MEMRI has reported that in recent TV interviews, Egyptian cleric Wagdi Ghneim ((aka Wagdi Ghoneim, Wagdy Mohamed Ghoneim, Wagdi Ghuniem) praised JIhad and denigrated women. According to the MEMRI report:
In two recent TV interviews, Egyptian cleric Wagdi Ghneim extolled Jihad, saying: “We are a nation that excels in the production of the art of death… I will… Continue reading
The United Nations has reported that Bosnian Grand Mufti Mustaf Ceric is one of the members of a new panel ” entrusted with furthering peace founded on justice, respect for human rights, gender equality and solidarity.” According to the announcement:
18 February 2010 – The United Nations today inaugurated a panel of prominent political, intellectual and religious figures… Continue reading
Gulf media is reporting that the daughter of global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi has been nominated for a scholarship under the new Fulbright Science and Technology Award. According to a report in the Gulf Times:
Three Qataris have been nominated for the Fulbright programme for the academic year, 2010-2011, even as the US government has created the International Fulbright Science and Technology Award, a senior official at the… Continue reading
An Egyptian newspaper has reported that Mohamed El-Baradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and now opposition politician in Egypt, has included the Muslim Brotherhood in the national opposition front that he inaugurated last week. According to a report in Al-Masry Al-Youm:
Members of the coalition of Egyptian opposition parties–which includes the Wafd, Tagammu, Nasserist and Democratic… Continue reading
The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) has announced that its newly formed Council of Scholars has held its first meeting in late February. According to the announcement:
For the first time since their recent appointment the IIIT Council of Scholars met in a face-to-face meeting at IIIT on Saturday, February 20. All Council members attended except one who joined via audio conference. Composed of accomplished scholars, the Council… Continue reading
Veteran columnist Georgie Ann Geyer has written an article praising the Sultanate of Oman as having “so many of the answers to the Islamic world’s problems.” According to her article:
Unquestionably, the greatest problem for the Western world today is radical Islamic terrorism, which strides across a Muslim world without jobs for its angry young men or good governance… Continue reading
Polish media is reporting that a new Saudi-financed mosque is being built in central Warsaw. According to the report:
The Muslim League in Poland is building a modern, three-story mosque near the centre of Warsaw. The Centre of Islamic Culture, designed by KAPS Architekci, will be located in the close vicinity of the Blue City shopping centre, at the Zeslancow Syberyjskich roundabout just to the west of the city… Continue reading
In what now appears to be a developing U.S. tour , the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has annouced that global Muslim Brotherhood leader Tariq Ramadan will be the keynote speaker at its 6th Annual Banquet on April 10, 2010. According to the CAIR announcement:
Chicago is pleased to announce that Professor Tariq Ramadan will be the keynote speaker at its 6th Annual Banquet… Continue reading
The Boston Globe has profiled the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG), closely tied Hamas. According to the report:
… the Islamic University is no fringe institution: It’s the top university in Gaza. The majority of students here study secular topics; not all of them are even religious. If you want to get a degree in Gaza, a territory that is home to more than a million people, it’s simply… Continue reading
U.K. media is reporting that the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) has placed sympathizers in elected offices including gaining significance influence over a local government council. According to a report in the Telegraph:
The Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) — which believes in jihad and sharia law, and wants to turn Britain and Europe into an Islamic state — has placed sympathisers in elected office and claims, correctly, to… Continue reading | 1 Comment
Now that the controversy over Rashad Hussain, the newly appointed U.S. envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), seems to have died for lack of further interest, it may be useful to reflect on how in the words of one of Mr. Hussain’s supporters,”an all-too-familiar script began to play out.” Indeed there was such a script, but the performance looked quite different to us from where we sit… Continue reading | 1 Comment
An Asian-Pacific new source has reported that global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi underwent surgery on February 19 for unknown reasons. According to the report:
Over the weekend, I attended the ‘International Dialogue Between Islam & Oriental Religions’, which was attended by more than 60 participants including from Qatar, Nepal, Pakistan and India. Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, an Islamic scholar, was to attend, but had to be operated on, on… Continue reading
The Investigative Project is reporting that the Washington State Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is seeking religious Muslim volunteers to work with state prison inmates. According to the report:
