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Mike Pence Blasted For Appearing with Anti-LGBTQ Extremists Three Times in Five Days

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The Vice President continues to be blatant in his support for the erosion of LGBTQ rights, and his support of those who work against us.

Vice President Mike Pence has spent three of the past five days appearing at conferences and on stage with anti-LGBTQ extremists, including one who calls gay people “terrorists” and compares them to ISIS, as well as a group that appears on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of anti-gay hate groups. Some are starting to notice and call him out for it.

“Less than a week after appearing at an Erick Erickson-sponsored conference, and a day after appearing with anti-LGBTQ extremist Sam Brownback, Mike Pence continues his anti-LGBTQ crusade with an appearance at an event organized by the anti-LGBTQ hate group the Alliance Defending Freedom,” the Human Rights Campaign says in an email. HRC points to the Vice President’s “close ties” to ADF, a group that HRC says “is among the most horrific of any group operating in the United States.”

The Vice President late Tuesday morning addressed the ADF, a group that successfully represented an anti-gay Christian baker at the U.S. Supreme Court and works to deprive LGBTQ people of their civil rights, while offering false narratives. Pence, speaking at the Ritz-Carlton in Arlington, Virginia, bragged that he and the Trump administration have “taken action to protect the conscience rights of doctors and nurses and healthcare providers,” and “gone to court to protect the right to religious expression in the public square,” while praising the ADF for being “there every step of the way.”

The Trump administration claims it is working to decriminalize homosexuality around the world (there do not appear to be any public reports on its progress) and yet the Vice President is bragging about his work with the ADF, a group that, according to HRC, “believes in the re-criminalization of homosexuality in the U.S. and across the globe.”

ADF also “has advocated for the sterilization of trans people,” and its “extremist views have found their way into Trump administration and state legislative actions.”

White Supremacy Movements Spark Rise In Religion-based Hate

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Vandals spray-painted 19 swastikas on the walls of the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia last October. A young woman leaving a mosque with her friends in Sterling, Virginia, after nightly prayers in the summer of 2017 was raped and killed. Someone scrawled “F*** God & Allah” across a Farmville mosque in October 2017. Later that year, a Fairfax teacher pulled off a Muslim student’s hijab in front of her class.

“These events aren’t isolated,” said Samuel J. West, a doctoral student of social psychology and neuroscience at Virginia Commonwealth University. “They’re happening in conjunction with a well-documented rise of activity of the white power movement and white supremacist organizations.”

In Virginia, hate crimes include illegal, criminal, or violent acts committed against a person or property on the basis of race, religion, or ethnicity. But often, such offenses are not classified as hate crimes. Because it’s hard to assess intent, it’s rare to be charged with a hate crime.

“The bar is pretty high for that conviction of ‘hate crime,’” said West, whose research focuses on the development of aggressive behavior across populations. “You not only have to be proven guilty of intent, but you also have to be proven of a specific kind of intent … not only are you the one who attacked them, you attacked them because they’re queer or black or Muslim.”

Tangible forms of intent for religiously based hate crimes can be anything from social media posts expressing hatred for the specific targeted group to verbal slurs yelled when committing the hate crime.

But if intent can’t be proved, offenses that may involve bias aren’t considered hate crimes. A case in point: In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2015, three Muslims were shot dead by a white man in their apartment over an argument about a parking spot in the complex. The case was classified as a parking dispute.

West said classifying acts like the Chapel Hill shooting as a parking dispute are a reflection of the nation’s judiciary system.

“The U.S. legal system is absolutely created by white men,” West said. “And it certainly makes sense that it would favor them, especially in these cases.”

Because of how hard it is to prove intent, several episodes of religiously motivated violence are often labeled “bias incidents” by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group that collects data on religiously motivated hate actions and crimes.

“Not only are incidents like those increasing, but the violent nature of those incidents is also increasing,” said Zainab Arain, CAIR research and advocacy manager.

In its 2018 Civil Rights Report, CAIR found nearly 2,600 anti-Muslim-based bias incidents in 2017 — a 17% increase from the previous year. Almost half of those took place within the first three months of the year.

That rise parallels a 23% national increase in religiously motivated hate crimes against any religious group — the second-highest number of hate crimes based on religion. The highest number of religiously motivated hate crimes was recorded in 2001, following the 9/11 attacks.

