This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7537
Event Called "From Ignorance To Action" Was Project of the JVP
May 26, 2017
MIM: The event featuring the Council On American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and speakers from the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh was a project of the Jewish Voice For Peace (JVP). It was called "From Ignorance To Action" and was held at the Monroeville Public Library in Pittsburgh and partly financed by the Sprout Fund's '100 Days Of US' initiative. (For more on this initiative see below).
The New Axis of Evil (or Comedy): CAIR, JVP and the Huffington Post
by Steven Emerson
IPT News
December 29, 2016
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has finally found a Jewish group it likes.
At its annual banquet on Dec. 17, CAIR gave its new "Defender of Liberty" award to Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
The Huffington Post ran the original story about this award, continuing its long tradition of running apologias for radical Islamist and Muslim Brotherhood front groups all over the United States as well as promoting virulent anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
In 2012, the Huffington Post UK even hired Mehdi Hasan, a radical Islamist who has also proposed a one-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict – one which would lead to the slaughter of the new Jewish minority. He also was once caught on video calling non-Muslims "animals:" Hasan called on Muslims to keep "the moral high ground," adding: "Once we lose the moral high ground we are no different from the rest, of the non-Muslims, from the rest of those human beings who live their lives as animals, bending any rule to fulfill any desire." And he nefariously blamed Israeli influence for the war in Iraq. David Duke would be proud of the Huffington Post.
CAIR's decision to honor a Jewish group may seem odd to those familiar with its anti-Semitism. Hussam Ayloush, the director of CAIR's Southern California chapter, has used the term "zionazi" to describe Israeli Jews. CAIR officials have repeatedly claimed that Jews control U.S. policy. CAIR has even invited a neo-Nazi, William Baker, to speak at several conferences, and attacked those who pointed out Baker's history. CAIR has repeatedly defended the virulently anti-Semitic Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has said: "On the hour of judgment, Muslims will fight the Jews and kill them."
Qaradawi has defended suicide bombings and is hostile to Jews, saying: "There should be no dialogue with these people [Israelis] except with swords."
CAIR is vehemently opposed to both the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and to the normalization of relations between Israel and the Palestinians. Despite claims to the contrary, CAIR officials have rejected a two-state solution and justified violence as a means to a legitimate end. "Our preference is peaceful negotiation…but if the peace process is flawed, then resistance is necessary," CAIR co-founder and executive director Nihad Awad said in 2001. Awad addressed a rally outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. in October 2000, at which rallygoers chanted, "Khaibar, Khaibar, Ya Yahud, Jaysh Muhammed Safayood" ("Khaibar, Khaibar, O Jews, the Army of Mohammed is coming for you"), as well as the Hamas slogans, "With our blood and soul we will liberate Palestine," and "with our blood and soul we will sacrifice our life on your behalf, martyr."
Given CAIR's vehemently anti-Semitic background, it is hard to imagine any Jewish group that would be palatable to this "civil rights" organization, but in Jewish Voice for Peace, it found its perfect match: a Jewish group that is adamantly opposed to Israel and eager to retail Palestinian revisionist history and grievance propaganda against Israel. JVP supports Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) actions against Israel, targeting numerous companies for boycotts because they do business with Israel. It also has supported divestment campaigns on college campuses, succeeding in getting divestment resolutions passed at Hampshire College and Evergreen State College, and engaging in failed divestment campaigns at the University of California Berkeley and the University of California San Diego.
JVP's mission statement calls for "an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem." Echoing CAIR's criticism of the U.S. alliance with Israel, JVP calls on the U.S. government to "stop supporting repressive policies in Israel and elsewhere." It even applauded former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, and called on Israeli officials to meet with Meshaal as well.
Marking its 28th anniversary, Meshaal's organization vowed "to remain faithful to the liberation of Palestine and to keep its weapon directed at the Israeli occupation only."
Meshaal also rejected peace efforts and wondered how "can anyone possibly have an excuse to abandon the path of jihad?"
"The Palestinians have reached the realization that negotiations with the (Israelis) are useless…the so-called peace process is futile. There is no peace. Only the path of Jihad, sacrifice, and blood (will bear fruit),"
So the first Jewish group that CAIR honors is a venomously anti-Israel one that retails propaganda against the Jewish state and ignores the genocidal anti-Semitism of its foes.
The name of the award that CAIR gave to JVP is noteworthy. Neither JVP nor CAIR are interested in defending the liberty of Israelis who build homes on land deemed to be "illegal settlements," or the liberty of Israelis to live in and govern a Jewish state at all. So in what way does CAIR think of JVP as a "Defender of Liberty?" Did it honor JVP for defending the liberty of suicide bombers to murder Israeli civilians? Did it hail JVP for defending the liberty of Palestinians who have passed out candy to celebrate the murders of those civilians? Did it give its new award to JVP for defending the liberty of superannuated and anti-Semitic former Presidents to meet with terror masterminds?
