Mahmoud El-Yousseph threatens legal action

It seems that my post last week, “Mahmoud El-Yousseph: ‘Hezbollah are freedom fighters’,” has pushed Mahmoud over the edge (see also the post at JihadWatch). His loosening grip on reality should come as no surprise, as evidenced by his non-stop claims to be some great American patriot, while he openly praises and hails the terrorist group Hezbollah as “freedom liberation fighters”, which has killed hundreds of American military and civilian personnel. This glaring contradiction makes his mental meltdown understandable.

But now it seems that his schizophrenia has deepened to outright paranoia. Because as he states in this email message below, I have hacked into his Yahoo account. (And apparently I’ve also disabled his spellchecker.)

And there are his projection issues, demonstrated in his general use of epithets directed at me, such as “Patrick bin Laden”, “fat ugly pig”, bastard, idiot, and my personal favorite, “pigot”. It seems he forgot “infidel pig”. Of course, I’m the “basher” and rabid hater.

Then there is his claim that he is joining a class-action lawsuit against me for defamation and slander. I will wait with bated breath for their press conference and their lawsuit. Bring it on, Mahmoud.

There are some other indications of how sick and twisted Mahmoud’s thinking has become. Instead being Hezbollah’s cheerleader, he now claims that he ran some one-man protest theater against the violence in Lebanon. And he begged the Secretary of Defense to send him to Lebanon in 1983, even though he admits he wasn’t in the military. But he says was ready to help protect the Marines — from the Israelis!

And having caught him in a lie about his alleged preparations to run to battle in Lebanon in 1983 (where, again, he admits he wasn’t even in the military at the time), he blames his own three-man organization for the mix-up. And he never tires in telling everyone how he always had his dufflebag packed ready for war. Because he’s an American patriot, you see. And a cheerleader for America’s enemies who have killed hundreds of American Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen.

Absolutely beyond parody:

Date: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:36 pm
From: Mahmoud El-Yousseph elyousseph6@yahoo.com
To:
Re: Patrick Poole Barks at the Wrong Tree

Dear friends,

You may or may not have seen the story below on Front Page Magazine by no other than Pat-trick Bin Laden taking aim me this time, and questioning my loyalty patriotisim. I do not have the liberty of all the free time of this fat ugly pig. However, I will response before Memorail Day, and will forward the frist copy of my response to his publication. I will also join in the slander and defamation class action-suit and attending the press conference in the near future.

Unlike, Pattie Poole, I do care about the truth and accuracy. For that reason, I included in this e-mail a copy of my email to the founder of apaam asking himto make a correction that was posted on apaam web site. I was never given chance to present and defend my side of the story.

Since I coud proof now that Mr. P. Bin Laden had broken ino my yahoo acount using a soft ware and other spying devices, he will be reading the same message you are reading now.

He will find out soon who is more loyal and patirotic American citizen, him or I.

He will discover who supports terroris sponsered nation and terrorer group here and abraod, him or I.

He will know who denounce and led one-man protest at down town Columbus in 1983 to protest the killing of American citzen and help a poster that read. US embassy attack is terrorist act, and asked the governor of Ohio to lower the flag half masked.[Channel 10 New]

I will proof to that pigots, that it was me and not him who wrote to the former Sec. of Defense in 1983 that I will and ready to go to Lebanon to help our marines when the were harassed and threatened by Isreali defense forces in Beirut, Lebanon. Even though I was not int the service.

I will tell this idiot it was me who call the father of Marine Captin Chales B. Johnson of Nina, Wisconson to praise his son act of bravery and courage to challange and stand up to the Israeli attrocity in Lebanon.

It was me and not him who public praised Marine Cap. Johnson in a letter published in the Columbus Disptch in 1983.

Well, due to time restriction, I will not be able to states all the 100 reason to refute this bastard false allegation, but in due time, I will show him my true color, when it comes to our homeland security, loyalit and patritism to America. He will know the real truth, as to which one among the two of us was truly willing in ready to defend and die for America.

Besides, I served in the U.S. uniform during peace and war time. Where was Pat-trick Bin Laden hiding when my duffle- bag was ready to go? He was not hiding in a cave, but rather in a country [Albania] that not many people in America, know or care about.

This basher is like a junk-yard dog, but this time he is barking at the wrong tree and have chewed more than he can swallow.

That is all the time I get. Thanks for your time. I will keep you posted

Salam,

Mahmoud

Stay tuned for more of Mahmoud El-Yousseph’s greatest hits!

Cleveland imam quits before he starts

The saga of Ahmed Alzaree has come to a close, at least as far as the Buckeye State is concerned. He was scheduled to assume his position with the Islamic Center of Cleveland — Ohio’s largest mosque — in just days. But the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Alzaree has thrown in the towel [a larger article appeared later on Monday afternoon]:

Imam Ahmed Alzaree announced Monday, three days before he was to start work as the spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Cleveland, that he was resigning.

Alzaree said allegations by bloggers that he was anti-Semitic and was associated with individuals suspected of having terrorist ties so poisoned the atmosphere in Northeast Ohio that he and his wife, Marwa, decided to look elsewhere.

What Alzaree couldn’t stand is the public scrutiny. Having to answer hard questions. And he had three separate articles by the Plain Dealer in his defense (in addition to the original PD puff piece).

Just a few days ago I posted some new information about Alzaree’s tenure at the Islamic Center of Omaha, and the questionable website material that appeared immediately upon his arrival. Tom Blumer of BizzyBlog also weighed in (Tom was the first to discover some of the questionable sermons by Alzaree) with new info. That prompted a sturdy defense of Alzaree in Saturday’s edition of the Plain Dealer, explaining away all of the new info without actually addressing it (oh, he didn’t know about that webpage preaching jihad that magically appeared when he took his position in Omaha, and he didn’t know who fellow Egyptian extremist preacher Wagdi Ghoneim was when he was invited to Alzaree’s mosque, even though Ghoneim is one of the most famous preachers in the Islamic world).

But Alzaree was aware that new questions about his resume and his past tenure in Omaha were about to emerge (courtesy of Blumer and yours truly), so he’s calling it quits. In the end it was too many questions, and not enough real answers.

Good luck on your new endeavors, Ahmed!

Update #1: Here are my previous Alzaree-related posts:

Sept. 25 — Ohio’s largest mosque hires Egyptian hate sheikh to replace deported terror cleric Fawaz Damra
Oct. 2 — Establishment media dhimmis ignore new Cleveland imam’s terror ties
Oct. 25 — Cleveland’s new imam: an “interfaith” moderate or two-faced jihadist?

And here are Tom Blumer’s posts:

Sept. 25 — Meet the New Imam, Same as the Old Imam?
Sept. 29 — Ahmed Alzaree Follow-up: Who WAS That Cleveland.com Blogger? (at the Plain Dealer’s Wide Open blog)
Oct. 2 — COAT’s Imam Ahmed Alzaree Follow-up
Oct. 25 — Imam Ahmed Alzaree and the Islamic Center of Cleveland Follow-up: Part 1
Oct. 25 — Imam Ahmed Alzaree and the Islamic Center of Cleveland Follow-up: Part 2
Oct. 29 — Imam Ahmed Alzaree resigns from Islamic Center of Cleveland

Update #2: Here are some links to the Associated Press article (courtesy of BizzyBlog):

Ohio.com, MSNBC, Jerusalem Post, International Herald Tribune

Anisa Abd El Fattah laments dead HAMAS terrorist-in-chief

In commemoration of today’s taxpayer-financed “Many Faces of Islam” conference at the Ohio State Capitol atrium, featuring HAMAS operative Anisa Abd El Fattah, I thought it might be appropriate to revisit some of the professional history of our fellow Columbus resident and would-be Columbus Public School Board member. (You might also want to revisit our post regarding Fattah’s defense earlier this year of neo-Nazis and UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh’s recent take of the same.)

Below is a 2004 press release from Fattah in her previous position as the Director of Public Affairs for the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), which one convicted terrorist leader described as “the political command for HAMAS in the United States”. The topic is the assassination of HAMAS founder and terrorist-in-chief Ahmed Yassin by the Israelis following HAMAS terror strikes against Israeli civilians. Yassin had been named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US in 1995.

