Ohio terror sheikh, Fiqh Council of North America member Salah Sultan: Jews killed President Kennedy, advocates Islamic theocracy in US elections

Welcome Investigative Project and RoP visitors!

It has been a while since we heard last from our local terror sheikh and former Hilliard resident, Salah Sultan. Despite having fled to Bahrain last year, Sultan still sits on the Fiqh Council of North America. That’s why I was so interested to see an interview with Sultan published by IslamOnline earlier this year addressing the upcoming elections, “Politicking US Muslims — How Can US Muslims Change Realities: Interview with Dr. Salah Soltan”.

Those who have been following Sultan’s activities and statements might recall that he gave an interview to the official Muslim Brotherhood website, Ikhwanonline, immediately following the 2006 elections, "US Islamic Center: Democrats More Tolerant Towards Muslims".

The entire IslamOnline interview is definitely worth the read, and it is reprinted below in its entirety. There are a few curious statements I would like to point out. The most glaring is his statements about the political activity of the Jewish community in the US. Claiming that the number of Muslims in the US is greater than the Jews (a fact not supported by most polls, which finds the number of Muslims at no more than 3 million), he clearly wants Islamic political power to rival that of the Jewish community:

Jews are certainly less in numbers than Muslims now in the US. Our number is between 8 to 10 millions, yet although American Jews are no more than 6 million they have vision, plan, determination of whom to vote for and whom to ignore, and in some cases they support two candidates at the same time so that whomever wins becomes accountable to them. This is done in the Congress or the presidential elections. Jews in the US spend massive amount of money on elections’ publicity campaign. . .

Such exorbitant expenditure on US elections by Jewish-owned mega-businesses and organizations is not done in philanthropy.

Ah, but he’s not done yet. In fact, he relates a fictional account about how a Jewish community leader approached President Kennedy to help finance his reelection if only he would turn over foreign policy decision-making to the Jews. When Kennedy refused, they had him assassinated:

I will mention an example that Muslims in the US and Europe should be well aware of. Mr. Paul Findley’s book “Silent No More” says that President Kennedy in his second elections had a shaky stand, and accordingly a man responsible for 300 Jewish organizations proposing to fund all his campaign on one condition which was to place the keys of foreign policy in his hands, and Kennedy refused such proposal. The result was the assassination of John Kennedy.

So Salah Sultan claims that the Jews in America killed President Kennedy because he wouldn’t let the Jews control American foreign policy. Wonder how our interfaith leaders, like Sultan’s friend and Interfaith Association of Central Ohio board member, Abukar Arman, would respond to Sultan’s views on this topic?

Two other topics covered by Sultan in his IslamOnline interview should be noted:

• He states that if Muslims would participate in elections, they could then leverage their political power to show that homosexuality is a “perversion”, and ensure that their views would be taught in American schools.
• He also advocated US elections done by Islamic “shura councils”, i.e. theocracy.

Just as reminder, here are some of the organizations that Sultan worked with in Central Ohio:

• Sultan was brought to the area by the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus, who hired him as their fiqh research director.
• Sultan also served as religious director for the Hilliard-based Islamic school, Sunrise Academy, where he also conducted teacher training.
• Sultan later served as the resident scholar at the Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Hilliard, working directly with his Muslim Brotherhood buddy, Hany Saqr.

Oh, and let’s not forget that one our local Muslim columnists Mahmoud El-Yousseph proclaimed Sultan "one of America’s most-noted Muslim scholars", and Sultan was defended as a moderate in a lengthy article by Columbus Dispatch reporter Felix Hoover.

Sultan was the focus of this CBN News report, "Jihad in Central Ohio":


Sultan also gave an interview to Al-Risala TV (translated by MEMRI) in May 2005, just days after the Dispatch article defending Sultan appeared, where he claimed that the 9/11 attacks were done by the US government, and defending Yemeni Al-Qaeda cleric and designated terrorist, Abdulmajid Al-Zindani:


Here’s the entire IslamOnline interview with Salah Sultan:

Politicking US Muslims

How Can US Muslims Change Realities
Interview with Dr. Salah Soltan

By Abdelrahman Rashdan

Staff Writer — IslamOnline.net

US Muslims: Interview with Dr. Salah Soltan

Dr. Salah El-Deen Soltan has been described as “one of America’s most-noted Muslim scholars.” Scrolling through his eight-page CV, one would be astonished at the amount of positions, publications, activities, researches, and workshops he held, led, or was part of.

As the founder of several US Muslim organizations, including the American Center for Islamic Research, the Sultan Publishing Company, and the Islamic American University, Dr. Soltan has proved that his insight of the American Muslim community is worth digging into.

It is obvious that the American-Muslim community needs change, needs to be more active in the US politics, and needs to change the policies of its country that has changed and continues to change the lives of a lot of Muslims all around the world. And it appears that Dr. Soltan is well-suited for the talk about this arduous mission.

“To achieve Allah’s consent and Paradise through the reformation of the soul, the family, the society, and the nation according to the methodology of the Qur’an and the Sunnah,” this is how he sees his mission in life, and it shows in this interview.

IslamOnline.net (IOL): Why should Muslims participate in the US elections?

Salah Soltan: I believe that such participation is not only permissible, but obligatory as well when it comes to the US elections; and the Islamic text proves that.

Allah — Subhanahu Wattaala (“Glorious and exalted is He”) — says: [Hide not testimony] (Al-Baqarah 2: 283) and elections is a witness according to the agreement of many of the Ummah scholars. [Hide not testimony. He who hideth it, verily his heart is sinful] (Al-Baqarah 2:283) such scripture, along with many others, signifies that nonparticipation leads to the sinning of the heart.

Through research, collecting opinions of credible Sheikhs and Fatwa councils, arguing the doubts that some of the respectable brothers and Sheikhs rouse about the participation in elections, all of that made me end up with a firm believe that participation in the US elections from the juridical angle is an obligation.

Circumstantially, it is an obligation too. According to the constitution, the American system makes everything goes through elections. I believe that for every Muslim who lives there commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong goes through elections.

The participation of Muslims in the US elections is a judicial obligation and a circumstantial necessity.

The last elections before I left America was about smoking in public places in Ohio. Voters went to vote and Muslims were mobilized to vote against smoking in public, especially in restaurants.

Even the police has a board that is elected by cities’ citizens. Mayors, governors, board electricity companies, and educational councils are all elected.

Another example there is a fierce debate between the elected educational councils in different parts of America on whether to consider homosexual boys and girls pervert or not. If people vote that they are normal not pervert, they would assign big number of social counselors, not to guide those boys and girls, but to guide their parents and teach them to accept their homosexual children and that it is normal, as statistics show that 70% of those who leave school and home are homosexual, who are not accepted by their parents and tend to leave their parents which makes them drop out of school in order to work to earn their living. If Muslims were present in such debate, and demonstrate both logically and religiously that such homosexuality is prohibited pervert in all religions not just in Islam, the results would be very satisfactory.

