John R. Houk
© April 12, 2018
I received an unsolicited email from a Dr. Leslie Shaw, an Associate
Professor teaching at the Paris campus of ESCP Europe (acronym for: École supérieure de commerce de Paris). This Is a
business college located at various metropolitan cities across Europe.
I’m not sure how Dr. Shaw discovered me, but I’d like to
believe it was one of the three blogs I post at. The nature of the email was to
inform the date of a Counterjihad Conference to be held at Washington DC. The
Conference stand is “to break the taboo and tackle head-on the campaign
being waged by political Islam to make Western business Sharia-compliant.”
The Conference is sponsored by the Forum on Islamic Radicalism and Management
(FIRM).
Dr. Shaw’s email is actually a forward from him to FIRM Europe
(and probably other recipients not listed) on 3/28/18. Here is the forwarded
portion of the email sent to me by Dr. Shaw:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On Thursday 26 April 2018 Forum on
Islamic Radicalism and Management is hosting a conference at the US Capitol to
break the taboo and tackle head-on the campaign being waged by political Islam
to make Western business Sharia-compliant.
In France corporates are gradually
overcoming a reluctance to discuss this issue out of fear of accusations of
Islamophobia but in the USA the core value of religious freedom is being used
by Islamists as an instrument to stifle debate.
The conference will include
speakers from France, the UK, Belgium, Hungary and Israel as well as from the
USA.
Admission is free. Participants may
make a donation towards the cost of organizing this event, the goals of which
are to raise awareness of and explore ways to combat the encroachment of
political Islam in the corporate sector.
Details in the attachments and
links:
This event is the second in a
biannual series that will alternate between Paris and Washington. The next
conference will be held at the National Assembly, Paris on 15 November
2018.
Best regards,
Leslie Shaw
Associate Professor
-----------------
Paris Campus/République
79 avenue de la République - 75543
Paris Cedex 11 - France
Dr. Shaw sent two PDF promo attachments with the email.
Thanks to the magic of conversion software, below is the text of those PDFs.
After the two PDFs, I’m cross posting a Clarion Project interview with Dr. Shaw
the FIRM sponsored conference, Political
Islam in the Workplace.
JRH 4/12/18
***********************
PRESENTING A GROUNDBREAKING CONFERENCE
Political Islam in the Workplace
Thursday 26th April 2018
On Thursday 26 April 2018 at the United States Capitol,
Washington DC from 3pm to 9pm FIRM, London Center for Policy Research and
American Center for Democracy are hosting the world’s most informed experts on
Islamic radicalism and executives from flagship corporates.
They’ll be coming together in one room for America’s first Political
Islam in the Workplace conference.
A wide range of topics will be covered;
·
from religious
accommodation to detection of radicalization
·
from lethal attacks on
soft targets to lawfare against employers
·
from micro-financing of
jihad to security and protection of employees and customers and everything in
between!
We’re curating an incredible group of people who are working
tirelessly to find solutions to the global scourge of Islamic radicalism.
Admission to hear them speak and ask them questions is by registration and
we’re vetting every prospective attendee to make sure we have the right people
in the room.
This event is a unique opportunity for lawmakers and
professionals from the public and private sectors to learn from leading experts
on this crucial topic, share experiences, exchange best practises and better
equip themselves to deal with the security, legal and HR challenges posed by
the growing threat of Islamic radicalism to free enterprise and democracy.
To apply
2.
Submit your email
3.
Click registration link
on Events page
All conference attendees will receive a copy of our report.
++++++++++++++++++
Political Islam in the Workplace
03:00 - 03:30 | Registration
03.30 - 04.00 | Welcome and opening address
Ø
Eli Gold
Ø
Leslie Shaw – Islamic
Radicalism in the Workplace Survey Results
04.00 – 05 :30 | Panel 1 - Political Islam and the
Workplace
1.
Rachel Ehrenfeld – The
Islamist Economic Warfare against the West
2.
Pierre Spain – Islamist
Infiltration of Labor Unions at Paris CDG Airport
3.
Herbert London – Political
Correctness and An Inability to Recognize the Threat
4.
Philippe Chansay-Wilmotte –
Freeing Business from the Shackles of Political Islam
05:30 – 06:30 | Dinner and networking break
06:30 – 08:00 | Panel 2 - Managing the Threat
1.
