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Conference Examined the Collapse of Europe and the Rise of Islam  

An inclusive and comprehensive international conference on The Collapse of Europe, the Rise of Islam, and the Consequences for the United States was held at Pepperdine University on June 10. Panelists included Mark Steyn, author of The New York Times bestseller America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It; Ayaan Hirsi Ali, former Dutch parliamentarian and author of the bestseller Infidel; Daniel Pipes, director, Middle East Forum; radio talk show hosts Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager, and Pepperdine School of Public Policy faculty Robert Kaufman and James Q. Wilson, among others.

The event was sponsored by the newly formed American Freedom Alliance, the Council for Democracy and Tolerance, and the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy. Avi Davis, senior fellow of the American Freedom Alliance, explained that the conference was organized because there is "an alarming sense that the steady erosion of democratic values in Europe will eventuate in a defeat for democracy in many other part of the world." He notes that European democratic values have been severely tested in recent years as growing internal Muslim restiveness and intimidation have imposed a virtual code of silence on the continent's politicians and media. "The French riots of 2005 and the Danish Cartoon Riots of 2006 made explicit the very real threat Europeans face from radical extremists who may be using the democratic process to destroy democracy itself," said Davis.   

Among the European panelists participating at the conference were Henryk Broder, journalist and bestselling author; Claire Berlinksi, an American journalist living in Europe and author of  Menace in Europe; Leon de Winter, a well known Dutch journalist and author; and Afshin Ellian, an Iranian dissident and Dutch professor of law.  

Co-sponsor, the American Freedom Alliance, was organized to unite individuals of every creed, color, and denomination who share an abiding reverence of the values that make the United States of America a symbol of freedom of thought, speech, and self expression. The Alliance's programs, publications, conferences, and Web sites develop tools and strategies to counter the growing influence of ideologies that threaten freedom and deny the sanctity of the personal conscience. Also co-sponsoring the event, the Council for Democracy and Tolerance, is committed to bringing about a change in any radical, extremist or fundamentalist thinking of Muslims in the United States through the use of a worldwide media campaign involving newspapers, television, radio, and the Internet.

For more info please visit the American Freedom Alliance Web site, or contact Avi Davis at (310) 444-3085.