LMAO — Congresswoman Kilroy snubs CAIR, votes FOR House resolution supporting Israel

I’m never one to begrudge praise when someone does the right thing no matter how much I’ve disagreed with them in the past. So a tip of the hat to new Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy for bucking her CAIR supporters on Friday in her first week in Washington DC and voting FOR the House resolution supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States’ support for Israel, and supporting the peace process.

As I have reported here, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a HAMAS front group, invested significant money, time and energy to get Kilroy elected. It isn’t a stretch, considering her very slim margin of victory, that she owes her seat to CAIR. And in the past, she has been more than willing to do their bidding. But Ahmad Al-Akhras, Asma Mobin-Uddin and Abukar Arman must be steaming that Kilroy has turned on them so quickly. And to think that they couldn’t even get their own congressman, Keith Ellison, to vote against the resolution (he voted “present”)!

How are those political dividends paying off, CAIR?

LMAO

CAIR spreads Islamophobia as Round 2 of Obsession DVD campaign arrives by mail

Look what arrived in the mail yesterday!

Last week I reported about the response by our local Islamic extremists to the distribution of the DVD copies of “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War against the West” in dozens of major US daily newspapers on Sunday, September 14, including the Columbus Dispatch. Hatemongering organizations, like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), have gone near catatonic with rage that anyone is challenging their control over the establishment media.

Well, the second round of Obsession DVDs has begun hitting Ohio homes, as seen from the mailer above which arrived here yesterday. This very well may push extremists like CAIR over the edge. CAIR has already demanded an FEC investigation into the organization, the Clarion Fund, who is sponsoring the DVD distribution. And in Toledo, Muslim groups are in a state of near hysteria, claiming that they are living in fear because of the video drops.

Thus, in a curious turn of events, CAIR is directly responsible for Islamophobia, telling Muslims that they need to be afraid.

What is CAIR afraid of exactly? What the Clarion Fund has done is to take their message beyond the reach of Islamic extremists with their jackboot grip on the establishment media narrative, and reach out directly to American families to warn them about the immediate dangers of Islamic extremism. While the producers of Obsession go to great lengths to distinguish between mainstream Muslims and extremists, CAIR and its allies are attempting to erase that distinction between moderates and jihadists.

CAIR’s malignant ideology has finally turned in on itself, and their reactionary response to the Obsession DVD drops is exposing the group’s true motives for all the world to see. When American families watch the Obsession video, and compare it to CAIR’s overheated rhetoric, the jig will be up.

PS — look for my forthcoming review of the Clarion Fund’s next documentary, “The Third Jihad”, which is scheduled for release next month.

Jihadist post $50,000 bounty online for Columbus Pastor Rod Parsley’s head after CAIR's Christophobic campaign

UPDATE: Graphic of the Ekhlass Parsley bounty post and partial translation included below (thanks to Sean Osbourne of Northeast Intelligence Network).

As reported yesterday by “Archangel” and the Northeast Intelligence Network, an internet message offering a $50,000 bounty on the head of Columbus-area Pastor Rod Parsley for defaming Islam appeared earlier this week on the notorious “Ekhlass” online forum. Parsley is the pastor of World Harvest Church.

The complicity of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), particularly the Ohio chapter, in this violent threat must be noted. Since May, CAIR has waged a media campaign against evangelical pastors, particularly Pastor Parsley, and made a number of statements stoking the flames of Christophobic bigotry (statements, by the way, given plenty of attention by the Columbus Dispatch). The campaign by CAIR has attempted to marginalize evangelicals Christians by seeking to silence any criticism of the wave of violence caused by Islamic radicalism all over the world.

Central Ohioans Against Terrorism calls on CAIR to apologize for the violence provoked by their partisan political attacks on Parsley and immediately demands that they denounce this jihadist threat of violence against a member of our own community. CAIR should learn to how to express their political and religious disagreements without having to sink to ugly and divisive campaigns of religious bigotry in an attempt to smear and marginalize American Christians other faith communities. Their flagrant Christophobia in this instance has directly resulted in the violent threats we see against Pastor Parsley.