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) chapter in Washington State is seeking religious Muslim volunteers to work with state prison inmates. That has veteran corrections official Patrick Dunleavy concerned that the program could result in the radicalization… Continue reading
The leader of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) in Jordan has stated that his movement is willing to sacrifice “our lives and money” for the sake of holy sites, referring to a recent Israeli government decision to include two sites on the West Bank as Israeli National Heritage sites. According to a report in the Jordan Times, Ishaq Farhan stated;
“Holy sites are worth more to us than… Continue reading
Various media have reported that Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Northern Virginia was scheduled to have hosted a fund-raising dinner in mid-February for the ongoing legal fees of Sabri Benkahla, sentenced in 2007 to 10 years in prison for lying to authorities about training with militants in Pakistan. One of the three featured speakers was Jamal Badawi, a leader in many of the most important organizations of the… Continue reading
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood website is reporting on a Facebook/Twitter action scheduled for today to protest Israeli policy in Gaza. According to the report:
Tuesday, March 9 activists will demonstrate Arab Unity and support with the resilience of the Palestinian Gazans by changing their profile photo. The group will be celebrating the steadfastness of the Gazan people where they have been under economic and political blockade entering its 1000th day without bowing to the U.S.-Israeli domination. Egyptian bloggers and activists regard March 9, as an “electronic day” against the siege revealing the Palestinian steadfastness and highlighting that those who struggle to regain their right inevitably will attain it even if it takes a long time. The Internet activists vowed to celebrate Gaza’s resilience and steadfastness through the electronic websites’ Blogs Twitter and Facebook to be a blogging day in which they refuse to whitewash the siege of Gaza and lift harsh and humiliating conditions of Gazans have been trapped for 1000 days. Activists also launched a new group presenting the history of the Israeli siege over the Gaza Strip over the past 1000 days displaying many audio and/ video clips covering the Palestinian tragedy especially during the recent Israeli war on Gaza last year. The group called itself “One Thousand Days… GAZA under Siege,” the number of participants who have reached more than 4000, stressed that Gaza and the West Bank are two areas under the one Palestinian State. They celebrate the steadfastness of the people of Gaza and will not forget the Israeli’s attempts at Judaizing Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The group’s Facebook page provides a contact email which in turn appears to belong to an individual known as Mosab Ragab (aka Abo Osma) whose own Facebook page lists two websites under his contact information that are operated by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Mr Ragab also lists his Political Views as “Muslim Brotherhood.”
An earlier post discussed a Facebook discussion forum launched in 2008 by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
GlobalMB @ March 9, 2010
Islam Online is reporting on the visit of three European Muslim Brotherhood leaders to Brussels in the last week of February. According to the report:
In the last week of February, Brussels hosted several Islamic meetings attended by famous voices of Islam in Europe — Tariq Ramadan from Oxford, Tareq Oubrou from Bordeaux, and Hani Ramadan from Geneva, to name just a few. On Friday, February 26, Tariq Ramadan had an audience of more than 400 persons at an auditorium at the Islamic Center of Brussels. The European Muslim Network (EMN), headed by Tariq, organized a discussion on discrimination with some panelists. The first panelist, Ann Isabelle Von Lingen, talked about perception and the relation with the “other.” The second one, Inès Wouters, presented the issue from a legal perspective. Finally, Tariq deconstructed the reality of discrimination in many parts of society and censured Muslim victimization. Tariq advocated the notion of a Muslim citizenship that deals with its specific context, contributes to society, and conforms to the law. The discussion was followed by Tariq’s presentation dedicated to Muslim manhood. Tareq Oubrou visited Brussels and Liège and stayed there for three days. On Thursday, the 25th, he met 30 Muslim intellectuals at the Islamic Center of Brussels in an informal event dedicated to discussing his book Profession: Imam (published by Albin Michel in 2009). The discussion reached a higher level, and the partial deconstruction of the author’s conception opened a new perspective for participants. The variety of profiles permitted the discussion of different themes: secularization and practice of Islam in Europe, the status of the imam in France and in Europe, Usul Al-Fiqh (i.e., principles of jurisprudence), and last but not least the topic of hijab. On Friday 26, in Liège, a third of participants were Christians, and their conclusions reflected a real appreciation that a Muslim imam, Oubrou, dealt with the sensibility of their religion and with crossing bridges. On Saturday 27, Oubrou was invited by one of the biggest mosques in Brussels, El-Mouahiddine, to talk about spirituality and the necessary relation with the transcendent. The