Ambassador killed -- something tells me there is more to it

[82_28]

How can we be so sure the death of Ambassador Stevens and attack on the US embassy in Libya was all in reaction to "some film" that was simultaneously meant to enrage "the Muslim world" and educate the rest of us of how "vile" this Muslim shit is? Some film? Come on. How does the media already know this? The director or whatever has already gone into hiding. Apparently he's some Israeli living in California and wants to relay to the rest of us who really wouldn't care about either religion either way about how Islam is a "cancer".

It's akin to finding the passport on the street of I forget who (some terrorist), outside the events of ground zero. Meaning, "how stupid do you think we are?"

Was this "small and savage group" all tweeting and shit about this film and said "hey, yo, hittin you up later with the rest of the small and savage posse at 9 for the admittedly impromptu attack on the US embassy. 9 sharp."

Come on.

Watch this ABC coverage and tell me they aren't ramping up the fear, uncertainty and doubt and stirring interest in this purported film.

http://gma.yahoo.com/u-s--ambassador-to ... ghazi.html

Warning: Graphic Photos at next link

But certain commenters are all over the "heathens" "parading" the dying Christopher Stevens through the streets.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/1 ... 76695.html

Then the whole Rmoney thing:

The Romney campaign sent out a transcript of the prepared remarks that Romney read from during his statement to the press in Jacksonville, Fla., under the e-mail header, in all caps: "ROMNEY: AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IS STILL SORELY NEEDED."

Here is the text of what the Romney campaign sent:

“Americans woke up this morning with tragic news and felt heavy hearts as they considered that individuals who have served in our diplomatic corps were brutally murdered across the world. This attack on American individuals and embassies is outrageous, it's disgusting. It breaks the hearts of all of us who think of these people who have served, during their lives, the cause of freedom, and justice and honor. We mourn their loss and join together in prayer that the spirit of the Almighty might comfort the families of those who have been so brutally slain.

“Four diplomats lost their life, including the U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, in the attack on our embassy at Benghazi, Libya. And, of course, with these words, I extend my condolences to the grieving loved ones, who have left behind, as a result of these who have lost their lives in the service of our nation, and I know that the people across America are grateful for their service and we mourn their sacrifice.

“America will not tolerate attacks against our citizens and against our embassies. We will defend also our constitutional rights of speech and assembly and religion. We have confidence in our cause in America. We respect our Constitution. We stand for the principles our Constitution protects. We encourage other nations to understand and respect the principles of our Constitution because we recognize that these principles are the ultimate source of freedom for individuals around the world.

“I also believe the Administration was wrong to stand by a statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy in Egypt instead of condemning their actions. It's never too early for the United States Government to condemn attacks on Americans, and to defend our values. The White House distanced itself last night from the statement, saying it wasn't ‘cleared by Washington.’ That reflects the mixed signals they’re sending to the world.

“The attacks in Libya and Egypt underscore that the world remains a dangerous place and that American leadership is still sorely needed. In the face of this violence, America cannot shrink from the responsibility to lead. American leadership is necessary to ensure that events in the region don’t spin out of control. We cannot hesitate to use our influence in the region to support those who share our values and our interests. Over the last several years, we have stood witness to an Arab Spring that presents an opportunity for a more peaceful and prosperous region, but also poses the potential for peril, if the forces of extremism and violence are allowed to control the course of events.

“We must strive to ensure that the Arab Spring does not become an Arab Winter.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/1 ... ely-needed

Where's Alice when we so sorely need her?

[seemslikeadream]

way more to it

like someone interfering in U.S. elections

[Wombaticus Rex]

Uh, yeah. Hello Mossad:

In another interview, Bacile told the Associated Press that he was a real estate developer and an Israeli Jew, but Israeli authorities told the wire service they have no records of him being a citizen.

Our library did not turn up any footprint for Bacile. They found no property, phone, licenses nor court records. And Bacile had not made news until today.

Bacile repeated what he told the Journal to the AP.

