Bringing it all together.

Is a Columbus City Hall staffer providing an ear (and a voice) for local Islamists?

Another interesting wrinkle in this ongoing saga — if you will, is the appearance of Abukar Arman and Abukar Osman (Balle) business partner Abdinur Mohamud on the scene (or, more accurately behind the scenes).

Since the apple doesn’t usually fall far from the tree, finding Abdinur (who works for the State of Ohio Dept of Education) is not all that unusual. Where we found him is. . . .

In this 2006 video, Abdinur is seen leading a protest against a visit by a South African ambassador — which is mind you, perfectly legal in the Shari’a free USA. The uniqueness, if you will comes when we see Abdinur pictured with a Columbus Mayoral Staffer (Community Relations Commission-New Immigrant Initiative) employee named Abdirizak Farah, whose brief city bio can be found here.

Don’t they look imposingly handsome together? (There is a perfect shot of them at 1:40 into the video).

Before you read further, glance back at our last post on this crew and get a good look at Mr. Osman in City Hall.

Now watch the video one more time. Notice that at :27 seconds into the video that a man that looks just like Abukar Osman is seen holding a sign for his friends Abdinur and Abdirizak.

Isn’t coincidence so coincidental?

Is it possible that we have found the gatekeeper to City Hall for these Shari’a law advocates in Mayor Coleman’s adviser Abdiriak Farah?

I’m sure there are dozens of other people that work for the Mayor that have appeared in internet videos with local Islamists — just right now I can’t find any.

Someone had to have put a bug in the Mayor’s ear when Arman was being chased all over the city and off the Franklin County Homeland Security Advisory Board. Although we see emails from Michael Brown from City Hall, it would be hard to believe that nobody in City Hall asked the native Somalian on staff what his insights were on Arman. . . .

Are we also to believe that 15 year old Ilhan Abukar Dahir, daughter of Abukar Osman, just happened to be chosen for the Columbus Youth Commission out of thousands of young Somalis who would have also qualified for the job?

Unfortunately, that is how politics works. . . .

In the “Gee . . . . it’s a small world category” Mr. Farah can also be seen here assisting the Obama 2008 crew from Minneapolis sign up local Somalis to vote for Obama.

The fact that Mr. Farah is working to assist fellow Somalis, presumably by translating for them on his own time, is very commendable.


The fact that Mr. Farah seems to have deep connections with Abdinur Mohamud, Abukar Arman, and Abukar Osman — all who have publicly outed themselves as supporters of Shari’a law in Somalia (and perhaps beyond) is however concerning. This is not intended to be for or against any candidate. But since I do not speak Somali, I cannot comment on what the majority of the men are saying in these videos.

What should concern every American and every voter are the answers that are heard in English. Following the "campaign" meeting, www.Bartamaha.com shot two follow up videos entitled "Why I want to vote for Barack Obama" Pts. 1 & 2. They also spliced out an excerpt they entitled “The Obama Kid”, which can be seen here. Out of the mouths of babes comes the truth.

If you don’t watch any other segments, the “Obama Kid” will provide great insight as to what the majority of this meeting probably was — that would also explain why ‘the kid’ got cut off before he finished his sentence about the war in Iraq. . . . . . .

Hopefully there are other figures amongst the Somali community in Columbus that are also in positions of leadership and/ authority, that regardless of their political affiliations, aren’t so well connected to men who outwardly advocate for anti-democratic Shari’a law — because it looks like the Islamists have the Department of Education, Charter Schools, and possibly City Hall all wrapped up.

In light of the documents WorldNetDaily published today regarding Kenya’s Odinga and the Orange Party, some folks might want to dust off their Fiqh manuals to get a better idea of just where they stand in the coming times of Change.

Giving credit where credit is due. . . .

The Dispatch Stands up to CAIR (and our old friend and Islamic Courts supporter, Abukar Arman). . . .

Credit also to Patrick, who although he is under the weather right now, came across this editorial by Mr. Arman, and the retort to Arman and CAIR’s Islamofascist tactics by Glenn Sheller of the Columbus Dispatch — Glenn, not that it matters, but great job — thank you!

Glenn’s article speaks for itself. Please read it and contact him to encourage him. He is bound to face some heat for speaking the truth about CAIR and their war against free speech.

Now, onto Mr. Arman’s article; we will point out some additional issues that could use a closer examination.