event was convivial and opened the door to exploring the reality of Muslims present in Europe. The eternal question, hijab, was considered by Oubrou not a major practice in Islam, not a matter of cult, but one of culture (or mu’amalat in Arabic). The Asbl Unis Vers Cité (an organization of Muslim students) received the latest presentation by Oubrou in Brussels, Saturday evening. More than a hundred persons attended, and the presentation was about the concept of tawheed (i.e. monotheism). But most of the questions were again related to hijab. Last but not least, Saturday morning (February 27), Hani Ramadan (brother of Tariq Ramadan) spoke at “For a Good Comprehension of Islam: the Major Characteristics of Islam,” a seminar organized by the League of Islamic Mutual Aid. On the same day, after Al-’Asr Prayer, the Cultural and Islamic Center of Brussels hosted Hani for a presentation on the impact of faith on everyday life.
A NEFA Foundation report identifies the Islamic Center of Brussels as chaired by the Saudi Ambassador and receiving most of it’s funding from the Saudi Muslim World League, a Saudi religious organization closely tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood.
Tariq Ramadan is perhaps best described as an independent power center within the global Brotherhood with sufficient stature as the son of Said Ramadan, and the grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood to challenge positions taken by important Brotherhood leaders. His statements and writings have been extensively analyzed and he has been accused by critics of promoting anti-Semitism and fundamentalism, albeit by subtle means. On the other hand, his supporters promote him as as example of an Islamic reformer who is in the forefront of developing a “Euro Islam.” Ramadan is currently professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Theology and senior research fellow at St. Antony’s College (Oxford), Dohisha University (Kyoto, Japan) and at the Lokahi Foundation (London). Previous posts discussed his dismissal from his positions as an adviser on integration for the city of Rotterdam and from a Dutch University over his role as a talk show host on Iranian TV. Previous posts have discussed Ramadan’s scheduled speaking appearances in the U.S. sponsored by U.S. Muslim Brotherhood organizations.
Tareq (aka Tariq) Oubrou was born in Morocco and is the director of the Bordeaux Mosque and president of the Association of the Imams of France. He is associated with the Union des organisations islamiques en France (UOIF), generally regarded as representing the Muslim Brotherhood in France.
Hani Ramadan is the brother of Tariq Ramadan and the head of the Islamic Center of Geneva, founded by their father. Hani Ramadan is also a member of the board of the Swiss member of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), the Muslim Brotherhood umbrella organization for Europe of which the UOIF is also a member. He is a frequent speaker at mosques associated with the UOIF and, as a previous post reported, will receive about $230,000 in damages as a result of being fired from a Swiss school for remarks he made defending stoning as an Islamic punishment in an article for a French newspaper.
GlobalMB @ March 9, 2010
In a rally organized by its political wing, the leader of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood has called for a “third Intifada” in response to recent events in Israel described as “Israeli measures against Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and Hebron.” According to one report carried by a Middle Eastern news portal:
Islamist leaders have called on the Palestinians to start a third Intifada in response to Israeli measures against Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and Hebron.During a festival on Friday organised by the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, hundreds of participants chanted anti-Israeli slogans and called on the government to end diplomatic relations with Israel. Participants waved green flags and pictures of victims of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza a year ago. They also held banners condemning the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty and Israeli practices in Arab countries. Several senior Islamist leaders, professional association activists and opposition figures were present during the one-hour ceremony, which was also held to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad. Overall leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, Hamam Said, who was the first to take the podium, highlighted the latest attack by Israel soldiers on Palestinian worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque compound earlier on Friday. “This is happening under the watchful eyes of Arab and Muslim nations without anyone taking action we are not even hearing statements of condemnation,” he said. Said added that a third Intifada could be the only answer to Israel’s recent decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Bethlehem’s Bilal Ben Rabah Mosque to a list of Israeli heritage sites. Kamal Al Khatib, a senior Islamist leader in Palestine, also attended the rally, where he warned against continued attacks on worshippers in Jerusalem. Several other Islamist leaders also addressed the gathering, including head of the IAF freedoms committee, Ali Abul Sukkar, former IAF secretary general Ibrahim Zeid Keilani, and president of the IAF shura council Hamzah Mansour.
