UPDATE #2: In just the past few hours, Muslim Americans for Obama has added a “clarification” to their announcement with this howler:
Muslim Americans for Obama has made clear to all its volunteers that all voter registration activity is strictly non-partisan (no advocacy on behalf of any candidate or party, whether written or verbal).The simple fact that this is “Muslim Americans for Obama” makes this partisan political activity, their “clarification” notwithstanding. No amount of instructions to their Muslim Americans for Obama volunteers can change that fact.
They also claim that they are only doing activities on “adjoining property”, but that is belied by the fact that event postings on their own Muslim Americans for Obama website indicate that some of the voter registration/get out the vote booths are located inside the mosque. How exactly is that not sponsorship by the mosque? Can't keep their lies straight, it seems. (And, yes, we have saved screen shots of the evidence before they pull it down. Hello, IRS?)
Update #3: A quick aside, I would point out that one of the mosques targeted by Muslim Americans for Obama, Dar al-Hijrah in Falls Church, VA, is the mosque that hosted two of the 9/11 hijackers, Nawaf Al Hazmi and Khalid Al Mihdhar. Their former imam, Anwar al-Aulaqi, is wanted by the FBI for questioning about his role in helping these two terrorists while he was serving mosques in both San Diego and Northern VA. Read this Washington Post article, “Imam from VA mosque now thought to have aided Al-Qaeda” for more background on al-Aulaqi (who now lives in Yemen), and this previous COAT post discussing al-Aulaqi’s Central Ohio ties.
Original post: The group, Muslim Americans for Obama, has announced a series of “get out the vote” events at mosques in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Ohio this week during Ramadan celebrations. As can be seen in the announcement reprinted below, the organization admits these are “get out the vote” events masquerading as “voter registration”:
Muslim Americans for Obama will be working to get out the vote for Sen. Obama, and they need help registering voters! Volunteers need not be Muslim, though appropriate attire is advised (no sleeveless tops; long pants and ankle-length skirts recommended).These get out the vote events, of course, flagrantly violate the tax exempt status of these participating mosques, including our own local Noor Islamic Cultural Center, which are strictly prohibited from supporting or endorsing any kind of partisan political activity — even when they claim it is only “voter registration”. In fact, it was these kinds of activities that eventually sunk the Christian Coalition's tax exempt status with the IRS.
Here's the entire announcement posted on Sunday at the Asian-Americans for Obama 08 website (no doubt it will disappear from there shortly), as well as the Muslim Americans for Obama website:
September 28th, 2008
National Muslim Voter Registration Day 2008 on 9/29-10/1
Posted by Eugenia Beh
Muslim Americans for Obama will be working to get out the vote for Sen. Obama, and they need help registering voters! Volunteers need not be Muslim, though appropriate attire is advised (no sleeveless tops; long pants and ankle-length skirts recommended).
—–
National Muslim Voter Registration Day 2008
EID VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES
Volunteer Opportunities
MICHIGAN
Multiple volunteer opportunities are available on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (Sep 30/Oct 1) in the greater Detroit area. Contact Abdelnasser at arashid@fas.harvard.edu
PENNSYLVANIA
1. Islamic Society of Chester County
1001 Pottstown Pike, West, PA 19380
2 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - 7:30AM
(will decide Mon evening if celebrating on Tues or Wed)
Contact: salimub@yahoo.com
2. North Penn Mosque
600 Maple Avenue, Lansdale, PA 19446
Contact: Umar Abdur-Rahman
No additional volunteers needed at this time.
3. Coatesville Masjid
723 Merchant Street, Coatesville, PA
1 VOLUNTEER NEEDED - 7:30 AM on Wednesday
Contact: mohammedjamaluddin@yahoo.com
4. Devon Masjid
EID Prayers held at Villanova at the following address:
1860 Montgomery Ave. Villanova, PA 19085
2 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - 7:30 AM on Wednesday
Contact: alhuda@comcast.net
and Br Iqbal Zaman - iqbal_zaman@yahoo.com
5. Foundation for Islamic Education
1860 Montgomery Ave, Villanova, PA
Eid is on Wed - Salah is at 8 AM
Contact: Mahmood Siddique
No additional volunteers needed at this time.
