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The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has announced that it is part of a “coalition” calling for the resignation of the NYPD commissioner over what it says is a cover-up over a film shown to NYPD officers. According to a CAIR press release:
(NEW YORK, N.Y., 1/25/12) – On Thursday, January 26, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) — along with the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC) and other minority and civil liberties groups — will hold a news conference on the steps of City Hall to call for the resignations of New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Ray Kelly and Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne due to revelations that they covered up their roles in the production of the anti-Islam propaganda film “The Third Jihad” that was shown to almost 1500 NYPD officers. ….As leaders of the nation’s largest police department, Commissioner Kelly and Deputy Commissioner Browne’s actions set a tone for relations with law enforcement that impact American Muslims nationwide,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “The reputation of the NYPD deteriorates with each new revelation of improper actions. It’s time for change.” ”This controversy has moved beyond an issue of poor judgment in the use of an Islamophobic training film to an issue of the integrity of public officials,” said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick. “The lack of truthfulness exhibited by Commissioner Kelly and Deputy Commissioner Browne means New Yorkers must now question the credibility of every statement they make. This situation necessitates their immediate resignations.” He said this latest revelation comes following a year-long series of misstatements and retractions from Kelly and Browne that indicates a total disregard for the civil rights of American Muslims and a complete lack of respect for one of the city’s largest religious communities. McGoldrick said that when the issue first came to light last year, CAIR-NY called on the NYPD to investigate how the propaganda film came to be used in mandatory counterterrorism training. CAIR-NY also called for new NYPD guidelines to ensure that officer training materials offer only unbiased information about any religious or minority community. Along with the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC), CAIR-NY sent several letters to Commissioner Kelly, but received no response beyond callous dismissals of the allegations as “wrong” and “a non-issue.”
A post from yesterday stated “One of the most ubiquitous tactics of the Global Muslim Brotherhood is the establishment of a dizzying number of organizations and initiatives and which create the impression of broad based support when, in reality, the sponsors are the same individuals and groups whose leaders have not changed in many years.” In yet another illustration of this tactic, a March 2011 press release issued by the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC), CAIR’s ”coalition” partner above, identifies 13 of its constituent organizations of which 9 are Islamic organizations. All nine, along with CAIR itself, are either part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood or with strong ties to U.S. Muslim Brotherhood organizations:
- Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL) (headed by Omar Mohammedi, general counsel for CAIR NY
- Council on American Islamic Relations – New York (CAIR-NY)
- Muslim American Society of New York (MAS-NY) (part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood)
- Muslim Bar Association of New York (MuBANY), (president is Safia Hussain who is part of Mazen Asbahi Law Group, for Mr. Asbahi’s ties to the USMB, go here)
- Muslim Consultative Network (MCN) (chair is Debbie Almontaser, CAIR banquet keynote speaker)
- Muslim Progressive-Traditionalist Alliance (M-PTA) (chair is Adem Carroll, background with Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood)
- Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC-NY) (part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood)
- Women In Islam, Inc., (associated with Debbie Montaser, see above))
Documents released in the Holy Land Trial have revealed that the founders and current leaders of CAIR were part of the Palestine Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as identifying the organization itself as being part of the US. Brotherhood. A recent post discussed an interview with the Deputy leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in which he confirms a relationship between his organization and CAIR. Investigative research posted on GMBDR had determined that CAIR had it origins in the U.S. Hamas infrastructure and CAIR and it leaders have a long history of defending almost all individuals accused of terrorism by the US. government, frequently calling such prosecutions a “war on Islam.” In 2009, a US federal judge ruled “The Government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR, ISNA and NAIT with HLF, the Islamic Association for Palestine (“IAP”), and with Hamas.
Earlier posts have explored other examples of U.S. Muslim Brotherhood coalitions such as the American Muslim Task Force.
GlobalMB @ January 26, 2012
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Global media is reporting that Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal will visit Jordan on Sunday for the first time in 12 years and is also planning his first trip to Gaza. According to a report in the Oman Tribune:
GAZA CITY Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal will visit Jordan on Sunday for the first time in 12 years, and is planning a historic first trip to Gaza, officials said on Tuesday even as an Israeli court ordered the Hamas speaker of the Palestinian parliament be held in administrative detention for six months. Meshaal’s trip to Amman will be his first visit to Jordan since he was expelled from the kingdom in 1999.
“Khaled Meshaal will visit Jordan on Sunday, along with the Crown Prince of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Tamim Al Thani,” Jordanian government spokesman Rajan Majali said. Meshaal’s visit comes after Qatari mediation, and Majali said Jordan’s King Abdullah would receive the Hamas leader and Hamad. Later, an official in the Gaza Strip said Meshaal was also planning a trip to the coastal territory, possibly accompanied by Palestinian president and Fatah head Mahmoud Abbas. Meshaal “intends to come to Gaza and has a great desire to carry out such a visit, which could surprise us by happening very soon,” said Ahmed Yussef, an adviser to the Hamas ministry of foreign affairs in Gaza. The trip to Gaza would be a historic first for Meshaal, who was born in the West Bank but went into exile after the 1967 Six Day War. Meshaal “may be accompanied to Gaza by President Mahmoud Abbas in order to give a big boost to the reconciliation and restore the public’s confidence in the process,” he said. Yussef, who met Meshaal in Cairo last week, stressed the visit would require coordination “with a number of parties, especially our Egyptian brothers.” Reports said Meshaal will ask Amman for permission to reopen Hamas offices in Jordan, allowing the movement to evacuate its current headquarters-in-exile in Damascus, but Jordan’s Majali denied that would be discussed. “Reopening Hamas offices in Amman is not on the agenda. They did not ask for that anyway,” he said.