Partial machine translation:

50 thousand dollars to those who come Presse Rod Parsley

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Name of God the Merciful

(To hear from those who were given the book before you who have been involved is often abused) of Imran, 186

To each of Nasser taghoots this is America incite fighting all Muslims
To both defend Americans from the Muslims, this is America incite fighting all Muslims
To all secular Ethan, this is America incite fighting all Muslims
Toner to the bad and scientists Sultan, this is America incite fighting all Muslims
The dogs and interior ministries in the Arab and Muslim worlds, this is America incite fighting all Muslims

The sincerity of the Mujahideen in the name of Allah and there is superseding Khose and Almkzlon, the Americans claim to a crusade and annoy Allah and His Messenger, it would read the article fully aware repugnant to Islam and the Reverend Enough of this lowliness and Hakarh when he says that God Almighty is the devil who was revealed to Muhammad peace be upon him.

This is Rod Carsley Rod Parsley, who incited Christians in the United States to prepare to fight a war to eliminate the new crusade against Islam and Muslims, through speeches and written by the famous religious center in the pro-American Republicans. This is a priest's spiritual adviser McCain now

This picture of the American priest - Treasury God - Muslims, it is able to do it already, who is president of the Church "World Harvest" and you following URL who wants to prosecute and eliminate

www.rodparsley.com

HAMAS ♥ Mary Jo Kilroy

Mary Jo Kilroy and friends
UPDATE: Check out our new post on the topic, "Mary Jo Kilroy locks up the Ohio 15th female HAMAS vote".

It hardly seems like a year since Mary Jo Kilroy and her employees were helping Kilroy comrade and Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) national vice chairman Ahmad Al-Akhras stonewall and cover-up the illegal appointment of Al-Akhras business partner Abukar Arman by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners (of which Kilroy is president) to the Franklin County Criminal Justice Planning Board, which oversees area homeland security. Kilroy claimed to have no involvement in Arman’s appointment (more on that later), which was illegal by virtue of the fact that he is not a US citizen and thereby barred from serving according to Ohio law. (Yes, they had a foreign national who had openly praised HAMAS helping overseeing our homeland security, but don’t worry — the Columbus Dispatch said it was all OK, because he wasn’t a terrorist!)

But in the weeks that followed the Arman county commission kerfuffle, Ahmad Al-Akhras saw fit to reward Mary Jo Kilroy’s never-ending congressional campaign for the Ohio 15th Congressional District with two donations totaling $750. By the end of 2007, Al-Akhras had fully doled out $1000 to Kilroy’s campaign — with the last contribution coming less than a month before Al-Akhras fled the country to take a job with the government of Dubai. FEC reports showing Al-Akhras’ 2007 contributions to Kilroy are below.

Mary Jo Kilroy accepted these donations AFTER CAIR — the very same organization that Al-Akhras heads — had been named by federal prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism finance trial. And as the Investigative Project has noted, CAIR has been identified as one of the key components of the HAMAS terrorist support infrastructure in the US. Not by me. By federal prosecutors.

In fact, around the time of Al-Akhras’ last contribution to Mary Jo Kilroy’s campaign, the Department of Justice identified CAIR as a longtime terrorist support operation in a legal brief filed in another terrorism-related case (for more see, “For the Record: Government Reminds Court of CAIR/MAS Ties to Terrorists”).

Here is what the DOJ said about Mary Jo Kilroy’s friends at CAIR:

Moreover, since its founding by Muslim Brotherhood leaders, CAIR conspired with other affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood to support terrorists. (DOJ Brief No. 07-4778, USA v. Benkahla, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, p. 58)

Oh, I just happen to have an image of that statement taken from the DOJ brief:



And it was more than a decade ago that Steve Pomerantz, former FBI chief of counterterrorism, made the very same assessment about CAIR’s ties to international terrorism:

Any objective assessment of the material presented above leads to the conclusion that CAIR, its leaders, and its activities, effectively give aid to international terrorist groups. Unfortunately, CAIR is but one of a new generation of new groups in the United States that hide under a veneer of “civil rights” or “academic” status but in fact are tethered to a platform that support terrorism. The degree to which these groups are able to deceive the American public and intimidate writers and counter-terrorist officials will be a significant ingredient in whether this country will be rendered more vulnerable to terrorism in future years. (“Counterterrorism in a Free Society,” The Journal of Counterterrorism & Security International 5:1, Spring 1998, p. 26)

And what, you may ask, is Abukar Arman up to these days now that he’s not helping oversee Franklin County homeland security? That’s right. He’s now the new president of CAIR-Columbus.

Exit question: Are HAMAS, CAIR, and Ahmad Al-Akhras the kinds of friends that Democratic congressional candidate Mary Jo Kilroy wants to be associated with?

