There is no excuse for copyright infringement. If Hauser really infringed upon Furie’s copyright, he should pay Furie. But instead, he is being made to pay the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case — so named by the Justice Department. CAIR officials have repeatedly refused to denounce Hamas and Hizballah as terrorist groups. Several former CAIR officials have been convicted of various crimes related to jihad terror. CAIR’s cofounder and longtime Board chairman (Omar Ahmad), as well as its chief spokesman (Ibrahim Hooper), have made Islamic supremacist statements about how Islamic law should be imposed in the U.S. (Ahmad denies this, but the original reporter stands by her story.) A California chapter distributed a poster telling Muslims not to talk to the FBI, and a Florida chapter distributed pamphlets with the same message. CAIR has opposed virtually every anti-terror measure that has been proposed or implemented and has been declared a terror organization by the United Arab Emirates. A CAIR operative recently called for the overthrow of the U.S. government.
Why is he being forced to pay Hamas-linked CAIR? Because the book apparently features a bearded alligator villian named Alkah, which the 11-year-old daughter of an imam immediately associated with Allah — or so the imam tells us. Oh, the Islamophobia! You’d think Fouad (the imam) would be embarrassed to make claims such as this, after the jihad attacks in Manchester, London, Paris, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Finland, and on and on. You’d think he would be too busy trying to ensure that “extremism” was not spreading in his community to be concerned about a children’s book. You’d think wrong.
“Controversial children’s author turns over book profits to pro-Islam group; resigns school post,” by Caitlyn Jones, Denton Record-Chronicle, August 28, 2017 (thanks to Lookmann):
Eric Hauser, a former Denton ISD administrator who resigned last week, has admitted to copyright infringement for his use of a Pepe the Frog character in his book, The Adventures of Pepe and Pede.
Matt Furie, the artist who created Pepe the Frog in the early 2000s for a web comic series, threatened to sue Hauser unless he shut down distribution of the book, according to a press release from Furie’s attorneys at WilmerHale law firm.
Upon its release on Aug. 1, the book was perceived by many to be anti-Muslim and included many phrases used on white supremacist social media websites. The Pepe cartoon itself gained prominence during the presidential election as a symbol of a racist movement described as the “alt-right.”
To avoid a lawsuit, Hauser agreed to stop distribution of his book, which was previously picked up by Post Hill Press. He also is required to donate all profits from sales to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.
“As this action shows, Furie will aggressively enforce his intellectual property, using legal action if necessary, to end the misappropriation of Pepe the Frog in any way that espouses racism, white supremacy, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Nazism, or any other form of hate,” the press release said.
Hauser didn’t respond to a request for comment on Monday, but previously said he didn’t know Pepe was tied to white supremacists and does not align himself with the alt-right movement. He told The Dallas Morning News he wrote the book to fill a conservative void in children’s literature with themes focused on honesty, teamwork and patriotism….
Hauser previously was picked to be an assistant principal at the newly opened Rodriguez Middle School in Oak Point, but was removed from his post before the school year started. District spokesman Mario Zavala said Hauser originally asked for reassignment within Denton ISD, but resigned from the district last week.
Mohammed Fouad, the imam at the Denton Islamic Center, agreed that the book is Islamophobic and said it isn’t welcome in his mosque. He asked his 11-year-old daughter what she thought of the book when she read it. The girl immediately associated the bearded alligator villian, Alkah, with the Muslim God known as Allah, he said.
“If a child reads this, what will they think?” Fouad said. “To take these ideals into a classroom is wrong. Hatred shouldn’t be taught.”
Jim Conch says
Golly, an imam actually said hatred should not be taught! Then why are they preaching from the koran? Could it be that the only hatred allowed is was is spewed by them?
Angus says
That’s it EXACTLY
Michael Copeland says
“…between us and you enmity and hatred forever…”
Koran 60:4, part of Islamic law.
“You should hate them, disown them and their religion and be proud of your religion.”