I have an issue with brothers’ nonparticipation in elections, the duty of participation in election is put forth only when there is a presidential elections. But presidential elections are part of a long chain in the structure of the American society. Thus, I would like our brothers who have Fiqh of reality to give attention to every elections that occurs in any state not just to the presidential ones; I think this issue is really important.

The American congress is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives and these are the most supreme powers after the president, and they give the needed legitimacy for the latter. The Congress can litigate the President and dismiss him.

Thus, nonparticipation means the continuation of their crimes in our countries.

Jews are certainly less in numbers than Muslims now in the US. Our number is between 8 to 10 millions, yet although American Jews are no more than 6 million they have vision, plan, determination of whom to vote for and whom to ignore, and in some cases they support two candidates at the same time so that whomever wins becomes accountable to them. This is done in the Congress or the presidential elections. Jews in the US spend massive amount of money on elections’ publicity campaign.

The average sum of money spent on publicity for a Senate candidate is $5 million and for the House of Representatives candidate is $1 million, yet the US presidential candidate exceeds by far this amount. The most expensive presidential campaign was that of President Bush in year 2004; it reached billions of US dollars.

If it was a presidential election, such as that coming up at the end of 2008, then there has to be formed a Shura council from all US states that will assemble and take one decision.

Such exorbitant expenditure on US elections by Jewish-owned mega-businesses and organizations is not done in philanthropy.

I will mention an example that Muslims in the US and Europe should be well aware of. Mr. Paul Findley’s book “Silent No More” says that President Kennedy in his second elections had a shaky stand, and accordingly a man responsible for 300 Jewish organizations proposing to fund all his campaign on one condition which was to place the keys of foreign policy in his hands, and Kennedy refused such proposal. The result was the assassination of John Kennedy.

These facts, supported with incidents and numbers, prove that the participation of Muslims in the US elections is a judicial obligation and a circumstantial necessity. I hope that Muslims stop yelling at the Islamic centers and Masjids justifying not participating in elections with claims of widespread scandals in the US, especially in the municipality elections.

IOL: Put between two choices of personal benefits — related to candidates’ internal agenda — and the US foreign policy that affects the Muslims world, which choice do you think the US Muslims should ideally go for?

Soltan:In this case I would put methodology instead of a solution. The methodology in such case would be the presence of a Shura council according to the nature of the elections. If it was a local election, then the Shura council would be a local one that would decide which candidate is more appropriate. If it was a presidential election, such as that coming up at the end of 2008, then there has to be formed a Shura council from all US states that will assemble and take one decision. But for one US Muslim to sit alone and start making a judgment of who fits and who does not that is not correct.

Two conditions have to be satisfied in a good candidate: does not be notorious for attacking Islam and to be qualified enough to the positions he is running for.

This Shura council has three levels of choice. The first, is that it chooses the best out of two good candidates incase both had no drawbacks, which does not happen. The second involves choosing between goods and evils, the lesser harm should be warded off for the greater benefit; if the harm is greater, then the benefit should be left. The third point, and which happens a lot in the US, is to choose the lesser of two evils; in the third case, both candidates will do harm to Muslims internally or externally, thus the choice will go to that who will do less harm to Muslims.

Thus, I propose two methodologies, one about decision making through the Muslim Shura councils that will work according to the municipality, state, or the US levels. The second is to value issues according to the best out of two goods, and then judging among the goods and evils, or judging the lesser of two evils concerning Muslims.

This is the methodology and US Muslims can solve problems accordingly.

IOL: What should the US Muslims look for in a presidential candidate?

Soltan:In my book "Muslims Participation in the American Elections: Its Obligation and its Islamic Guidelines," Sultan Publishing, 2005, I said that such conditions that determines an acceptable candidate should include that he does not be notorious for attacking Islam and to be qualified enough to the positions he is running for. If such candidate was not against Islam yet was not qualified enough, then he should not be chosen. If the two mentioned conditions were satisfied a Muslim can accordingly vote for such candidate.

IOL: How do you see the future of the Muslim community in the US? Is it going for a better or worse one?

Soltan:I imagine that the future of the US Muslims is tied up to a number of factors. First is giving more attention to the internal development more than moving and extending outwards in the Da’wah activity. Muslims in the US need much more internal treatment than external one; US and European Muslim communities need to bring up leaders and calibers much more than it is in the rest of the Muslim world.

Secondly, those Muslims must have the abilities to unite themselves behind one cause and say. The Muslim influence is conditioned with unity. As an example, in Birmingham, UK, where there is a high Muslim density, six Muslims ran into elections against each others and the other non-Muslim candidate won the elections because votes were wasted in the competition among the six Muslim candidates. Thus, the nomination of more than one Muslim candidate stood against the success of Muslims. We are facing an actual crisis because we are exerting some real efforts yet such efforts are wasted by disunity.

We do not want to get into a competition and end up with a weak politician that would do more harm than benefit to Muslims.

The third factor that will act towards a better future for the Muslim community is to foster political figures. Most Muslims in the US want to bring up their children to be either a medical doctor or an engineer; there are no Muslim Congressman except for only one who is a doctor and the others are lawyers. We have to direct Muslim youth since high school towards the study of law, but the mentality and culture of the immigrant Muslim community tend to put the study of medicine and engineering ahead of any other field.

Youth have to be directed to the study of political science and law, Allah Almighty said [If they had intended to come out, they would certainly have made some preparation therefore] (At-Tawbah 9:46). We do not want to get into a competition and end up with a weak politician that would do more harm than benefit to Muslims. The Muslim politician should have strength, distinction, ability to deliver strong speeches, and good argumentative powers so that he can command what is right and forbid what is wrong in the correct way.

On the bright side, there is a sister who studied Shari’ah in Zaitouna University and then travelled to Stockholm, Sweden to study the Swedish language and post-graduate degrees. She ran in elections as a member of the municipal council and won; she is an excellent example that should be followed.

Forth, we have to teach the native American people and not only Muslims that acquired the nationality. Till now there are many Americans that have a negative look to non-native immigrants; Native American, white, and African American Muslims have to be taught and trained well to become distinguished lawyers political activists, and I confirm that they can be trained from the Zakah money.

Not only training and education is needed, there have to be leadership positions that such Muslims must be placed in.

Not only training and education is needed, there have to be leadership positions that such Muslims must be placed in. Such practical experience is extremely important so that they can be lively, effective, and powerful leaders that would impress other Americans making them feel that Muslim Americans are also caring for the common interests and not only that of the Muslim community. In my book, I mentioned as the first condition for the participation in the US elections is that the Muslim candidates should observe the welfare of the US society first and then the US Muslims community. When the American common person finds that the Muslim candidate keen on his security, economic wellbeing, cleanliness of streets, the quality of education, the absence of drugs, raping crimes, and violence, this will be the best way to convince Americans that Muslims are different from what Zionists and Islam-enemies are spreading and accusing them of being.