While digressing on the many “anti’s” (Semitism, Catholicism, etc.) that exist in America today, Arman naturally brings up “Islamophobia”. In doing so, Arman provides the most truthful and accurate depiction of the phenomena called “Islamophobia” that has (possibly) ever been uttered by a CAIR employee:

“And like the rest, Islamophobia was developed and is fostered by special agenda-driven groups attempting to achieve a political, social or economic end.”

YES. YES, and YES! Very true Mr. Arman!

It should be noted that the “special interest group” Mr. Arman is referring to (whether he realized it or not) is none other than CAIR itself.

Even Mr. Sheller notes,

“Where CAIR errs is in labeling anyone who discusses Islamic terrorism a bigot and hatemonger, an Islamophobe, to use CAIR’s favorite slur.”

Mr. Arman goes on further to state,

“Gone are the days when the perpetrators of hate would march with banners that explicitly express their negative views of other groups. Today, hate messages and propaganda often are camouflaged as talk-radio punditry, political speeches and infomercials.”

That is not entirely accurate Mr. Arman. Perhaps you have forgotten about the November 2007 protest at the Ohio Statehouse (fortunately YouTube has not), where at 2:30 into the video, you stated [in reference to the implied US support of Ethiopian military activity in Mogadishu, Somalia] “it would create even more people to hate this (the United States) country for this policy. It fuels more anti-Americanism.”



Mr. Arman take solace, you are still batting one thousand with your honesty and sincerity - at least when it comes to your true beliefs about the United States.

This video, which was taken by a man who calls himself Mahdy Maaweel is just one in a series of videos posted by Maaweel under the username somalisan.

As I write this piece I can see a still photo of a man that I recall reading about on Robert Spencer’s site (www.jihadwatch.org) about a year ago. His photo, and his henna stained beard make him rather easy to recall. . . .

A quick search revealed that Spencer’s article also appeared on the Frontpage magazine website under the title, “The Minneapolis Jihad”.

After further review, the man in Maaweel’s video is definitely one in the same. He is identified as Mohamed Hassan Jaamici J.D., the chairman of the Somali Institute for Peace and Justice (SIPJ), and an Imam at a local Minneapolis mosque.

Perhaps ironically, Jaamici can be seen in this link from a September, 2006 press release reiterating his support for the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

Peeling another layer back from the onion reveals that Mr. Arman and Sheikh Hassan (Jaamici) do not appear as featured speakers in Maaweel’s videos by mere coincidence. An internet search confirms that Arman is still the President and founder of the Pan Somali Council for Peace and Justice (ISRAACA) {now-defunct website www.israaca.org}.

Here is a snippet from the ‘press release’ for a planned multi-organization protest in Washington DC in June 2007 linking the two groups together:

THE EVENT IS SPONSORED BY THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS:

Somali American Peace Council (SAPC) — Washington , DC
Somalis for Peace and Justice (SPJ)
Somali Diaspora Network (SDN) — Fairfax Virginia
North American Somali Diaspora Steering Committee
Pan-Somali Council for Peace & Democracy (Israaca)
Somali Canadian Diaspora Alliance
Somali Institute for Peace & Justice (SIPJ)- Minneapolis , MN
Alberta Centre for Somali Canadian Relations
Midwest Resource Center (MRC) — Minneapolis, MN
Hirgal Consulting and Adult Education-Rochester, MN

A little Googling revealed that in August 2006, ISRAACA Chairman of the Board Abukar Osman issued a statement also supporting the ICU restoring itself as the chief law enforcement (sharia) mechanism in Somalia.

If Abukar Osman rings a bell with COAT readers — it should. He is also a business partner of Abukar Arman’s and Abdinur Mohamud’s — in their business ventures dealing with (failing) charter schools here in Columbus. According to their website, Mr. Osman is currently on the IAC Board of Education.

Oh, did I mention that even more ‘Googling’ revealed a picture of Mr. Osman, a girl who is labeled as his daughter, and the Mayor of the City of Columbus, Mike Coleman, together inside City Hall?

Apparently Ilhan Abukar Dahir is on the Mayor’s Youth Commission. Whatever that is . . . .



How nice. The same City Hall Administration involved in advocating for Abukar Arman when he was in hot water last year for being on the Franklin County Homeland Security Advisory Board — as a non-US citizen — is now appointing the daughter of his (Arman’s) business partner (Osman) as an advisor.

Isn’t coincidence so coincidental? Isn’t it nice to know that fellows advocating for the implementation of Shari’a law in Somalia and running several taxpayer funded pseudo-madrassas have access and influence in City Hall?