The "Defender of Liberty" award that CAIR gave to Jewish Voice for Peace ought to be regarded as a mark of shame for an organization which claims to represent Jews and work within the Jewish tradition while advocating for policies that would expose the Jews of Israel to greater danger, greater poverty, and greater international opprobrium.
CAIR, JVP, and the Huffington Post, all such staunch promoters of Islamist terrorist front groups, deserve one other.
https://www.investigativeproject.org/5745/ the-new-axis-of-evil-or- comedy-cair-jvp-and
From Ignorance to Action – March 27, 2017
You are invited to attend a Panel Discussion titled : From Ignorance to Action When: Monday, March 27, 2017 – 7-8:30 p.m. Where: Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd, Monroeville, Pennsylvania 15146 Featuring: Panel of speakers: Wiam Yunus, Sarah Jameela Martin, Christine Mohammad.This panel discussion featuring speakers from the Pittsburgh Muslim communities will give local residents a chance to learn about the life experiences of Muslims and refugees, ask questions, and gain greater understanding about how changing current events and policies are affecting our community.
From Ignorance to Action is a project of Jewish Voice for Peace Pittsburgh and supported in part by a 100 Days of US award from The Sprout Fund. This speaking panel was created in collaboration with the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR Pittsburgh Chapter
http://pa.cair.com/pitt/ignoraMission Statement http://www.sproutfund.org/abou
The Sprout Fund enriches the Pittsburgh region's vitality by engaging citizens, amplifying voices, supporting creativity and innovation, and cultivating connected communities.
Background & Organizational Overview
The Sprout Fund is Pittsburgh's leading agency supporting innovative ideas, catalyzing community change, and making our region a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family.
Sprout provides critical financial support for projects and programs in the early stages of development—when just a small amount of investment has the potential to yield big results in the community. Sprout projects create new opportunities for community members to take action on a pressing issue or enhance the cultural vitality of the Pittsburgh region.
Since 2001, Sprout has granted more than $7.5 million to more than 1,000 projects and initiatives.
Directed by a board of civically engaged leaders, led by its co-founders, supported by a dedicated staff, and with strong relationships to many community organizations and regional stakeholders, Sprout has worked successfully across political and geographic boundaries to make hundreds of community-decided investments in early-stage projects, organizations, innovators, and activities.
Programs & Activities
The Seed Award Fund for Community Innovation offers grants to support, celebrate, and showcase the initiatives of creative people in the greater Pittsburgh region with the cumulative power to create a critical mass of positive change. Seed Award projects are innovative, non-traditional ideas that focus on current issues and challenges faced by the community, and inspire a diverse group of participants to be more active, involved, and civically-engaged.
Sprout stewards the Remake Learning Network by providing catalytic support for new learning initiatives, building a community of practice through outreach and networking, raising awareness and understanding through documentation and storytelling—all in an effort to provide more relevant, imaginative, and accessible learning opportunities for children, youth, and families in the greater Pittsburgh region. Sprout provides funding for new projects and initiatives in the Remake Learning Network through the Hive and Spark programs.
Past significant programs include: Sprout Public Art, which enhanced the visual landscape of neighborhoods and communities by creating more than 50 works of high-quality public art from 2003 to 2010; Spring, which supported community-based projects that demonstrated the value of biodiversity and provided citizens with opportunities for meaningful participation in these efforts;Pittsburgh 250 Community Connections, a grassroots initiative supporting projects that encouraged civic engagement to commemorate the region's 250th anniversary; Engage Pittsburgh, connecting new ideas and collaborations that emerge at community dialogue events and discussion forums to start-up resources, project coordination, and technical assistance, and, Hothouse, Sprout's "live annual report" to the community, which served as a stage to present a sampling of some of the innovative projects and emerging leaders supported by Sprout.
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The Sprout Fund is sustained by major gifts from Pittsburgh's leading regional foundations and by the generosity of many philanthropic, corporate, and individual donors from across Southwestern Pennsylvania, including:
The Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) supports and finances regional assets in the areas of libraries, parks and recreation, cultural, sports and civic facilities and programs.
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation serves Southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia with grants supporting specific initiatives in the areas of Education, Economic Development, Health and Human Services, Community Development, and Civic Engagement.
The Grable Foundation makes grants to help children and youth become independent, caring, contributing members of society by supporting programs critical to a child's successful development.
The Giant Eagle Foundation supports organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania with grants including health and social services, education, and the arts and museums.