But in her press release, Anisa Abd El Fattah laments the dead terror chief and hails “the Islamic Resistance Movement”, the formal name for HAMAS. Again, Fattah — who has publicly defended terrorist organizations and has herself personally worked for multiple convicted and designated terrorists (Mousa Abu Marzook, Abdurahman Alamoudi, et al.) — is at this very moment participating in an event at the Ohio Statehouse.

Here’s her press release as retrieved from U.S. Newswire:

United Association for Studies and Research Condemns Murder of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin

3/23/2004

From: United Association for Studies and Research, 703-750-9011 [number no longer active - ed.]

WASHINGTON, March 23/U.S. Newswire/ — The United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), a Muslim American think tank, condemns yesterday’s murder of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine and calls upon Israel to end its policy of extra judicial murders of Palestinian people, the destruction of their homes and property and the continued illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.

“We condemn the murder of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and also Israel’s policy of targeted assassination,” says UASR Director of Public Affairs, Anisa Abd el Fattah. “It is ironic that Yassin was killed only days after releasing a statement saying that his organization was willing to cooperate with the Palestinian Authority, and other Palestinian groups in an effort to prevent anarchy should Israel withdraw from Gaza. To most political analysts, this was a signal that the Islamic Resistance Movement was preparing to perhaps moderate its activities and focus more on alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people, rather than attacking Israel. Sheikh Yassin, contrary to what Israel says, had offered Israelis many opportunities to enter a truce, and to end the practice of targeting civilians by both sides but Israel refused these offers. Israel proved yesterday that it is not interested in peace with the Palestinian people, and that it has reserved for itself the right to kill at will, in violation of international laws, and any recognized and civilized concept of justice. Israel has continued its attempts at provocation today by issuing public statements threatening other acts of violence against Palestinians and other extra judicial killings. We believe that Israel has taken this path of escalated violence to avoid what has become the inevitable reality. Israel can no longer justify its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands beyond its 1967 borders, nor can it any longer justify its attacks on the Palestinian people, which it claims as retaliation, and the destruction of their homes and property. The United States should be the first to strongly and without reservations, condemn these acts of provocation and also Israel’s criminal policy of targeted assassinations, and the United Nations Security Council should take immediate steps to ensure the security of the Palestinian people and their property, and to end the occupation.

Please forward questions or comments to UASR at 703-750-9011 or by fax at 703-750-9012. [UASR is now defunct, so these numbers are no longer active — ed.]

Needless to say, the Israelis had their own take on their successful assassination in light of Yassin’s direct role in directing terrorist attacks targeting Israeli civilians:

The founder and leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, Ahmed Yassin, was killed today in the northern Gaza Strip.

Yassin was the leader and mentor of Hamas in the territories, and the authorizing and initiating authority for all Hamas terrorist attacks emanating from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Although he was not a religious authority, many named him “Sheikh Yassin,” for his status as leader of Hamas.

The perception that Yassin was the “political” leader and left the management of terrorist activities to others is incorrect. In fact, there is no differentiation between the “political” and “military” wings of Hamas. Yassin, himself, often authorized and encouraged attacks and strongly preached against Israel. . .

Yassin was the senior authority in the decision making process for carrying out terrorist attacks, and was the main address in all matters concerning the determining the policy for terrorism. He was viewed as a highly admired and charismatic persona serving as a main factor in attacks against Israel.

May Ahmed Yassin rot in Hell. Thanks to the Israelis for eliminating this POS from the planet. We owe you our thanks.

And remember Anisa Abd El Fattah’s defense of terrorist leader Ahmed Yassin next time the Columbus Dispatch rises to her defense.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph: “Hezbollah are freedom fighters”

President and First Lady Reagan at Dover Air Force Base reviewing the remains of the 19 US diplomats, who along with 44 others, were murdered by a Hezbollah suicide bomber that attacked the US Embassy in Beirut in April 1983.

[Welcome JihadWatch and RoP readers!]

Twenty-four years ago this week, October 23, 1983, a truck laden with explosives rammed into the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killing nearly 250 American military personnel who were serving as peacekeepers. One local columnist for the Newark Advocate, Marion Star, and regular Columbus Dispatch letter to the editor contributor, Mahmoud El-Yousseph of Westerville, who promotes his previous military service as though it immunizes him from criticism, openly praises and defends the group responsible for this atrocity.

Prior to 9/11, the terrorist group responsible for killing the most Americans was not Al-Qaeda, but Hezbollah, the Iranian and Syrian-backed Shi’ite terrorist group that has terrorized Lebanon for more than two decades. A particular target for Hezbollah terrorist activity has been American military personnel, as was the case with the Marine barracks bombing.

In a speech in September 2002, then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage described the danger of the organization: “Hezbollah may be the A team of terrorists and maybe al-Qaeda is actually the B team.”

Here’s a quick review of Hezbollah’s murderous tally against US military and government officials:

• Hezbollah made its debut in April 1983 by slamming a truck laden with explosives into the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 63, including 19 Americans. After the attack, the embassy was moved to another location, which was also bombed in September 1984.


• Emboldened by their successful attack on the U.S. Embassy, Hezbollah launched another suicide bombing against the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983, causing 241 deaths — at that time the biggest loss for the Marines since Iwo Jima. Simultaneous with the attack on the Marine forces, Hezbollah bombed the barracks of French peacekeepers. An attack on Italian peacekeepers was foiled. Four months after the bombing, President Reagan ordered the withdrawal of American forces from Beirut, with France quickly following suit.


• Throughout the 1980s, Hezbollah was behind the kidnapping of many Westerners in Lebanon throughout the 1980s, including the capture and brutal murder of CIA Beirut Station Chief, William Buckley. Journalist Terry Anderson was kidnapped and would eventually spend 2,454 days in captivity, along with several officials from the American University of Beirut. In order to secure the release of the hostages, the Reagan administration covertly organized an arms-for-hostages deal with Hezbollah’s primary state-sponsor, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which would only result in the release of three American hostages.


• In June 1985, Hezbollah terrorists seized TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome, and diverted the plane to Beirut. When the terrorists demands were not met, a US Navy Seabee diver on board, Robert Dean Stethem, was shot and his body dumped on the airport tarmac. Other American military personnel were savagely beaten. The plane’s passengers and crew were held for 17 days. In the weeks that followed, Israel released a number of Shi’ite prisoners, though U.S. officials deny that there was a covert deal. Only one hijacker was ever captured and held for several years in Germany.





Navy diver Robert Dean Stetham, murdered by Mahmoud El-Yousseph’s “freedom fighters” and his body dumped on the Beirut airport tarmac.

• In 1990, Hezbollah captured, tortured, and eventually hanged Marine Corps Colonel Richard Higgins, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran who was on duty as an unarmed United Nations peacekeeper in Lebanon. His body was not recovered for another year. The story of Higgins’ life, captivity and murder is memorialized in a book written by his wife, Marine Lt. Col. Robin Higgins, Patriot Dreams: The Murder of Colonel Rich Higgins.
  
  
• A Saudi Hezbollah cell was involved in providing al-Qaeda operatives with explosives training in their June 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 American Air Force servicemen with the 4404th Wing and injured more than 500 others. According to then-FBI Director Louis Freeh, in his 2002 Congressional testimony to the Joint Intelligence Committee: “The direct evidence obtained strongly indicated that the 1996 bombing was sanctioned, funded and directed by senior officials of the government of Iran.”

I revisit this grim history because one of Central Ohio’s most vocal Muslim activists, Mahmoud El-Yousseph, has openly and repeatedly declared that “Hezbollah are freedom fighters” — the same terrorist group that has murdered hundreds of American military personnel and citizens.