I wonder if the same guys advocate for Shari’a here in the US? If not, I would be curious why not?

So, in closing. Thank you, Mr. Arman for your tremendous insights into how America’s adversaries are blending old school protests, never changing politics, and new age information warfare (from internet propaganda to using taxpayer dollars to fund potentially subversive charter schools) to further the cause of the stealth jihad. It always sounds more believable when it comes from folks “in the know”.

Your friends at COAT.

Update: Thanks to google 2001, the special edition that Google is allowing access to for the month of October, COAT was able to recover this ISRAACA document from 2002 that lists--surprisingly (tic) Abdinur Mohamud as a key player in the ISRAACA organization along with Mr. Arman and Mr. Osman aka (Balle) (see #4 and #42) respectively.

CAIR gets failing grades at running Ohio charter schools

Last week the Ohio Department of Education released the school report cards for the 2007–2008 school year. Included in these were the report cards for International Academy and Westside Academy, both here in the Columbus area, two charter schools operated by officials of the extremist Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). As I note in my article today, “CAIR gets failing grades at running Ohio charter schools”, both schools failed miserably.

Here’s the intro:

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released their annual school report cards this week, and the results show that two taxpayer-financed Islamic charter schools operated by officials of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have failed miserably yet again. But protected by powerful political connections, including Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, and apparently indifferent to their exploitation of the Somali children that comprise the vast majority of their students, the Islamic extremists running the operation appear to have no fear of losing their cash cows. In fact, Ohio educrats have renewed one school’s contract after five years of complete academic failure.

The two schools, International Academy and Westside Academy, are run by a group of local Islamic leaders, including CAIR national board vice chairman Ahmad Al-Akhras, CAIR-Columbus president and CAIR-Ohio board member Abukar Arman, and Islamic Society of Greater Columbus president and imam Mouhamed Tarazi (who serves as principal of one of the schools). At one time or another, all have served on the board of the local private Islamic school in Central Ohio, Sunrise Academy.

Beginning operations in 2002, International Academy has a long track record of failure. According to the school’s most recent state report card, the school only meets two of the 19 indicators measured (one of the two indicators it met was attendance). The performance index score of 73.9 fell well short of the 100 points required (of 120 total; the state median is 96.6), but since that was slightly more than the 72.2 scored the previous school year (2006–2007) the school received a “continuous improvement” designation. Only in the Orwellian world of union-controlled, taxpayer-financed public education does this performance rate a grade of C-, thanks to some grade inflation in this year’s report cards courtesy of the ODE.

That “continuous improvement” designation notwithstanding, since International Academy opened, it has never met the state’s required “adequate yearly progress” standard and has never met more than two of the state indicators. Looking at the past three years of academic performance data, we find in four of the seven tested areas, test scores declined last year from the previous year.

The second school, Westside Academy, appears to be following in its older brother’s failing footsteps. Their state report card shows that they met state standards in one area — attendance. Across all grade levels and subjects, less than 20 percent of their students rated proficient or better. In one subject area, 3rd grade math, the school achieved zero percent proficiency. Their performance index also dropped to 56.9 last school year (again, 100 of 120 points being the state requirement), putting them in the “academic watch” category.

Read the whole thing.

Terror apologist Abukar Arman appointed head of CAIR-Columbus

It is profoundly sad to see CAIR-Ohio descending further into extremism as witnessed by the recent appointment of local Somali terror apologist Abukar Arman to head the local CAIR-Columbus office as indicated by the email announcement from CAIR-OH figurehead Asma Mobin-Uddin back in January (see below). Arman has steadfastly defended the al-Qaeda-backed Somali Islamic Courts Union and is one of its most outspoken apologists in the West (see my article, “Hometown Jihad: The Somali terror apologist next door”). One only need visit his article, “Engaging Somalia via the Road Less Traveled”, from back in January to see how shamelessly he defends as “moderate” the very organization waging a bloody insurgency against the Somali people, and who’s leaders have been designated as terrorists by the US government.

Then again, no one should be surprised at this sudden lurch towards extremism by CAIR-OH. Abukar Arman has been on the state chapter board, and with the very sudden flight of his business partner Ahmad Al-Akhras (CAIR national vice chairman and former CAIR-OH founder and president) to the Middle East, Arman has no doubt been designated by his friend to help keep a tight rein on the group in his absence. Thus, this move is one of sheer pragmatism. While Asma Mobin-Uddin is the titular figurehead of CAIR-OH, the real power behind the local organization has always been and remains Ahmad Al-Akhras and his HAMAS/Muslim Brotherhood masters.