Zoltán Ladányi – A
Blueprint for Regulating Religion in the Workplace
2.
Joseph Trindal – Addressing
Radicalization as another Insider Threat in Sensitive Job Categories
3.
Nancy Hartevelt Kobrin –
The Workplace Jihadi’s Inside-Out World
4.
Frank Figliuzzi – Lessons
Learned: Case Studies from the Corporate World
08:00 – 08:15 | Keynote
Ø
To be announced
08:15 – 08:30 | Closing remarks
Ø
Eli Gold
Ø
Leslie Shaw
Speakers
Ø
Philippe Chansay-Wilmotte -
Lawyer at Brussels Bar with extensive experience working for governments,
including Islamic governments.
Ø
Rachel Ehrenfeld - Director
of American Center for Democracy and Economic Warfare Institute.
Ø
Frank Figliuzzi - Chief
Operating Officer, ETS Global Risk Management, Inc; NBC News National Security
Analyst; Former Director, Corporate Investigations and Assistant Chief Security
Officer, the General Electric Company; Former FBI Assistant Director of
Counterintelligence.
Ø
Eli Gold - Senior Vice
President, London Center for Policy Research; Senior Fellow, Soran University;
Former President and Chairman, The Harbour League.
Ø
Nancy Hartevelt Kobrin -
External Expert, Universidad de Granada; Psychoanalyst, Arabist,
Counter-Terrorism Expert.
Ø
Zoltan Ladanyi - LPN Global
Security Solutions.
Ø
Herbert London - President,
London Center for Policy Research; Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute; Former
President, Hudson Institute; Professor Emeritus and former John M. Olin
Professor of Humanities, New York University.
Ø
Leslie Shaw - Associate
Professor, ESCP Europe Business School.
Ø
Pierre Spain - Corporate
Director, Delta Air Lines (rtd).
Ø
Joseph Trindal - Director
of Programs, Engility Corporation; Leading Department of Justice ICITAP and
OPDAT programs; Former President, InfraGard National Capital Region; Former
President and Chief Operating Officer, Akal Security.
+++++++++++++++++++
Is Islamism a Problem in America’s Workplaces?
March 29, 2018
The first conference in the U.S. on the subject of Political Islam in the
Workplace will take place in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2018 The event
is co-sponsored by Forum on Islamic Radicalism and Management (FIRM), London
Center for Policy Research and American Foundation for Democracy. Clarion
Project spoke to event co-ordinator Dr. Leslie Shaw of FIRM:
Clarion: Back in 2016, CAIR described
this planned conference as Islamophobic. Can you comment on that?
Leslie Shaw: CAIR’s opinion is driven by
sectarian self-interest and promotion of a socio-political agenda.
Clarion: But the conference focuses
only on Islamic and not other forms of radicalism.
Shaw: We are looking at one segment of a
wide phenomenon. Other forms of radicalism exist — Christian, Jewish, Buddhist,
left-wing, right-wing, animal rights activists, anti-globalists, eco-warriors,
neo-luddites — but Islamic radicalism poses a greater threat than all of the
others put together.
Clarion: Why political Islam in the
workplace specifically?
Shaw: There is a plethora of conferences
on the subject of radicalism in general and Islamic radicalism in particular,
but they are usually restricted to specialists in certain areas. I attended a
conference in Brussels on April 22 on the challenge of jihadist radicalization
in Europe. There were over 250 people there and over 20 speakers but not one
person from the business world. We want to open the subject up to corporations,
because they are in the front line.
Clarion: Can you explain how?
Shaw: Corporations are soft targets for
terrorist attacks, but aside from the threat of violence, they are also easy
prey for Islamists deploying nonviolent tactics in pursuit of their goals.
Islamist employees may not end up committing acts of
terrorism, but their behavior is certain to generate significant workplace
conflict that undermines productivity and workforce cohesion. A recent survey
of over 1,000 French managers revealed that 65% had to handle faith-based
problems on an occasional or regular basis, ranging from absenteeism through
collective praying to refusal to work with a female colleague.