Via: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/201 ... mmad-movie

[justdrew]

Identity of anti-Muslim filmmaker called into question
By Stephen C. Webster | Wednesday, September 12, 2012 14:12 EDT

Update (below): Film’s consultant confirms “Sam Bacile” is not real

A man who claimed he’s the creator of an anti-Muslim film that’s sparked violent protests in Libya and Egypt may not be who he says he is.

The mysterious “Sam Bacile” supposedly spoke to The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal and The Times of Israel, claiming to be a California real estate developer and an Israeli Jew who raised $5 million for the film from 100 other nameless Jewish donors.

However, since those stories were published, several cracks in that description have emerged, and now reporters are wondering whether he even exists at all.

The WSJ reported that he’s 52, but the AP placed his age at 56. Raw Story‘s own inquiries could not find a ”Sam Bacile” linked to any California court filing, which would be highly unusual for a real estate developer. He’s also missing from U.S. genealogy databases and the major social media networks.

And yet another wrinkle: Speaking on condition of anonymity, Israeli officials told the AP that they have no record of anyone by that name. “If that is true, and ‘Bacile’ was claiming to be Jewish and to have raised money from Jews for the film, it only multiplies the incendiary nature of his project,” Religion Dispatches senior editor Sarah Posner pointed out.

Foreign policy reporter Laura Rozen also noted that Steve Klein, cited by the AP as a consultant on the film, said in 2007 that he had ties to the Coptic Christian community in Egypt, an often persecuted minority group. “And there were some hints that Bacile may be a pseudonym, possibly for someone affiliated with the Egyptian Coptic diaspora,” she wrote.

He also published a book called “Is Islam Compatible with Democracy?” which claims that mosques on U.S. soil are “the head quarters of terrorism.” Interestingly, the film, “Innocence of Muslims,” depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a gay man who approves of sexually abusing children, and shows his followers rioting and murdering Coptic Christians.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Klein said he did not feel responsible for the violent protests that erupted in Egypt and Libya, resulting in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

“I feel bad for the death of the ambassador – he didn’t do anything to anybody – but it’s not our fault,” he reportedly said. “We didn’t want anybody to get killed but on the other hand the truth had to come out. We told the truth and these people reacted the way that Mohammed wanted to them to react – by killing people. Do I feel guilt? Yes, but not for me, I feel it for those that did this. Do I feel shame? Yes, but not for me. Killing this man fits in with their legal and ethical standpoint.”

Update: Film’s consultant confirms “Sam Bacile” is not real

Speaking to The Atlantic, in a story published later Wednesday afternoon, Klein admitted that “Sam Bacile” is not real, claiming he doesn’t know the man’s real name.

“I don’t know that much about him,” he reportedly said. “I met him, I spoke to him for an hour. He’s not Israeli, no. I can tell you this for sure, the State of Israel is not involved, Terry Jones is not involved. His name is a pseudonym. All these Middle Eastern folks I work with have pseudonyms. I doubt he’s Jewish. I would suspect this is a disinformation campaign.”

[justdrew]

WHO played this 'movie' up in Egypt and Libya? There must have been local media campaigns in those locations to enable local awareness.

Another possibility, the "mobs" were completely fake, generated by the perps to flush their target from cover in a rather predictable fashion.

[seemslikeadream]

Cui bono?

where did the money come from to make the movie?

[dbcooper41]

now we have a great reason to send marines into north africa.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21524480/marines-headed-libya-reinforce-security

and has anyone been able to figure out mr bacile really is?

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/muhammad-film-consultant-sam-bacile-is-not-israeli-and-not-a-real-name/262290/

As part of my search for more information about Sam Bacile, the alleged producer
of the now-infamous anti-Muhammad film trailer "The Innocence of Muslims," I
just called a man named Steve Klein -- a self-described militant Christian
activist in Riverside, California (whose actual business, he said, is in selling
"hard-to-place home insurance"), who has been described in multiple media
accounts as a consultant to the film.