But Arman’s new position will drop the facade of “moderation” that CAIR-OH has tried to foist, with his open enthusiasm for terrorist organizations (see, for instance, his January 2006 blog post “HAMAS Victory is a Victory for Democracy and Peace!”, which has been proven manifestly false in the past two years; also remember that HAMAS has been designated a terrorist organization since 1995); his organizing conferences in our area with known Islamic extremists (e.g. the terror-fest held at the Ohio Statehouse back in October); his forced resignation back in August from the Franklin County Criminal Justice Planning Board, which oversees area Homeland Security; and simultaneously losing his job with the Columbus Public Schools. And I’ve previously written about the time that Abukar Arman, Ahmad Al-Akhras and Asma Mobin-Uddin went to a local combat Marine veteran’s home to provoke a confrontation over the man’s bumper sticker (“CAIR Thugs on Islamophobia Patrol”).

Here is his article praising the terrorist HAMAS organization (click to enlarge):


And then there was the eviction of a scheduled conference featuring Abukar Arman, Ahmad Al-Akhras and Anisa Abd El Fattah at the US Capitol by the US House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms back in August due to the speakers’ extremism.

Two other things should be mentioned before turning to the CAIR-OH announcement. The first is that Abukar Arman was appointed to this position; there is no democracy within CAIR. One reason might be is that according to the most recently released IRS Form 990 for the organization, CAIR-OH has no membership; it lists nothing received in terms of membership receipts. It represents no one but itself. When, if ever, did CAIR ever go to the Muslim American community in Ohio for the right to speak in their name? The answer is: never. CAIR has never had an election.

Secondly, as was observed in August by the Columbus Dispatch, Abukar Arman is not a citizen of the US (at least he wasn’t then). This would not otherwise be a problem except that CAIR continuously denies and dismisses their ties to foreign powers and foreign agents. And this move demonstrates clearly that Ahmad Al-Akhras has no difficulty turning to non-US citizens to run the show in order to keep his iron-fisted grip on the CAIR-OH chapter following his flight.

Here is CAIR-OH’s two announcements regarding Abukar Arman’s appointment (my thanks to ***** for forwarding it to me):

From: “Asma Mobin-Uddin”
To:
CC: ,
“Jennifer Nimer” , “‘Romin Iqbal’”
Subject: Br. Abukar Arman to head new local Columbus board of CAIR-Ohio
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:15:16 -0500

Salaam,
As I have received some questions about this, I wanted to repost the following update to the community about leadership updates within CAIR-Ohio for the next term, starting in Jan. 2008.

Br. Abukar Arman has been elected by the state board to be president of the new local Columbus chapter of CAIR-Ohio, and I was re-elected to do another term as president of the state board of CAIR-Ohio (which oversees the Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland chapters).

I posted the following email to the professional’s list but it came back to me so I’m not sure people have seen it.
Salaam,
Asma Mobin-Uddin
CAIR-Ohio

[the initial announcement]
Jan. 2008
Salaam,
I wanted to let everyone know of our brother Abukar Arman’s new position within CAIR-Ohio. Br. Abukar is a member CAIR-Ohio’s state board. Until this year, our state board also oversaw the function of the Columbus office, our largest office.

This year due to continued growth, we have separated the Columbus board into its own local entity, overseen by the CAIR-Ohio state board, just as Cincinnati and Cleveland have local boards to manage the affairs in their cities. Now all three offices have local boards, and all three are still overseen by the state board. Br. Abukar was elected to be the first president of the new Columbus office board. We also welcome Sr. Roofi Ahmed, Sr. Hend Al-Kharashi, Br. Don Furbee, and Br. Sunni Islam to the local Columbus board of CAIR-Ohio. We are blessed to have this strong and talented team in the new Columbus chapter of CAIR-Ohio.

Salaam,
Asma Mobin-Uddin
(state board president of CAIR-Ohio)

From Mobin-Uddin’s two emails above it appears that Abukar Arman’s new position has not been without difficulty and turmoil even within their own ranks. Something outside observers should take note of.

Top Ten Central Ohio Terrorism-Related Stories of 2007

Now safely into the new year, we here at Central Ohioans Against Terrorism would like to take a few minutes to reflect on the major terrorism-related Central Ohio news stories here in 2007. Needless to say, it was an eventful year. Let’s hope that 2008 is equally as interesting.

