TRO Against Anti-Muslim Group Extended

Yesterday a federal district court in Dallas, Texas extended an earlier temporary restraining order against Joe Kaufman and his organization, Americans Against Hate. The original TRO was aimed at planned protests at Six Flags Amusement Park during Muslim Family Day at the park earlier this month. The TRO barred Kaufman from threatening members of various Muslim organizations. Kaufman had used his website to encourage protests against sponsors of the Family Day who he referred to as "radicals", "extremists" and "jihadists", because of their connection to the Holy Land Foundation, a group listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the recent Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case. Today's Dallas Morning News reports that in obtaining an extension of the TRO, plaintiffs' attorney Don Fulton argued that Muslim groups are still being targeted on Mr. Kaufman’s Web site. Kaufman has posted photos and addresses of local mosques affiliated with the North American Islamic Trust. Fulton says this encourages violence against them. The court rejected Kaufman's argument that it lacked personal jurisdiction over him.