From Alminbar.com
https://libertygb.org.uk/news/islam-instructs-hatred-muslims-speak
mortimer says
US court rules: PATRIOTISM = bad; however, ISLAMIC SUPREMACIST CAIR = good.
mortimer says
Meanwhile, back in Saudi Arabia, the high schools officially teach REAL SUPREMACISM:
1/ It’s fate decided by Allah that the Muslims and Jews will fight till the end of the world.
2/ The Hadith predicts for the Muslims God’s victory over the Jews.
3/ The victory for the Muslims because they are right, and who ever is right is always victorious, even though most people are against him.
4/ God grants victory to the Muslims if they have a true will, if they unite, hold on to God’s sharia, if they go by God’s ruling, if they are patient.
5/ The material strength won’t be enough to warrant victory, it is necessary to invoke God seek his support.
6/ Who ever is with God, God is with him; no matter what hardships and ordeals one would undergo what counts is the final result.
7/ Jews and Christians are the enemies of believers they will never approve of the Muslims, beware of them.
gravenimage says
True, Mortimer.
gravenimage says
Yes–Muslims are taught to hate *all* non-Muslims.
Robert Crawford says
His daughter associated a drawing of a man with Allah? Isn’t that idolatry? Doesn’t this mean she’s left Islam?
Hugh Fitzgerald, says
Alka-Seltzer, for god’s sake, please lawyer up.
Georg says
“You’d think Fouad (the imam) would be embarrassed to make claims such as this”
An Islamic professor I had in college told the class that Algonquin Native Americans were so-named due to a prehistoric Arabic encounter. We were told Olmec heads are likenesses of Muslims who the folks making them apparently must have been so taken with they decided to worship for centuries afterward. The professor scoffed at Issac Newton and modern genetics. Tended to mock all things American. Mocked the Western concept of gravity. It was a proper freak show. A real embarrassment of a class, but was unintentionally informative (and hilarious).
gravenimage says
Georg, this is appalling. Did any of the students challenge him? What colleg was this?
gravenimage says
Sorry–that should be “college”.
Georg says
No students challenged him. But there were only a few of us who were non-Muslim. I took the course in order to try and understand what the 9/11 hijackers believed. One guy looked to be military, and I wondered if perhaps he was forced to take it prior to heading over there (he always seemed dismayed and kept his head down). There were a couple non-Muslim knuckleheads who I’d guess were just taking it as an elective that fit their schedules and would occasionally ask squirrely questions that seemed to irk the professor, but they certainly weren’t meant to challenge him. I had and have several Native American friends (Ojibwe and Mohawk) and mentioned it to them and they just thought it was odd. It was, all in all, an awful experience but turned out to be very educational and opened my eyes to the level of danger the West faces. It really was harrowing to be in the presence of a relic groupthink mentality, even for just an hour and fifteen minutes twice per week, of the Dark Ages. I’d always took great joy in reading Carl Sagan, especially with books like The Demon Haunted World, and was there studying human evolution, so it could hardly have contrasted more with what I cherished as ways to knowledge and free thought. I’d come to believe data and evidence are requisite for understanding and their repetition necessary for knowledge, and that skepticism was what guards us from faulty knowledge and thinking. He scoffed at this; and I at him.
Another professor for a Near-Eastern Studies course had us read a book, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, where the reptilian bastard of a protagonist (based on the author) smiled as the Twin Towers fell. I’d rather not say which specific college as it could work to identify me, but I will say it was within 30 miles of Manhattan — making the choice of The Reluctant Fundamentalist all the more obscene. Of final note, I’d say the cold stares of the Middle Eastern students will always be etched into my mind. It is of course political suicide to acknowledge as much, but it was just awful. Of course some were ok, some very nice, but many — most — were not. There is an anti-Westernism and anti-Americanism in particular (directed most pointedly at whites, sorry to say as it’s so inflammatory) that Americans and leftists especially simply don’t appreciate. Americans are oblivious to its depth and leftists refuse to believe it.
gravenimage says
Thanks for the lengthy reply, Georg. This is just appalling–and is probably even more common now at American universities than it was right after 9/11. Glad you got an up-close look at what we are facing, though.
And you are right–the “Reluctant Fundamentalist” is a repulsive book.