6. Masjid Al- Furqan
7252 Roosevelt Blvd, Philadelphia, PA,
Eid is on Wed - salah is at 8 AM
Contact: Mahmood Siddique
No additional volunteers needed at this time.
NEW YORK
1. Jamaica Muslim Center
85-37 168th Street, Jamaica, NY 11432
Eid Jamaats- 8, 9 and 10 am.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Contact: shabbir.chaudhury@gmail.com
2. Islamic Center of Long Island (ICLI)
835 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury, NY 11590
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Contact: sajjadi@yahoo.com
3. Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center
89-89 Van Wyck Expressway, Jamaica, NY 11435
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Contact: kiran.siddiqi@gmail.com
4. Islamic Center of Rochester
727 Westfall Road, Rochester, NY 14620
Contact: Umaira Khan
No additional volunteers needed at this time.
5. 96th Street Mosque
Islamic Cultural Center of New York
1711 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10029-7303
Contact: fatimashraf@gmail.com
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
NEW JERSEY
1. Masjid Al-Amman - Prayer at Brookdale Community College
Middletown, New Jersey
Contact: engy.abdelkader@gmail.com
No additional volunteers needed at this time.
2. Masjid-Al-Islah
320 Fabry Terrace, Teaneck, NJ 07666
No additional volunteers needed at this time.
3. Islamic Education Center of Bergen County
78 Trinity Place, Hackensack, NJ 07601
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Contact: hesham@technochief.com
4. Islamic Center of South Jersey
612 Garfield Avenue, Palmyra, NJ 08065
Contact: Nasreen Badat
No additional volunteers needed at this time.
5. Great Adventures Muslim Family Day
537 Jackson Mills Road, Jackson, NJ
OCT 1ST & 2ND (shifts available - 10AM -9PM)
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED & FREE ADMISSION PASSES AVAILABLE
Contact: engy.abdelkader@gmail.com
VIRGINIA
1. Dar Al Hijrah’s Eid Prayers
Date: Wednesday, October 1
Location: Marriot Fairview Park, 3111 Fairview Park, Falls Church, VA 22042
Prayer Times: 8:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12 noon.
Please meet at the prayer site, outside the main prayer hall
(we will have signs) starting at 8 a.m.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Contact person: Lubna Alam, 314-369-1981, lubnalam@gmail.com
2. ADAMS Center Eid Prayers in Fairfax
Date: Wednesday, October 1
Location: Hilton Garden Inn, 3950 Fair Ridge Dr. Fairfax, Va. 22033
Prayer Times: 7.30 8:30, 9:45, 11:00 a.m., 12:15 p.m.
Please meet at the prayer site, outside the main prayer hall
(we will have signs) starting at 7:30 a.m.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Contact person: Zeenat Iqbal, 703-798-4205, zeenat.iqbal@gmail.com
3. ADAMS Center Lansdowne prayer
Date: Wednesday, Oct 1
Location: National Conference Center, Sports Center (formerly
Xerox Center) - Lansdowne, VA (Btwn Sterling and Leesburg) Off
of Rt 7 and Belmont Ridge Rd.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Contact person: Saba Baig Salaam - saba_baig@yahoo.com
4. Imam Ali Center Eid Prayers
Date: Wednesday, October 1
7900 Backlick Rd Springfield, VA 22150 (703) 455-5599
Prayer Times: 8:30 a.m
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Please meet directly at the mosque at 8am to volunteer
Contact person: Zahir Janmohamed; (202) 368 8914; zahirj@gmail.com
5. Idara-e-Jafaria Eid Prayers in Burtonsville, Maryland
Date: Wednesday, October 1
3140 Spencerville Road, Burtonsville, MD 20866
Prayer Times: 8:30am
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Please meet directly at the mosque at 8am
Contact person: Khizer Husain, (202) 276 6080, khizer101@yahoo.com
OHIO
1. Noor Islamic Cultural Center
5001 Wilcox Road, Dublin, Ohio 43016
8:30AM to 11:30AM
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
10-15 volunteers needed for each of three sites
Contact: engy.abdelkader@gmail.com
2. Islamic Society of Greater Youngstown
535 Harmon Avenue, Youngstown, OH 44502
OCT. 3RD Friday afternoon prayer - 12 noon
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Contact: Zeina Saymeh, zsaymeh@hotmail.com
