Society of Americans for National Existence

SANE logo, taken from Society of Americans for National Existence

According to its website, the Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE) emerged out of discussions at the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies:

Eventually, in 2005-2006, the Institute sponsored a seminar that was designed for select participants, mostly former students of Robert Loewenberg, to explore the key issues raised by Professor Loewenberg's work. As the seminar progressed, it was clear that an organization such as SANE was critical to give voice to the lessons learned in the act of war perpetrated on 9-11, in the reality of the West’s mostly weak-kneed response, in the liberals’ efforts to destroy the war effort and President Bush for taking up the threat, and in the work of the seminar itself.

Policy Exchange

In October 2008 it emerged that the British Policy Exchange think tank had cited SANE in a briefing against the Global Peace and Unity event in London.

According to an undercover investigation of the Dar Al Hijrah Centre, Imam Abdul-Malik and his colleagues are teaching Jihad Qital (physical Jihad) to their followers. David Gaubatz, who attended the centre posing as an American interested in converting to Islam, is the director of counterintelligence and counterterrorism for the Society of Americans for National Existence. He claims that “They’re teaching violence and hatred of the United States…Many members of the mosque provided me literature to study. Most of the literature they gave me was from Saudi Arabia…Their literature preaches that America and the West are decadent and evil, and that Muslims have a moral duty to engage in violence against the infidels.”

The briefing's reference was sourced to an article on SANE in Insight magazine.

The briefing became public when it was criticised by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg in an open letter to Policy Exchange director Neil O'Brien.

The Policy Exchange briefing I have seen seeks to raise alarm over a number of the speakers planning to attend the conference. The accuracy of the allegations is variable, with a notable lack of evidence to support many of the claims.

In particular I was appalled to see ‘evidence’ quoted from the Society for American National Existence, an organisation which seeks to make the practice of Islam illegal, punishable by 20 years in prison. I need hardly point out how illogical it is to attempt to criticise one set of extreme views by citing another.

My concern is not limited to the facts in the document, however. Your attempt to raise a boycott of this event by privately briefing against it is bizarre, and underhand behaviour for a think-tank supposedly interested in open public debate. The information you are disseminating is extremely narrow in focus and as a result tars with the brush of extremism the tens of thousands of Muslims who will be in attendance.

People

• David Yerushalmi, SANE President and Founder
• Colonel Thomas Snodgrass, SANE Director, Division of Military Affairs

Former staff

• David Gaubatz

Donations

• Alan and Hope Winters Family Foundation a US-based foundation that gives to a range of conservative causes

Grants

In 2012 these included:

• American Islamic Forum for Democracy $25,000 in 2012
• Americans for Peace and Tolerance $25,000 in 2012
• Investigative Project on Terrorism $25,000 in 2012
• American Freedom Law Center $15,000 2012
• StandWithUs $15,000 in 2012
• American Friends of Shalva $10,000 in 2012
• Wings For Warriors $5,000 in 2012

Website

• http://www.saneworks.us/

Resources

• Tom Griffin Nick Clegg on Policy Exchange, Spinwatch, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 18:51