Lawfare
Subtitle: the war against free speech ; a first amendment guide for reporting in an age of Islamist lawfare
By: Brooke Goldstein and Aaron Eitan Meyer
Contributors: Meyer, Aaron Eitan
Publisher: Center for Security Policy
Published: 2011
Place of publication: [Washington, D.C.]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9780982294796
Subjects: Freedom of speech; Islam; United States; Constitution (United States)
Description: The free speech rights of authors, researchers and journalists writing on issues of public security and national concern are increasingly under attack through both violent and non-violent means. An important non-violent challenge to free speech has emerged in the form of "Islamist lawfare," the use of the law as a weapon of war to silence and punish free speech about militant Islam, terrorism and its sources of financing. The strategic end of Islamist lawfare is to further the goals of the Islamist movement, one of which is to abolish public discourse critical of Islam and punish anything deemed blasphemous to its prophet, Mohammad. Another goal of Islamist lawfare is to impede the free flow of public information about the threat of Islamist terrorism, thereby limiting our ability to understand it and destroy it. In this way, Islamist lawfare takes the form of a complementary legal campaign to terrorism and asymmetric warfare. Written by two of America's experts in this field. Describes this phenomenon and gives practical guidance about navigating this new terrain to journalists who wish to speak truthfully about the national security threats we face.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Disclaimer; title: Introduction : Islamist lawfare and freedom of the press; title: 1. The law of defamation in the United States; title: 2. Constitutional requirements & protections for the press; title: 3. Statements that can be defamatory; title: 4. Statements that cannot be defamatory; title: 5. Defenses against a defamation claim; title: 6. Anti-SLAPP laws; title: 7. Self-censorship; title: 8. Media standards; title: 9. The organization of Islamic cooperation and the subversion of free speech; title: 10. Defamation and the internet : special considerations; title: 11. Conclusion; title: About the authors; title: Appendix A. Articles on Islamist lawfare; title: Appendix B. Memoranda; title: Appendix C. States with anti-SLAPP statutes; title: Appendix D. Relevant legal documents.