Here’s a video of El-Yousseph claiming that “Hezbollah are freedom liberation fighters” at an anti-Israel rally in July 2006 (at ~ 1:15 in the video; courtesy of hourglass1941, part of this blog post):



Additionally, El-Yousseph submitted the following letter to the editor to the Columbus Dispatch several years ago again praising Hezbollah, who are responsible for the murder of hundreds of Americans, as “freedom fighters” after the terror group captured (and eventually executed) Israeli soldiers — an act in violation of international law, though one El-Yousseph apparently approved of:

Why did Hezuballah captured [sic] Israeli soliders?
Tue Oct 17, 2000 9:33 am

Hezuballah freedomm [sic] fighters of south Lebanon shocked the whole world on Oct. 7, when it captured 3 Israeli soliders [sic] in the town of Khiam on the border line to Israel. Khiam is a Lebanese town, it is still occupied by Israel. Israel claimed, the town belong to Syria. Howeveer [sic]; Syria fanatically denied the Israeli claim. Thereby made Hezuballah attack on an Israeli army convoyy [sic] in the town as legitimate act of self defanse [sic], in resisting a foriegn [sic] occupying army. Keep in mind Israel continue to hold 2 of Hezuballah leader in addition to 15 more Lebanese. Many of whome [sic] were kidnapped with in their own country.

International law which Israel claim to adher [sic] to, clearly states: No occupying force is permitted to transfer civilian populations or combatant out of the occupied country. These two reasons set the stage for Hezuballah mid day surprise attack. “Might is right”. This is the only language Israel understand. Oct.12, another shocker by Hezuballah. One Israeli reserve officer captured in Swisserland [sic], and is in the group costudy [sic]. That reminded at first by the Israel kidnapping few years back of one of its own citizen from Italy. The man have [sic] worked at an Israel nucluar [sic] facility in Israel, and has given an interview to a British newspaper aboout [sic] Israell [sic] nucluar [sic] program.

He was smuggled into Israel in a secert [sic] operation, and still serving time in Israeli jail. If Israel can do it and get away with it , why can,t others. After all, All what Hezuballah wants is: 17 Lebanese to be freed, and for Israel to completly [sic] and immediatly [sic] leave the town of Khaim. It,s up to Israel now!.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph
24 Central Ave.
Westerville, OH. 43081
{614}898-7242
16 OCT.2000

The fellowing [sic] text was send to the dispatch as letter to the editor.

What is especially sickening about El-Yousseph’s cheerleading for this terrorist organization is that he trumpets his own personal military service with the Air Force while doing so. So while endorsing as freedom fighters a terrorist group that killed a large contingent of deployed US Air Force personnel, El-Yousseph can always be seen sporting his trademark “US Air Force Retired” baseball cap whenever he and his buddy Ahmad Al-Akhras are chanting “death to Israel” downtown at the federal courthouse. In fact, he is wearing that cap in the video above when he makes his “Hezbollah are freedom fighters” remark.

Additionally, El-Yousseph signs all of his articles and correspondence “US Air Force retired”, and touts his military service online, such as his profile for the Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in the Military (APAAM). [See, for instance, El-Yousseph’s October 26th Marion Star column touting his military service.] He even goes so far as to highlight his training in 1983 for possible service in Lebanon — a peacekeeping mission to protect the Lebanese people where hundreds of US military personnel were murdered by the very Hezbollah terrorist group he openly praises.

He obviously ignores the oath he took before God when he was inducted into the US military:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

Hezbollah has long been named a Specially Designated Terrorist Organization by the US government, so why does Mahmoud El-Yousseph violate his induction oath by cheering and applauding America’s enemies who are responsible for the deaths of so many US service men and women? Especially the 19 Air Force personnel (his own branch of service!!!) murdered by Hezbollah in the Khobar Tower attacks?

And what about Hezbollah’s repeated calls for “death to America” by its highest-ranking leaders? For instance, this video of Hezbollah terrorist-in-chief Hassan Nasrallah telling a crowd of the Hezbollah faithful in February 2005 that “death to America” is their constant motto:

We consider it [America] to be an enemy because it wants to humiliate our governments, our regimes, and our peoples. Because it is the greatest plunderer of our treasures, our oil, and our resources, while millions in our nation suffer unemployment, poverty, hunger, unmarriageability, ignorance, darkness, and so on. America… This American administration is an enemy. Our motto, which we are not afraid to repeat year after year, is: “Death to America.”

Crowd: Death to America
Death to America
Death to America
Death to America
Death to America
Death to America

Or similar statement made by their Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem, who led a crowd of Hezbollah supporters with that same “death to America” chant less than a year ago:



Since Mahmoud El-Yousseph seems so willing to utilize every opportunity to remind everyone about his military service, perhaps he can answer for us how he is able to justify his support for Hezbollah and terrorism, and still claim to be faithful to his country and his citizenship and military induction oaths to support America against its declared enemies? How can he present himself as a loyal and patriotic American while at the same time praising a group that vows to destroy America?

Here’s a hint, Mahmoud: you can’t claim to be an American patriot and wrap yourself in Old Glory while simultaneously draping yourself in Hezbollah’s flag and applauding their acts of terror, especially when that flag is drenched with the blood of hundreds of American Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen.

You can’t claim to be a patriot while supporting America’s avowed enemies, particularly those that have killed you own fellow servicemen and women — to say that tends to demonstrate severely divided loyalties would be an understatement.

Cleveland’s new imam: an “interfaith” moderate or two-faced jihadist?

UPDATE #1: Be sure to read Tom Blumer’s update on BizzyBlog, “Imam Ahmed Alzaree and the Islamic Center of Cleveland Follow-Up, Part 2” with more information that not all the radicals left Ohio’s largest mosque with the deportation of Fawaz Damra. He also has a good overview in Part 1 of his post concering the Plain Dealer‘s non-coverage of this story even after two separate reporters wrote two consecutive stories.

Last month, Tom Blumer of BizzyBlog and the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Wide Open Blog followed up on a PD story by David Briggs on the replacement imam at the Islamic Center of Cleveland following the deportation earlier this year of Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative Fawaz Damra. After some research, Blumer discovered that the replacement imam, Ahmed Alzaree, had made some rather disturbing remarks, specifically a sermon in which he makes the following statement:

Dear brothers and sisters, the talk about the Day of Judgment is long and full of things that will confuse the human mind and put fear in the hearts of the faithful. Every day that comes is much more Worse than the day before it as we get closer to the hour. Among the signs of the approach of Day of Judgment is what the messenger of Allah PBUH said: “The hour of judgment shall not happen until the Muslims fight the Jews. The Muslims shall kill the Jews to the point that the Jew shall hide behind a big rock or a tree and the rock or tree shall call on the Muslim saying: hey, O Muslim there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him, except the Gharqad tree which will not say, for it is the tree of Jews.” Agreed upon. This is seemed to be very soon and close now. We ask Allah SWT not to test us so hardly if we live till this horrible moment insha’allah.

This is taken from a Friday khutbah dated March 7, 2003 (the original article has since been removed, but it is still available through the Internet Archive). Building on Blumer’s discovery, I also found additional statements by Alzaree in that same khutbah expressing his lament that the compulsory Quranic jizya payments for dhimmi Christians and Jews had gone by the wayside. COAT contributor Sun Tzu also revealed that deported extremist cleric Wagdi Ghoneim had paid a visit to Alzaree’s Islamic Center of Omaha in August 2004, just before Ghoneim was taken into custody by immigration officials.

Embarrassed from getting scooped by one of their own bloggers, the PD quickly rushed out another story in response by reporter Robert Smith covering their tracks. As I noted at the time, Smith couldn’t even bring himself to admit that it had been one of their own bloggers (Blumer) that had scooped them (Blumer also noted that fact). But in the end, Smith put up a mediocre defense of Alzaree, allowing the Islamic Center of Cleveland’s president Jalal Abu-Shaweesh to explain away Alzaree’s anti-Jewish rant about how rocks will cry out for Muslims to kill hiding Jews by saying that Alzaree “was just being thorough”. What can you expect from the establishment media?

But since the PD has been mum on the matter for almost an entire month and Alzaree’s tenure at the Islamic Center of Cleveland about to begin, it bears worth mentioning some additional information I’ve uncovered concerning Alzaree’s previous tenure in Omaha.