So, in addition, to the security dimension, it is also an
issue for human resources. In France, for example, Islamic radicalism is a
growing phenomenon among employees in the City of Paris, the Paris Airport
Authority, the Paris Transit Authority and the public education sector. It is
also a problem in private firms. The French government is currently seeking to
partner with the private sector to deal with the threat.
You are getting the same thing in the USA with the explosion
in lawsuits filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against
employers. These are more often than not instigated by CAIR.
Clarion: Isn’t that a legitimate Civil
Rights Act Title VII issue?
Shaw: I think the spirit of Title VII has
been perverted to further a political and ideological agenda. When an employer
hires a worker, he is buying that person’s time. In a manufacturing plant
operating with a lean production schedule, you can’t have a worker walking off
the assembly line at times determined by a third party. When you take a job,
you follow the employer’s rules.
Clarion: But not all demands for
religious accommodation are radical.
Shaw: Our working definition of a radical
is somebody whose determination to adhere to his principles or religion causes
disruption in the workplace. A vegetarian should not apply for a job in a
slaughterhouse and then file a Title VII complaint because it conflicts with
his moral principles. A Muslim should not take a job in a brewery if it
conflicts with his religion.
Clarion: Aren’t you concerned that
such views could be branded as Islamophobic?
Shaw: The purpose of the conference is to
debate these issues in an open forum. Any point of view can be countered by a
rebuttal.
Clarion: You held a similar conference
in Paris in November 2017. What was the response?
Shaw: Extremely positive. It was attended
by senior executives from flagship European and U.S. corporations as well as
delegates from the gendarmerie, national Police, military,
intelligence, counter-terrorism and corporate security. People appreciated the
fact that we tackled the subject in a direct manner.
Clarion: What differences do you see
in the U.S. and European approach to the problem?
Shaw: In Europe, corporatations are
gradually overcoming a reluctance to discuss these issues out of fear of
accusations of Islamophobia, but in the USA
the core value of religious freedom is being used by Islamists as an instrument
to stifle debate.
Clarion: How can people access the
survey you are conducting?
Shaw: The survey is not accessible to the
public. It’s not an opinion poll. We are sending it directly to executives in
various companies and sectors. If anybody wants to complete it, they can
contact us at firm.europe@gmail.com. We vet them before sending the
link to make sure they are bona fide corporate officers.
Clarion: How does one register for the
conference?
Shaw: People can apply to attend by clicking here (our website https://firmeurope.com) All
applicants will be vetted and we will send them instructions on how to
register. The list of participants will be classified.
Clarion: What have you discovered
while organizing this conference?
Shaw: Apart from analysts and the
security community, people are scared of Islamic radicalism. The academic
and media establishment won’t touch it because of political correctness.
Corporations are seeking help to mitigate the threat but behind closed doors.
They won’t come out and discuss the issues in public. It is an Orwellian fear
that plays into the hands of the global Muslim Brotherhood and its
satellite organizations.
Clarion: Are you planning more
conferences?
Shaw: Yes. The next one is on November
15, 2018 at the National Assembly, the French parliament. The conference will
be a biannual event alternating between Paris and Washington.
Clarion: How will corporate attendees benefit
from the conference?
Shaw: First, they will have the
reassurance that they are not alone in facing the threat. Second, the
conference will demonstrate that corporations can acquire tools to assess the
risks, mitigate the threat, minimize the economic costs, vet personnel and
potential hires, and shield themselves from litigation.
The business community has a right to openly, fearlessly and
objectively discuss the real challenges posed by Islamic radicalism in the
workplace and share their best practices and experience in dealing with it.
There is a lot of hysteria surrounding the subject of Islam,
on both sides. We need to cast a real eye on what is going on and take steps to
ensure that our socio-economic model and values remain intact.
Lawmakers have a key role to play in this process so that
businesses are not at the mercy of religious pressure groups eager to hijack
our freedoms for their own ends.
_____________________
Dr. Shaw Promotes Valuable
D.C. Counterjihad Conference
John R. Houk
© April 12, 2018
_____________________
Is Islamism a Problem in
America’s Workplaces?
The Clarion
Project (formerly Clarion Fund) is
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to educating both policy
makers and the public about the growing phenomenon of Islamic extremism. The
Clarion Project is committed to working towards safeguarding human rights for
all peoples.
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