out, unaffected by hostility and threats, inspired all of us fortunate enough to know him. His humility, warmth, playful humor, and unwavering commitment touched our lives in countless ways. He will be deeply missed.
Tashbih was a brilliant scholar, journalist, political analyst and author, but most importantly he was a beloved husband, father of three children, brother and cherished friend to many.
Tashbih passed away on Wednesday, May 23, surrounded by his family at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.”
Tashbih was born in India in 1941 to a Shiite Muslim family. After the 1948 India-Pakistan partition, his family, feeling persecuted by the Hindu majority, fled to newly created Pakistan. There, he received his master’s degree in political science and started his career as a journalist. He worked from 1967 -1980 at Pakistan Television in various capacities, including writer, editor, director, producer, Controller, and General Manager. He eventually became the founding director of Pakistan television’s current affairs programming, but his liberal views put him in conflict with the Zia al-Haq regime, and he immigrated to the United States in 1981.
After moving to the US, he worked as a translator and ghost writer for several years until he re-established himself as a respected writer and publisher. He eventually saved enough money to realize one of the American dreams: he and his wife bought a beautiful home in Laguna Hills.
Tashbih was at the forefront of the fight against the increasing influence of Islamism among Muslims and its impact on world peace. As a highly respected speaker and regular columnist for newspapers in the US, Pakistan, Germany and India, Tashbih wrote and spoke out courageously against the Islamist threat to Western civilization.
Tashbih founded his own newspapers, Pakistan Today [1991] and, most recently, Muslim World Today. He is the author of eight books, including: History Of The World; Left Of The Center; Pakistan - An Unfinished Agenda; Mohammad – A Secularist's View; Foreign Policy of Pakistan; and Shadow Warriors - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taliban. He appeared in the documentary “Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in Israel” (2003) and in “Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West” (2005). He was the President and founder of The Council for Democracy and Tolerance, an adjunct fellow of the Hudson Institute, a highly esteemed speaker for StandWithUs and a frequent guest on cable television and radio.
Tashbih envisioned a humanistic, tolerant world and tirelessly used his skillful pen and golden oratory to educate others. He made many personal sacrifices and his wife, Kiran, was always by his side supporting the vision they shared. With his passing, a beacon of light has gone out. We who were blessed with the glow of that light will do all we can to keep his work and vision alive.
Posted on 29 May 2007 by Root
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