Virginia State Police recorded 44 religion-based hate crimes in 2017, the latest year for which data are available. That was almost double the 23 religion-based hate crime the previous year.

Of the 44 offenses in 2017, half were anti-Jewish, and eight were classified as anti-Muslim. White men were the largest group of offenders for all hate crimes in Virginia.

Arain said the number of hate crimes is likely higher than what reports show for two reasons: underreporting due to fear of retaliation and inaccuracy of FBI data.

“The FBI does collect it only from law enforcement agencies, and law enforcement agencies are not required to report it to the FBI,” Arain said. “Many law enforcement agencies don’t event collect hate crime data in their own municipalities.”

As hate crimes and bias incidents on the basis of religion sharply increase, Arain said, a few factors are at play.

“This across-the-board rise in nativist movements is playing a role in increasing religious discrimination and religious-based hate crimes,” she said, mentioning a slew of nativist campaigns around the world, including the Chinese cleansing of Uighur Muslims.

When it comes to the U.S., Arain said she considers President Donald Trump a “white supremacist.” She said his election has contributed to rising hate.

“That emboldens people who share the same beliefs or ideas and have similar biases and prejudices to act out on their ideas and commit and perpetrate these hate crimes targeting various religious minorities,” she said.

In conjunction with rising hate-fueled violence, domestic hate groups have also increased. There are more than 1,000 hate groups in the U.S. — the most the nation has seen more than in two decades — according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Thirty-nine of those groups call Virginia home.

West called these groups “terrorist organizations.”

Hate crimes and acts of terror do overlap. There is, however, one characteristic that separates the two.

“A hate crime doesn’t have to be politically motivated,” said David Webber, assistant professor in VCU’s Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. “But an act of terrorism does.”

While there isn’t a standard definition of “terrorism,” the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations defines it as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” Recent incidents like the mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the church bombings in Sri Lanka are classified as acts of terror since they were fueled by political motives.

Hate crimes are also punishable by law, while domestic acts of terror are not. International acts of terror in the U.S. or by U.S. citizens, however, are punishable under U.S. law — for example, pledging allegiance to ISIS or al-Shabaab.

Webber referenced the car attack at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville as an example of domestic terrorism labeled and punished as a different crime. An avowed neo-Nazi, James Alex Fields Jr. was convicted of murder for driving into a group of counterprotesters and killing Heather Heyer.

“When he used his car to kill that person in Charlottesville, he was never charged with an act of terrorism,” Webber said. “Even though by a definition of terrorism, he was involved in an act of political violence for political reasons, and he killed someone for it. We call that an act of terrorism.”

But since acts of domestic terrorism aren’t punishable by law in the U.S., Webber said, Fields was charged with a hate crime. On March 27, Fields pleaded guilty to 29 counts of hate crimes — one resulting in Heyer’s death and 28 in connection with injuries to other people.

Both hate crimes and acts of terror are forms of aggression. But aggression is not always expressed as physical violence.

“There are many forms of aggression,” said West, a doctoral student who researches the topic. “You’ve got your run-of-the-mill physical violence, your verbal aggression … then you get into ‘mark your territory’ with things like instrumental violence or relational violence.”

Simple examples of instrumental violence on the basis of religion would be vandalizing the side of a mosque, or defacing a Jewish cemetery.

“Most people are not very violent, and don’t really like to be unless someone has provoked them or attacked them or offended them in some way,” West said. “That phenomenon (of violence and aggression) is one that is so inconsistent with much of human nature.”

But there are reasons why people are drawn to acting out aggressively.

Webber, who researches violent extremism, identifies three key factors why individuals are drawn toward extreme violence and hate-fueled aggression: needs, narratives, and networks — “the three N’s,” as he calls them.

“People become extremists because they’re striving to fulfill an important psychological need that is universal for all of us,” he said. “The need to feel significant, to feel like you’re valued, to feel like you’re respected.”

Webber said people drawn to extreme violence — whether it be a hate crime, terrorist attack or another form — see an aspect of “heroism” in their actions. This is amplified by the ease of creating communities through social media, he said.

