July 13, 2009
Statement to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Special Exception to Zoning Restrictions for Expansion of Islamic Saudi Academy
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
Statement by Founder, Jeffrey Imm
July 13, 2009 Fairfax, VA Board of Supervisors Hearing - Responsible for Equality And Liberty's (R.E.A.L.) Jeffrey Imm Testifies on Islamic Saudi Academy
My name is Jeffrey Imm, I was a citizen of Virginia for 14 years, and I am speaking on behalf of the organization Responsible for Equality And Liberty.
Virginia has a historical commitment to the human rights of equality and liberty, which it first declared on June 13, 1776 with the Virginia Declaration of Rights, before there was a United States of America. The Virginia Declaration of Rights was prepared by Fairfax County’s George Mason who declared human beings “are by nature equally free and independent,” and declared the “inherent rights” of “life and liberty.” When Fairfax County’s George Mason and other Virginians prepared that Virginia Declaration of Rights, he was not just addressing the “inherent rights” of just Virginians, but of all human beings.
The government of Saudi Arabia continues to stand against such inherent human rights of equality and liberty for women, for non-Muslims, even for other sects of Islam. The government of Saudi Arabia continues to be condemned by the U.S. State Department and United States Commission on International Religious Freedom for its discrimination, persecution, and intolerance of religious minorities including Shi’a Muslims. Saudi Arabia remains a nation of intolerance and a nation whose institutions defy our universal human rights of equality and liberty. According to the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) itself, the Islamic Saudi Academy’s curriculum “conforms to the system followed in Saudi Arabia.” So we should not be surprised that previous studies have shown a pattern of intolerance in Islamic Saudi Academy textbooks in defiance of our universal human rights of equality and liberty.
We would challenge such indoctrination of intolerance of children in Fairfax County if this were the one-time Apartheid South African government with an institute to teach racial supremacism or if this were Communist China teaching children in Fairfax County to be against our universal human rights of liberty and freedom.
We would challenge this if it was a domestic group like the Aryan Nations’ so-called religious group that preaches intolerance against non-whites and Jews or the so-called “Westboro Baptist Church” that preaches violence, hatred, and intolerance against homosexuals.
Hate is hate. Institutionalized hate has no place in Fairfax County educational institutions. We must challenge institutionalized hate with our love for our fellow human being’s human rights.
We believe that Love Wins by being Responsible for Equality And Liberty.
Virginians are Responsible for Equality And Liberty, as we all are.
Thank you for your time.
Jeffrey Imm, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.), realcourage.org
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July 13, 2009 Fairfax, VA Board of Supervisors Hearing - Denise Lee Testifies on Islamic Saudi Academy
See Denise Lee’s testimony online at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_fAQKcSsF4
— Denise Lee at 3:06
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Related Video Links:
Fairfax 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_fAQKcSsF4
— Denise Lee at 3:06, Jeffrey Imm begins at 8:06
Fairfax 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocb_D2oGafI&
— Jeffrey Imm continues beginning of video
— R.E.A.L. postings addressing Saudi Arabia
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List of All YouTube Videos of July 13, 2009 Fairfax County Public Hearing on Islamic Saudi Academy