The non-profit organization known as The Clarion Fund has stirred controversy by distributing 28 million copies of their documentary, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War on the West" to newspapers across the nation, according to Editor and Publisher Magazine. AU students generally expressed negative opinions of the film and its distribution.
The delivery of the film was focused almost exclusively on upcoming political "swing states," such as Florida, North Carolina and Minnesota, according to the magazine.
Matt Bulger, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said he thought the tape was based solely on stereotypes.
"I feel that this blatant propaganda by the conservative wing stereotypes the Arab people and the religion based upon the actions of a small group of fundamentalists," he said.
Bulger, vice president of AU Rationalists and Atheists, said he was disturbed by the religious conflict visible within the action.
"I still refrain from attacking a religion or a group of people based upon the actions of a select few, which I feel that the Christian conservative right does on a frequent basis," he said.
The film claims to portray most Muslims as peace-loving people who do not support terrorist activities, according to Editor and Publisher.
Colin Meddings, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said he agrees with the group's concern about radical Islamic groups.
"It is very much one of the most important films of our time in that we may see the threat to our existence as a culture and start to question how this threat has developed," he said.
The pretense of concerning only "radical Muslims" is sometimes contradicted within the film. Interviewees made statements such as "This shows how mainstream some of the views which are seen as radical have become." One of the chief sources in the film is a self-described "ex-Muslim" named Brigitte Gabriel. Market Watch reported that Gabriel told the Australian Jewish News that "every practicing Muslim is a radical Muslim."
The clarion Fund advertises itself on its Web site as a non-profit, non-partisan organization that attempts to educate Americans about national security issues, with a focus on the threat of radical Islam. On their Web site, they responded to accusations of supporting Republican presidential nominee John McCain by stating that they had never received money from political groups and did not endorse either major party candidate.
Graham Brookie, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said he questioned the group's claim of being politically neutral.
"Although it's an aspect of an issue, for a non-partisan group to be doing something like this is a clearly partisan approach," he said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint against the group with the Federal Election Committee. In the council's complaint, it brought up reports that the some recipients of the DVD were advised to keep the film in mind when they vote, according to Reuters.
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