Klein told me that Bacile, the producer of the film, is not Israeli, and most
likely not Jewish, as has been reported, and that the name is, in fact, a
pseudonym. He said he did not know "Bacile"'s real name. He said Bacile
contacted him because he leads anti-Islam protests outside of mosques and
schools, and because, he said, he is a Vietnam veteran and an expert on
uncovering al Qaeda cells in California. "After 9/11 I went out to look for
terror cells in California and found them, piece of cake. Sam found out about
me. The Middle East Christian and Jewish communities trust me."
He said the man who identified himself as Bacile asked him to help make the
anti-Muhammad film. When I asked him to describe Bacile, he said: "I don't know
that much about him. I met him, I spoke to him for an hour. He's not Israeli,
no. I can tell you this for sure, the State of Israel is not involved, Terry
Jones (the radical Christian Quran-burning pastor) is not involved. His name is
a pseudonym. All these Middle Eastern folks I work with have pseudonyms. I doubt
he's Jewish. I would suspect this is a disinformation campaign."
I asked him who he thought Sam Bacile was. He said that there are about 15
people associated with the making of the film, "Nobody is anything but an active
American citizen. They're from Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, they're some that are
from Egypt. Some are Copts but the vast majority are Evangelical."

What are we to make of Steve Klein's assertions? I'm taking everything about
this strange and horrible episod with a grain of salt, though I will say that I
haven't seen any proof yet that Sam Bacile is an actual Israeli Jew, or that the
name is anything other than a pseudonym. More to come, undoubtedly.

[seemslikeadream]

Morris Sadek Israel congratulates founding anniversary .. And considers a role model for oppressed peoples .. And calls for re-building of the temple
Morris Sadek Israel congratulates founding anniversary .. And considers a role model for oppressed peoples .. And calls for re-building of the temple

Issued an international lawyer Maurice Sadek National Assembly President Coptic America, new policy statement congratulating Israel on the occasion of "Eid independence", and declares his wishes to be able to "Israel is the liberation of the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinians and the liberation of Jerusalem from the Arab invaders, to be the united capital of the State of Israel Hebrew!" The statement added, who won the seventh day a copy of it, that "the struggle of Israel is a lesson to the peoples of the oppressed and occupied, so I join the people of Israel the joy and victory, the Arab invaders, and we hope in the continuing struggle in glorious establishment of the State of Israel, and to preserve the existence and continuity, you Jews and the sons of God's chosen people .. you set an example that should be looked at by the people, and your struggle should be a lesson to the oppressed peoples. " The statement condemned the Palestinians, accusing them of killing Christians in Gaza, said: "The Islamists emptied the Arab Christian population in the land of Israel, including, especially after the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas) of killing Christians in Gaza." Also launched a sincere sharp attack on the revolution of July, accusing it of being "was the revolution of the Muslim Brotherhood by the Muslim Brotherhood led by Gamal Abdel Nasser's military coup in 1952, and robbed the wealth of Christians and forcing them to fight the Jews in the years of wars, 48, 56, 67 and 73, which has the Copts of thousands of youth in the wars a failed Islamic have no stake in the most beautiful, and all finished the defeat of Gamal Abdel Nasser and Arab nationalism at the hands of the descendants of Arab invaders. " The statement said that "Copts are looking forward to the day when liberated Egypt from the Arab occupation, as Israel was liberated from Arab occupation," hoping that "Israel can the liberation of Jerusalem to be the united capital of the State of Israel Abbarip" .. He concluded the statement saying: "In the Feast of Israel's independence and the memory of the sixty-second, pray to the Lord to help you in the liberation of the holy Jerusalem, and acknowledge them as the unified capital of the State of Israel, Hebrew, and we invite you to rebuild the Temple and re-Bethlehem of Judea, as I mentioned in the Bible."

