SIOA describes itself as a human rights organization, promotingfreedom of speech,freedom of conscience, and equal rights.[15] The SIOA's ideology has been called Islamophobic by political and historical scholars, news sources, religious leaders, and hate group watchdogs.[16][17][18][19][20][21]
SIOA opposed the construction ofPark51, originally named Cordoba House, a 13-story Muslimcommunity center proposed for a location two blocks from theWorld Trade Center site inLower Manhattan. On May 6, 2010, Geller posted a blog piece calling the building a "monster mosque" and a "stab in the eye of America" and comparing it to the reconsecration of theHagia Sophia as a mosque by theOttoman Turks after they conqueredConstantinople in 1453.[1] In another blog post, Geller encouraged readers to protest its construction.[1][22][23]
In July 2010, the organization purchasedbus advertising in New York and other American cities promoting a website purporting to advocate for Muslims who wanted to disclaim their religion but who feared they might be killed by other Muslims if they did so.[24] TheCouncil on American-Islamic Relations criticized the premise of the ads, that there were any such Muslims, calling it "a smoke screen to advance [Geller's] long-standing history of anti-Muslim bigotry".[25]
TheAnti-Defamation League, beginning in 2010, included SIOA in their online resource on extremist groups, saying that it "promotes a conspiratorial anti-Muslim agenda under the guise of fighting radical Islam" and "seeks to rouse public fears by consistently vilifying the Islamic faith and asserting the existence of an Islamic conspiracy to destroy 'American' values."[26]
In 2011, the Southern Poverty Law Center named SIOA an anti-Muslimhate group,[27][13] calling it a "propaganda powerhouse" that paintsmoderate Muslims asradicalterrorists.[13] Geller described the SPLC listing as a "badge of honor"[28] and later, in 2015, stated to CNN, "Who designated the SPLC as a legitimate authority? They are a radical leftist group who targets patriots, vets and even GOP presidential candidates. They have never named a jihadi group as a hate group."[29]
In July and August 2011, Geller and Spencer were discussed in the media because Norwegian mass-murdererAnders Behring Breivik's anti-Muslim manifesto quoted Spencer at length, and also cited Geller's blog.[30] According to Heidi Beirich, deputy director ofSPLC, Geller and Spencer's writings were "the primary sources for the anti-Muslim propaganda that had helped give voice" to Breivik's 1500+ page manifesto.[14] SIOA published a statement jointly withJihad Watch andStop Islamisation of Europe condemning Breivik's attack.[31]
During the 2012 tax year, the organization reported total revenue of $157,870.00, no employee salary or compensation, and total operating expenses of $296,044.00.[41]
In early January 2013, the SIOA placed advertisements inNew York City Subway stations that juxtaposed images of theSeptember 11 attacks with a quote from theQuran: "Soon shall we cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers."[42][43] By that time theNew York City Transit Authority had changed its advertising policy to accept what it called "viewpoint advertisements" but to require a disclaimer saying that the Transit Authority did not endorse the advertiser's views.[44]
In the fiscal year 2013, the organization disclosed a complete revenue amounting to $958,800.00. Employee wages and benefits stood at $243,150.00, while the overall operational costs totaled $419,652.00.[45]
In 2015 the SIOA started a new ad campaign in New York, that included one parody billboard with a quote from Hamas stating 'Killing Jews is worship that draws us close to Allah.' A court judgement in April 2015 ruled that New York'sMetropolitan Transportation Authority cannot prevent the ads from running on buses.[48][49]
In January 2015 a Muslim group organized a fundraiser called "Stand With the Prophet in Honor and Respect" at theCurtis Culwell Center inGarland, Texas.[50] Pamela Geller spearheaded about 1,000 picketers at that event.[51][52] The Garland Independent School District board president Rick Lambert said in January, "The Culwell Center is available for rental as long as you comply with the law. Because it is a public facility, the district is not allowed to discriminate based upon viewpoint."[52][53]
On May 3, 2015, the SIOA invitedGeert Wilders to an art exhibit inGarland, Texas that offered a $10,000 prize for the bestcartoon of Muhammad. During the event, a shooting incident occurred.[54] Both gunmen, later identified asISIL-inspired,[55] were shot and killed by police shortly after the suspects shot a security guard.[56]