“You used to have to meet with people secretly, talk to them; or they have to find a poster on the street,” Webber said. “Now, they can log online and see everything. It expands your reach, the potential recruitment pool that you have. You can put information up and people can read it instantly. And you can draw people into a cause really quickly.”

Recruitment for hate groups outside of social media still exists. White supremacist propaganda — in the form of leaflets handed out on college campuses, flyers, rallies and other events — increased 182% in 2018, according to research conducted by the Anti-Defamation League.

Adding to the hate targeted at specific religious groups is how news outlets portray members of these communities.

“A large contributing factor is likely the negative coverage in the media of certain religious groups,” said Raha Batts, imam of Masjid Ash-Shura in Norfolk, Virginia.

Batts said Western media outlets portray Islam as a “religion of terror.”

West said media bias likely plays a significant role in the dehumanizing of certain outgroups.

“Individuals of different races are treated much differently by the news media,” he said. “A more heinous crime could be committed by a white person, and those [news] articles often are quick to refer to mental illness as being the primary motivation or a primary factor at play.”

But if the perpetrators of violence are non-white, the media raise the specter of terrorism and ties to extremist groups, West said.

Batts is no stranger to bias incidents. A few years ago, he and his family stayed in a hotel in Norfolk before moving to the area permanently. After checking into the hotel, his wife passed a group of men who Batts said had been drinking outside of the building.

“One of them was terribly angry at just the sight of my wife,” Batts said. His wife dresses in niqab, a full-length veil that covers her face. “He began acting kind of erratic. He had a beer bottle, and he slammed the beer bottle on the ground.”

The other men stopped him from approaching his wife, Batts said. But she felt the hostility.

“They were military guys, and they served in Afghanistan together,” Batts said. “This particular person, he had a problem with Muslims.”

Batts said negative media coverage played a role in the bias incident he and his wife experienced.

“I spoke to the young man for some time,” Batts said. “Just explained to him that we’re not terrorists, we’re not anti-America. We’re not your enemy.”

Other faith leaders have recognized the spike in hate crimes and acts of terror against their communities.

“Hate crimes have always committed against us; it’s just a fact of being a Jew,” said Rabbi David Spinrad of the Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia. “It’s not a new phenomenon.”

Nearly 60% of hate crimes perpetrated across the U.S. in 2017 were anti-Jewish, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League. Between 2016 and 2017, anti-Jewish hate crimes rose by 57%.

On Saturday, authorities said, a man with an assault rifle opened fire in a synagogue in a suburb of San Diego, California, killing one person and wounding three. The man has also been charged with arson at a nearby mosque.

Spinrad said interfaith dialogue and solidarity is the best combatant to rising hate.

“This is big — this has so much momentum,” Spinrad said. “The importance of the relationship of American Jews and American Muslims … I can’t overstate that it is huge. They’re coming for you, and they’re coming for me.”

Amid negative news coverage of the Muslim community, Batts echoed Spinrad’s thoughts on interfaith dialogue and building community.

“It’s our job,” Batts said. “We can coexist with one another, and we can work together. There will be certain things that you believe that I don’t necessarily believe. But we can still be good to one another, we can still be kind to one another. We all have the same goals in mind.”

Written by Saffeya Ahmed, Capital News Service. Top Photo by Joe Pregadio on Unsplash

Identity Evropa: The Evolution of White Supremacy Came to Richmond (For Our Trash)

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It’s been almost a year since the Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville and alt-right groups are still trying to mainstream white supremacy. While the aftermath of the rally would ensure public outrage at the organizers, the delusional unification of these groups would soon erupt, splintering an allegedly cohesive group into various factions.

One group in particular, which predates Trump’s nomination, hit full stride during the rally in Charlottesville and was present in Richmond only a short while ago.

What were they doing? Collecting our trash.

This was no selfless gesture, however, but part of their nationwide ‘Weekend of Service’ – their latest project to mainstream a modern version of white supremacy. The group’s name is Identity Evropa (IE), and they are the cure to our “anarcho-tyrannical” society (in other words, if you’re a straight up white dude).

Instead of taking an offensive strategy through public rallies, IE took note of what they believe didn’t work during Unite the Right. Priding themselves on operational security, they only unveil logistics to members and sympathizers who pass two prior screenings and several Skype interviews before being allowed to enjoy IE’s private server. This includes information on upcoming events, fellow members in the area, and discussion boards to examine white persecution and biodiversity – this is not your grandfather’s KKK.