Alzaree came to Omaha in mid-2002 after an apparent mosque coup in which an extremist element had taken control and began looking for an imam that more met their tastes (at one point, there were two competing “amirs” for the center). Around the time that Alzaree assumed his new position as imam, some very curious information began to appear on the Omaha center’s website.

In particular, a page dedicated to the “Palestinian issue” appeared, including links to such articles as “The New Nazis” (i.e. the Israelis), “Intifada (Uprising)”, and “The Israeli Myths about Palestine and Palestinians Exposed”.


And then there is a link to “Pictures of the Holocaust”, which bears the following comment:

We always hear about the Jewish Holocaust 60 years ago. These are picture of the Arab (Muslims and Christians) Palestinian Holocaust this year by the hands of the victims of the the first Holocaust. They learned well from their Nazi masters and executioners.

Nice. A real interfaith leader.

Then on the Omaha center’s “World Links” section we see links to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV and the Islamic American Relief Association, a terror financing front closed by the Feds. Another section dated as recently as May 2006 entitled “Palestinian Live Reports” features information supporting the “Jenin massacre” hoax.

And then there is the section dedicated to “Hot Spots”, where it lists Iraq, Afghanistan, and India. Notwithstanding the link at the bottom of the page, “What is Jihad”, it’s highly unlikely that they were identifying these countries as spots of "internal self-struggle".


In fact, on this page by Alzaree (he lists his email for suggestions on additional links) he states:

Remember that in Islam, the struggle of a nation to free itself from tyranny and oppression is also considered Jihad. Unfortunately, the world now considers such movements as terrorism and the people who try to free themselves as terrorists. Islam believes that people have the right to defend themselves even from oppressors like Israel, Russia and India.

Additionally, a page on Iraq features articles taken mostly from the Revolutionary Worker.

Again, virtually all of this material began to appear around the time that Alzaree took his position with the Islamic Center of Omaha, and these sources continued up until recently. Since Blumer first broke the story of Alzaree’s anti-Jewish rants, the Omaha website has undergone a thorough scrubbing, but there’s no avoiding the archive bots!

The challenge to the Plain Dealer is this: you’ve had two shots at covering this story. Thus far, you have been completely waxed by a couple of bloggers sitting at home in their pajamas (and yes, I’m literally sitting here in my pajamas). Are you guys actually going to get off your lazy media establishment asses and actually do some research, or must the new media do it all for you, thus confirming your irrelevancy? And when you use our research, are you willing to cite us as sources, since we’re the ones who have actually done the footwork on this story?

We’ll see, PD.

HAMAS-linked Ohio Statehouse conference speaker defends neo-Nazis

. . . because the Israeli occupation of Southern Ohio has driven them to despair!

In yet another another episode of “I couldn’t make this up if I had to”, new research (HT: Dirk Thompson) has revealed that one of the featured speakers at this weekend’s “Many Faces of Islam” conference at the Ohio Statehouse sponsored by the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio as well as taxpayers (through the Ohio Humanities Council, who contributed $1,000 for the event), Anisa Abd El Fattah (aka Caroline F. Keeble, would-be Columbus Public School Board member) defended neo-Nazis and justified their religious and racial hatred in an email exchange earlier this year with UCLA law professor and blogger Eugene Volokh.

The exchange between Fattah and Volokh (see his post, “A heartwarming tale of people coming together”) followed from her previous public statement affirming that:

We also believe that the Jewish Lobby has acted to create an environment in the US that is hostile to Muslims, Arabs, and others, including White nationalists, and Christians so that members of these groups can be discriminated against, and denied rights such as rights to the assumption of innocence unless proven guilty of a crime in a court of law, fair trials, due process, and justice, political association, organizing and petitioning our government on matters related to civil rights, liberties, and foreign policy.

This statement was part of her public call back in January as chair of the National Association for Muslim American Women (NAMAW) for the Department of Justice to investigate anyone she had deemed “connected” to the “Jewish Lobby” for violating the civil rights of anyone who was critical of Islamic extremists support for terrorist organizations, such as HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or those who had felt intimidated when publicly attacked for their questioning the established facts of the Holocaust. (This is a point to remember, that Fattah had demanded a DOJ investigation for the supposed “sedition” of anyone connected with the “Jewish lobby”. Perhaps a DOJ investigation is in order, but not with Fattah’s identified targets.)

In response, Volokh had asked her exactly what she had meant by “White nationalists”. She replied:

The point is that every American has equal rights to free speech. That aspect of White nationalist behavior that includes fear mongering, name calling, and intimidation is wrong, yet they argue that their actions result from their frustration that they are stereotyped, and misrepresented by the media and made to appear as enemies of blacks and Jews, and others, when they simply want to preserve the white race, and its majority status. They feel that Jewish supremacism threatens their existence, and that Jewish activism is aimed at limiting their rights, and many Christians feel that same way.

Most of what we are talking about here is how we can colllectively preserve and protect the identies, and rights of groups in the US that have conflicting desires, and sensitivties, while preserving a sense of nationalism, or rather Americanism that can serve as a glue for our society that is strong enough to hold our country togther in spite of some of the stark differences that we represent in race, religion, political outlooks, socio-economic backgrounds etc.

In our opinion, the Bill of Rights is that glue, and a near perfect social contract. I’m not suggesting that we are going to resolve these issues tommorrow, but I am suggesting that we must start. I am praying that the complaint will serve as a first word in a dialogue that will embrace all of the various groups, and that will remove all unfair stigmas, and stereotypes, allowing every group to define itself, and also to set the tone and rules for everyone’s co-existence, and participation. The public space is increasingly smaller in my view, making it essential that we begin a dialogue on how 300 million people of different faiths, colors, races, cultures, attitudes, histories, hopes, etc., will share that space as equally and fully entitled American citizens.

From her point of view, “White nationalists” (aka “neo-Nazis”) have been given a bad rap by the “Jewish Lobby” and falsely portrayed by that alleged lobby as “enemies of blacks and Jews”, when all they really are doing is expressing their resistance to “Jewish supremicism”, notwithstanding their “fear-mongering, name calling, and intimidation”. Much like her beloved HAMAS, whenever neo-Nazis burn crosses and vandalize synagogues, they are merely acting out of the oppression they suffer at the hands of the “Jewish lobby” and the nefarious network imposing “Jewish supremicism” to the detriment of their free speech rights, Fattah argues.

There are, of course, many obvious points I could make regarding Fattah’s defense of neo-Nazis, but I will let her statement stand on its own and leave those implications to the reader’s own judgment, apart from two observations:

1) The “Many Faces of Islam” conference to be held this coming Sunday in the Ohio Statehouse atrium has been trumpeted by its sponsors and supporters (including the Columbus Dispatch; see below) as an “interfaith event” intended to raise popular understanding of Islam. But as I’ve repeatedly demonstrated in multiple articles and posts here and elsewhere, virtually all of the speakers at the conference (specifically, Anisa Abd El Fattah, Robert “Farooq” Crane, and Zalfaqir Ali Shah) represent a very narrow and extremist interpretation of Islam hardly represenatative of the Muslim community in Central Ohio.

For instance, consider the following statement made by “interfaith” giant (and al-Qaeda-linked fundraiser for the shuttered KindHearts “charity”) Zalfaqir Ali Shah (more on Shah here) as reported by Islamonline:

If we are unable to stop the Jews now, their next stop is Yathrib (The Prophet’s city of Medina), where the Jews used to live until their expulsion by Prophet Muhammad. That’s the pinnacle of their motives.

I restate my own contention that this conference and its organizers defame the Central Ohio Muslim community by falsely attaching such extremist views to all Muslims. Anyone at this point trying to claim that these extremist views are actually representative of area Muslims, including, as we see, defending neo-Nazis and justifying the basis of their hatred, is more “Islamophobic” than anyone could ever accuse me of being.