1. Nuradin Abdi guilty plea in shopping mall terror plot
   
   
   After years of heated denials and conspiracy theories, the extremists in the Muslim community were shocked in late July when Nuradin Abdi, arrested as part of the Columbus Al-Qaeda cell run out of Masjid Omar Ibn El-Khattab just north of campus, agreed to a plea deal rather than go to trial on multiple charges of terrorism support, including a plot to shoot up a Columbus-area shopping mall. Local CAIR officials, including national vice chair Ahmad Al-Akhras and Ohio chapter president Asma Mobin-Uddin, had made a series of bizarre claims, including that Abdi had been tortured and was being drugged by federal authorities. A federal appeals court quickly rejected their conspiracy theories, concluding that Abdi was putting on an act (in accordance with stated Al-Qaeda incarceration guidelines). Abdi was sentenced to 10 years in prison on a charge of material support for terrorism in November. And as Dirk Thompson of 610 WTVN reported, Abdi’s attorney went on an anti-American rant in front of the local media following the announcement of the plea deal.
   
   Related Nuradin Abdi COAT posts.



2. Christopher Paul arrested as part of Columbus Al-Qaeda cell
   
   
   In April, Worthington-raised Christopher Paul (nee-Paul Kenyatta Laws, aka Abdulmalek Kenyatta) was arrested after a federal indictment was unsealed charging Paul with plotting to attack American tourists overseas. Paul is a 1983 graduate of Worthington High School. Following his arrest, CAIR officials became confused, as Adnan Mirza tried to distance the Muslim community from Paul, while Ahmad Al-Akhras came out in his defense, claiming that Paul was a “loving husband” and led a “good family”. (see, “Columbus Al-Qaeda Man Charged, CAIR Not Pleased”)




3. Hilliard HAMAS cleric Salah Sultan appears at Middle East terror confab
   
   
   Salah Sultan (right) sitting on the speaker dais with Specially Designated Global Terrorists Khaled Mishal (left) and Yousef Al-Qaradawi (middle)
   
   
   Salah Sultan speaking at the terror confab in Qatar
   Notwithstanding having been defended by the Columbus Dispatch and a number of area Islamic leaders as a “moderate”, Salah Sultan showed his true colors this past summer when he appeared at a conference honoring HAMAS spiritual leader Yousef Al-Qaradawi in Doha, Qatar. Sultan delivered a tearful speech praising his mentor and also produced a paper on Qaradawi’s “scientific thought” (both being published on Qaradawi’s personal website). Sultan was even photographed with Qaradawi, and he could be seen in the Al-Jazeera live coverage of the event during the speech by HAMAS head Khaled Mishal. Both Qaradawi and Mishal have been listed by the US government as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Also in July, Sultan was identified by name in a LA Times article as one of two clerics preaching holy war and “sharing the outlook of Al-Qaeda” in Bahrain.
   
   Related Salah Sultan COAT posts.
   
   Related FrontPage Magazine articles:
   
   Hometown Jihad (04/03/2006)
   Hometown Jihad: Blowback (05/24/06)
   Hometown Jihad: Our Newest Citizen? (09/08/06)
   Hometown Jihad: The Return of Salah Sultan (03/29/07)
   Hometown Jihad: The HAMAS Connection (05/11/2007)



4. October-terror-fest at the Ohio Statehouse
   
   
   The Interfaith Association of Central Ohio sponsored an event, “The Many Voices of Islam”, in the Ohio Statehouse atrium in October featuring two known HAMAS operatives, Anisa Abd El Fattah and Robert “Farooq” Crane, and one official for the now-closed Toledo Kindhearts terror fundraising “charity”, Zulfiqar Shah, who as Southeast Asia director for the group partnered with the Al-Khidmat Foundation in Pakistan, founded by Osama bin Laden mentor and Al-Qaeda founder Abdullah Azzam. The event was organized by local extremist Abukar Arman, and was also sponsored with a $1,000 grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, a taxpayer-funded organization.




5. Cleveland imam quits before he starts
   
   
   Instead of just reporting the news, COAT became part of the news when blogger Tom Blumer of Bizzyblog reported back in September that the newly-hired imam for the Islamic Center of Cleveland, Ahmed Alzaree, had preached some virulently anti-Jewish sermons in his previous post in Omaha, Nebraska. We then followed up with additional information noting other troubling aspects to Alzaree’s preaching and breaking news of his terrorist ties (and the establishment media’s ignoring of such). Even after multiple articles by the Cleveland Plain Dealer came out defending the imam, who was scheduled to begin his new job in early November, two days before he was scheduled to start, he announced that he was quiting. According to the Plain Dealer, one of the reasons cited by Alzaree for throwing in the towel was our COAT post, “Cleveland’s new imam: interfaith “moderate” or two-faced jihadist?”. Alzaree was brought in to replace deported former imam Fawaz Damra (see below in “Honorable Mention”).