The Jordan Times had reported earlier that the rally was organized by the Islamic Action Front (IAF), generally regarded as the political wing of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood web site had also reported “The IAF underscored that the silence over these Israeli procedures would persuade Israel to advance with its plans to ‘judaise’ Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling on the Arabs and the Muslims to take actions to face the ‘conceitedness’ of Israel and its plans. An earlier post discussed the statement by the IAF leader that his movement is willing to sacrifice “our lives and money” for the sake of holy sites, referring to a recent Israeli government decision to include two sites on the West Bank as Israeli National Heritage sites.
The IAF Secretary-General is Ishaq Farhan, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, one of the three founders of the IAF, and a former education minister and senator. Mr. Farhan is also listed as a director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), founded in the U.S. in 1980 by important members of the Global Muslim Brotherhood who wished to promote the “Islamization of Knowledge.” IIIT was associated with the now defunct SAAR Foundation, a network of Islamic organizations located in Northern Virginia that was raided by the Federal government in March 2002 in connection with the financing of terrorism. In 2000, Mr. Farhan was denied entry to the U.S. after having had his visa revoked in the prior year without informing him. The New York Times reported at that time that unidentified American diplomats called Mr. Farhan a “moderating force” and that he “as kept a distance from the vociferous opposition to peaceful relations with Israel.” However, in 2003 a media report said that the IAF had “declared a jihad in favor of Iraq and Palestine if the US attacks Iraq.” More recently, after congratulating President Obama on his election, the IAF called his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan “a hostile step against the Arab and Islamic worlds. In 2009, the IAF also called Israeli actions in Gaza “the ugliest crime in history.”
A post from earlier this week reported that the deputy leader of the IAF is scheduled to appear as a featured speaker at the annual conference of the Center for the Study of Islamic and Democracy (CSID) in April. As that post discussed, CSID has many ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.
GlobalMB @ March 8, 2010
The Federation of Islamic Organizations In Europe (FIOE), representing the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, has announced that its Dutch member organization has established a new youth and student organization. According to the FIOE announcement:
The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Holland has established a new organization for youth and students, during a meeting attended by representatives from the edification departments, da’wah and assimilation of new Muslims. All attendees agreed on the necessity of organizing many meetings to discuss the future strategy of the organization and forming its action plan. The first meeting of this series will be held on Saturday March 20th 2010.
The leader of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Holland (FION) is Yahia Bouyafa who also heads the Europe Trust Nederland, the Dutch branch of the Europe Trust, the funding/endowment arm of FIOE. Previous posts have profiled Mr. Bouyafa, his role as a dialog partner for the Dutch government, his part in a public broadcasting controversy, and his real-estate dealings on behalf of the Europe Trust.
A report on FIOE by the NEFA Foundation describes the organization as follows:
The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) claims to be an independent organization representing the interests of Muslims in Europe. In reality, the FIOE is an umbrella group that comprises the global Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. Strong links connect FIOE’s leadership central institutions and member organizations to the Brotherhood, as well as to Saudi Arabia. Funding for the FIOE is derived largely from Gulf sources, including some of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates. The FIOE has strong ties to Hamas and Hamas fund-raising organizations, and some FIOE member organizations show evidence of links with Al-Qaida. The FIOE recently opened a headquarters office in Brussels and has had some success in positioning itself as a “dialog partner” for the EU and other important institutions.