Their main project, dubbed “Project Siege,” has the group trekking across college campuses and public spaces. So far they have tagged over 60 metropolitan areas with white empowerment propaganda full of trite revelations about the need to restore the ‘supermajority’ in America.

Out on the front lines of the white supremacist movement, IE operates its influence operation through a campaign of guerilla “optics” in public spaces – primarily through the use of provocative banner drops and flyering – but also heavy social networking.

Identified as a white supremacist organization by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the group that claims to have more than 1,000 members nationwide. They are seen as a legitimate threat, and for good reason.

IE targets professors and “professional anti-racists,” who promote and teach courses that clash with white nationalist ideology or do not align with the group’s victim narrative.

Identity Europa Recruitment Flyer

They are also heavily reliant on the immigration debate to further their ideology, denouncing “sanctuary cities” and using examples like the murder of Kate Steinle as proof of the danger that black and brown people pose.

Professor Gregory Smithers, a Native American history and Cherokee studies professor at VCU, focuses on the history of racism and provides some clarity on how IE are mainstreaming their ideology. “The leaders of these groups aspire to be taken seriously,” Smithers said. “This attempted normalization is a way to try to achieve it while also providing cover for the young hot-heads who crave violent confrontations.”

IE claims they aren’t “white supremacists” because they don’t believe that white people should govern over non-white people.

“We still identify IE as a white supremacist group,” said Marilyn Mayo, senior research fellow at ADL Center for Extremism who spoke with RVA Mag about emerging white supremacist groups. “Nathan Damigo [the leader of IE], adopted white supremacy when he created the group.”

And this is true.

Before the group’s inception in 2016, former-Marine Nathan Damigo went to prison for assaulting an Iraqi cab driver. This is where he discovered pro-white literature and where the pathway to white supremacism came about.

Within a growing ecosystem of hate groups and white supremacists, Damigo found new purpose upon being released, but would prove too aggressive to spread IE’s message. Damigo eventually resigned, along with several like-minded followers following the events at Unite the Right, allowing for new CEO Patrick Casey to take over.

Under Casey’s leadership, IE started operating under the streamlined moniker of an “American Identitarian” organization. This involved mainly private conferences and civil service projects organized under tight control to improve the organization’s public image without running the risk of public criticisms, effectively distancing IE from the worst excesses of the alt-right and white supremacy.

Casey differs from Damigo in that he models the “intellectual racist” after the likes of Jared Taylor and others from American Renaissance and ex-Klan lawyer Sam Dickson. As described in an expose by The Outline, the writer highlights conference events where frat boys gather to deliver speeches on “Race Realism.” From this position, they can double down on nonsensical beliefs like ‘biological purity.’

According to Mayo, Casey and his followers have represented IE at Breitbart socials, Conservative Political Action Committees, and Gateway conferences; each time bringing themselves into the political discussion as a legitimate group with legitimate opinions.

True to IE’s collegiate image of the “racist intellectual,” attendees at their closed weekend conferences wear suits and ties – part of mainstreaming process – as a way to sway potential recruits. Upon attaining membership, each recruit is instructed to keep their outfits tidy, stay off drugs, and keep their hair well groomed and parted.

If that isn’t enough, IE also has a marketing strategy with t-shirts, bags, phone cases, banners, and posters, along with other paraphernalia adorned with interesting designs to draw in uninspired youth.

As their namesake implies, IE believes identity matters. According to SPLC reports, IE filters out anyone they believe does not conform to their version of European identity, including those with tattoos, people with dark skin, convicts, Jews–identity questions asked during the interview process as this isn’t the European heritage they wish to promote.

Unsurprisingly, their warcry bears a striking familiarity to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan: Action, Leadership, Identity–America First, End Immigration -making claims like replacing the native population in a country with foreigners is treasonous. While the group is openly anti-Semitic, (stating any “white” resister to their cause must be Jewish), their posters feature an image of Michelangelo’s David–ironically a Jewish king.

“The glory of white civilization is something they think is being lost, and regardless of whether it is historically accurate,” Mayo said. “They want to promote that.”