Biography
1. My name is Morris Sadek and I was born on December 12, 1942 in Egypt. I am a U.S. citizen , also Egyptian citizen ..
2. I am a member of the Egyptian Bar Association (1974- present) and the District of Columbia Bar as a special legal consultant, USA (2002 - present), Member of American Bar Association (2010 - present). Since 2002, I have worked as an advisor in Law of the Middle East. I have testified in AMerican Court in Arlington, Virginia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York., Newjersy , myrland
3. I serve as President of the Human Rights Center for National Unity in Cairo, Egypt from 1995 to the present and as President of the National Coptic Assembly in United States from 2001 to present

4. I was counsel for Middle East Affairs, Advocates International in Fairfax, VA, which promoted professional ethics, conflict resolution and human rights in Egypt from 1999 to 2000

5. In Egypt, I served as an attorney arguing before the Egyptian Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Military Court where I defended major human rights cases, most notably the Pope Shinoda III case during his exile under President Sadat in 1981 and numerous civil rights cases involving freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I also practiced family law and Islamic law as applied to non – Muslims

6. I was also an adjunct professor at the Institute for International Relations in Cairo, Egypt where I taught constitutional law from 1990 to 1994 and at the Advocacy Institute where I taught Personal Status Law of non-Muslims from 1993 to 1997

7. I obtained my bachelor's degree in Law from the School of Law of the University of Cairo, Egypt in 1969. Also, I obtained a bachelor of Business, School of Commerce, of the University of Alexandria, Egypt in 1964. I obtained a diploma of Public Health from the University Of Alexandria, Egypt in 1971 and a Masters Degree in Tax Legislation from the University of Cairo, Egypt in1972.
8. My awards include the African Human Rights and Egyptian Organization for Human Rights award for outstanding work, commitment and defense of human rights in Egypt and the Human Rights Prisoner Association Award for defending human rights of prisoners in Egypt

9. Among my publications are the following titles and their years of publication: Law and Practice in Criminal Offenses (2000), Auctions in the Egyptian Law (1999), Income Tax Disputes (1999), the Egyptian Commercial Law (1998), Sales Tax Under Egyptian Law (1997), Forms of Contracts and Civil Litigation (1996), Christians and Rules (1995), the Trial of Pope Shinoda III (1990), and the Personal Status Law of non- Muslim in Egypt (1984).
10. I have participated the following conferences: Conference of Act of America (2010), Coptic Conference for Human Rights, New Jersey (2006), Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights (Congressional Briefing), U.S. Capitol, Washington DC (2004&2007); Advocates International, Washington DC (2000), (2004); Advocates International, Texas, USA (1999); Conference Of Countries under the Islamic Legal System, Washington DC, USA (1997); International Lawyers Conference, Cairo, Egypt (1987); and Conference of Democratic Lawyers, Athena, Greece (1984).
Mr. Morris Sadik is one of Egypt's leading human rights advocates. He is President of the Egyptian Center of Human Rights for National Unity in Cairo. In October 1999, he became Advocates' Counsel for Middle East Affairs with a special focus on Egypt, as well as a director of our International Institute for Law. He is a fearless scholar and a recognized expert in constitutional and human rights law.
Working as a team, Morris and Nagi have already scored a major victory this October when they joined forces to defend Adly Shakir, a Christian sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. As a result of Morris's advocacy before the Supreme Court in Egypt and Nagi's networking in Washington on Capitol Hill and among the diplomatic community, Mr. Shakir's death sentence was reversed. But the battle for Mr. Shakir's life is not over. A new trial is set for January. In addition, Nagi and Morris are working on the infamous Al-Kosheh incident, in which 1,200 Christians were tortured.
Advocates International is a small non-profit organization with a principal staff of four in its headquarters near Washington. It also has full-time offices in China, Mongolia, Eastern Europe, and at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. It receives no government funding and depends solely on the gifts of friends committed to its mission and methods as spelled out in the enclosed card on our Team 2000.
Advocates International is providing office space, personnel and other resources to enable Nagi and Morris to develop a support base of Egyptian Christians and others concerned about the persecution in Egypt.
Advocates International

[Jeff]

The Filmmaker Who Made the Anti-Islam Video That Sparked Violent Mideast Protests Is a Ghost

Adrian Chen

...