FIOE has its own youth organization known as the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations (FEMYSO). Over the years, FEMYSO has developed a relationship with both the Council of Europe and the European Commission where it has been invited since 2003 to attend meetings of the Group of Policy Advisers (GOPA). One of the important leaders of FEMYSO over the years has been Ibrahim El-Zayat, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Germany.
GlobalMB @ March 8, 2010
U.S. media has reported on the controversy involving a Chicago-area imam who last year became the Illinois State Police Department’s first and only Muslim chaplain. According to an ABC report:
The Illinois State Police Department currently has 37 chaplains or volunteer clergy who provide spiritual support for troopers, other employees and their families….Last December at Illinois State Police headquarters, Sheikh Kifah Mustapha became the department’s first and only Muslim chaplain. Mustapha was one of seven ministers who went through chaplain orientation training. At the end of the training that Mustapha paid for himself, he was among those who received their Illinois State Police ID cards, and bulletproof vests they are required to wear on ride-alongs and at crime scenes. “He was admitted to the post. He went through the training and the vetting and the selection process. Everything was hunky dory,” said Ahmed Rehab, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). At the Mosque Foundation of Chicago, where Mustapha is the top religious leader known as an ‘imam’ and one of the best known Islamic leaders in America, his appointment as a state police chaplain was heralded as good news to more than 500,000 metro Chicago Muslims……According to a police statement, “in early January, the ISP became aware that Mr. Mustapha was potentially identified as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee. An immediate review of our background process began.” Emerson, an oft quoted, self-styled national security expert who has testified before Congress, posted public Justice Department documents on his Web site that cite Mustapha as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee, an organization that federal prosecutors say raises money for Hamas and is “committed to the globalization of Islam and violent jihad.” Such membership resulted in Mustapha being named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the holy land foundation case, the “largest terrorism financing prosecution in American history.” …During the deposition in a 2001 civil terrorism suit, Mustapha admitted being the “registered agent for Holy Land Foundation in Illinois…soliciting money” for Holy Land programs until the group was frozen by U.S. Authorities……A state police official says the re-submitted background checks are underway and they don’t know when or whether Sheikh Mustapha or the others will past muster. As for Mustapha himself, despite being a very public figure on radio and TV, he asked CAIR to speak for him until the state police determine whether to allow him as a chaplain.
In addition to being an imam at the Mosque Foundation, also home of the Bridgeview Mosque, Mr. Mustafa serves as the Foundation’s Associate Director. The Foundation’s last know Director was Sheikh Jamial Said identified by a 2004 Chicago newspaper investigation as inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood, educated at a Saudi Arabian University, and noted for his sermons espousing strict Islamic fundamentalist views and critical of America as “a land of disbelievers.” Part of his salary was paid by the government of Saudi Arabia. As much as $1 million a year was raised from mosque members which was then sent to overseas Muslim charities. The mosque donated money to three Islamic charities that have since been identified as involved in financing terrorism—the Holy Land Foundation, Benevolence International, and the Global Relief Foundation. One of the mosque’s eight-member executive committee was Muhammad Salah, a Muslim Brotherhood member who was arrested in Israel in 1993 and has since been identified as a Hamas military commander. Mosque leaders were also leaders of the Quranic Literacy Institute, and the Islamic Association for Palestine, the predecessor of the Council fof American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Interestingly, Mr. Mustapha’s online resume indicates that in addition to his role as Associate Director of the Mosque Foundation, he is also a teacher at the Universal School, also located in Bridgeview . It should also be noted that both Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) President Ingrid Mattson and ISNA Secretary-General Safaa Zarzour have also been associated with the Universal School which although located next to the mosque denies any connection to it. Despite these denials Bassam Osman is listed on the school website as a director and as a “Representative of NAIT.” A Hudson Institute report identifies Mr. Osman as a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood leader and NAIT (North American Islamic Trust), as a part of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), holding title to many U.S. mosques and Islamic facilities associated with the U.S. Brotherhood. The Tribune reported that the Bridgeview mosque had also been deeded to NAIT in 1981 by Islamic fundamentalists who had taken over the mosque from its former leaders. Dr. Mattson also currently serves as one of the NAIT Trustees.
GlobalMB @ March 7, 2010
