Clarion Fund

Clarion Fund

Founder(s)	Raphael Shore
Tax ID No.	20-5845679
Founded	2006
Location	New York City
Website	radicalislam.org

Clarion Fund is a New York City-based nonprofit organization^[1] founded in 2006 whose stated mission is "to educate Americans about issues of national security," with its main focus on what it calls "the most urgent threat of radical Islam."^[2] The organization was founded by Canadian-Israeli^[3] film producer Raphael Shore.^[4]

The Clarion Fund has collaborated with the pro-Israeli media watch organization HonestReporting in the production of its films. The Clarion Fund has also collaborated or had their films shown at venues such as the Hudson Institute, Heritage Foundation, Library and Archives Canada, and Fox News Channel.^[5]

The group has been involved in the production or distribution of documentaries such as Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, The Third Jihad, and Iranium.

In December 2010, the organization announced an advisory board including:

• Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, and President of the Center for Security Policy
• Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, President and Founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy
• Daniel Pipes, Director of the Middle East Forum and founder of Campus Watch
• Dr. Harold Rhode, Former Foreign Affairs Specialist at the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment and Senior Advisor at the Hudson Institute

^[6]

Contents 1 Origins and affiliations 2 "Obsession" 2.1 Allegations of McCain support 3 The Third Jihad 4 Iranium 5 Criticism 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Origins and affiliations

According to Clarion Fund's incorporation papers, it is based at the same address as Aish Hatorah, a pro-Israel organization.^[7] The three founders of The Clarion Fund are or were full-time employees of Aish HaTorah.^[8] Raphael Shore, the leader of The Clarion Fund is also a full-time employee of Aish HaTorah.^[8] Clarion Fund initially denied its ties to Aish Hatorah, which were first discovered by an IPS investigation in 2007.^[9][10]

The International Relations Center reports that the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) was Clarion's distribution partner for the Obsession DVD. EMET's advisors include former Israeli ambassador Yoram Ettinger, a former chair at the Ariel Center for Policy Research.^[11]

"Obsession"

In September 2008, the group gained attention by distributing free copies of the film Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West, produced and co-written by Shore, by mail and in newspaper supplements.^[12] The Fund has reportedly sent 28 million DVDs to at least 70 newspapers in the United States to place at the doorstep of newspaper subscribers.^[13] The DVDs were distributed almost exclusively in swing states. The DVD's website www.radicalislam.org endorsed John McCain in September 2008, before being pulled down.^[14]

Amongst its notable content, Obsession intersperses scenes of Muslim children being encouraged to become suicide bombers with shots of Nazi rallies.^[14]

The movie starts with a disclaimer:

"This is a film about radical Islamic terror. A dangerous ideology, fueled by religious hatred. It's important to remember most Muslims are peaceful and do not support terror. This is not a film about them. This is a film about a radical worldview, and the threat it poses to us all, Muslim and non-Muslim alike."

^{[15][16][17][18][19]}

Despite this statement, the DVD's content was controversial. The film features Walid Shoebat, who, according to the Huffington Post, said "Islam is the devil."^[20] The NPR called the DVD inflammatory.^[21] The film draws parallels between Nazi Germany and monolithic Islam, according to Willamette Week.^[16] News & Record, a newspaper that refused to distribute the DVD, called it "fear-mongering and divisive."^[19]

The National Public Radio reported that it is unclear as to who funded Clarion's distribution of the DVD. Clarion claimed it used only money from U.S. citizens.^[21]

Allegations of McCain support

The endorsement of John McCain, on the website of the DVD Obsession, was noted by several media sources. The Patriot-News reported that the website stated,^[22]

McCain's policies seek to confront radical Islamic extremism and terrorism and roll it back while [Barack] Obama's, although intending to do the same, could in fact make the situation facing the West even worse.

The Huffington Post referred to the distribution as a "propaganda campaign".^[20] The National Public Radio received complaints from listeners who said the DVD seemed like a partisan message in favor of McCain.^[21]

The group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a Federal Elections Commission complaint against Clarion Fund, Inc. CAIR alleges that the free distribution of the documentary Obsession was designed to help John McCain win the presidential election. CAIR also claimed that Obsession is intended to foster hatred of Muslims.^[23] Because they are a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, the Clarion Fund is not legally permitted to intentionally influence voters.^[24]

Clarion Fund director of communications Gregory Ross, later acknowledged that the article "crossed the line" and would be removed.^[20] The Clarion Fund has denied that it endorsed any candidate, and asserts that they are a non-partisan organization.^[25]

The Third Jihad

The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America is a 72 minute documentary released in May 2009 and produced by NBC News journalist and Clinton administration advisor Erik Werth.^[11]

Unlike its predecessor, The Third Jihad focuses on Western Europe and America, and not on worldwide radical Islam.^[26]

"Third Jihad" in the title refers to, according to the film makers the rise of Islamic terrorism (the film makers claim that Arab spread throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa in the seventh century, then the Turkish push into Constantinople and Southeastern Europe in the fifteenth century, were the first and second jihads).^[26]

The film starts of with the statement

“This is not a film about Islam; it is about the threat of radical Islam. Only a small percentage of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims are radical. This film is about them.”

^[27]

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Guliani stated that The Third Jihad was “A wake up call for America.”^[27]

Iranium

In 2011, the Clarion Fund released a film entitled Iranium, which focuses on the history of Iran's government since 1979 and perceived threats associated with the Iranian nuclear program.^[28][29]

Criticism

Clarion Fund has been criticized for what some see as close ties to Aish Hatorah, a Jewish educational organization. According to Clarion Fund's incorporation papers, it is based at the same address as Aish Hatorah, a religious organization.^[7]

According to the International Relations Center, Eli Clifton said that the Clarion fund was attempting to “stir up a climate of fear in the United States.”^[11]

See also

• Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West
• The Third Jihad
• Iranium

References

External links

• Clarion Fund web site