Identity Europa Recruitment Flyer

Few women join the group, and for good reason. When women are referenced in IE’s ideology or associated with past European tradition, they are painted as objective treasures, the fruit of their pridelands, and always at the risk of capture by any non-whites (or Jews).

IE implies women are given the privilege to full citizenship, even though they are weaker, as a product of male generosity. A photo of a recent event showed some of their members in attendance, all but one were men.

With a basic understanding of irony, one could laugh at their attempt to mainstream; nonetheless, the problem is their strategy is working. This group, as well as other white supremacist groups like Patriot Front and Operation Homeland, have continued to grow for the fourth straight year – especially in Virginia – according to a report by the SPLC.

Hiding under the guise of “ethno-pluralists,” IE and other groups like theirs, believe in the creation and return to a country that is white only. According to Smithers, this rebranding is hardly new.

“I would say that the idea of an ethno-state is it isn’t a new concept,” Smithers said. “It is an idea that was central to the states that passed Jim Crow laws during the late 19th and early 20th century.” He added that the idea of an entho-state inspired the system of apartheid in South Africa, along with “settler societies” like those in Australia as a way to “breed out the color.”   

One of the many problems with this ideology is that there is no distinct example of what European descent actually is.

“You have people, young white males in particular, that want to belong to a greater cause, but feel alienated in some of today’s issues like white guilt and not having their own groups on campus,” Mayo said. “But at the end of the day, we do not really know what their true end goal is.”

Hate crimes in the US are still on the rise and studies are linking this increase to white nationalism. In A Psychological Profile of the Alt-Right, researchers Patrick S. Forscher and Nour S.Kteily, studied the likelihood of violent acts toward people of different races. According to their analyses, alt-right “adherents” expressed significant “Dark Triad Traits”: social dominance orientation, authoritarianism, and aggression. Participants also exhibited extreme levels of “overt intergroup bias,” including, “blatant dehumanization of racial minorities.” Therefore, the idea was never to embrace the tradition of European ancestors, but to provide a smokescreen for their racism and anti-Semitism.

America was forged by the hands of refugees, outcasts, and multiple cultures–a haven for those who didn’t belong. But the US has also abused that idea since its inception; this country was built on the backs of those who were enslaved and disenfranchised. This is the America they are fighting to return to.

IE and groups like theirs ultimately hide their ideology in plain sight. Their talk of nationalism vs. globalism is a pseudo-scientific facade masquerading as mainstream politics, which is equal parts comedy and terrifying.

“The horseshoe theory is a favorite of the alt-right,” Smithers said in closing. “In short, it’s a way for fascist and extreme right-wing groups to conflate their hateful worldview with those of mainstream political theories.”

Even with their abrasive personalities, marketing innovations or creative community service projects, bigots are still bigots. And no service project or clean suit will make them anything more than douches with a trash bag–remember, even the Klan did highway clean-up.

The Rise of Bullying in Trump’s America and How a Local Singer is Helping to Combat the Issue

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“We must teach each child the values of empathy and communication that are at the core of the kindness, mindfulness, integrity, and leadership, which can only be taught by example.”

Those words were spoken by First Lady Melania Trump two months ago at the United Nations. Does she know who her husband is?

In Virginia and across the country, educators have been reporting a disturbing rise in hate-filled bullying among students of all ages, from the youngest in grade-school to college students. While bullying has a long history in American classrooms, the current surge stands out both for the similarity of its targets—Muslim students, immigrants and children of immigrants, children of color, girls, Jews—and the language used against them. And educators have a shared theory as to the cause: Donald Trump and the degraded discourse of our society.

The evidence is abundant. Indeed, the Southern Poverty Law Center has concluded the “Trump effect” is helping to create “an alarming level of fear and anxiety” in children and “inflaming racial and ethnic tensions” in America’s classrooms.

According to the Virginia Department of Education, there were 2,694 incidents of bullying during the 2015-2016 school year.  Bullying certainly isn’t isolated to the commonwealth. This past June, BuzzFeed reported that it confirmed 54 cases across 26 states, including a number of incidents in which students were harassed with references to Trump’s proposed border wall.

