Bill Nelson: “Today the Senate adopted unanimously the Nelson-Smith amendment which puts the Senate on record supporting the placement…”

“Today the Senate adopted unanimously the Nelson-Smith amendment which puts the Senate on record supporting the placement of al-Manar on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list. Al-Manar is a global satellite television operation dedicated to broadcasting inflammatory and radical Islamic propaganda. Al-Manar, a television station funded by Hezbollah, promotes hatred, anti-Semitism, and glorifies suicide bombing. The actions of this network are truly appalling and frightening. Viewed via satellite throughout the Muslim world, al-Manar promotes suicide attacks against American and Israeli targets and encourages Iraqi insurgents to attack U.S. troops. It includes particularly shocking children's programming, aimed at shaping the beliefs and values of the next generation of Muslim youth. The station broadcasts programs that spread anti-Semitic material, perpetuating myths about Jewish history, which resulted in the station's recent ban from French airwaves. This is not a media outlet sharing the news; it is a propaganda tool used by a terrorist organization to spread its message of violence and hatred. The U.S. Government placed al-Manar on the Terror Exclusion List which prevents persons associated with the channel from traveling to the U.S. There is a much stricter list, the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, which allows much harsher penalties, including financial sanctions against individuals, groups, and banks that do business with al-Manar.…”