2) It was Fattah and this alleged “interfaith” conference that the Columbus Dispatch reporter Randy Ludlow took to the defense of last week. Ludlow characterized my reporting of Fattah’s statements thus: “Poole attacks her strong support of a Palestinian homeland and the rights of Muslims to protect themselves and their land from Israelis whom she calls terrorists.” Of course, Ludlow ignored Fattah’s letter to the editor published by the Columbus Dispatch last month declaring all Israeli civilians in Gaza as “combatants”, and by reasonable inference, legitimate targets for terrorism.

Ludlow also falsely claimed that Fattah’s longtime employer, the United Association for Research and Studies, which had been described by one convicted terrorist leader of being “the political command for HAMAS in the United States,” had been cleared by a 2005 Senate Finance Committee investigation; when in fact I had provided evidence to him via email (specifically, a link to an Associated Press article published by the Akron Beacon Journal) more than a week prior to his article where the then-Senate Finance Chairman Charles Grassley indicated that the committee had most decidedly NOT cleared those organizations:

The Senate Finance Committee is done reviewing Internal Revenue Service records it requested two years ago, but that “does not mean that these groups have been cleared by the committee,” chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement Tuesday.

As we have repeatedly seen, the Columbus Dispatch is never one to let the facts get in the way of a good story, especially when it involves their friends involved in the jihadist network in Central Ohio. But you wonder in light of this recent evidence whether Mike Curtin, Randy Ludlow, and the many other apologists for Islamic extremism at the Columbus Dispatch are willing to continue to defend the outrageous statements of their terror-loving “interfaith” friends and endorse their apologies for neo-Nazis. The best bet would be for the Dispatch and the Ohio Democratic Party bloggers to keep silence on this one rather than draw attention to it.

Or maybe another “open letter” in defense of Fattah, the “Many Faces of Islam” conference at the Statehouse this weekend, and a whole host of terrorist organizations, is in the offing? Will Curtin, Ludlow and the Dispatch sign on?

Former Hilliard HAMAS cleric pictured with two global terrorists

Two months ago I reported on our former Hilliard resident, Salah Sultan (Soltan), who spoke at a conference in July honoring Specially Designated Global Terrorist and HAMAS spiritual leader Yousef Al-Qaradawi (see “Hilliard man roasts global terrorist Qaradawi at conference in Qatar”), an event in which Sultan was photographed with the terrorist leader (see "Hilliard man shares a moment with Global Terrorist Qaradawi"). Sultan’s speech and a paper he delivered at the conference are posted on Qaradawi’s own personal website. Qaradawi was listed by the U.S. government as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 1999.

But new photographic evidence of Sultan’s appearance at the Qaradawi conference in July has emerged showing Sultan sitting on the speakers dais with HAMAS leader Khaled Mash’al and Qaradawi while Mash’al praised the terror cleric for his fatwa endorsing HAMAS suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. Mash’al’s comments were broadcast live by Al-Jazeera, and recorded and translated by MEMRI.

In the video of their remarks, Sultan can be clearly seen seated on the dais with the two terrorist leaders, as seen in the screen captures below.

Salah Sultan (far left) seated at the conference speaker dais (taken at 2:40 in the MEMRI video).

Sultan (third from right), Khaled Mash’al (third from left), and Yousef Al-Qaradawi (middle in white turban — 4:13).

Mash’al (left) and Qaradawi (right) justifying suicide bombings (3:43).

Mash’al praises Qaradawi for his suicide bombing fatwa (1:07).

Qaradawi expressing his support for HAMAS, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah (3:29).

It’s important to note that even though Sultan fled the country earlier this year for Bahrain after having his US citizenship application denied (thanks to yours truly, see my multiple FrontPage “Hometown Jihad” reports in the right-hand links column), he is still able to re-enter the country. He is still a member of the Fiqh Council of North America and has appeared at recent meetings, notwithstanding his continued association with designated global terrorists.

Why is Sultan still allowed to travel in and out of the US despite his openly associating with terrorist leaders, even being repeatedly photographed with them?

As a member of the Fiqh Council, Sultan was a signatory of their much-heralded 2005 “Fatwa against Terrorism”, which specifically prohibits any cooperation “with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.” And yet Sultan and another Fiqh Council member and “Fatwa against Terror” signatory, Jamal Badawi, were both in attendance and actively participated in the conference honoring HAMAS terror cleric Qaradawi, as well as openly associating with HAMAS political head Mash’al (see my previous Family Security Matters article, “CAIR Terror Fatwa Signatories Attend Conference Honoring HAMAS Terror Cleric Qaradawi”).

Since Sultan has moved to Bahrain and obtained citizenship there (much to the displeasure of many Bahrainis), and he is directly flaunting the anti-terror fatwa he signed, why is he still a member of the Fiqh Council of North America?

This is the same Salah Sultan that the Columbus Dispatch defended in May 2006 as a "moderate" (much as they have with local terror apologist Abukar Arman, and now, local HAMAS operative Anisa Abd El Fattah). In that article, the Dispatch dismissed his connections to Qaradawi:

Soltan is a former president of the Islamic American University in suburban Detroit, and he said Al-Qaradawi served the school as “volunteer chairman of the board.” [Qaradawi was appointed after he had been designated a global terrorist by the US government — ed] The two men also belong to the European Council for Fatwa and Research, but Soltan said members of the scholars group hold divergent views.

Of course, the Dispatch’s defense of Salah Sultan appeared two weeks before he appeared on Al-Risala TV declaring that the US was behind the 9/11 terror attacks and defending al-Qaeda cleric and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Abd Al-Majid Al-Zindani (MEMRI report, video, transcript), and a month before Sultan spoke at a pro-HAMAS rally in Istanbul with HAMAS head Ismail Haniyeh.

Where’s the Columbus Dispatch now?

NY Times: Worthington, Ohio kid hosting online jihadist websites

An article published today in the New York Times, “An Internet Jihad Sells Extremism to Viewers in the US,” reveals the growing network of jihadist website praising Al-Qaeda from Muslims based in the US. The Times interviews one of these online jihadis from North Carolina and says:

He has also been fending off citizen watchdogs who are working to knock sites likes his off the Internet. Twice in September his blog went dark when his service provider shut him down, citing complaints about the nature of his postings.

Mr. Khan has now moved his blog to a site called Muslimpad, whose American operators recently moved from Texas to Amman, Jordan. Their larger forum, Islamic Network, is the host of discussions among English-speaking Muslims. One of their former employees, Daniel Maldonado, was convicted this year in federal court of associating with terrorists at their training camps in Somalia.

The Times doesn’t mention the name of the “operators” of Muslimpad and Islamic Network, but I can report that the “operator” in question is Sarfaraz Jamal from Worthington, Ohio, and his wife, Fatima Hye. Jamal, who goes by the screenname SasJamal, was raised in the Columbus area and moved his online operations a few years ago to Houston after his identity and residence in Ohio was revealed by researchers. His parents, Akhtar and Shireen Jamal, still live in Worthington.

(I note that SasJamal’s personal Muslimpad website, which was up earlier today, is now down, as is his wife’s.)

Rusty Shakelford of The Jawa Report reported on October 2nd on “The Web of American Bloggers and the Terrorists They Facilitate,” noting two weeks before the Times about Khan’s “inshallahshaheed” website and that it had transferred to Jamal’s Muslimpad. Rusty notes a previous post at Little Green Footballs that quotes a message Jamal himself posted in password-protected area of his ClearGuidance site calling for global jihad:

We need youth to fight in the way of ALLAH in Kashmir, India, Chechniyah, Afghanistan, Philistine, and wherever we are being oppressed. Leave your plans of al wahn and adopt a new plan which will help the ummah, do not be selfish, this life is cheap, whereas the life of islam, will grant you your desires in this life and the next life.

Rusty has posted his thoughts on today’s New York Times article and their revealing Khan’s identity.

SasJamal has been responsible for owning and operating a number of popular jihadist forums, beginning with the now-defunct Taliban-news.com and ClearGuidance.com. Both sites were owned by VividMinds, Inc., an Ohio corporation with Sarfaraz Jamal as the registered agent (VividMinds is still an active Ohio corporation).