These are the factors that I see determining the future of Muslims in the US. Always I am optimist and I see the future of US Muslims to be more pleasant than now by Allah’s willing.

Abdelrahman Rashdan is a staff writer for the Muslim Affairs section of IslamOnline.net. A graduate of the American University in Cairo, he holds a BA in political science with a specialization in political economy and international relations. Click here to reach him.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph makes sense — and gets rebuked by CAIR for applauding Al-Qaeda conviction

I’m not one to begrudge someone when they’re right, or kick someone when they admit that they were wrong. That’s why I was pleased to here from David at The Conservatarian earlier this week about Mahmoud El-Yousseph’s recent letter to the editor published on the Columbus Dispatch website’s web-only LTE section.

Whatever disagreements I might have with Mahmoud’s open support of Hezbollah terrorists or his approval of suicide bombings as “reasonable” (published a week before the 9/11 suicide attacks), he thus far is the only figure from the tiny minority of Islamic extremists in Central Ohio to applaud the conviction of Columbus al-Qaeda terror cell member Nuradin Abdi and publicly withdraw his previous statements in support of Abdi.

But as you will see below, as soon as he did, the other members of the extremist CAIR crew quickly piled on to criticize him in full McCarthyite fury, challenging whether Abdi was actually guilty by appealing to all kinds of bizarre conspiracy theories about supposed torture and mind-altering drugs (even though Abdi openly pled guilty in court to material support for terrorism in the presence of some of those same conspiracy theorists).

Here is what Mahmoud wrote (which I’m told also appeared as a column in the Marion Star):

Proper punishment for convicted terrorist

Central Ohio sleep tight tonight. A second Columbus man was busted for terror ties and was sentenced for 10 years in jail. What a relief!

Nuradin Abdi, a Somali immigrant, was convicted last week and will spend the next 6 years behind bars and then be expelled to Mogadishu. Take it from this Muslim, Abdi is getting what he deserves.

Abdi was convicted of providing material to terror activities and plan to carry out attack at an area shopping mall, targeting innocent citizens. He claimed that was in response to U.S. agression against Muslims abroad.

That is not how you should show gratitude to the country that took you in as a refugee, provided you with a chance at work, safety, and security. If he was dissatisfied with our government foreign policy (as am I), there are many legal avenues available, even to non-citizens. By advocating the use of violence, he was part of the problem and not the solution. Fortunately, he did not have a chance to carry out his plan.

I must admit I’ve never met the man. However, when I read about his case four years ago, I was suspicious about the government’s claim, since Abdi was arrested based on secret evidence. This was, afterall, at the height of anti-Muslim feeling in the U.S.

Still fresh on the minds of Muslims across America were the two high profile cases of two other U.S.-born Muslim converts: Brandon Mayfield, an attorney from Oregon and James [Yusuf] Yee of Washington state. Mr. Mayfield was falsely accused by the government and was implicated with the Madrid bombing, while Captain James Yee, who served in the U.S. Army at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, was charged with espionage and many other serious offenses. Later the government dropped all charges against both of them. The government agreed to settle with Mayfield for $2 million, and offered him a formal apology: The federal government “regrets that it mistakenly linked Mr. Mayfield to this attack.” The U.S. Army lost a valuable human resource. Captain Yee received an honorable discharge, no apology, and he wrote a book about his ordeal to pay off his $200,000 legal expenses.

During that hysteria, I spoke publicly in defense of Abdi and about his right to free and fair trial based on evidence. I even contributed to his legal defense fund. Now after his case is over and he has admitted guilt to terror ties, I accept that this misguided man has betrayed his family, local Somalis, Central Ohio’s Muslim community, and the country that welcomed him.

Of special concern to me is the lack of response to this issue by local Muslim and Arab leaders, especially by The Council of American Islamic Relations [CAIR]. CAIR has defended Abdi vigorously throughout his case when it perceived he was a victim. One would think that CAIR leadership would have the moral courage to denounce Abdi’s act, once he was found guilty on credible evidence. I made four attempts by phone seeking a reaction from two CAIR members, my messages were not returned. Sadly, that was the same group that I once admired and took heat for defending in the press.

Lets hope and pray that the New Year does not bring us anymore unpleasant surprises, the likes of Nuradin Abdi. As far as this Muslim is concerned, I will continue to speak out my opinion — a freedom which is guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution — even when it is not popular. But I will keep in mind my late mother’s (bless her soul) advice to me as I embarked for America: Don’t spit into the plate that feeds you!

Mahmoud El-Yousseph, Westerville

I certainly don’t agree with all of the various interpretations that Mahmoud offers, but the crux of his argument is dead on: Abdi pled guilty to his crimes and the Muslim community as law-abiding Americans should be grateful that this terrorist is behind bars. He also complains (rightly so) that CAIR refused to retract their support for Abdi after his guilty plea, let alone respond to his calls to CAIR on the matter. That is very telling in itself.

Is this a sign of a new, improved peace-loving moderate Mahmoud El-Yousseph? We’ll wait and see. Honestly, I don’t hold out a lot of hope that he has changed his terror supporting ways. I would certainly like to be proved wrong. That said, however, I will grant him this: he’s shown here that he has the courage to buck the party line handed down by the CAIR politburo and think independently about the issue. I have always argued that CAIR doesn’t actually represent the Central Ohio Muslim community, the vast majority of whom reject the jihadist ideology promoted by CAIR, ISGC, etc. Most Central Ohio Muslims do not belong to CAIR (in fact, recent tax documents show they don’t have any members AT ALL, and the leadership is entirely self-appointed) and don’t attend services at ISGC facilities. One law enforcement official told me that out of the tens of thousands of Muslims in the Columbus area, probably less than a thousand, probably closer to five hundred, would associate with CAIR and its extremist ideology.

But no sooner had Mahmoud posted his comments than the knives came out to attack him wielded by the self-appointed CAIR caliphs to enforce their ideological conformity.

First up was the grand pasha of Islamic extremism himself, CAIR national vice chairman Ahmad Al-Akhras, who had this to say in criticism of Mahmoud’s public statement:

Re: Proper punishment for convicted terrorist
Posted by: “Ahmad Al-Akhras”
alakhras@hotmail.com alakhras10
Sat Dec 8, 2007 10:54 am (PST)

salam Br. Mahmoud and all — i am not aware that you tried to call CAIR and no one responded. Would you kindly let us know who did you try and did not bother to respond to you?

On a more substantial note akhi, Abdi was not convicted as a “terrorist” rather, he was convicted of providing “material support.” The idea of “material support,” as David Cole put it in his piece in the Wash Post --see below — is that the government can charge a person and the person can be found guility because the burden is so low on this standard. I encourage you to read the whole OpEd of Professor Cole.