But web and public record searches bring up no evidence of the supposed real estate mogul. The Israeli government told the Post they couldn't find records Sam Bacile was a citizen. Even Bacile's age is a mystery: He told the Wall Street Journal he was 52, but told the AP he's 56, as pointed out by Religion Dispatch. His YouTube page says he's 75.

Even more puzzling: It cost $5 million? That video?

The mystery deepend this afternoon when The Atlantic's Jeffery Goldberg reported that "Sam Bacile" is a pseudonym and not Israeli. He spoke to a consultant on the film, a self-described "militant Christian activist" in California named Steve Klein. Klein told Golbderg:

Bacile, the producer of the film, is not Israeli, and most likely not Jewish, as has been reported, and that the name is, in fact, a pseudonym. He said he did not know "Bacile"'s real name. He said Bacile contacted him because he leads anti-Islam protests outside of mosques and schools, and because, he said, he is a Vietnam veteran and an expert on uncovering al Qaeda cells in California. "After 9/11 I went out to look for terror cells in California and found them, piece of cake. Sam found out about me. The Middle East Christian and Jewish communities trust me."

Klein told Golbderg that around 15 people were involved in the making of the film, "They're from Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, they're some that are from Egypt. Some are Copts but the vast majority are Evangelical," he told Golbderg.

If Bacile isn't Jewish, perhaps he's connected instead to the Copts, the Egyptian Christian sect. The film has been promoted by the conservative U.S.-based Coptic minister (and friend of Terry Jones) Maurice Sadek. Bacile says he speaks Arabic and has relatives in Egypt, according to Klein—even though "fewer than 100 Jewish people" live in Egypt, according to journalist Laura Rozen.

Why did Bacile pretend to be an Israeli Jew? Maybe he cooked up the persona and shadowy cabal of Jewish funders in an attempt to further inflame the situation. The only thing we know for sure about Bacile: He's a terrible filmmaker....

http://gawker.com/5942651/the-filmmaker ... is-a-ghost

[dbcooper41]

my hunch, and that is all it is, is that this guy, James E Horn, has something to do with this.
check out his bio.
he is a cohort of sam klein.
they passs out anti Islam lit together.
http://www.jamesehorn.com/bio.html

again, nothing but a Hunch.

[seemslikeadream]

Coptic Christian in US has Egyptian nationality withdrawn
Shaimaa el-Karanshawi
Sun, 22/05/2011 - 19:51

The Administrative Judicial Court on Sunday ordered the withdrawal of Egyptian nationality from Morris Sadek, a Coptic Christian lawyer living in the United States, and banned him from entering the country.

The action was taken against Sadek for a number of alleged crimes, including calls for war against Egypt.

A lawyer leading the case against Sadek said he had insulted Islam, showed allegiance to Judaism, called for the killing of Arabs and requested the United States and Israel to interfere in Egypt’s domestic affairs.

“I will not appeal the verdict,” Sadek said. “I will use it to show the world how the Islamists control the Egyptian judiciary.”

[Canadian_watcher]

i had the EXACT same chain of thoughts as you 82. (love the twitter bit, btw! lol, but so TRUE in how ludicrous the story is) And did they have bombs right oN them, ready to go?

Plus, I wonder if these were all bilingual muslims who happened to catch a showing of this movie (i mean WTF? the film has only ever been screened once, so they say, to an audience of TWO .. and how do they know this?) or was the film clip translated for them?

To me there's a lot of shit going on - pieces being moved. Did you know that Canada just expelled all Iranian diplomats from our country and called home all diplomatic staff from iran? We're also going to automatically revoke citizenships of and deport 3100 immigrants. No word as to who they are, what nationality, etc. We also just got a new Cheif of Defense here in Canada - a guy who has zero combat experience, is air force (was instrumental in the Libya air mission) and whose last post was with NORAD.