Two separate contributions by Ahmad Al-Akhras to Kilroy for Congress (8/29/07, 9/29/07) for $750 [click to enlarge; original]


Additional $250 contribution (12/03/07) by Ahmad Al-Akhras to Kilroy for Congress [click to enlarge; original]

CAIR-Ohio funded Al-Qaeda Legal Team

Matthew Vadum at Newsbusters today exposes the deep pockets that are financing the legal team of the Al-Qaeda terrorists held at Gitmo, and discovers that one of the financial backers of this effort is none other than CAIR-Ohio [HT: Tom Blumer]:

Much has already been written of the U.S. Supreme Court’s lawless, nonsensical decision in Boumediene v. Bush that gives America’s terrorist enemies unprecedented access to our civilian court system, but little has been written about the aggressively anti-American public interest law firm that helped to make it happen.*

The nonprofit Center for Constitutional Rights, which acted as co-counsel in the case, is deeply enmeshed in the politics of terrorism (take one guess on whose side) and has even taken money from groups linked to terrorism. CCR donors include the Ohio branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Safa Trust Inc., and the International Institute of Islamic Thought, all of which have been accused of connections to Islamist terror groups.

For more background on CAIR-OH’s support of CCR, see this Capital Research Center report, “The Terrorists Legal Team” and NGO Monitor’s report on CCR’s “Serial Abuse of International Law”.

Just as a reminder, recall that Salim Hamdan was Osama bin Laden’s driver, and Lakhdar Boumediene and his five associates were taken into custody to prevent an attack on the US Embassy in Bosnia.

Did some of that CAIR-Ohio money funding Al-Qaeda’s law firm came from the fundraiser featuring 1993 World Trade Center bombing unindicted co-conspirator Siraj Wahhaj, who helped raise $100,000 for CAIR-OH as the keynote speaker at their 2006 annual banquet, or the 2007 CAIR-OH annual banquet featuring Governor Ted Strickland?

For a good analysis of why granting habeas corpus rights to unlawful enemy combatants and other terrorists captured in the field is a significant departure from accepted international rules of warfare and American jurisprudence, see Timothy Furnish’s recent article, “Supreme Ignorance: America’s High Court Disregards the Laws of Land Warfare,” and former US Senator Fred Thompson’s piece at Pajamas Media (one of my writing homes), “Boumediene: A Supremely Problematic Court Decision”.

As Justice Scalia observed in his dissent in Boumediene:

Today, for the first time in our Nation’s history, the Court confers a constitutional right to habeas corpus on alien enemies detained abroad by our military forces in the course of an ongoing war.

And Chief Justice Roberts:

Today the Court strikes down as inadequate the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants. The political branches crafted these procedures amidst an ongoing military conflict, after much careful investigation and thorough debate. The Court rejects them today out of hand, without bothering to say what due process rights the detainees possess, without explaining how the statute fails to vindicate those rights, and before a single petitioner has even attempted to avail himself of the law’s operation. And to what effect? The majority merely replaces a review system designed by the people’s representatives with a set of shapeless procedures to be defined by federal courts at some future date. One cannot help but think, after surveying the modest practical results of the majority’s ambitious opinion, that this decision is not really about the detainees at all, but about control of federal policy regarding enemy combatants.

We’ve got hate mail!

Abdul-Muhaimin Bayan says,

"Waah, waah, waaaaaah! Central Ohioans Against Terrorism is so mean!"
Awwwwww. Abdul-Muhaimin Bayan has got his feelings hurt. He spent some time perusing our website Thursday evening, and didn’t like what he saw. We were saying so many things he took offence to that he penned the following missive in defense of hate sheiks, like Siraj Wahhaj; extremist organizations, like CAIR; and politically-connected Islamist thugs, like Ahmad Al-Akhras.

So Abdul-Muhaimin Bayan says, “boo hoo hoo!”:

From: “A. M. Bayan”
To: Undisclosed-recipients: <>;
Subject: Hate and Smear Campaign Against Muslims by “Central Ohioans Against Terrorism”
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2008 01:46:19 -0500
Cc: Patrick Poole, Read Holy Qur’an

In the Name of ALLAH, The Compassionate, The Merciful

And ALLAH will never lead a people astray after HE has guided them until HE makes Clear to them as to what they should avoid. Verily, ALLAH is The Knower of everything. Verily, ALLAH ! To HIM belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, HE gives life and HE causes death. And besides ALLAH you have neither waliy (friend, guardian, protector) nor any naseer (helper). [Qur’an translation : at-Taubah, 9:115–116]

O you who believe, should any one of you turn back from his Religion, then ALLAH will bring a people whom HE Loves and who Love HIM, humble towards Believers, mighty against the disbelievers, striving hard in ALLAH’s Way and not fearing the censure of any censurer. This is ALLAH’s Grace — HE gives it to whom HE pleases.. And ALLAH is Ample-Giving, All-Knowing. [Qur’an translation : al-Ma’idah, 5:54]

Friday, March 7, 2008

As-Salaamu Alaikum To CAIR, CAIR-Ohio and To All Muslims and True Believers, and To All:

I seek the Guidance, Mercy, Forgiveness, Help and Protection of ALLAH in this matter and in all things. Ameen (May it be so).