I also encourage you to read the testimony of the ACLU on Material Support for Terrorism Laws: Section 805 of the Patriot Act and Section 6603 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Ahilan T., an ACLU staff attorney, testified about this issue and how helping Tsunami devastated people in Sri Lanka could lead them to be directly charged with “Material Support” if they provided help in certain areas — read below.

Thank you akhi Mahmoud for all the good work you do, it is only Allah swt will be able to reward you for it as I am sure you are not waiting for anyone else. As to your attacking CAIR this way, I did not feel it was appropriate, even if you “once admired and took heat for defending in the press”. I am sure you did this because you beleived int he cause and not for anything else, right?

Thank you again, and may Allah swt guide us all. . .

Ahmad

That was follwed up by Fauzi Tayim:

Posted by: “Fauzi Tayim” ftayim.1@juno.com
Sun Dec 9, 2007 9:40 am (PST)

Mahmoud:

One of the mistakes I have done in the past but try my best to avoid now is not to jump into conclusions based on what someone tells me or what I read or see in the media. I have not been following Abdi’s case very closely but I just wonder how did you conclude that he was “found guilty on credible evidence”. Did you see the evidence? You also say he confessed to acts of terrorism. Do you under what circumstances he made such a confession? Al-Arian, the UF professor was found innocent and he is still in jail. After his jail term is over (for about 2 years I believe), he will be deported. Al-Arian’s case was labeled an Israeli trial conducted on US soil. Sometimes our legal system works and sometimes it does not. I do not know if it worked in Abdi’s case. However, I sincerely doubt that a confessed terrorist would spent only 6 years in Jail. Ayman Faris (?) got 20 years.

Before you reach any conclusions about Abdi and CAIR, take some time to examine the evidence and circumstances more closely. By the way, have you attended any of the court proceedings? Do you know if he was tortured while in prison? Do you know if he was given “mind altering medication” while he was in prison? Do you know if his confession was not retrieved under torture or duress? I will not be surprised that the evidence against Abdi was kept “secret” for “national security” purposes. If in fact the evidence was kept secret, as is the case against all “terrorists”, how in the world can anyone conclude that the evidence was credible?

Salaam,

Fauzi

Denials, conspiracy theories, half-truths and outright evasion. Al-Akhras says that because Abdi was caught before engaging in acts of terror, he really wasn’t a terrorist, but only admitted to material support for terrorism, which he apparently thinks is entirely different. Tayim blathers on about the various conspiracy theories (torture, mental illness, etc. — all of which the Appeals Courts rejected). In fact, these were some of the same conspiracy theories floated by CAIR during Abdi’s incarceration, including CAIR-OH president and Al-Akhras lackey Asma Mobin-Uddin.

Expect more of these same conspiracy theories when Christopher “Kenyatta” Paul’s trial comes up next year. Some just can’t admit that the Central Ohio Islamic institutions they support and are a part of (again, which only represent a fraction of Muslims in the area) were home to the largest known al-Qaeda terrorist cell since 9/11. Mahmoud El-Yousseph has apparently come to terms with that fact; Ahmad Al-Akhras, Fauzi Tayim, and their extremist ilk cannot handle that truth.

Now my having addressed El-Yousseph’s comments here publicy will probably bring one of two responses (perhaps both). First, in true McCarthyite fashion, Mahmoud will be subject to even more criticism and outright shunning for airing the dirty laundry of the extremists in our community complaining that he’s given me a stick to beat them with, refusing to realize that all I’ve had to do is present the facts here unvarnished. Their comments have been unedited. I’ve allowed them to speak for themselves. Second, they will retreat into further silence on the Abdi conviction. Saying something now will only look like he has shamed them into saying something, which of course will be obviously true if they do in fact say anything at all at this point. With the support they continue to give Abdi, I doubt they will.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph has certainly put them in a serious pickle, but in reality it is only their extremism catching up with them. Unable to deal with that reality, they must keep spinning further into unreality and fantasy. They can’t handle the truth.

No one will ever confuse me for a Mahmoud El-Yousseph enthusiast, and I suspect he will continue venting his spleen against me shortly (I’m still waiting for that lawsuit) with his trademark fabrications, ad hominem attacks and childish personal insults; but in this case on the Abdi conviction, Mahmoud El-Yousseph is right and he should be acknowledged for saying he was wrong for his past support of Abdi. It’s damning that the rest of the CAIR crew of Islamic extremists in Central Ohio can’t bring themselves to do the same.

Hate blogger Tammy “Intifadagirl” Watts-Obeidallah resurfaces

Hate blogger and keyboard jihadist Tammy Watts-Obeidallah has slithered out of her digital Tora Bora to regale us with more tales of her jihadist exploits! This time around, she admits to engage in “baiting”. Admittedly, she has much more experience at “baiting” than I, so I will readily concede to her expertise.

It is interesting that she admits to having been wanted for questioning by the CIA and FBI. Unfortunately, those fine young men in their nice white coats weren’t the CIA and FBI, Intifadagirl. And that padded room they wanted to escort you to wasn’t Camp Xray at Gitmo, no matter how much you wanted to show your solidarity with the cause.

She says that on October 28, 2000, instead of being at a rally in DC chanting “Death to Israel” and following the cheerleading of now-convicted terror leader Abdurahman Alamoudi in praise of HAMAS and Hezbollah, she says she was in Tipp City beginning her political fast. And what evidence does she provide as proof? An article in Dayton’s Impact Weekly, apparently the jihadist newspaper of record. But on October 27, 2000, Intifadagirl was singing another tune, as this email from her shows:

Date: Fri Oct 27, 2000 7:54 am
From: “Tammy E. Watts”
To:
Re: Fw: [jerusalem-net] Join National Rally October 28

Hello to Everyone,

If anyone still wants to go to the Rally in Washington, D.C. tomorrow, please let me know. I will drive, but I just don’t want to go alone. We can leave as late as tonight, I’ve driven there in as little as 8 hours before. I am in Dayton, Ohio.

Tammy E. Watts

No mention of her supposed 7-day fast. Just her own expressed intent to attend the terror support rally. What can you expect from the factually challenged? But I’m sure she’ll have some further spin.

But the capper to her post is her bragging about her new “print media” job in California. And just what fine publication is she writing for, having made her hasty exit from the Greenville Daily Advocate? A brand-new monthly newsletter, The Independent Monitor, which apparently hasn’t been able to publish every month since its inception in February. And what is she “writing” for this monthly newsletter? Well, her October contribution was a rehashed article from several years ago. And the Independent Monitor no doubt has a couple dozen subscribers.

Yes, Tammy, you’re really climbing the print media stairway to fame! Sadly, it seems to be an escalator going down!