I know libya isn't Iran, but these things are overlapping in a weird way. Oh - and what's with the gas prices spiking INSANELY this morning? is that happening there? I get the distinct feeling there's something just behind the curtain.

[stefano]

WHO played this 'movie' up in Egypt and Libya? There must have been local media campaigns in those locations to enable local awareness.

Another possibility, the "mobs" were completely fake, generated by the perps to flush their target from cover in a rather predictable fashion.

It's online somewhere, dubbed into Egyptian Arabic. The mobs weren't fake (the group in Benghazi was small btw). Those Salafists march for fucking anything and this is a big thing. Bound to get people on the streets.

[seemslikeadream]

Using a "thick" accent,


Bacile said he used 60 actors and 45 crew members and that the project was shot in 2011 over three months in California. He called Islam a "cancer" and railed on the lack of security at the American embassies. He also said he planned to go into hiding as protests escalated.

Laura Rozen, who writes the Back Channel news blog for Al-Monitor, suggested that the name Sam Bacile may be a pseudonym for someone involved with the "Egyptian Coptic diaspora." Many people on Twitter have been attempting to figure out possible anagrams for the name, in case there might be a signal there. Jeffrey Goldberg, national correspondent for the Atlantic, tweeted, "Would anyone in the Jewish Twittersphere who has ever met 'SamBacile' please speak up."

Though Bacile is a mystery, we do know a bit more about Steve Klein, who told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he was a "consultant" on Bacile's film. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the former Marine was part of the controversial California "Church at Kawea," near Fresno, and a member of a "secretive cohort of militant fundamentalists" preparing for war against Muslims in spring 2012. He believed that California was riddled with Muslim Brotherhood sleeper cells "who are awaiting the trigger date and will begin randomly killing as many of us as they can."

Klein is currently listed as the "Secretary and Founder" of Courageous Christians United, a group that protests outside of Mormon temples, mosques and abortion clinics. Leah Nelson of the SPLC said Klein founded the group back in 1977. Multiple requests for comment from Courageous Christians United have gone unreturned, but Klein himself spoke with the Atlantic's Goldberg on Wednesday afternoon.

Klein told Goldberg that "Sam Bacile" is not a real name, nor is the man actually Israeli or Jewish. "All these Middle Eastern folks I work with have pseudonyms," Klein said. "I doubt he's Jewish. I would suspect this is a disinformation campaign." Klein also told Goldberg that only 15 people were involved in the making of the film.

"I'm taking everything about this strange and horrible episode with a grain of salt," wrote Goldberg.

Amy Lemisch, the director of the California Film Commission, which issues permits for films that shoot in the state, told The Huffington Post no permits were given to anyone by the name of "Sam Bacile," nor to any project with the title of "Muslim Innocence" or "The Innocence of Muslims." If the filmmakers shot anything on state property, they would need a permit from the commission.

"We went to our internal database field," she said, "and we searched under 'innocence' or 'Muslims,' and we did not issue a permit for it."

A film with a supposed $5 million budget -- no small change for an independent project -- and a 45-member crew would be difficult to shoot under the radar, Lemisch said.

"It means they didn't shoot on state property, a state park or a state beach," she said. "They could have shot and didn't tell anybody, or a Ranger didn't catch them. But that would be pretty hard to do without getting a permit, unless they were in the middle of the desert on private property."

It's possible the filmmakers requested permits from local commissions, though without knowing where the film was shot, it's difficult to tell. HuffPost has reached out to other local commissions in California and is awaiting comment. But judging by the film itself, most of the "desert" scenes occurred in front of a green screen, so they could have been shot anywhere.

[seemslikeadream]

“We went into this knowing this was probably going to happen.”