6. Abukar Arman tossed from Franklin County Homeland Security oversight committee
   
   
   A front-page article in the Columbus Dispatch and a coordinated political cover-up by City Hall and the Franklin County Commission (more on the cover-up) weren’t enough to save Abukar Arman’s position with the county Criminal Justice Planning Board, which oversees Franklin County Homeland Security. After my FrontPage expose discussing Arman’s vocal support for terrorism in a series of published articles, Arman was forced to resign from the board, in addition to losing his full-time job with the Columbus Public Schools. County Commission officials withheld information related to the Arman investigation from Dirk Thompson of 610 WTVN and myself, while simultaneously providing the exact same information to Dispatch reporter Barbara Carmen. Only after the Dispatch article appeared did the Commission release the requested information.
   
   Related Abukar Arman COAT posts.




7. Hilliard HAMAS cleric Salah Sultan denied US citizenship, flees the US for Bahrain
   
   
   As noted above (item #3), Hilliard-based HAMAS cleric Salah Sultan appeared at a terrorist confab in Qatar in July. But perhaps the most important reason for Sultan’s unashamed open association with designated terrorists in July is that earlier in the year he had been denied US citizenship based on his previous known terrorist associations and had fled the country. Once informed about the rejection, Sultan picked up most of his family and moved to Bahrain. But even his arrival there was met with controversy, as Bahraini politicians complained in May that Sultan and his buddy Wagdi Ghoneim had received almost instantaneous citizenship there (as reported by Al-Wasat). The Bahraini press noted Sultan’s hasty departure and the denial of his US citizenship. Even Bahraini bloggers have been critical of Sultan and his jihadist crew.




8. HAMAS operative Anisa Abd El Fattah/Caroline Keeble interviewed for open Columbus Public School Board spot
   
   
   Anisa Abd El Fattah on the left; Caroline Keeble on the right. Two different versions of the same person.
   During the investigation into Fattah’s appearance at the October-terror-fest at the Ohio Statehouse, I noticed that Fattah’s non-jihad persona, Caroline Keeble, had been interviewed by the Columbus Public School Board last January for an open position on school board. The results of my investigation were published in a PJM article, “HAMAS: Coming to a School Board near you”. The resume she had submitted as part of her application (obtained with great difficulty from the school district despite an Open Records Act request) made no mention of the HAMAS front organizations she had worked for during the 1990s and earlier this decade, nor her longtime consulting position with now convicted terrorist leader Abdurahman Alamoudi or her founding board member position with the national Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Though one of the few candidates to receive an interview by the school board, she did not get appointed to either of the two open seats she applied for.




9. Muslim Brotherhood leader identified in Central Ohio
   
   
   I haven’t done much follow-up reporting on this issue since my original post, but one bombshell piece of evidence that came out of the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial in Dallas this past summer was a phonebook of Muslim Brotherhood leaders in North America. One entry in this Muslim Brotherhood leadership directory was an individual, Hany Saker, located in Columbus and identified as such by the readily identifiable 614 area code. As I reported back then, the office phone number listed for Saker was an Ohio State University number. Elsewhere in the phone directory Saker is listed as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood Board of Directors, and also the Eastern regional leader in North America. We hope to have more reporting on this story in 2008.




10. Hate Sheikh Siraj Wahhaj appears at Columbus fundraiser for Islamic group headed by mayoral advisor
    
    
    Hate sheikh Siraj Wahhaj (left) and his longtime buddy and Mayor Coleman advisor Ahmad Al-Akhras (right)
    
    When the Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio needed a keynote speaker for their annual fundraiser, its president Ahmad Al-Akhras turned to his old friend and prominent hate sheikh Siraj Wahhaj for help. Wahhaj was named by US Attorney Mary Jo White as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Wahhaj had appeared at a March 2006 fundraiser for Sunrise Academy in Hilliard to raise money for their new gym, in June 2006 for the CAIR-Ohio annual banquet, and again in February 2007 at Sunrise Academy for yet another fundraiser for Masjid Abubakar Al Siddique. Among many other things, Wahhaj says that he isn’t sure that Osama bin Laden is responsible for 9/11; he calls for the return of the global Islamic caliphate and the imposition of Islamic shari’a law, including punishment by amputations and stoning; and he calls for the violent overthrow of American government.