ClearGuidance came to the attention of authorities in 2006 after it was revealed that the website, which regularly featured a number of writings and tracts calling for jihad against non-Muslims and boasted 15,000 members, had been used as a recruiting and radicalization tool for a jihadist network based in Canada. In fact, it was a series of posts on ClearGuidance that allowed the CSIS to identify and arrest the 17 members of the Canadian jihadist network. SasJamal eventually pulled the plug on the site.

But his online jihadist forum days were far from over. A new forum, Islamic Network, quickly replaced ClearGuidance and continues operations today. SasJamal also moved to Houston and began doing IT/graphics work for the Al-Mahgrib Institute (an organization I have previously discussed at FrontPage, “Jihad U”, “Saudi Press Plugs America’s Jihad U”, and “Jihad U’s Student Internship”). During this process, SasJamal met his wife, Fatima Hye. In a post at Islamic Networks, she describes the process of affiliation with Al-Maghrib, and then another organization, Arees Institute, which has now merged with Islamic Network.

Islamic Networks came to the attention of authorities again when one of their employees, Daniel Maldonado, was captured fighting with the Somali Islamic Courts Union jihadists. Maldonado was flown back to the US and was convicted of terrorism support charges earlier this year. Maldonado had worked with SasJamal in Houston, then moved to Cairo where he continued to work for Islamic Networks. (I covered Maldanado’s travels in my “Jihad U’s Student Internship” article.)

Because of the many researchers contacting the Internet providers of jihadist forums, Muslimpad was started. Muslimpad is the platform used by the North Carolina online jihadist profiled in today’s New York Times article. SasJamal has now moved his operations to Amman, Jordan. He also owns and runs CagePrisoners.com, a website dedicated to freeing all of the captured terrorists held in Gitmo.

But who is Sarfaraz Jamal? An August 2006 article in The Globe and Mail (Canada) gives us some insight into Jamal’s Central Ohio upbringing:

Despite being born to Pakistani-immigrant parents who are both Muslims, it wasn’t until he was 17 that Mr. Jamal performed the shahada, the statement of belief that there is no god but God and that Mohammed is his prophet.

Before that, Mr. Jamal was a drinker and a frequent marijuana smoker who had been tossed out of just about every strip club in and around his hometown of Worthington, Ohio. His formative years, he says, were marred by speeding tickets and other run-ins with the authorities; the police once came to his house when his 10-year-old, hijab-wearing cousin accidentally ate some pot brownies he and a friend had made the night before.

And even when he did convert, he didn’t stay extremely devout for long. On his first pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, he prayed that his favourite rock bands — Pink Floyd, Tool and Rage Against the Machine — would convert to Islam.

Another article from March of this year in the Houston Chronicle had this to say about Jamal and his jihadist employee Maldonado:

Daniel Maldonado, the American accused of training with al-Qaida and waging jihad in Somalia, came to Houston two years ago to work for a 24-year-old Web designer linked to Internet sites frequented by terrorism suspects.

That man, Sarfaraz Jamal, a former BMX enthusiast and “Seinfeld” fan from suburban Columbus, Ohio, is emerging as an unlikely yet intriguing figure in the Maldonado saga. And his story helps explain how Maldonado wound up in Houston, where he now awaits trial.

Jamal denies any wrongdoing and the FBI is mum, refusing to say even whether he’s under investigation.

Much like Christopher “Kenyatta” Paul, the Worthington High School graduate that has been charged with plotting terrorist activities as part of the Columbus Al-Qaeda cell, Sarfaraz Jamal grew up among us, but also became radicalized right here.

Don’t let the Seinfeld and Pink Floyd references fool you. A posting made yesterday on SasJamal’s Islamic Network website provides extensive quotes from the “martyred sheikh” chastizing those who do not want to wage jihad (the quotes are actually taken from a 2004 open letter from Saudi jihadist “Abu ‘Abd Al-Rahman Al-Athari Sultan Ibn Bijad”, translated by MEMRI):

You who shirk Jihad, what excuse can you give Allah while your brethren in the prisons of Abu Ghreib and Guantanamo and Al-Ruways and Al-Ha’ir are stripped naked? I believe you saw those pictures that came out of the Abu Ghreib prison. These pictures [also reflect the situation] of our brethren in the prisons of Israel, in America, and [in the prisons of] their collaborators in this region. You who shirk Jihad, the Crusaders and the Jews violate the honor of noble women and oppress the heroes of the [Islamic] nation in the detention camps of America, Israel, and their accomplices — so what are you waiting for?

Those of you who might be amazed that someone raised in Central Ohio would provide a forum for such extremists sentiments, its time to wake-up to what’s going on around you. Your ignorance is their best weapon.

Group supporting Al-Qaeda defends Ohio Statehouse October-terror-fest

Update #1: Welcome all Lizards! Be sure to read my previous post, “October-terror-fest at the Ohio Statehouse — funded by taxpayers”. (pst — don’t tell anyone, but my FrontPage article tomorrow, “Ohio’s Taxpayer-Financed Terror-Fest”, about how taxpayers are paying for this HAMAS event and the terror connection of yet another speaker [three out of four] is already online. Keep it just between us, OK?)

I have to say that it’s an honor and a privilege for me to be personally attacked by an organization such as the Orwellian-titled “The Peace and Justice Foundation”, an organization which had their event tossed from the US Capitol in August because of their terror-connected speakers, because of my open criticism of terrorists, terrorist organizations, and their supporters. I wear it as a badge of honor. Words are insufficient.

The “Open letter” below in support of the upcoming October-terror-fest to be held in the Ohio State Capitol on October 28th, and expressing its support for a number of terrorists and terror organizations listed as such by the US government, should give readers an indication of the true nature of the upcoming Statehouse event.

My thanks to Dirk Thompson for making me aware of it. The letter appeared yesterday at Abukar Arman’s blog. My point-by-point response is in the brackets:

An Open Letter to The Interfaith Association of Central Ohio
THE PEACE AND JUSTICE FOUNDATION
11006 Veirs Mill Rd, STE L-15, PMB 298
Silver Spring, MD. 20902

In the Name of God, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

October 11, 2007

Greetings of Peace:

This comes in response to an article submitted to FrontPage Magazine by a deeply disturbed bigot by the name of Patrick Poole. At the conclusion of a recent trip to Columbus, I was given a copy of an article titled “HAMAS in the House.” This bigoted commentary intrigued me for a number of reasons.

[Again, I feel honored that an organization defending terrorist organizations would see fit to call me a bigot. If my criticism of these terrorists and terror organization is the basis for their characterization of my being “deeply disturbed”, I readily embrace it. My article in question can be found at FrontPage, “HAMAS in the House”.]

For starters, it impugned the integrity of a number of people and organizations that I happen to know personally: Anisa Abdel Fattah, Ahmed Yousef, Robert D. Crane, Abukar Arman, Ahmad Al-Akhras, Mohamad Salah, the American Muslim Council (AMC), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), SAAR Foundation and the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).

[Yes, I impugn the integrity of all the aforementioned individuals and organizations, and I have been unambiguous concerning my reasons for doing so, particularly their open support for terrorists and terrorist organizations. I’ve written about Fattah, Yousef, and Crane here; Abukar Arman here and here; and Ahmad Al-Akhras here.]

In addition to the aforementioned individuals and organizations, Mr. Poole also attacked a number of others who I’ve come to know only through careful research, in my capacity as an advocate with a Metropolitan Washington-based human rights organization — individuals and organizations such as Fawaz Damra, Sami Al-Arian, Sheikh Ahmed Yasin, Mousa abu Marzook, the World Islam and Studies Enterprise WISE), HAMAS, the Muslim Brotherhood, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and al-Qaeda.

[Yes, I have attacked these terrorists and their organizations — proudly so! Fawaz Damra was stripped of his US citizenship and deported this year for his support of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Sami Al-Arian pled guilty to terrorism support. Sheikh Yassin was the terror cleric that founded and led HAMAS. Mousa abu Marzook is the deputy political director for HAMAS. WISE was Al-Arian’s PIJ front group in Florida. HAMAS has murdered hundreds of innocent civilians. The Muslim Brotherhood is the mothership of virtually every Islamic terrorist organization in the world. Palestinian Islamic Jihad is also a designated terrorist organization by the US government, as is Al-Qaeda.]