Meet The Right-Wing Extremist Behind Anti-Muslim Film That Sparked Deadly Riots
On 09.12.12, By Max

"Innocence of Muslims" consultant Steve Klein is a veteran anti-Muslim organizer with close ties to the Christian right in California
The US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three US diplomats were killed in attacks and rioting provoked by an obscure, low-budget anti-Muslim film called “The Innocence of Muslims.” The producer of the film is a real estate developer supposedly named “Sam Bacile” who claims to be an Israeli Jew. Bacile told the AP the film was made with $5 million raised from “100 Jewish donors.” He said he was motivated to help his native country, Israel, by exposing the evils of Islam.

While Bacile claims to be in hiding, and his identity remains murky, another character who has been publicly listed as a consultant on the film is a known anti-Muslim activist with ties to the extreme Christian right and the militia movement. He is Steve Klein, a Hemet, California based insurance salesman who claims to have led a “hunter-killer team” in Vietnam.”

Klein is a right-wing extremist who emerged from the same axis of Islamophobia that produced Anders Behring Breivik and which takes inspiration from the writings of Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, and Daniel Pipes.

It appears Klein (or someone who shares his name and views) is an enthusiastic commenter on Geller’s website, Atlas Shrugged, where he recently complained about Mitt Romney’s “support for a Muslim state in Israel’s Heartland.” In July 2011, Spencer’s website, Jihad Watch, promoted a rally Klein organized alongside the anti-Muslim Coptic extremist Joseph Nasrallah to demand the firing of LA County Sheriff Lee Baca, whom they painted as a dupe for Hamas.

Klein is also closely affiliated with the Christian right in California, organizing resentment against all the usual targets — Muslims, homosexuals, feminists, and even Mormons. He is a board member and founder of a group called Courageous Christians United, which promotes anti-Mormon, anti-Catholic and anti-Muslim literature (including the work of Robert Spencer) on its website. In 2002, Klein ran for the California Insurance Commissioner under the American Independent Party, an extremist fringe party linked to the militia movement, garnering a piddling 2 percent of the vote.

Klein has been closely affiliated with the Church at Kaweah, an extreme evangelical church located 70 miles southeast of Fresno that serves as a nexus of neo-Confederate, Christian Reconstructionist, and militia movement elements. The Southern Poverty Law Center produced a report on Kaweah this spring that noted Klein’s long record of activist against Muslims:

Over the past year, Johnson and the church militia have developed a relationship with Steve Klein, a longtime religious-right activist who brags about having led a “hunter killer” team as a Marine in Vietnam. Klein, who calls Islam a “penis-driven religion” and thinks Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca is a Muslim Brotherhood patsy, is allied with Christian activist groups across California. In 2011, as head of the Concerned Citizens for the First Amendment, he worked with the Vista, Calif.-based Christian Anti-Defamation Commission on a campaign to “arm” students with the “truth about Islam and Muhammad” — mainly by leafleting high schools with literature depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a sex-crazed pedophile.

Klein, based in Hemet, Calif., has been active in extremist movements for decades. In 1977, he founded Courageous Christians United, which now conducts “respectful confrontations” outside of abortion clinics, Mormon temples and mosques. Klein also has ties to the Minuteman movement. In 2007, he sued the city of San Clemente for ordering him to stop leafleting cars with pamphlets opposing illegal immigration.

Like many other activists who fashion themselves as “counter-Jihadists,” Klein has organized against the construction of mosques in his area. While leafleting against a planned mosque in Temecula, California, which he claimed would herald the introduction of Shariah law to the quiet suburb, Klein remarked, “It all comes down to the first amendment. I don’t care if you disagree with me. Just don’t cut off my head.”

Klein appears to be allied with the National American Coptic Assembly, a radical Islamophobic group headed by Morris Sadik. Sadik claims to have discovered the film and began promoting it online. Once it went viral, the trailer was translated into Arabic, sparking outrage in the Middle East, and ultimately, to the deadly attacks carried out by Muslim extremists today.

Klein claims credit for inspiring “Sam Bacile” to produce “The Innocence of Muslims,” promising him he would be “the next Theo Van Gogh,” referring to the Dutch columnist who was murdered by a Muslim extremist. Of the attacks in Libya, Klein said, “We went into this knowing this was probably going to happen.”