Let me begin by saying that I am very happy and very blessed to be a Muslim. I am so thankful that ALLAH guided me to Islaam. I am not a terrorist. Further, I totally reject any and all forms of “terrorism” including the murdering, assaulting, maiming, raping and unjustified injuring (by hand or mouth) of any human beings. I totally reject the concept and the actual practice of torturing any human beings. I do however firmly believe in the Rule of Law and therefore believe in appropriate punishments for crimes and terrorists’ acts, in accordance with the requirements of due process.

Terrorism is terrorism, but State sponsored terrorism initiated by powerful nations against weak and defenseless nations, peoples and individuals is the most abhorrent terrorism of all.

All praise is due to ALLAH for all persons, organizations and groups which genuinely stand for truth and justice and the Rule of Law which does not discriminate between Muslims, Christians, Jews and any other classifications of people. A murderer is a murderer; a thief is thief; a liar is a liar; and all praise belongs to ALLAH Who Alone is the Judge of us all. Ameen.

CAIR and or CAIR-Ohio may already be well aware of the anti-Muslim activities of the so-called “Central Ohioans Against Terrorism”, but I have just recently become aware of this organization’s web site which constitutes a vicious hate and smear campaign against Central Ohio Muslims in particular and against all Muslims in general and also against any non-Muslims who do not express and manifest hatred for Muslims and Islaam..

The web site of the so-called “Central Ohioans Against Terrorism” slanders and targets various present and past leaders of CAIR and or CAIR-Ohio, and all of the masaajid (mosques) and all of Islamic institutions and organizations in Columbus and Central Ohio including the Noor Islamic Cultural Center, ISGC, IFCO and Sunrise Academy, for example. Hilliard, Ohio where Sunrise Academy is located is specifically targeted.

The web site slanders and targets nationally and internationally well-known, beloved and respected Muslim leaders such as Imam Siraj Wahhaj who has been a guest speaker in Columbus, Ohio on many occasions over a period of several years now.

The web site slanders and targets well-known, beloved and respected, former and current CAIR officials, including brother Ahmad Al-Akhras and sister Asma Mobin-Uddin and others.

The web site slanders and targets government officials including Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and others.

The web site slanders and targets presidential candidate Senator Barack Hussein Obama.

One of the obvious goals of the web site is to insinuate that all Muslims and non-Muslims mentioned at the site are terrorists and or supporters of terrorists. Another goal is to incite fear and panic and irrational thinking and irrational behavior against Islaam and Muslims by anyone who visits the site. The producers of the site allege that Hilliard, Ohio, a Columbus suburb, is a center of support for violent jihad, by using various fabrications.

Jihad in Central Ohio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eLqbNiP45k

The publishers of the web site use a mixture of truths and falsehoods as well as pure fabrications, conjecture, speculation, inference, disparaging remarks, character assassination, guilt by association, allusion and innuendo, etc., to connect, --- some specific Muslim leaders, and more so, all Muslims and all non-Muslim leaders and officials who work with or interact in good faith with Muslims, --- to terrorism and terrorists’ plots.

Inshaa’ALLAH, if it pleases ALLAH, CAIR and or CAIR-Ohio has already been responding to, and best knows how to respond to, the web site of the so-called “Central Ohioans Against Terrorism”.

Links to some of the content on the site follows but there is much more:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2008

HTTP://OHIOAGAINSTTERROR.BLOGSPOT.COM/

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2008

http://ohioagainstterror.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunrise%20Academy

___________________________________________________________

Jazakum ALLAHU Khairan wa-Salaam.

Abdul-Muhaimin Bayan
Columbus, Ohio

________________________

Read Holy Qur’an

dawah@erinet.com

Needless to say, Abdul-Muhaimin Bayan is not the first individual to wail and pout about our little website here, but at least he didn’t praise al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups like the last one.