In one incident reported by BuzzFeed, a third grader chased a Latina student around the classroom yelling “build the wall!” In another, an eighth grader said to a black classmate: “Now that Trump won, you’re going to have to go back to Africa, where you belong.” The Commonwealth has taken some action recently, passing legislation this summer. HB 1709 was introduced by Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax). It requires school principals to notify the parent of any student involved in an alleged incident of bullying of the status of any investigation within five school days of the allegation. Still, much more work needs to be done.

“Bullying is only getting worse and it’s driving young children to suicide,” says Miranda Bash, a QMHP A-C (qualified mental health professional) in Richmond. Parents don’t always know everything about their children. I say that from experience.”

Many families across the Commonwealth can relate. One Richmond family, originally from Mexico, have reported that their son has been taunted frequently at school. Being called a “churro,” getting threatened with “the wall;” this is the environment children are forced to deal with now.

All too often, these children suffer in silence. One local songwriter, Tyler Layne, is trying to change that.

“In high school, I went through a lot of bullying,” Layne told me in our interview. “Being bullied in school and online, put a lot of pressure on me,” Tyler kept everything he was dealing with inside, knowing things could get worse, “I just didn’t want to talk about it.”

Things did indeed get worse, with Layne dealing with worsening depression, “I just didn’t value my life.” By junior year of high school, Layne “didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning.” Fast forward two years, and Layne began work on his latest single, “Breathe.”

“The song is me reflecting on that time in my life,” he said. Layne told me that by sharing his story, he can hopefully make people more comfortable sharing theirs. In fact, “Breathe” is Layne’s first time sharing his story, “even to my parents.” With this song, the songwriter wants people to know “it’s okay to not be okay.” To stress that point, Layne teamed up with the “Buddy Project,” a movement that aims to prevent suicide and self-harm by pairing people as buddies and raising awareness for mental health. Tyler started a chapter of the project at VCU. Together, they’re aiming to decrease the suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025.

Unfortunately, Trump is still president, with impressionable children everywhere seeing everything he does. First Lady Melania Trump, speaking at the U.N. this September, said, “By our own example, we must teach children to be good stewards of the world they will inherit.” As she should know, that lesson starts at home.

Top photo credit: Huffington Post

Anti-Muslim demonstration held in Virginia Beach

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An event hoping to stop Sharia law from taking over the US ended in a parking lot shoving contest and two arrests at Virginia Beach’s Mt. Trashmore this weekend.

Along the bottom of the former-trash dump-turned-community park, about 70 people gathered for a “righteous cause.” Dressed head-to-toe in red, white, and blue and waving American flags, the majority white, Christian, and elderly group held signs and made speeches as protesters cat-called back.

The VA beach event was one of almost two dozen in cities across the nation, all organized by ACT for America! in what was called a “March Against Sharia.”

ACT for America!, an organization founded by Hanah Kahwagi, the alias of Brigitte Gabriel, previously preached that practicing Muslims “cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America” because of their faith. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups in the US, has deemed ACT an anti-Muslim hate group because it has “grown into far and away the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in America.”

The argument over Sharia Law in the US was thrust into the spotlight by ACT! over the last decade. Sharia is the social and criminal code of law for the faith of Islam. No U.S. court has ever ruled based on Sharia.

 

Scott Presler, a Northern Virginia native and Virginia Beach resident, organized and led the rally. Presler has been making national headlines for months as an openly gay Republican outspokenly in support of President Donald Trump.

In his address to the crowd, Presler played up patriotism to the military veteran-filled crowd. His call to action included many more points than fighting Sharia, including the enforcement of President Trump’s executive order travel ban targeting Muslim countries which has been struck down by District and federal courts multiple times for being unconstitutional.

At Mt. Trashmore, Presler said it was time to take a stand.

“It’s time to tell the open-border zealots that we will not be silenced by their intimidation tactics and cliche cries of Islamophobia,” Presler said. “It’s time to tell the mainstream media that we aren’t buying the fake news propaganda. It’s time to tell the politically correct politicians to grow a spine. It’s time for a travel ban and it’s time to support the brave president who tried to enforce it.”

Presler said the group was there to shine a light on Sharia, which is steadily creeping into our society despite it being incompatible with the Constitution and “our way of life.”

Other speakers continued to file through, preaching against radical Islam.

No Muslims from the local community were present.