Honorable Mention:

Censorship State at Columbus State for Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week

(graphic courtesy of DarthDilbert)
When the Terrorism Awareness Project student group at Columbus State Community College wanted to promote their events for the national Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week in October, CSCC administrator Timeka Rashid prohibited the group from posting promotional fliers around campus and warning the student leaders not to discuss her prohibition. After I exposed Rashid’s censorship of the student events in a FrontPage Magazine article, “Censorship State”, CSCC relented and did not interfere any further in the group’s scheduled activities. As reported by Jacob Laskin in 2006, Rashid had previously prevented the same student group from hosting a screening of the documentary, Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West.

I later reported that Columbus State’s earlier censorship efforts were in response to a letter from former Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar sent to CSCC president Valeriana Moeller asking for the school’s cooperation in obstructing events related to Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.


Akron-born jihadist pleads guilty to terror charges, sentenced to 15 years


In April, Akron native Mahmud Faruq Brent pled guilty to supporting a terrorist organization and in late July was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attending a Lakshar-e-Taiba terrorist training camp in Pakistan. A convert to Islam, Brent had been living in Maryland driving a taxi at the time of his arrest. The case was part of the Virginia Jihad Network series of prosecutions.


Cleveland Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Fawaz Damra deported


The two faces of Fawaz Damra
The year 2007 started off right as federal officials deported Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Fawaz Damra in early January. Damra had been the longtime imam of the Islamic Center of Cleveland. He was deported for lying to authorities about his ties to the terrrorist organization, failing to disclose them on his citizenship application, and for recruiting suicide bombers to attack Israel. Damra had been hailed as an "interfaith moderate" in Cleveland, that is, until videos surfaced of him calling Jews "the sons of apes and pigs" and fundraising for jihad along with PIJ leader Sami Al-Arian. Then there was his prior tenure with a NY-based front for Al-Qaeda.

Go to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Fawaz Damra archive.


Jihad Julio Pino at Kent State


One of the most underreported stories of the year (one we didn’t even have a chance to get to) involves Kent State Latin American History professor Julio “Jihad” Pino, who was found earlier this year operating a now-closed jihadist forum, the “Global War” blog, which proclaimed: “Are You Prepared for Jihad? IN THE NAME OF OBL. 2007: THE YEAR OF ISLAMIC VICTORY!” University of North Carolina-Wilmington Criminology professor Mike Adams exposed Pino’s jihadist rants in an article at Townhall back in February. A series of articles by Adams ran throughout the year expanding on the story. Things at Kent State came to a head in November when the History department chairman, John Jameson, was fired by the university after he approved a paid leave for Pino to travel to the Middle East without university approval. No action has been taken by the university against Pino.

Terror-linked group’s Central Ohio connections

A tip to my latest investigative article published today by PJM: “NY Congressman Gregory Meeks’ cozy relationship with a terror-linked organization”. It concerns a DC-based group, the Peace and Justice Foundation, and its attempts to hold events on Capitol Hill. One such function back in August was ejected from the US Capitol by the US House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms the day before the conference because of the terror-linked speakers that were scheduled to appear. The group publicly defends a number of terrorist organizations, convicted terrorist leaders, at two convicted cop killers.

This story has ties to Central Ohio, in that the Peace and Justice Foundation published an open letter on Abukar Arman’s website endorsing the recent HAMAS-fest at the Ohio Statehouse (a letter I responded to here), and three of the speakers at the August event that got tossed from the US Capitol grounds were from the Columbus area: (would-be Columbus Public School Board candidate) Anisa Abd El-Fattah/Caroline Keeble, (former Franklin County Homeland Security Oversight Board member) Abukar Arman and (Mayor Coleman advisor) Ahmad Al-Akhras.

Here’s the intro:

Why is a powerful congressman trying to pave the way for terror-linked speakers to appear on Capitol Hill?

That’s the question that comes to mind following the abrupt cancellation of the Muslim Mobilization Conference by the US House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms. The event, originally scheduled for August 11, would have taken place in the Cannon House Building Caucus Room had it not been for the last minute discovery of the terror-linked speakers that the DC-based Peace and Justice Foundation had invited to participate.

However the organization is claiming that Congressman Gregory Meeks, who initially helped organize the event, is actively working with them to reschedule, notwithstanding the organization’s public defense of several global terrorist organizations and two notorious cop killers. And a review of the Peace and Justice Foundation’s corporate documents shows that the group has been operating illegally for nearly a decade without any accountability whatsoever for funds it has raised for a wide variety of extremist causes.

