Weekly Terrorism Spotlight

Volume 1, Issue 8 (May 5)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Rachel’s Law architect condemns ‘litigation jihad’

New York Governor signs “Libel Terrorism Protection Act” – Rachel’s Law impacts “litigation jihad” case v. anti-terrorism author

“This first-in-the-nation legislation will protect American journalists and authors from overseas defamation lawsuits…litigation jihad.” - Assemblyman Rory Lancman, 25th District, Queens

Governor David Paterson signed the “Libel Terrorism Protection Act” Thursday, also known as Rachel’s Law, to protect writers from foreign lawsuits aimed at their free speech rights.

Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld is being sued by Saudi billionaire Khalid Salim bin Mahfouz in Britain, through Saudi Arabian legal venues, because she noted Mahfouz as a financier of terrorism in her book, ”Funding Evil.”

Effective immediately, the law shields New York writers from lawsuits – many Saudi Arabian in origin, stopping cold a “litigation jihad” against American Constitutional protections.

Bill architect, NY Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Queens) spoke with the Christian Action Network about the bill and what “litigation jihad” is – to expose and shut down the threat.

Lancman said he hopes New York’s law will be copied in Washington DC, as a shield for all Americans, so authors like Ehrenfeld can continue to write fearlessly against Islamic terrorism.

The charge in foreign courts “was part and parcel of the litigation jihad … against her,” Lancman said. “It includes using our legislative system to try to stop us from being able to effectively be informed and protect ourselves from terrorism.”

Lancman said his work on Rachel’s Law began where an earlier legislative victory left off: his successful passage of a law to protect individual freedom to report suspicious activity.

“You might have heard about the lawsuit against individuals who had several suspicious characters removed from a commercial airline,” Lancman said.

He explained that reports included allegations the individuals removed were acting out a boisterous routine to call attention to a “Middle-Eastern men” stereotype.

“I don’t know if the individual [plaintiffs] knew everything, all the ramifications of what they were doing or of the lawsuit afterward, but lawyers, and groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, know,” Lancman said.

“We know about CAIR, how they are a mouthpiece for terrorism in the United States,” he added.

Lancman said that case was an earlier example of the effort by terrorist apologists to mollify the ability of Americans to sound the alert against terrorism – again, to be informed and protected.

“We know from 9-11 the terrorists are willing to fly aircraft into out buildings, we have learned they’re willing to bomb our subways,” he said. “What happened to Rachel was part and parcel of that…a form of [that] is litigation jihad.”

Lancman said releasing journalists and authors to go forward, with a secure freedom of speech and press, does not win the overall conflict America faces from the Islamic jihad phenomenon.

“There is always work to be done,” he said. “The war on terrorism has not been won yet.”

He added there are soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan for good reason, and the FBI and Homeland Security are mobilized for good reason.

“And that’s why we have authors and journalists probing and reporting the truth about what is going on in the world and at home,” Lancman said.

The hope among Rachel’s Law proponents is to see the New York action copied by lawmakers in Washington DC – for federal clarification on protected free speech and free press rights.

“I’m very proud of the bill we passed, but it only impacts New York,” Lancman said. “Of course, there are 49 other states.”

New York State Senator, Deputy Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), led Rachel’s Law through the higher chamber.

The bill gained rapid support in legal, journalism and publishing circles, including the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, because of the extreme nature of Mahfouz’s legal action.

At the signing ceremony, Lancman said this “protects our journalists and authors who fearlessly expose terrorism’s enablers from phony-baloney libel charges in kangaroo courts. “Today we reaffirm New York's place as the free speech capitol of the world.”

Senator Skelos said, “The truth is a critically important component of the war...authors like Ehrenfeld, who expose terrorist networks and financiers, should not be intimidated by lawsuits designed to circumvent our First Amendment rights.”

“New Yorkers must be able to speak out on issues of public concern without living in fear that they will be sued outside the United States,” Governor Paterson said.

Dr. Ehrenfeld said she applauded Lancman and Skelos for their initiative. “This legislation helps my personal case, but more importantly [it] provides every New York writer and publisher freedom to expose those who threaten our national security.”

The law passed both chambers of New York’s legislature on March 31, riding on unanimous acclamation.

It specifically grants that foreign defamation suits can be declared unenforceable in New York unless the foreign law provides free speech protections equal to U.S. Constitutional guarantees.

Lancman said U.S. Congressman Peter King [R-NY] began work in mid April on a federal version of the bill, tabbed H.R. 5814, the Freedom of Speech Protection Act.