The Heinz Endowments work to help the Pittsburgh region thrive as a whole community, economically, ecologically, educationally and culturally, while advancing the state of knowledge and practice in the fields in which we work.
The Hillman Family Foundations consist of 18 foundations associated with the Hillman family, focusing on areas of grantmaking including Community/Economic Development, Cultural Advancement/Arts, Education, Environment/Conservation, Health/Medicine, and Human/Social Services.
The Laurel Foundation preserves and promotes the southwestern Pennsylvania region's culture, environment, and rich history with grants for arts and culture, environment and conservation, vocational education, and community development/beautification.
The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. The MacArthur Foundation advances the work of Remake Learning through its support for the Pittsburgh Hive Learning Network.
The McCune Foundation enables communities and nonprofit institutions to improve the quality and circumstances of life for present and future generations. The Foundation employs flexible approaches and innovative strategies that are responsive to changing needs and new opportunities.
Oxford Development Company is a local, family-owned developer and full service commercial real estate provider. Through leadership, support and volunteerism, Oxford and its staff give back to the many non-profit service, research and cultural organizations that call Western Pennsylvania home.
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) fosters the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and broadens the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.
The Pittsburgh Foundation, one of the nation's oldest community foundations, works to improve the quality of life in the Pittsburgh region by evaluating and addressing community issues, promoting responsible philanthropy, and connecting donors to the critical needs of the community.
The PNC Financial Services Group provides resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.
The Henry John Simonds Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of like in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and New York City, with a focus on Cultural Advancement/Arts, Community/Economic Development.
United Way of Allegheny County convenes diverse partners and invests in programs and people to advance solutions; creating long-lasting change and helping children and youth succeed, strengthening and supporting families by promoting financial stability, ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable seniors, and providing county-wide access to information and referral sources meeting basic needs.
For more information on how you or your company can support the work of The Sprout Fund, email us at [email protected] or donate online at give.sproutfund.org.
http://www.sproutfund.org/supporters/
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100 Days of US was an initiative to empower people to act locally during the first 100 days of the new presidential administration to advance positive, solution-oriented responses to issues of national importance.
Launched by The Sprout Fund, a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh, more than $130,000 will support 27 community-led projects in the Pittsburgh region that empowered people to act locally in ways that demonstrate their values and vision for America.
Sprout received more than 150 project idea applications and raised more than $34,000 in additional public support from 250 donors, including $10,000 contributions each from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
After public voting that generated 41,000 likes and a thorough review by 60 community advisors, Sprout selected 27 projects and 5 event sponsorships to receive 100 Days support. The Sprout Fund worked closely with project leaders to assure the successful implementation of their ideas during the first 100 days of the new administration.
For updates and more information, find 100 Days of US on Twitter, Facebook, or subscribe to the mailing list.
A community initiative like 100 Days of US is made possible by the generous gifts of time, energy, enthusiasm, monetary support, and public leadership from hundreds of dedicated individuals that share Sprout's commitment to Pittsburgh's bright future. Heartfelt thanks to all who applied, donated, volunteered, and voted.
Since 2001, Sprout has supported more than 1,000 grassroots projects and initiatives and invested nearly $7 million in people and ideas with the potential to make positive change in their communities. Learn more about our work at sproutfund.org.
http://ideas.100daysof.us/from-ignorance-to-action/
MIM: Excerpt from article about the event. "Muslims Share Experiences In Unity Building Effort"
"Muslim panelists at a forum in Monroeville told stories of harassment, of their children being bullied, of living in America at a time when actions of Islamic extremists over the years have made things tough for good people practicing their religion.
Organizers of the discussion — "From Ignorance to Action: Are Refugees Welcome Here?" — said panelists were invited to share their stories to promote "unity, dialogue and action" to improve relations of all races and religions in the Pittsburgh region.
"We wanted people who may have never spoken to a Muslim to learn about what their life is like and how current events have impacted them, and how to be better neighbors," said event organizer Moriah Ella Mason, co-founder of the Jewish Voice for Peace in Pittsburgh.
Wiam Younes, a Jordanian immigrant and Muslim who teaches at Carnegie Mellon University and works with Middle Eastern refugees, said the nation has been getting increasingly hostile toward refugees — so much so that going back to the oppressive countries they came from becomes an option worth considering.
"They escaped fear and came with faith, hopes and dreams of a better life, especially for their children," she said. Now they are saying "send me back and I'll die with dignity."
Younes and two other Muslim women spoke to an audience of about 60 at the Monroeville Public Library during the event last week..."
http://triblive.com/local/monroeville/12106876-74/muslims-share-experiences-in-unity-building-effort
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7537