Read it all at PJM.

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.

HAMAS in the (Ohio State) House: HAMAS operative to speak at Ohio State Capitol later this month

UPDATE #1 (10/9/07): Since someone from the Columbus Dispatch has been doing several Google searches today trying to obtain information on this conference (way to keep up, guys!), I’ll make it easy for them. Go here (this is to your own site, Dispatch!), here, here, here, and here. Nothing gets by the establishment media!

In Anisa Abd El Fattah’s immediate circle of colleagues, she is about the only one that hasn’t been designated a global terrorist by the US government, been tried and convicted on terrorism-related charges, or fled the country to avoid prosecution by the Feds. She headed an organization that one convicted terrorist leader described as “the political command for HAMAS in the United States”, which was named by federal prosecutors this past May as unindicted co-conspirator in the current Holy Land Foundation terror finance trial; and she co-authored two books with the current spokesman for HAMAS, Ahmed Yousef, who fled the US in 2005 and immediately reappeared in Gaza in his new position within the HAMAS leadership.

So why is she speaking at a conference held in the Ohio State Capitol atrium later this month?

That’s the question I ask in my FrontPage article this morning, “HAMAS in the House”. The conference, “The Many Faces of Islam”, sponsored by the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, is being organized by local terror apologist Abukar Arman, who was forced to resign from the Franklin County Homeland Security oversight board this past summer after I revealed his extremist statements in support of HAMAS, Hezbollah and other terrorist leaders.

(If you have an opinion on this proposed event that you would like to express on the matter, I might suggest contacting William Carleton [wcarleton@csrab.state.oh.us], Executive Director of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.)

Here’s a quick rundown of Abd El Fattah’s background:

• She served as president and director of public affairs for the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), which convicted terrorist supporter Mohammed Salah described as “the political command of HAMAS in the United States”. UASR was founded by Mousa abu Marzook, who is now the deputy political director for HAMAS and has been identified as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. (For more info on UASR, including it’s connections to Al-Qaeda, see Scott Wheeler’s 2004 investigative report, “Alleged Terrorist Threat Operates in DC Suburb”).
• She has co-authored two books with her former UASR coworker Ahmed Yousef, The Agent: The Truth Behind the Anti-Muslim Campaign in America and Al-Aqsa Intifada. Yousef fled the US in 2005 to avoid prosecution in the Fawaz Damra trial (Damra was convicted and deported earlier this year), and he shortly reappeared in Gaza as the official spokesman for HAMAS. One Middle Eastern daily recently called Yousef, “The Smiling Face of HAMAS”. Fattah and Yousef also co-edited the UASR’s quarterly publication, the Middle East Affairs Journal.
• FBI Agent Lara Burns in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism finance trial that UASR was part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine (HAMAS) Committee in America. A 1991 document released during that revealed that the head of the UASR, a position that Fattah herself held, was part of the Central Committee. UASR was named as unindicted co-conspirator by federal prosecutors this past May in that trial.
• In her role at UASR as director of public affairs, Fattah released a press statement dated March 23, 2004, condemning the targeted assassination of HAMAS founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin following a wave of suicide bombings targeting civilians.
• Fattah was also actively involved in the formation of the American Muslim Council, founded and headed by convicted terrorist leader Abdurahman Alamoudi, who is currently serving 23 years in prison. Her own bio states that she “has been credited with developing the blueprint for what later became the American Muslim Council, and served for nearly 10 years as an unofficial advisor”.
• She also served as a founding board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which federal prosecutors have said is also affiliated with HAMAS.
• In a recent letter to the editor published in the Columbus Dispatch, Fattah indicated that any Israeli man, woman or child in Gaza was fair game for terror attacks: “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. They are heavily armed with fully automatic weapons.”

There are many more details in the article. Read it all.

Here’s the conclusion:

What remains to be seen is whether officials responsible for booking this conference at the Ohio Statehouse were aware of the extremist views of the scheduled speakers, and whether a sponsoring Ohio legislator was needed to book the event. But in light of the precedent recently established by the US House Sergeant-at-Arms in denying these extremists from holding their event in such a prominent public venue, perhaps Ohio legislative leaders will be prompted to reconsider their tacit endorsement for these terror-tied extremists and the legitimacy that such an event held in the political epicenter of Ohio would give them.

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!