The counter-protest

Rumors swirled that there would be no counter-protests at the event, which took place halfway through the Islamic holiday Ramadan.

Members ofVirginia Beach’s Crescent Community Center which serves the local Muslim community, said they knew the rally was happening but decided to stay away that day. Instead, people worked to package meals for local homeless shelters while fasting at the ODU Islamic Center.

But another local, Terry Steel, believed someone needed to stand up against the “March Against Sharia.”

“I just put the word out to some like-minded people with a staunch anti-racist viewpoint,” he said.

The small group, dressed mostly in black, was also composed of mainly white people but decades younger than the crowd they were opposing.

Police officers in neon vests and VA ACLU representatives milled between the yards of land deemed neutral ground as tension built in the barrier between the two groups.

“It’s unacceptable for them to come out here and have a free walk in the park without some pushback,” Steel said. “It’s blatant white nationalism, blatant anti-Muslim rhetoric.”

Another counter protester, Rebecca Winn, said she came out to denounce what she calls a “fake narrative” from ACT!.

“This is where fake news comes from,” she said. “This is a fake narrative. This is a message of fear in order to get people to subscribe to their group or their cause.”

Winn was quick to clarify that she wasn’t against the event’s right to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech, a claim conservative activists have made about the pushback against a radical speech in the US.

“If there is coverage of that, there should be coverage of this,” Winn said about being a counter-protester. “First Amendment, right? We’re all allowed to have our freedom to speak. I respect theirs, I also respect my own.”

She reached her arms out and hoisted her homemade sign reading “stop pretending your racism is patriotism” above her head for the crowd to read.

Photo via Beth Austin

“As a Christian, I want my Muslim friends and neighbors to see people speaking out on their behalf,” she said.

Not so peaceful assembly

After the rally concluded and people were filing out to the parking lot, a few men were yelling and shoving near the counter-protest side. Police officers and cars diffused the situation almost immediately.

Police arrested two counter-protesters, charging them with assault and disorderly conduct. No injuries were reported. No one from the march was arrested.

“It’s always one way and that rhetoric is the same in Virginia Beach,” counter-protester Steel said of how the scuffle broke out. “One of the, we’ll just say gentleman for lack of a better word, was carrying a sign that said ‘stone rape victims’ and the other side said ‘mo’ Muslims, mo’ problems.’”

Virginia Beach wasn’t the only place with counter-protesters and marchers getting physical. Arrests were also made in Denver and Minnesota. Protesters in New York banged pots and pans in an attempt to drown out the anti-Sharia demonstrators.

‘Return their ignorance with kindness.’

Jackson Al Abqari is a practicing Muslim and the Muslim outreach coordinator for the social intelligence company AP Math Labs in Washington D.C.

He said Sharia’s literal meaning is “law of the land” and it lists the laws people are expected to abide by, similar to Judaic and Christian laws.

“This whole kind of right-wing thing about Sharia in America is so ridiculous because Sharia goes by the law of the land,” Al Abqari said. “It’s like that saying, ‘when in Rome.’ The thing is no two Muslim countries have the same exact law either. It’s not like there’s one Muslim Sharia.”

He said he is disappointed in the fear mongering happening, but the Muslim community will not be intimidated by racist thoughts and actions.

“When you talk to some of the ACT supporters, they say Islam is incompatible with America which is ridiculous,” Al Abqari claimed. “One of the founding ideals of the U.S. is that you’re free to practice any religion that you want. I’m disappointed in some of the rhetoric that is going on but the Muslim community is not going to be bullied. They’re not going to be abused by these people.”

He said non-Muslims need to understand their beliefs aren’t that different from the ones Islam holds and Muslims have the same ideals as everyone else, like keeping their family safe and secure and for the United States to be a place of refuge.

“People are going to spew hate but the Quran tells us when people of ignorance attack you, it’s better to forgive them and return their ignorance with kindness,” Al Abqari said. “So we’ll remain steadfast and the Muslim community will be an educated community that takes care of its immediate surroundings and volunteers and does a lot of the good deeds in the community regardless of whether we’re demonized or not or if we’re attacked.”

