Leaders say distribution of 'Obsession' DVD seeks to increase anti-Islam prejudice

Contact: Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, CAIR-Ohio President, 614-560-0272, amobinuddin@cair.com; Romin Iqbal, CAIR-Ohio Staff Attorney, 614-451-3232, riqbal@cair.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 24 /Standard Newswire/ -- On Thursday, September 25, a diverse group of central Ohio leaders will hold a news conference to take a stand against the spread of hate and fear in our community by decrying the distribution of the "Obsession" DVD in newspapers and mailings to the public.

Speakers at the press conference will include the executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches, the president of the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, the president of the Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), Christian clergy, and a Muslim Imam.

WHAT: Press conference with diverse central Ohio community leaders taking a stand against spreading hate and fear via the anti-Islam "Obsession" DVD

WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio Chapter, 1505 Bethel Rd., Suite 200, Columbus, OH 43220

The Obsession DVD puts together violent clips of horrific scenes taken from different areas in the Muslim world and presents them as the norm. It plays on fear and ignorance and claims that these incidents are part of an ideological goal to take over civilization. Frequent references to Nazi Germany are made. It is a propaganda piece that seeks to blur the difference between violent radicalism and mainstream Islam.

Twenty-eight million copies of this DVD were distributed in more than 70 newspapers in presidential election swing states across the country as a paid advertising insert, including to hundreds of thousands of people in central Ohio.

People are now also receiving the DVD in the mail. Some estimate the cost of distribution to be tens of millions of dollars, funded by the Clarion Fund, a shadowy group whose website does not give information about its board of directors, staff or even a physical address.

"We are grateful for the support of the community as we stand together against bigotry and the spread of hate against any group," said CAIR-Ohio President Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin. "Through education and dialogue, we need to address the damage done by the distribution of this hateful propaganda."

For more information, please see:

AP: Muslim group seeks probe of 'radical Islam' DVD 

ISLAM-OPED: 'Obsession,' the Radical Right's War on Islam 

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. CAIR's mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.