A lawsuit was filed in federal court in Michigan today against the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board for providing funds to American International Group even though AIG allegedly "intentionally promotes" sale of products that comply with Islamic law.
The suit alleges that selling products and helping businesses that comply with the Islamic cannon law system Shariah not only violates the Constitution but promotes and finances "the destruction of America using American tax dollars."
The suit, filed by lawyers for the St. Thomas More Center, seeks a court order to stop the taxpayer funding of AIG and its alleged "Islamic-based businesses and activities."
The federal lawsuit challenges the portion of the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008″ that appropriated $40 billion in taxpayer money to fund and financially support the United States government's majority ownership interest in AIG.
The St. Thomas More Center is a conservative Christian, not-for-profit law center based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and active throughout the United States. Its stated goals are defending the religious freedom of Christians, restoring "time honored values" and protecting the sanctity of human life.
The lawsuit was filed by the lawyers for the Thomas More Law center, which was founded in 1999 by Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, and Richard Thompson. Mr. Thompson is a former prosecutor known for his role in the prosecution of Jack Kevorkian. He now serves as the center's president and chief counsel.
The group also represented the Dover School District in Pennsylvania after the board sought to teach intelligent design in the system. Intelligent design, devised as an alternative to teaching creationism in the schools, was rejected by a federal district court judge in a 2005 decision–who ruled that the concept is creationism in disguise.
According to the deal with AIG, the U.S. is providing funding while AIG rights itself through ownership of 79.9 percent of AIG stock.
The suit alleges that through its support of Shariah-based activities, AIG "is illegally engaging in Shariah-based Islamic religious activities that are anti-Christian, anti-Jewish and anti-American."
The suit argues that AIG "intentionally promotes Shariah-compliant businesses and insurance products, which by necessity must comply with the 1,200-year-old body of Islamic cannon law based on the Quran, which demands the conversion, subjugation, or destruction of the infidel West, including the United States."
To help achieve these objectives and with the aid of federal tax dollars, the suit alleges, AIG employs a three-person Shariah Advisory Board, with members from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Pakistan.
The suit alleges that according to AIG, the role of its Shariah authority "is to review [its] operations, supervise its development of Islamic products, and determine Shariah compliance of these products and [its] investments."
An AIG spokesman confirmed the existence of the board, but declined to comment further.
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