Top photo via Beth Austin

Hoax Hunters release single ‘SAD!’ off upcoming Friends for Equality vol. 2 compilation out 5/30

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Back in February, RVA Mag first gave you the scoop on Friends for Equality, a local music and zine collective that raises money for social justice and civil rights organizations, just a few months after the group released its first music compilation.

The collective was started by lifelong activist Nancy Kells as an outlet for her outrage and shock after the election, which resulted in a 42-song release featuring artists and bands from all over the world. Proceeds from album sales were split between the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Southern Poverty Law Center. You can read our interview with her here.

Next week, Kells will put out the second volume of Friends for Equality and RVA’s postpunk/rock band Hoax Hunters have dropped the first single, “SAD!” ahead of the release.

“I had this song and it didn’t make sense for the new record we were working on, and it made a lot of sense for the comp, and of course we wanted to support the great cause,” said PJ Sykes, guitarist/vocalist for Hoax Hunters. “Plus, there’s some incredible other music on there, so to be associated with anybody like that would be a good thing as well.”

The compilation features 50 songs by artists from 39 different cities in nine countries and spans an eclectic mix of genres including punk rock, improvisation, hip hop, experimental electronic, noise, electronic music, trip hop, ambient, improv, dark ambient, psychrock, experimental, lo-fi, folk, bedroom pop, indie and prog rock.

Besides Hoax Hunters, several local musicians were featured including Erik Schroeder, Scott Burton, Ceremonial Scissors, Jonathan Hicks, Gutter Collective, and Elizabeth Owens and Spartan Jet-Plex, a moniker Kells has been using for several years to put out experimental music.

Most of the songs for Hoax Hunters’ upcoming release were written pre-election, and Sykes, who was very active during the campaign season, penned this song as a way to cope with the outcome of the election as well as local politics.

“I sat down and this song just flew out of my fingers and obviously, it’s a reaction to what’s going on,” he said. “The lyrics came straight out of me too, it’s definitely a song we’re really proud of and wanted to get out.”

And the title may be “SAD!”, but the track is anything but that. It’s fast, in your face and comes from a place of anger and pent-up emotion. It drives with this sense of urgency and power.

“The words are kind of taken from Trump, I tried to use his language and put it in a different context,” Sykes said.

Hoax Hunters didn’t just go after Trump in the song, the band also takes some shots at Congressman Dave Brat.

“That’s what the song leads off with, my congressman actually stopped campaigning, did not debate his challenger and started stumping for Trump and helping him win the election,” he said. “He constantly ignores us; he’s constantly ignoring his constituents and now he’s complaining in the news that we’re terrible people. We’re not cool with what’s going on and we feel that he should be representing us better.”

Sykes said he hoped this song would stress the importance of being vocal about the current political climate and issues and provide some healing for people who continue to be discouraged or angered by what’s going on.

Friends For Equality Volume 2 was curated completely by Kells. Besides Sykes, Hoax Hunters bassist/vocalist Ben Nicastro is also featured on “SAD!”, along with NO BS Brass Brand’s Lance Koehler on drums and backup vocals by Jeff Roop.

He asked three women, credited as the “perSisters” to sing backup vocals which included a speech-language pathologist, a member of the local Jewish community, and a recent nationalized citizen.


Photo credit: PJ Sykes

“They’d never sang before, they’re all moms, they’d never been in a band before, and I needed them on a track, they’re a very integral part of what’s going on in my district and they’re very active in keeping up with the congressman,” Sykes said.

RVA Mag got a little sneak preview of the comp and “Trump Drums”, “Evangelical”. “Gas Mask”, “Unity in Action”, and “Trigger Warning” are definitely some standout tracks. This is a stacked, powerful compilation that needs to be in your rotation.

“For me, it rings very reminiscent of anti-Iraq war kind of stuff, you had shows and zines or protests it just seems very similar for me like ‘oh we did this 15 years ago and here we are again’ but its seems more dangerous and more urgent,” Sykes said.

Just as before, proceeds from Volume 2 will be split evenly between the Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU and Planned Parenthood. The sale begins on May 30 when the album drops, and will continue indefinitely. Contributions will be sent to the organizations monthly.

A release show is in the works for later this summer, but you can pre-order the album here for $10.

Hoax Hunters plan to release their third album through Cherub Records in late summer or early fall so keep your eyes peeled on RVA Mag for that.

image credit: Jason Simpkins