Oh, and by the way, I would love nothing more than for you to join your jihad-loving buddy, Mahmoud El-Yousseph, in his repeatedly threatened lawsuit against me. That way, I will not only have a house in Westerville, but South Gate, California as well. Looking forward to it!

Hate Blogger Tammy “Intifadagirl” Watts-Obeidallah Speaks

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. That’s what immediately strikes me about the most recent blog post of factually-challenged former Greenville Daily Advocate cub reporter Tammy Watts-Obeidallah, who has elsewhere gone by her online moniker “Intifadagirl”, in her identification of Tom Blumer and myself as “homegrown terrorists”. Well, she has plenty of first-hand knowledge of Islamic terrorism, so perhaps she’s the one to know.

First off, her claims that I have made videos killing Muslims and bombing soft targets in Iraq and Afghanistan are just plain nutty. Then again, this is the same keyboard jihadist who published a blog post back in July claiming that 9/11 conspiracies theories were concocted and spread by the CIA as a deception campaign to fool Leftists! As if you would need the CIA to do that! Oh, and she claims the Israelis were in on 9/11 too.

She then claims that I published on the web Mahmoud El-Yousseph’s address and phone number here. What she forgot to tell you is that I merely reprinted El-Yousseph’s own letters previously published on the web where he lists his address, email and phone number himself! Perhaps she thinks it was all part of my sinister plan to secretly have Mahmoud publish his own information six years ago, so I could reprint it later! Oh, how he fell right into my sinister trap!

As for where I got copies of his correspondence, I’ve already said that I use my super-secret Global Zionist conspiracy-issued computer spying software (the previous comment, of course, was pure sarcasm, as regular readers might recall that Mahmoud recently accused me of hacking into his Yahoo account - though no doubt Mahmoud and Intifadagirl will believe my use of the Global Zionist super-secret software to be true).

As for “Intifadagirl”, consider the following:

• According to her best friend, terror apologist and fellow hate columnist Mahmoud El-Yousseph (who himself has publicly praised Hezbollah terrorists responsible for the killing of hundreds of US military personnel and also defended suicide bombing attacks against civilians as “reasonable”), in the weeks immediately following 9/11, Obeidallah rushed off to Jordan, then to Palestinian refugee camps to serve as a human shield for Palestinian terrorists.
• Obeidallah was apparently one of the few attendees at a rally in October 28, 2000 rally in Washington DC at which now-convicted terrorist leader Abdurahman Alamoudi led the tiny crowd that Obeidallah was part of in chants and cheers in praise of the terrorist groups HAMAS and Hezbollah (video of the rally and Alamoudi’s terror cheerleading courtesy of The Investigative Project).
• Obeidallah married a man in Jordan in 2002, even though she and her “husband” couldn’t communicate — a fact observed by the US Embassy counsul in Amman, Jordan when they originally denied his visa application. She admits that he was expelled from the embassy twice and she was threatened with removal from the US Embassy. They immediately had a son they named “Ali Jihad” apparently because having a child was the easiest way her “husband” could be allowed to enter the US. Yes, “Ali Jihad”. I keep telling folks I couldn’t make this stuff up if I wanted to.
• Since we’re on the topic, maybe Intifadagirl can explain why her brother-in-law Ahmad was arrested by Jordanian intelligence upon his return from Iraq in April 2003, where she admits he was engaged in “something”? Or maybe how just weeks after she gave birth, she was tear-gassed by Jordanian police while she was taking part in a violent anti-US demonstration? Please, do tell.

If Tammy Obeidallah is looking for any “homegrown terrorists”, she should take a look in the mirror.

Her bitterness at Tom Blumer is understandable, though entirely unfounded, because back in July he caught her in a blatant lie in one of her Daily Advocate news articles. When she persisted in her lie, leaving him hate-filled comments on his website, Blumer noted that every other newspaper covering the story contradicted her account. When she still persisted in her lie, Blumer contacted her editors at the Daily Advocate to urge a correction to her story because it was clearly wrong. A few days later when the Ohio Inspector General issued a report that confirmed she was wrong, thereby vindicating Blumer, her tenure at the Daily Advocate was already over.

The interchange between Obeidallah and Blumer over at his website is worth reviewing, if only for her ironic claim that Blumer “couldn’t make it in print media”, when in fact it’s clear now that she couldn’t make it either. Her comments are also a little high-handed for someone whose sole media credential is working for the Greenville Daily Advocate!!! About her only other media experience is having a letter to the editor published by the Columbus Dispatch and Dayton Daily News!

Way to go, Intifadagirl! Want to try again?

CBN News: Jihad in Central Ohio

(Sorry, I’m a couple of weeks late getting this up.)

Ohio No Stranger to Radical Islam
By Erick Stakelbeck
CBN News Terror Analyst
October 27, 2007
CBNNews.com — COLUMBUS, Ohio — One traditional Middle Eastern grocery is painted to match the distinctive red, white, black and green of the Palestinian flag. Over the meat counter hangs a flag often flown at rallies for the terrorist group Hamas.

But this grocery store isn’t located in Gaza or the West Bank. It’s in Hilliard, Ohio: a sleepy suburb of Columbus. It seems an unlikely battleground in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but support for the Palestinian cause runs deep.

“We are critical of our government policy in the Middle East, and its blind support of Israel,” Mahmoud El-Yousseph, a local columnist said.

A Palestinian native, El-Yousseph writes about Muslim issues. He says many Muslims in Columbus feel the U.S. has neglected the Palestinians.

He said, “Our foreign policy in the Middle East, it stinks. It needs a tune up, and we’re going to speak about it, whether people like it or not.”

El-Yousseph served 20 years in the U.S. military. His son is serving in Iraq now. He says patriotism isn’t an issue for this Muslim community.

“We are God fearing, law abiding American citizens,” El-Yousseph said. “We love this country. We want to work together for the common good of our national defense.”

A Jihad Hotbed?
Patrick Poole isn’t so sure. A writer and consultant on terrorism-related issues, he returned to the Columbus area recently after a ten year absence.

“After a decade away, to come back and see all the changes that Hilliard had gone through and then to find out that we are essentially a center of jihad — one of the hottest centers of jihad in the country — was just mind blowing,” Poole said.

Columbus is no stranger to Islamic radicalism. Members of an al-Qaeda cell attended a local mosque. Two of the men were convicted on federal terrorism charges. One plotted to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge. Another planned to blow up a local shopping mall.

Federal law enforcement officials say other members of the cell are still on the loose.

That al-Qaeda cell was one of the largest yet discovered in America. El-Yousseph says he and other local Muslims condemned those involved.

But Poole says support for two other terror groups is widespread among Columbus Muslims.

“Hamas and Hezbollah and everything going on in Israel are really the linchpin issues of radicalization here in Columbus,” Poole said.