Mr. Poole also referenced an incident that unfolded on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, this past August (2007), with the clear intent in mind of hoping to help orchestrate a similar embarrassment for Ohio officials at the State Capitol in Columbus. With this in mind I would like to offer a little food for thought, God willing.

[I have done nothing to orchestrate any such embarrassment other than to advertise the embarrassing nature of the event itself. I have no power to cancel or censor such, and I do not hesitate to exercise my own free speech rights to criticize such an event held in a forum dedicated to representing the interest of all Ohioans, not just a tiny minority of Islamic extremists and terror supporters.]

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once noted that the true measure of a man (or woman) is not determined during times of “relative comfort and convenience,” but rather, during times of “challenge and controversy.” In this hour the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio is being challenged by the powerful winds of religious bigotry. In order to help you collectively STAND UP to the challenge, I offer the following FACTS.

[It is the ultimate irony, in light of the documented religious bigotry spewed by the scheduled IACO speakers that they would attribute any criticism of such to religious bigotry. This is what Orwell cautioned against: “double speak”.]

1. Anisa abd el Fattah is not an “extremist.” She is an intelligent, opinionated and deeply committed activist who cares (among other things) about the tragic plight of the Palestinian people — a people who for the past 60 years have been trapped in an ongoing genocide. That being said, IF she stated, in a letter to the editor of the Columbus Dispatch (as Poole alleges she did) that, “There are no Israeli civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. There are only illegal Jewish settlers, who, by Israeli law, are also citizen-soldiers. . .” — with the implication being that it is permissible for any and all Israelis to be deliberately targeted (according to Islamic law) — she clearly mis-spoke; and if given the opportunity I’m sure that she would correct this misperception.

[The letter writer ignores several facts. I have not alleged that Fattah made the comments she did. I linked to her own letter published by the Columbus Dispatch. If she is supposedly as intelligent as claimed, it’s hard to imagine how she “mis-spoke”, especially since she has made similar statements on numerous occasions.]

2. Dr. Ahmed Yusuf is not an “extremist.” He is a deeply committed and caring Palestinian activist; someone who is routinely described by those who know him as a “moderate” — and someone who is understandably committed to the liberation of his people. As one of the principle founders of UASR, I always found him to be genuinely committed to dialogue and peaceful resolution whenever possible. (And I’ve known Dr. Yousef for many years.)

[Ahmed Yousef is the current spokesman for the terrorist group HAMAS. He fled the country to avoid prosecution on terror charges. When has HAMAS ever expressed its genuine commitment to “dialogue and peaceful resolution”, when its primary instrument, even against Palestinians, has been nothing but terrorism and political violence? Yousef is indeed an “extremist”. The writer even acknowledges their own assocation with terror leader Yousef.]

Concerning the work of UASR, I had the pleasure of attending a number of their periodic Roundtable Discussions — including one, by the way, in which the well known islamophobe Daniel Pipes was the featured presenter. (Even he was accorded, from start to finish, far more courtesy than a number of participants thought he deserved.) There is a book entitled Islam And The West: A Dialogue, edited by Imad Ad-Dean Ahmad & Ahmed Yousef, and published jointly by the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR) and the American Muslim Foundation (AMF). It features a number of these thought-provoking dialogues between leaders and activists from the Muslim community, and writers, journalists and policymakers from the non-Muslim community. This is what the UASR was really all about — conflict resolution through productive dialogue!

[According to the New York Times, UASR was described by one terror-convicted leader as “the political command for HAMAS in the United States”. Yes, we’ve seen the kind of “productive dialogue” advanced by HAMAS. In bodybags.]

3. With all that Mr. Poole had to say about Dr. Robert D. Crane and his dubious connections to UASR (a “HAMAS terrorist front”) and the American Muslim Council — a now defunct organization whose good work he impugns simply because of the personal failings of one of its leaders — he failed to mention that Dr. Crane also served in a number of Republican administrations. (I guess Poole’s operational model is Guilt by association, but avoid the inconvenient truths.)

[The connections of Crane to UASR are not “dubious”. As I noted in my FrontPage article, Crane’s own bio states that he served on the UASR board of directors from 1996 until its demise after Ahmed Yousef fled the country to become the officials HAMAS spokesman. And Crane only served in one Republican administration - Nixon’s - more than thirty years ago. I don’t have to engage in guilt by association when such individuals so willingly associate themselves on their own - much like the letter writer himself.]

4. Abukar Arman and Ahmad Al-Akhras are two very active Columbus, Ohio residents who are also not deserving of Mr. Poole’s scare-mongering. As the national vice-chairman of CAIR - an organization that has done much to foster good, healthy American-Islamic relations for over a decade now - one would think that the city of Columbus would feel privileged to have someone like Ahmad Al-Akhras as a resident. As for Abukar Arman, a very decent and caring man, who I know well and interact with often, it was shocking to learn (again, according to Mr. Poole) that someone of such quality and temperament would be forced off of the board that oversees Central Ohio Homeland Security. (If this is indeed true, it is Central Ohio’s loss.)

[Abukar Arman is a well-documented terror apologist who has openly supported HAMAS, Hezbollah, the al-Qaeda-backed Somali Islamic Courts Union, and described Specially Designated Global Terrorist and HAMAS spiritual leader Yousef Al-Qaradawi as a “moderate”. In the case of Al-Akhras, there isn’t a convicted terrorist in Ohio that he hasn’t taken up to publicly defend. They have jointly participated in at least one act of cultural terrorism.]

5. Mohamed Salah, a U.S. citizen of Palestinian birth, was imprisoned and tortured by Israeli authorities for nothing more than exercising his material concern for the humanitarian plight of his own people! After his subsequent return to the U.S. — after approximately five years of unjust confinement — he and his family were then persecuted by his own adopted government. A political trial ended several months ago with Mohamad Salah and his codefendant being found innocent of ALL terrorism-related charges — despite the poisonous (pro-prosecution) post 9/11 climate that surrounded the trial, and the millions of dollars that the US Government devoted to its prosecution!

[Mohamed Salah — the only US citizen to be declared an international terrorist by the US government — was convicted in February by this same of perjury and lying about his connections to terrorist organizations and sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. Salah was also was previously convicted and served five years in prison in Israel for his admitted support for HAMAS. The interrogation by Israeli authorities were observed by New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who saw no acts of torture.]

6. In the opinion of many observers (both Muslim and non-Muslim), the ordeal of Imam Fawaz Damra — like that of Dr. Sami Al-Arian — was also nothing more than a totally unjustified, politically and religiously-driven witch-hunt, which at the end of the day has brought enormous shame on the better of the two Americas.

[Damra and Al-Arian were videotaped together raising money for Palestinian Islamic Jihad. And what does the writer mean by “the better of two Americas”. Is he a John Edwards supporter?]

In the case of Dr. Al-Arian, Mr. Poole failed to mention that when the controversy first erupted around the now defunct World Islam and Studies Enterprise (WISE) at the University of South Florida, many years ago, an outside independent investigation of WISE was commissioned by the university. At the end of the investigation, the finding was that not only were there NO OVERSEAS TERRORIST LINKS to the enterprise, but that WISE was deemed to be an asset to the University of South Florida community!

[Al-Arian was fired by the university in December 2002 after an extensive investigation. WISE’s assets were frozen by the FBI in 1995. The president of South Florida said that Al-Arian had abused his position as a professor and misused the university. “We have determined that USF must sever all ties to Sami Al-Arian once and for all,” she said at a news conference to announce the decision. “His use of this educational institution for improper, non-educational purposes will not be tolerated. No longer will he be able to hide behind the shield of academic freedom.” The university board voted 12 to 1 to fire Al-Arian. Yes, quite an asset to the university!]