A post from August 2011 reported that a Hamas delegation including Meshaal met with both the Egyptian foreign minister as well as with the Supreme Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Another post discussed an interview with Hamas leader in exile Khaled Meshaal in which he said that the group is “looking to focus it energies on popular resistance” without giving up the “right to armed struggle against Israel.” In addition, U.K. media had reported that Hamas was considering whether to pull its exiled leadership out of Syria as the organisation reassesses its alliance with President Bashar al-Assad.
GlobalMB @ January 25, 2012
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One of the most ubiquitous tactics of the Global Muslim Brotherhood is the establishment of a dizzying number of organizations and initiatives and which create the impression of broad based support when, in reality, the sponsors are the same individuals and groups whose leaders have not changed in many years. In yet another example of this tactic, U.K media has reported on the formation of the “alternative Leveson inquiry” which is purporting to “investigate the way in which British media report on Muslim and Islamic affairs.” According to a report in The Guardian and based on information from the Islam Channel:
An “alternative Leveson inquiry” is being set up by an Islamic TV channel in order to investigate the way in which British media report on Muslim and Islamic affairs. The Islam Channel is planning to appoint a judge with an independent panel of assessors – just like Leveson – to carry out the inquiry. Its springboard was a public opinion poll which found that people believe the media are responsible for “whipping up a climate of fear of Islam in the UK.” The poll, by ComRes, was published in July, the month in which the Leveson inquiry was instituted. According to its findings, people are twice as likely to say the media is to blame for Islamophobia (29%) than far-right groups (13%), or Muslims themselves, whether abroad (14%) or in the UK (11%). The Alternative Leveson will examine the possible causal effect between media coverage and social attitudes towards Muslims. It will also assess any links between media coverage and subsequent government policy. It will ask editors and journalists to give evidence along with people who believe they have been victims of prejudiced media coverage. One reporter who might well be asked to appear is Richard Peppiatt who told the Leveson inquiry that his former paper, the Daily Star, published anti-Muslim propaganda. An initial meeting to discuss the establishment of a panel will be held on Monday afternoon at the Islam channel’s headquarters in the City of London . The channel, launched in 2004 is broadcast in English by satellite (channel 813) and broadcasts across Europe, the Middle East and north Africa. It is owned by Mohamed Ali Harrath, a refugee from Tunisia who, following the Arab spring, returned to his country for a visit in February after 21 years in exile.
A post from 2008 reported on an annual event sponsored by the Islam Channel known as the “Global Peace & Unity Event” and which featured one of the leaders of an obscure Jewish organization which calls for the destruction of Israel as well as many prominent leaders of the U.K. Muslim Brotherhood. As noted in that post, the Islam Channel is a U.K. media company which frequently promotes the works of individuals associated with the global Muslim Brotherhood. The CEO of Islam Channel and director of the event is Mohamed Ali Harrath who had previously been wanted by Interpol on charges of terrorism in Tunisia. The Interpol notice has since been removed.
A letter to the further identifies “Supporters of the The Alternative Leveson inquiry” of which virtually all the Islamic signatories represent organizations comprising the U.K. Muslim Brotherhood or which act in close concert with the U.K. Brotherhood:
- Mohamed Ali Harrath Islam Channel
- Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari Chair, East London Mosque
- Dr Omer El-Hamdoon Muslim Association of Britain
- Massoud Shadjareh Islamic Human Rights Commission
- Anas Altikriti Cordoba Foundation
- Farooq Murad Muslim Council of Britain
- Dr Daud Abdullah Middle East Monitor
- Nabil Ahmed Federation of Student Islamic Societies
- Abdullah Faliq Islamic Forum of Europe
The remainder of the list includes mostly individuals representing far-left and/or Palestinian organizations that act in concert with the U.K Muslim Brotherhood or who themselves act in such a manner. Examples include:
- Sarah Colborne Director, Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Asa Winstanley The Electronic Intifada
- Lindsey German Stop The War Coalition
A post from May 2011 reported on a conference titled “Confronting anti-Muslim hatred in Britain and Europe” that included some of the same people and organizations identified above such as Mohamed Ali Harrath, Daud Abdullah, and Lindsey German. That conference was sponsored by the “Enough Coalition”, also comprised of many of the same groups identified above.