According to Poole, there’s a budding Hamas support network in the area. He says much of this network leads back to one man — Dr. Salah Sultan.

Poole said, “I discovered that Dr. Salah Sultan — a very prominent international cleric who’s closely associated with Yusuf Qaradawi — was living right around the corner from my own home.”

Sultan’s relationship with Qaradawi is the first thing that caught Poole’s attention. Qaradawi is listed by the U.S. as a specially designated global terrorist. He’s openly advocated suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. He’s also called on Muslims to fight U.S. troops in Iraq.

A Closer Look
Terrorism expert Steven Emerson has followed Sultan and Qaradawi’s activities closely.

“Sultan is an acolyte of Qaradawi,” said Steven Emerson, of the Investigative Project on Terrorism. “And Qaradawi is a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who has called for killing Americans and killing Jews”

Their relationship is so close that Sultan joined in honoring Qaradawi at a reception this summer.

Emerson said, “The fact that Sultan is hanging out with these men indicates exactly where he stands.”

Qaradawi is a leader of The Muslim Brotherhood, a jihadist movement that seeks to establish worldwide Islamic law. An exclusive interview with Sultan was featured on the Brotherhood’s Web site last year.

El-Yousseph told CBN News that Sultan is a Muslim scholar. He says Sultan’s views aren’t extreme, and that he even supports women’s rights in countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Sultan’s views on 9/11 are more problematic. He told Saudi TV the attacks were planned by the U.S. government.

“The entire thing was of a large scale and was planned within the U.S., in order to enable the U.S. to control and terrorize the entire world,” Sultan said.

Sultan recently left his home in an affluent Columbus suburb and now lives in the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain.

His application for U.S. citizenship was denied after he appeared at a Hamas rally in Turkey last summer. But he’s still allowed to enter the U.S. and move around freely.

Sultan agreed to a phone interview with CBN News, but later cancelled.

Poole says Sultan continues to be influential in the Columbus area’s Muslim community.

“Dr. Sultan was insulated into all of the major Islamic institutions here in Columbus,” Poole said. “The Islamic Society of Greater Columbus, Sunrise Academy — the private islamic school — the Al Noor Center, he was preaching at several other mosques. He was all over the place and integrated into all those institutions.”

For example, one site that used to be Hilliard’s public library is now home home to Sunrise Academy, a K–8 Islamic school. Sultan lectured there on a regular basis. Siraj Wahhaj also appeared there recently. He’s an un-indicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

El-Yousseph says Sultan and other Muslims in Columbus have been singled out unfairly since 9/11.

He said, “Most Muslims I know are professional here. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, grocers, schoolteachers who love this country, who left overseas because of religious persecution. They want to be here for a better life. They’re not here to betray America and stab it in the back.”

Emerson says that’s exactly the case with Sultan.

“Salah Sultan has made incredibly incendiary comments about Jews, about jihad.” he said. “This is not someone we want in the United States.”

Mahmoud El-Yousseph: Suicide bombings are “reasonable”

Just one week before 9/11, one of our local terror apologists, Mahmoud El-Yousseph, a regular columnist for the Marion Star and the Newark Advocate, had a letter to the editor published by the Columbus Dispatch defending suicide bombings targeting civilians, saying that they were “a reasonable way to defend their freedom, honor and integrity”. Just eight days later, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists applied that same logic in murdering almost 3,000 Americans in the worst terrorist attack in our country’s history. And according to El-Yousseph, the management of the Columbus Dispatch came to his rescue when the FBI understandably came calling.

Regular readers might recall that this is the same Mahmoud El-Yousseph who openly praises the terrorist organization Hezbollah, calling them “freedom liberation fighters”, despite the fact that Hezbollah has killed hundreds of American Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen in multiple terrorist attacks and kidnappings (see our previous post, “Mahmoud El-Yousseph: Hezbollah are ‘freedom fighters’”).

To compound his treachery, El-Yousseph tries to hide behind his military service, even though his open support of Hezbollah is in direct conflict with his military induction and citizenship naturalization oaths to “support and defend the United States Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic” and Hezbollah is responsible for the 1996 Khobar Towers attack that killed 19 airmen (his own branch of service).

For disclosing his public support for terrorists in violation of his military and citizenship oaths, El-Yousseph last week threatened me with legal action (“Mahmoud El-Yousseph threatens legal action”).

Just days before 9/11, it was HAMAS and Islamic Jihad Palestinian suicide bombers and those terrorist organizations’ targeting of innocent civilians that Mahmoud El-Yousseph was defending, saying such acts were “reasonable”. The problem with his contrived narrative, however, is that if the oppression were so great, why aren’t there any independent suicide bombers? Why are they all tied to these terrorist organizations, and why do they only strike when HAMAS, Islamic Jihad or Fattah have political objectives they hope to meet?

Here’s Mahmoud in his own words:

In order to eliminate suicide bombing in the Middle East, one must examine this phenomenon. What would make someone strap explosives to his chest, walk into a restaurant and blow himself up?

Israel is driving Palestinians into desperation on a daily basis. The war crimes and atrocities committed against Palestinians are bad enough to drive a saint to insanity.

Collective punishment, demolition of homes, political assassinations, checkpoints and roadblocks are some of the trials Palestinians endure. Restriction on people leaving their homes to go to work, to school, to hospitals or to visit relatives are not intended to be security measures, at all. They are the punishment and humiliation of a whole population.

Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have so little freedom and so little hope that suicide seems a reasonable way to defend their freedom, honor and integrity.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph
Westerville

Below is the text of El-Yousseph’s letter BEFORE the Columbus Dispatch edited it. It begins with a libelous and mendacious report that Israelis were allegedly going to bury Palestinian terrorists in pig skins. He also justifies the killing of two Israelis by a Palestinian mob saying that they were undercover agents on an assassination mission - another false story floated by El-Yousseph.

Date: Tue Aug 28, 2001 9:08 am
From: Mahmoud El-Yousseph elyousseph6@yahoo.com
To:
Subject: How to stop suceide bombing

Dear editor:

Eurika! Israel has discovered a majic solution to curtail suceide bombing by Palestinians. Israel now contamplating to burry the remain of would be bomber with the blood and skin of a pig. By the way, Muslims are not allowed to eat any pork products. What a ludicrious idea. Discrating human remains, or radiculing the dead and his faith is dumber than dumb. Israel don’t get it. Last spring the Palestinians returned promptly to Israel two of it soliders killed in Ramallah by protersters. The two were udercover operative dressed in Arabic attire, and were on a mission to assassinate Palestinain activisits. It is rather silly to even think that burrying a bomber remain with a pig would put an end to suceide bombing. In order to eliminate suceide bombing, one must examine and understand this new phenomina. What makes someone strap explosives to his chest, walk into a resturant and blow himself up? Israel is driving Palestinians into desperation on a daily basis. It’s war crimes and attrocities against Palestinains is bad enough to drive a saint into insanity. Some of these mesures for example: Collective punishment, home demolishing, political assassination, chek points, roadblocks. And restricting people movement from leaving their homes to go to work, school, hospitals or visiting releatives, are not intended as a security mesures at all. They are punishment and humiliation of a whole population.

Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza have so little freedom and so little hope that suceide seems a reasonable way to defend their freedom, honor,and integrity.

Mahmoud El-Yousef

According to El-Yousseph (acknowledging in advance that he has a pretty loose grip on the truth), after 9/11 FBI agents contacted the Columbus Dispatch to get a copy of his original letter above, only to be rebuffed by the paper. He also adds that Dick Carson, who was the Dispatch’s editorial page editor at the time, took to El-Yousseph’s defense.

Date: Fri Sep 21, 2001 10:55 pm
From: Mahmoud El-Yousseph elyousseph6@yahoo.com
To:
Subject: Aiming @ the wrong target!

Dear friedns:

I was contacted by columbus Dispatch reporter today who wanted to do a story about my first amandment’s right,and wanted to know if I was questioned by any federal agents regarding my last letter that appeared in the dispatch> the letter dated back to Sep.3rd this year which explain why Palestinian resort to sucied bombing. I did not give an interview, because I was not contacted by any body regarding my letter. I know a man contacted Westerville Police about that letter on 12 Sep. Obviously, somebody contacted the FBI and Columbus Police Department regarding that letter also. The reporter I talked to read the letter and was confidant that letter does not condone sucied bombing, but it rather explain it. To make a long story short, I contacted the paper editorial manager Dick Carson, and he told me the fellowing:

1..He was asked by columbus police liason officer to the FBI, and was asked for a copy of my letter. The dispatch refused and submitted to him via Fax only the printed version of the letter.
2.. Dick Carson informed the officer that he knew me for the last 20 years as a peace loving person and that he was wasting his time by going after the wrong person. To proof his point and to ad a human face, Mr. Carson faxed a human intrest story I wrote about my 8 years old son Adam back in April. That story was a heart breaking one.
3.. Mr. Carson informed the officer also, that he will eat his hat the Columbus city hall steps If the police would find ANYTHING against me.
4.. INS agent left his card at my house door with a not to call him. He is asumming I am a foriegner I take it. What does that all mean? This iseither being done in the name of national security, or they just crossed the line.

Let me assure you all, I have nothing to fear or hide. They are not only going to be wasting their time and mine. But they will be disappointed after they speak to me, and know me as a real person. I will not be intimidated by any blackmail, smear, or scare tactic. This is my country too, and I have the write to speak my mind and express my view puplicly I will keep you all updated in case of any devolopment.

thanks for your time.
Salaam,
Mahmoud El-Yousseph

Even after the despicable and cowardly attacks after 9/11, Mahmoud El-Yousseph continued to shamelessly cling to the same twisted suicidal jihadist dogma that fueled the 9/11 attacks. Even more interesting is that El-Yousseph was still serving in the US Air Force at the time. It seems that the FBI had every right to investigate our local terror apologist.

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!

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.

LA Times: Hilliard Holy War Homeboy Causing International Furor

LA Times (July 2007): Salah Sultan a “controversial Sunni figure”, “glorifying holy war”, “sharing the outlook of Al-Qaeda”.

Columbus Dispatch (May 2006): Salah Sultan a moderate, peaceful Muslim preacher falsely accused of extremism and terrorist ties.

Remember that peaceful, moderate Muslim preacher living in Hilliard that the Columbus Dispatch cleared of my outlandish and scurrilous charges of associating with terrorist leaders last year? Well, according to an article in the LA Times, our Hilliard homeboy, Salah Sultan (Soltan), is now causing trouble in Bahrain.

The article by Borzou Daragahi, “Strategic rift in Bahrain’s royal court”, published on July 7th, is opened with this set-up:

MANAMA, BAHRAIN — Leading members of Bahrain’s royal family have thrown their weight behind hard-line Sunni Muslim groups, some of whom share the outlook of Al Qaeda, in an attempt to counter a perceived Shiite threat, government officials and critics say.

And just who represents these “hard-line Sunni Muslim groups” who are glorifying holy war and share the outlook of Al-Qaeda?

Critics worry that in a country long a bastion of relative moderation, clerics are glorifying holy war. Islamic newspapers have grown more strident and anti-American. One, Akhbar Khaleej, refers to Bin Laden as a “sheik,” a title of honor.

Two controversial Sunni figures who left the United States have found refuge and employment in Bahrain: Wagdy Mohammed Ghoneim, the head of an Orange County mosque who was suspected of giving speeches in support of terrorist organizations and arrested in November 2004 on suspicion of overstaying his U.S. visa; and Salah Soltan, a scholar.

“Every week they appear on television, telling people how to be clean and religious and pious,” said one journalist who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

Fear of retribution? Why ever would a Bahraini journalist fear retribution from naming Salah Sultan? Didn’t he read Felix Hoover’s article in the Columbus Dispatch “clearing” Salah Sultan of my baseless charges? Doesn’t he know that Sultan signed a fatwa against terrorism? Hasn’t he read the dossier Ahmad Al-Akhras is currently circulating to government officials and establishment media personalities that cites Hoover’s article “clearing” Sultan as proof that I’m a discredited Islamophobic hack? Isn’t the LA Times and its reporter aware that Salah Sultan has been defended by a number of Central Ohio Muslims, including Al-Akhras, Abukar Arman, Norma Tarazi, and most recently, Mahmoud El-Yousseph, who called Sultan “one of America’s most noted Muslim scholars”?

Or maybe — just maybe — the Columbus Dispatch got it wrong, and Salah Sultan really is a terrorist associated radical. I know it is a possibility difficult to entertain, but just go with me here for a minute.

In the past month, we have not only seen that Salah Sultan was speaking at a conference in Doha, Qatar honoring Yousef Al-Qaradawi in July, listed by the US government as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, where he said that he considered himself a “friend and pupil” of Qaradawi; that Sultan’s remarks and a paper he delivered at the conference were posted on Qaradawi’s personal website; but just days ago we noted that Sultan had his picture taken with the terrorist leader at the event.

In addition, I have reported about Sultan’s speech at a pro-HAMAS rally in Istanbul with HAMAS terrorist-in-chief Ismail Haniyeh last year, just a few weeks after the Dispatch article was published. But just days after Hoover’s article appeared, Sultan was recorded on Al-Risala TV saying the US government was behind 9/11, and praising Al-Qaeda cleric and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Abd-al-Magid Al-Zindani [video clip and transcript of Sultan’s Al-Risala interview].

