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No more global lawsuits April 27, 2005 Unless Americans stop the trend toward global government, basic civil rights taken for granted in the United States will soon be rendered meaningless. For instance, we have a First Amendment in America that protects the right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. These are not unlimited rights, of course. If an American defames someone, the offended party, whether an American or foreigner, has a right to pursue legal action in U.S. courts. That is as it should be. But, when Americans are subject to lawsuits in foreign courts for statements made in the United States, the First Amendment ceases to have much meaning. And that is basis of a landmark lawsuit filed in New York. Rachel Ehrenfeld, author of "Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It," was sued last month in British courts by billionaire Saudi Sheikh Khalid Salim a bin Mahfouz. Ehrenfeld had charged Bin Mahfouz with endowing and arranging financing for a number of Islamic charities that have been accused of funding terrorism. "There are currently over 10 lawsuits outstanding by numerous plaintiffs in the United States claiming billions of dollars in damages from Mahfouz's alleged involvement in financing the 9-11 attack of the World Trade Center," she asserts. While Ehrenfeld's book was published in the United States, Bin Mahfouz sued Ehrenfeld for defamation in the United Kingdom, known for its liberal libel laws, where the onus is on the defendant to prove charges rather than vice versa. Faced with the prospect of defending against a costly suit in a foreign court where the deck was stacked against her, Ehrenfeld chose to ignore the case, resulting in a default judgment against her. But now she is taking the unusual and precedent-setting step of filing a lawsuit of her own here in the United States against Bin Mahfouz. Ehrenfeld is hardly alone. She is one of hundreds of journalists and news agencies sued or threatened with lawsuits in foreign countries by wealthy Islamists with alleged links to terror groups. The United Kingdom, in particular, has become a magnet for such suits because it has no equivalent of First Amendment-style protections for freedom of the press and freedom of speech. To say the least, these lawsuits are having a chilling effect on free speech and the free press in America.
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