Conservatives Poised to Fight 'Islamist Lawfare'
Support Sought in Congress, States for Tort Reform in Anti-Muslim Libel Cases

by David Weigel
Washington Independent
May 20, 2009

http://www.legal-project.org/334/conservatives-poised-to-fight-islamist-lawfare

Excerpt:

 In February, Sens. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) introduced the Free Speech Protection Act, legislation aimed at protecting Americans from libel lawsuits filed in foreign courts. The bill languished, attracting only two co-sponsors in the Senate, but on May 19 Specter was scheduled to promote the bill at a suitable event–a conference on "Libel Lawfare," sponsored by a coalition of conservative legal groups and watchdogs of Islamic extremism.

At the eleventh hour Specter pulled out and canceled his opening remarks, citing only a "scheduling conflict." The Council for American-Islamic Relations claimed credit for Specter's "decision to withdraw from this inaccurate, inflammatory and agenda-driven conference," in the words of CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Justin Peyton. "The senator's appearance at this event," said Peyton, "would have legitimized views not shared by the majority of Pennsylvanians of all faiths."

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