And it has been, in fact, a darling of academia. Here is Wikipedia on the subject:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reluctant_Fundamentalist#Academic_reception
Just repulsive self-hatred being taught to American students.
Georg says
Wow. I had no idea students were being indoctrinated with it to that extent. The professor was always quick to point out it had been in the running for Booker Prize, filling me with unimaginable disdain for whatever quisling/s had given her cover to spew what practically amounts to Al-Qaeda propaganda. This was another tough course, where the professor pontificated about the cruelness of Americans on 9/11 as they spit on or kicked cab drivers… as though that were the tragedy of the day.
It’s all left me longing for the days before I’d heard of Islam.
Joe says
I had dinner with a Muslim from NY City who grew up in NY City. He was part native American and part African (I realize neither of these are races, but that is what he reported). He was taught be some professor that some native Americans were essentially Muslim due to some influence that I could not connect. I didn’t try to counter argue, since it was so stupid that it bordered on insanity.
Smarty says
There is a movement to convert them to Islam. The Native American Indian groups have formed some alliances with Muslim groups. Wouldn’t be surprised if they started building mosques. Many NAs are weak minded.
Jack Diamond says
Meanwhile, the estates of Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse are suing CAIR in connection with their affiliations with Hamas, for Hamas plagiarism, animal abuse, and cartoon incitement to murder. This after Hamas television (al-Aqsa TV) ran episodes on their children’s show– ‘Tomorrow’s Pioneers’– of a Bugs Bunny-lookalike saying, not “What’s Up, Doc?” but “I will finish off the Jews and eat them!” (the Rabbit later becomes a martyr, killed by the Jews). Then the Israelis, hating beloved cartoon animals, kill off a Mickey Mouse-lookalike, who had also taught the kiddies to slaughter the Jews and conquer the West ,before being martyred. Also wounding a Bumblebee in the attack, who dies because he can’t get to the hospital because Israel has the road blocked.
Well, just a suggestion….
I’m pretty sure “Bearded Alligator” was one of the 99 names of Allah, so this is a frivolous law suit.
Jack Diamond says
Well, settlement. Whoever decided on behalf of Furry, er, Furie to pay CAIR, of all things, in apology, and to feel themselves subdued.
gravenimage says
Spot on, Jack.
Georg says
Agreed. Looking forward to CAIR’s position on the issue.
gravenimage says
Author who infringed Pepe the Frog copyright has to give proceeds to Hamas-linked CAIR
……………….
Oh, great–at best, the proceeds will go to crush any freedom of speech against Islam; at worst, it will go to fund real life Alkah the Alligators, and be used to murder Israeli or other Infidel children.
Eric Hauser–and, especially, Post Hill Press, which should know better–are idiots for failing to realize that the use of this character was a copyright violation, but ruling that the proceeds go to fund CAIR is just appalling.
That Mr. Hauser lost his job as assistant school principal is awful, as well.
The biggest idiot is Pepe the Frog creator Matt Furie, who likely thinks CAIR is just a “civil rights group” for Muslims.
Here’s a picture of Alkah the Alligator, surrounded by his ‘Niqab’-wearing minions:
https://fsmedia.imgix.net/0d/44/a4/4d/1f26/447d/8eba/a9fcd1e375dd/alkah-the-alligator-and-his-minions-as-illustrated-in-the-adventures-of-pepe-and-pede.jpeg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=700
Not bad.
gravenimage says
By the way, Post Hill Press is the publisher of Robert Spencer’s upcoming book, “Confessions of an Islamophobe”.
Hugh Fitzgerald, says
And it’s not just Alka-Seltzer (vide supra-dupra) that’s in likely litigation land.
There’s Alkahest, Inc. out in sunny California, working on ways to make us all younger. But clearly their choice of corporate name shows they have a side line in mickey-mocking Allah, and for that, well….you know what happens next.
Jack Diamond says
Next they’ll be forbidding Alkahol.
Jack Diamond says
Hurt feelings are the new orange.
CreatioExNihlio says
Here’s the real issue. Feel free to re me with the number of times CAIR or terror comes up on this page.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Adventures+of+Pepe+and+Pede