CAIR: NY Law Firm Drops Anti-Islam Speaker Robert Spencer
THE SACRAMENTO BEE: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today thanked a prominent New York law firm for its decision to cancel an event featuring Robert Spencer, the leader of one of the nation's most extreme anti-Islam hate groups.

Earlier today, CAIR expressed concerns about the April 18 event at the law offices of Kramer LevinNaftalis & Frankel (Kramer Levin) in New York City.

The event, sponsored by the right-wing Middle East Forum (MEF), would have promoted Spencer's claim that Islam's Prophet Muhammad may never have existed. MEF is headed by Daniel Pipes, who is viewed by many Muslims as one of the nation's leading Islamophobes.

In a statement sent to CAIR, Kramer Levin Executive Director Nicholas J. Tortorella wrote:

"From time to time we receive requests from not for profit or community organizations to use our conference rooms for meetings or other events. While we permit our facilities to be used occasionally for these purposes, Kramer Levin can take no responsibility for the content of these events and in no way endorses any opinions that may be expressed during them. In this instance, we were not aware of the controversy surrounding the speaker at the April 18th event. Now having been alerted to the situation, we have withdrawn permission for the event to take place at our offices."

"We thank Kramer Levin for taking swift and appropriate action to disassociate itself from Robert Spencer's extremist views," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "The firm's actions demonstrate a commitment to religious tolerance and diversity."

In 2010, Kramer Levin published an "Employment Law Update" with a section on "Accommodating Muslim Employees." That publication stated in part: "Employers must ensure that Muslim employees are protected from discrimination and are provided with reasonable accommodations for their religious practices." » | Council on American-Islamic Relations | WASHINGTON | PRNewswire-USNewswire | Thursday, March 29, 2012

JIHAD WATCH: Action alert: New York law firm Kramer Levin caves to Hamas-linked CAIR, cancels Robert Spencer event » | Robert Spencer | Jihad Watch | Friday, March 30, 2012

Some Sugar from Obama before Tea Parties
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: AS US taxpayers rush to meet the April 15 deadline to lodge their tax returns, and President Barack Obama talks up the economy, thousands of citizens will hold tea parties throughout the nation to protest the Administration's big-spending economic policies.

Organisers expect there will be at least 600 such events in towns and cities throughout the nation and are forecasting tens of thousands will attend some of the larger ones in major cities such as Chicago.

The tea party theme is a nod to the Boston Tea Party of 1773 when outraged colonists threw tea into the harbour to protest the tax on it imposed by their English overlords. It is regarded as the spark that ignited the American Revolutionary War. >>> Anne Davies Herald Correspondent in Washington | Thursday, April 16, 2009