GlobalMB @ January 25, 2012
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MEMRI has posted a report titled “Isma’il Haniya’s First Regional Tour Transforms Him From Hamas PM in Gaza to Regional Palestinian Leader.” The report begins:
In late December 2011, Hamas prime minister in Gaza Isma’il Haniya made an official tour of the region that included visits to Egypt, Sudan, Turkey and finally Tunisia. This was his first official trip abroad since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip five years ago. Especially noteworthy was his five-day visit to Tunisia, on which Haniya was accompanied by 20 of his government officials, and which came in response to an invitation by the new Tunisian government, headed by Hamadi Al-Jabali of the Islamist Al-Nahda party. Haniya was the first leader to visit Tunisia after the establishment of the new government there.[1] He was greeted at the airport by Tunisian Prime Minister Al-Jabali, government ministers, and Al-Nahda party chairman Rached Al-Ghannouchi, and was received by an honor guard and a band playing the Palestinian and Tunisian anthems – honors usually reserved for visiting heads of state.[2] During his visit, Haniya met with Prime Minister Al-Jabali, President Munsif Al-Marzouqi, government ministers, Constituent Assembly Chairman Mustafa bin Ja’far, and senior Al-Nahda officials, including Al-Ghannouchi.[3] In his meeting with the president, Haniya invited him to visit Gaza and the latter accepted the invitation.[4] Haniya toured several cities and visited a number of mosques, and delivered a Friday sermon to an audience of thousands at a mosque in Kairouan. In the capital Tunis, he was granted the special honor of attending the conversion ceremony of a Frenchwoman converting to Islam. Haniya’s Tunisian hosts expressed their belief in the legitimacy of the Hamas government and Haniya as its head. Hamas, for its part, indeed regards the visit to Tunisia, and the entire regional tour, as an indication of its growing acceptance in the Arab and Muslim world. Haniya stressed that the tour broke the political and economic siege on Gaza, and emphasized the connection between the Tunisian and Palestinian revolutions. He promised to continue on the path of jihad and resistance, and to refrain from recognizing Israel or relinquishing a single inch of Palestinian soil.
Read the rest here.
A series of earlier posts covered various aspects of Haniyeh’s tour.
GlobalMB @ January 24, 2012
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In the latest development concerning the relationship between U.S. universities and the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS), the QFIS website reveals that six U.S. universities have established a permanent relationship with QFIS. According to a QFIS web page:
Established in 2007, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) is an international center for Islamic thinking and dialogue. Its aim is to enhance research into Islamic culture and promote the diversity and tolerance of the Islamic Fiqh, or understanding. Learning takes place in an open, intellectual environment and produces a structure of study that will enable future generations of scholars to become experts in Islamic culture and ideology. These graduates will be well-equipped to tackle the challenges facing Muslim communities across the world. QFIS offers programs in: Master of Science in Islamic Finance, Master of Arts in Public Policy in Islam, Master of Arts in Islamic Studies with a specialization in Contemporary Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) and Religion and Contemporary Thought, Master of Science in Urban Design and Architecture in Muslim Societies, Master of Arts in Contemporary Muslim Societies .Postgraduate Diplomas in: Islamic Finance. General Islamic Studies. Public Policy in Islam. Research is a critical component, with six specialized centers providing opportunities for postgraduate students, residents, and visiting scholars to investigate research topics in their field of interest.
The QFIS page then goes on to identify its six research centers with the Al-Qaradawi Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal at the top of the list. A post from 2008 had discussed the plans for the center named after Youssef Qaradawi, the most important leader of the Global Muslim Brotherhood. At that time, the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Northwestern University in Qatar were identified as the two most recent additions to the Qatar Education City,
Another QFIS web page now identifies what it describes as “branch campuses of eight strategically selected elite international universities, delivering world-class programs chosen to ensure Qatar is equipped with essential skills and specialisms.” Six of those campuses represent the following U.S. universities:
- Texas A&M University at Qatar
- Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar
- Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar
- Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
- Northwestern University in Qatar
Four of the above universities were among the six U.S. universities that helped to co-organized the launch ceremony for the newest of the QFIS research centers to be headed by Tariq Ramadan, another critically important leader of the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and co-directed by a close associate of Qaradawi. As discussed in an earlier post, the launch ceremony also included representatives of two organizations headed by Youssef Qaradawi and an organization tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas fundraising, and support for Al Qaeda. Another post reported that Georgetown University academic and Global Muslim Brotherhood supporter John Esposito was amongst the event speakers who also included Qaradawi himself.
The GMDR has devoted an unusual amount of space to this topic because we believe that the formation of the center represents a highly significant coming together of Qaradawi and Ramadan, the two most important leaders of the Global Muslim Brotherhood. Qaradawi is known as a virulent anti-Semite often referred to here as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide. Based in Qatar, Sheikh Qaradawi has reportedly amassed substantial wealth through his role as Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were instrumental in the development of the phenomenon. A recent post has discussed a video compilation of Qaradawi’s extremist statements.
The fact that major U.S. universities feel comfortable with associating themselves so closely with Qaradawi and his representatives speaks volumes as to how rapidly the Global Muslim Brotherhood is becoming legitimized as a mainstream political force.
GlobalMB @ January 24, 2012