The SIOA says it spent $10,000 on security, and had 40 police officers and private security guards present.[57] The event was hosted at the Curtis Culwell Center, rented from theGarland Independent School District, which hosted an event in January called "Stand with the Prophet".[58]
Stop Islamization of Nations (SION) is an international counter-jihad[10] organization founded in 2012 by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer of SIOA, and Anders Gravers Pedersen of SIOE. Other board members are Debbie Robinson, ofQ Society of Australia;[59]Ezra Levant, a Canadian publisher;Wafa Sultan, a Syrian-American writer;Ali Sina, an Iranian-born Canadian activist; Stefan Herre, a German author of theblogPolitically Incorrect;Mordechai Kedar, an Israeli author; Babu Suseelan, a Hindu activist;Oskar Freysinger, a Swiss politician;Cliff Kincaid, editor of theAccuracy in Media Report; and Ashraf Rameleh the President of Voice of the Copts.[60][61] Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer are President and Vice President of SION.[60] SION has taken part in hosting international counter-jihad conferences along with other organisations and multiple individual speakers, including in Stockholm, Sweden and New York City in 2012 and in Melbourne, Australia in 2014.[62]
^abcdBarnard, Anne; Feuer, Alan (October 10, 2010)."Outraged, And Outrageous".The New York Times.Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2017.
Ernst, Carl W. (2013). "Introduction: The Problem of Islamophobia".Islamophobia in America: The Anatomy of Intolerance. Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN978-1137290083.
Kumar, Deepa (2012).Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire. Haymarket Books. p. 179.ISBN978-1608462117....the other leading sources of anti-Muslim racism are... Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer's Stop Islamization of America...
Davidson, Lawrence (May 2011). "Islamophobia, the Israel Lobby and American Paranoia: Letter from America".Holy Land Studies.10 (1):87–95.doi:10.3366/hls.2011.0005.
Rice, Stephanie (July 28, 2010)."'Anti-Islamic' bus ads appear in major cities".Christian Science Monitor.Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2012.In the Bay Area, more than 125 religious leaders of various faiths signed a statement in July denouncing the ads as "Islamophobic"
Bazian, Hatem (2015). "The Islamophobia Industry and the Demonization of Palestine: Implications for American Studies".American Quarterly.67 (4):1057–1066.doi:10.1353/aq.2015.0073.ISSN1080-6490.S2CID146731799.
^abcSteinback, Robert (Summer 2011)."Jihad Against Islam".The Intelligence Report. No. 142. Southern Poverty Law Center.Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 20, 2012.
^Ernst, Carl W. (2013). "Introduction: The Problem of Islamophobia".Islamophobia in America: The Anatomy of Intolerance. Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN978-1137290083.
^Kumar, Deepa (2012).Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire. Haymarket Books. p. 179.ISBN978-1608462117....the other leading sources of anti-Muslim racism are... Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer's Stop Islamization of America...
^Davidson, Lawrence (May 2011). "Islamophobia, the Israel Lobby and American Paranoia: Letter from America".Holy Land Studies.10 (1):87–95.doi:10.3366/hls.2011.0005.
^Rice, Stephanie (July 28, 2010)."'Anti-Islamic' bus ads appear in major cities".Christian Science Monitor.Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2012.In the Bay Area, more than 125 religious leaders of various faiths signed a statement in July denouncing the ads as "Islamophobic"
^Gottschalk, Peter (2012). "Religion Out of Place: Islam and cults as perceived threats in the United States". In Gershon Shafir; Everard Meade; William J. Aceves (eds.).Lessons and Legacies of the War on Terror: From Moral Panic to Permanent War. Critical Terrorism Studies. Routledge. pp. 111–112.ISBN978-0415638418.
^Nathan-Kazis, Josh; Guttman, Nathan (August 5, 2011). "U.S. Critics of Islam Vow To Continue Activism After Oslo". The Forward.A statement published on July 25 on Jihad Watch, by Spencer and Geller 's SIOA and Stop Islamisation of Europe, their group's European ally, condemned the attacks. The statement went on to say that Breivik had attempted to join SOIE, but had been kept out of the organization 'because of his Nazi ties.'