7. As for Musa Abu Marzook, he too was considered a “moderate” leader within the Hamas organization. Despite this, however, after many years of legal and productive residence in the U.S., Marzook became a political prisoner for a number of years before agreeing to leave the country and never return. When the Clinton Administration designated Marzook a global terrorist in 1995 (if I’m not mistaken, AFTER his deportation) it was pure politics — US/Israeli style — and nothing more.

[Marzook is the political leader of a terrorist organization designated as such by the US government. And he was deported from the US because of his terrorist connections, not something he suddenly adopted after his deportation.]

As for the punitively disparate treatment accorded to HAMAS — and, by extension, to the Palestinian people by the power brokers within the “international community” — human rights advocates from a variety of persuasions have for years raised the question: If America and other western nations could recognize a distinction between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its political wing, Sein Fein; between the openly terrorist wings of anti-Castro Cuban organizations and their American-based political wings, why aren’t the same distinctions made for the political, humanitarian, and military resistance wings of Hamas?!

[Sinn Fein was not recognized as a legitimate political entity by the US or the UK until after the IRA had agreed to disarm (so much for their “facts”). If HAMAS was ever willing to do likewise, and renounce its position concerning the destruction of the Israeli state, perhaps that might be an option.]

(We won’t even mention the US and European based organizations that regularly contribute to the brazen violations of well established international law in the occupied territories of Palestine. And as for Israel’s brutal execution of the paraplegic Palestinian leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yasin - along with other innocent bystanders, a few years ago - we were also among those who condemned that extrajudicial murder; and for good reason.)

[Yasin was the head of HAMAS and responsible for the deliberate targeting and murder of hundreds of innocent civilians. Being confined to a wheelchair made him no less a threat. Bravo to the Israelis for his assassination (which Anisa Abd El Fattah denounced in a UASR press release)! May the US follow their example with Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri!]

8. Regarding the raids on the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and the SAAR Foundation (ala, “Operation Greenquest”), we have yet to see a prosecution come out of it; and thus, as far as we are concerned it was nothing more than another well publicized witch-hunt of prominent Muslim organizations in America.

[There has been no prosecution in the IIIT case because Sami Al-Arian has violated his plea agreement and been convicted on contempt charges for refusing to testify about IIIT’s financial support and coordination for his terrorist front organization, WISE.]

As I near my conclusion (I’ve already gone on a lot longer than I had planned to) I would like to end with a few thoughts on the aborted Capitol Hill conference. I have some first hand knowledge on that initiative because I was one of the main organizers.

[“Aborted” is an appropriate phrase here. And yes, the event that was evicted from the US Capitol for its speakers connections to terror was sponsored by the Peace and Justice Foundation.]

It is true that the Sergeant-at-Arms at the U.S. Capitol canceled our use of space on the day before a scheduled event (in the process, violating our rights as U.S. citizens). This action, needless to say, rankled the feathers of a good number of people beyond our own ranks (i.e., senior and mid-level staffers in other offices on Capitol Hill). Why, and how, did it happen?

On the day before the event - a Friday that also signaled the summer recess for the members of both chambers - the Sergeant-at-Arms contacted the congressional office who had reserved the space for our event. He then contacted the congressman directly (he was about to board a plane for a flight out of the country), with a message that his office had received some sort of “intelligence” that raised security concerns about the event that was scheduled to be held the following day. He wanted to know if the congressman was planning to be present - and of course the answer was no.

[How they believe their constitutional rights were violated they fail to explain. Also, at least one of their speakers - Abukar Arman - isn’t even a US citizen. No one suppressed their free speech. They were merely denied a forum intended for non-partisan activities because of the partisan nature of their conference. The event went off as scheduled in another location without any further incident. A similiar conclusion in the Ohio Statehouse October-terror-fest would be appropriate.]

The short of it is this. We have since met with the congressman; he apologized for the mishap and assured us that we will be able to plan the event again with his full knowledge and support. Should Anisa Abd’el Fattah, Abukar Arman, or Ahmed Al-Akhras wish to be included in the lineup of speakers again, they will be more than welcomed.

(I’m sorry to have to burst Mr. Poole’s bubble, but the “precedent” that he so joyfully alluded to in this matter, will soon be reversed. I pray that the Ohio State House will be spared such an embarrassing ordeal.)

[And next time they plan a similiar event, we will exercise our own free speech rights and publicize the extremist nature and terror connections to the speakers involved.]

As a final thought, it would behoove us to revisit an observation made by former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brezinski, writing in the March 25, 2007, edition of The Washington Post. (We also feature these excerpts among the closing thoughts in our book titled Islam & Terrorism: Myth vs. Reality.)

“The war on terror has created a culture of fear in America. The Bush administration’s elevation of these three words into a national mantra since the horrific events of 9/11 has had a pernicious impact on American democracy, on America’s psyche and on U.S. standing in the world. . . The damage these three words have done — a classic self-inflicted wound — is infinitely greater than any wild dreams entertained by the fanatical perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks.” He also noted, “The terror entrepreneurs, usually described as experts on terrorism, are necessarily engaged in competition to justify their existence.”

I can’t help but wonder if this is the primary motive behind Mr. Poole’s shrill episodes of fear and hate-mongering. Whatever it is, people of good will (and sincere faith) must resist such demagoguery, and lead the way to the better angels within human nature. If not now, when? May your October 28 conference be a blessed event!

Mauri’ Saalakhan
Director of Operations
The Peace And Justice Foundation

“Better angels within human nature” (he can’t even get the quote right)? Do the better angels applaud when terrorists murder innocent teenagers and families in a pizza shop, and then glory in their deed afterwards? Do these “better angels” arm murderers with explosives to blow themselves up on a bus full of civilians? Do these “better angels” assist these terrorists and terrorist organizations to accomplish their grisly deeds, as many of the individuals that Saalakhan openly defends in his letter? Let’s hope not.

As for my motives, it’s only because I’m concerned that our community has been thoroughly infiltrated by extremists, such as Fattah, Arman and Al-Akhras. That our political leaders openly parade with these individuals is a testament to both how successfully Islamic extremism has implanted itself in our area, and how far the supposed “leaders” of the Islamic community really are from the vast majority of Muslims who reject support for HAMAS and other terrorist organizations. No one can defame area Muslims more than individuals, such as Fattah, Arman and Al-Akhras, have done themselves.

In conclusion, it is shameful, but not suprising that the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, Abukar Arman, Anisa Abd El Fattah, and Ahmad Al-Akhras have all asked the Peace and Justice Foundation to do their own dirty work, rather than make these same statements themselves. If the support for terrorists and terrorist organizations found in this open letter are not representative of their views, I call on them to publicly denounce the Peace and Jusince Foundation’s support. Of course, the letter was published on Abukar Arman’s own website, so it’s hard to see how he can distance himself with the extremist views and support for terrorism expressed in this letter.

One thing I will grant to Saalakhan is that at least he has the courage of his terrorism-supporting convictions — convictions Arman and Al-Akhras clearly hold but publicly deny when asked, even when confronted with evidence to the contrary. Liars and cowards.

Thanks, guys, for making my job easy and confirming everything I’ve ever said about you.

Peace out.

October Terror Fest at the Ohio Statehouse — funded by taxpayers

A flier for the upcoming “Many Faces of Islam” conference held in the Ohio State Capitol atrium notes the sponsorship of the publicly-funded Ohio Humanities Council (click image to enlarge; thanks to the Investigative Project for providing us with a copy).
New details have emerged concerning the scheduled October-terror-fest in the Ohio Statehouse on October 28th. Not only is the event being partially funded by taxpayer funds through sponsorship by the Ohio Humanities Council (OHC has not yet revealed how much public money the event has received), but yet another speaker at the event, Zalfaqir Ali Shah, has multiple terrorism ties, including to Al-Qaeda.

Shah has also made some statements very peculiar for a supposedly “interfaith” advocate, such as this little gem as reported by Islamonline:

If we are unable to stop the Jews now, their next stop is Yathrib (The Prophet’s city of Medina), where the Jews used to live until their expulsion by Prophet Muhammad. That’s the pinnacle of their motives.

Read my full article at FrontPage Magazine, “Ohio’s Taxpayer-Financed Terror-Fest”, for all the details.