And it seems that not everyone is Bahrain is pleased with Sultan’s presence there. An article in Al-Wasat (in Arabic) dated May 8th, many people were upset that Sultan and his buddy Ghoneim were granted Bahraini citizenship almost immediately upon their arrival in violation of the country’s constitution. This is particularly curious since according to my sources, Sultan still has a US citizenship application pending. I’m also told that his family is still living in Hilliard while he cavorts with terrorists all over the Gulf region and preaches jihad in Bahrain.

Surely the Columbus Dispatch and Felix Hoover couldn’t have got it wrong on Salah Sultan, could they? And Ahmad Al-Akhras, Abukar Arman, Norma Tarazi and Mahmoud El-Yousseph couldn’t be covering up for their jihad-loving buddy? Say it isn’t so, Joe!

Hilliard Man Shares a Moment with Global Terrorist Qaradawi

Hilliard resident Salah Sultan (kneeling) sharing a private moment with Specially Designated Global Terrorist Yousef Al-Qaradawi (far right) at a conference honoring Qaradawi held last month in Doha, Qatar (image from Islamonline.net)

A little over a week ago, I posted information on Hilliard resident Salah Sultan, president of the Hilliard-based American Center for Islamic Research, speaking at a conference honoring US-designated global terrorist Yousef Al-Qaradawi in Doha, Qatar (“Hilliard man roasts global terrorist Qaradawi at conference in Qatar”). Over the weekend, I discovered the picture above of Sultan and HAMAS/Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Qaradawi together during a dinner at that same conference on the Qaradawi-owned and supervised Islamonline.net website.

In that previous post I included pictures of Sultan speaking at the conference and greeting attendees, which were included in Sultan’s speech at the conference and a paper he delivered there on Qaradawi’s intellectual contributions that are published on Qaradawi’s personal website. The conference also featured a speech by HAMAS political leader Khaled Mash’al, who praised Qaradawi for his groundbreaking fatwa authorizing HAMAS suicide bombings (remarks by Mash’al and Qaradawi have been translated by MEMRI).

What makes this situation interesting is that the Columbus Dispatch “cleared” Salah Sultan of charges I had made about his connections to Qaradawi in a May 2006 article by Felix Hoover, “Muslim Milestone”, and likened him as a moderate because he was a signatory to a bogus CAIR fatwa “against terrorism”, even though the fatwa condemned no terrorist organization, individual or any specific act of terror, nor did it even define “terrorism”. For continuing to report on Sultan’s activities for the past year and a half I have been savagely attacked by several Central Ohio Muslim writers and an advisor to Mayor Michael Coleman. In a dossier compiled by Ahmad Al-Akhras and circulated by him to various government and establishment media officials attacking FrontPage Magazine and myself, he specifically cites Hoover’s article as proof that my claims about Sultan have been debunked (more on the Al-Akhras dossier later this week!).

Will an apology from Dispatch executive and CAIR lackey Mike Curtin be forthcoming? I won’t hold my breath.

Another interesting element is that despite the multiple reports I have had published regarding Sultan’s open support for terrorist organizations, including his appearance last summer at a rally in Istanbul in support of HAMAS (see “Hometown Jihad: The HAMAS Connection”, and a COAT post by Scanderbeg, “The Hilliard-HAMAS-Muslim Brotherhood Connection”), his videotaped appearance on Al-Risala TV claiming that 9/11 was planned by the US government and praising another US-designated Al-Qaeda terrorist [video], several Central Ohioans have risen up to defend Salah Sultan.

Chief among Salah Sultan’s public defenders has been none other than Abukar Arman, who was recently “cleared” by the Columbus Dispatch for his repeated statements in support of terrorist organizations, including his characterization of Qaradawi as a “moderate”, even though he was forced to resign from the Homeland Security oversight board because he wasn’t eligible according to Ohio law to serve on the panel (see “Terrorist Sympathizer Tossed from Homeland Security Oversight Panel”). After my initial FrontPage exposé on Sultan, “Hometown Jihad”, Abukar Arman likened me to Joseph Goebbels and denouncing my “Goebbelian excercise [sic] of freedom of speech”:

Only a few days ago, one such moderate Muslim, Dr. Salah Soltan, a renown scholar and a member of the North America and the European Fiqh Council, and Sunrise Academy, a Kindergarten to Seventh Grade Islamic school which this author has been sitting on its board for the past six years, were implicated with those all too familiar innuendoes as terror-promoting individual and institution. The accusatory article was written by a gentleman who claims being a “policy researcher” . . . . and boasts to have only spent 3 hours to arrive at that conclusion. (“The Trilogy that Muffles Moderate Muslims”)

Just as a point of clarification, the “3 hours” comment about the amount of time I spent researching Salah Sultan is pure fiction by Arman. After the series of reports I published on Sultan’s activities, it would take someone less than 30 minutes to arrive at that conclusion.

Another vocal local Salah Sultan defender is Mahmoud El-Yousseph, who just this weekend had an article published, “Muslim Basher, Patrick Poole, Preys on People’s Fears”, complaining of my reports on Sultan’s terrorist support activities:

Last May he attacked Salah Sultan, a nationally noted Muslim scholars. For no reason other than his views — the very same thing he accused Abukar Arman of. [The US Constitution guarantees freedom of expression to every citizen and non-citizen living in this free country.]

This is not the first time that El-Yousseph has promoted and praised Salah Sultan in print. In an op-ed published in the Newark Advocate on June 23, 2005, El-Yousseph called him “one of America’s most noted Muslim scholars” and promoted Sultan’s website and books:

I asked doctor Salah Soltan of Central Ohio, who is one of America’s most noted Muslim scholars, about a woman’s rights to drive from an Islamic perspective. He said, “There is nowhere in the Holy Quran or the teaching of the prophet Mohammad that prohibits a woman from using any mode of transportation, even traveling by herself.”

Dr. Soltan recently wrote a book about women’s rights under Islamic law. In fact, he pointed out 25 examples where women have more right than men when it comes to inheritance. A visit to his Web site www.salahsoltan.com could be very useful for people seeking information about Islamic topics.

If observing that one of my Hilliard neighbors is regularly cavorting with known designated international terrorists makes me a “Muslim Basher”, it should give us all pause; if being concerned about it makes me an “Islamophobe”, than my accusers have all the evidence they need to find me guilty. And if self-proclaimed local Muslim leaders, such as Ahmad Al-Akhras, Abukar Arman and Mahmoud El-Yousseph, are all too eager to rise up in defense of Salah Sultan’s activities supporting terrorists (Qaradawi) and terrorist organizations (HAMAS), it should indicate that these gentlemen are not representative of moderate Muslims in Central Ohio at all. With such abundant information now available about Salah Sultan’s known terrorist associations, we can safely conclude that Ahmad Al-Akhras, Abukar Arman and Mahmoud El-Yousseph, along with their buddy Salah Sultan, are exactly the extremists I have portrayed them to be.