So here’s a challenge, Abdul: if you don’t like us publishing stories about local terror sheiks, such as Salah Sultan, and note his open association with terrorist leaders (like the picture below where he is sitting at a table with Yousef al-Qaradawi and Khaled Mish’al of HAMAS - both designated as terrorists by the US government);



Or you don’t like us pointing out that local organizations, such as Sunrise Academy, Masjid Abubakar Siddique, CAIR-OH, Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio and Noor Islamic Cultural Center, are bringing in unindicted co-conspirators named as such by the US Department of Justice for terrorist acts against the US and its citizens, such as Siraj Wahhaj pictured below, to speak and fundraise on behalf of their groups;



And you don’t want us mentioning how CAIR officials openly praise terrorist organizations, like the blog post by CAIR-OH board member Abukar Arman below, or defend convicted cop-killers;



Then you’re free to whine all you want. But perhaps this is another Quranic verse you should reflect on:

Do not withhold any testimony by concealing what you had witnessed. Anyone who withholds a testimony is sinful at heart. (2:283)

If you find fault with the truth we speak here, you’re problem isn’t with us; it’s with Allah.

UPDATE: RUMOR NOT TRUE — CAIR’s Ahmad Al-Akhras to head Ohio Civil Rights Commission?

Headed back to the land of sun, shari’a fun, and jihad.

Update #1 (0930 12/18/07): STOP THE PRESSES. Apparently the rumors about Al-Akhras possibly taking over the open OCRC post are NOT TRUE. Even more surprising than that, I’m informed that Al-Akhras intends to follow the example of his fellow jihadist, former Hilliard HAMAS cleric Salah Sultan, and is set to flee the country for the Middle East very shortly. More details are forthcoming.

Original Post: It is currently nothing but rumor, but there may be a thus-far unmentioned possible replacement for Barbara Sykes as the head of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission — CAIR national vice chairman and local Islamic extremist leader Ahmad Al-Akhras. Sykes resigned as chairwoman earlier this week just hours before her Ohio Senate confirmation hearing was scheduled.

According to a very reliable inside source, Al-Akhras resigned later in the week from his longtime cushy, high-paying job as asst. director of transportation at the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). I didn’t hear of this development until after the close of business on Friday, so I will confirm his resignation with MORPC on Monday. I previously reported (“Ahmad Al-Akhras on the Ropes?”) that Al-Akhras’ situation at MORPC was tentative already as many there grew tired of his constant on-the-clock activism and outspoken extremism, though no one could address for fear of the full “Wrath of CAIR” and the obligatory religious discrimination lawsuit that would have followed.

From one perspective (certainly not mine, by the way), Al-Akhras is an attractive candidate for the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) job. Al-Akhras has long been Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman’s man on the Community Relations Commission, and he is also a board member of ACLU-OH and the NAACP-OH. Al-Akhras has also participated in forums sponsored by the OCRC, such as this “Voting Rights Forum” in February 2006, which he moderated.

He’s tight with Gov. Ted Strickland, and it is no secret that our network of Islamic extremists here in town, headed by Al-Akhras, have not been happy with not having one of their own on the OCRC. In obeisance for their public support and campaign fundraising on his behalf, Strickland appeared at the CAIR-OH annual banquest last June (“Not in Our Name, Gov. Strickland”). They may be demanding more political payback from him. Al-Akhras would also be following the example of some of his CAIR colleagues in infiltrating the civil rights public sector, like what Ahmed Bedier has done in Florida, and what Esam Omeish of the Muslim American Society tried to do back in October with the VA Immigration Commission (derailed in no small part thanks to Steve Emerson and The Investigative Project).

But if he is appointed to the post by Gov. Strickland (which, again, is nothing but rumor at this point), Al-Akhras certainly faces many tough questions, many more than Sykes faced. Such as his open defense of the convicted members of our local Al-Qaeda cell (see my FPM article, “Hometown Jihad: Getting by with a little help from his [terrorist] friends”) and his longtime friendship (reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer) with convicted and deported North American Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader and fundraiser Fawaz Damra, even continuing communication with Damra even after he had been deported. His connection to that Al-Qaeda cell and his relationship with HAMAS cleric and former Hilliard resident Salah Sultan (who fled to Bahrain earlier this year after his US citizenship application was rejected) are yet unexplored areas of potential interest to his legion of critics.

Other facts of interest certain to come up in any possible confirmation hearing include Al-Akhras playing host to the Iranian mullah Ayatollah Khatami at a CAIR fundraiser last year, even being pictured with the mass murderer and father of the terrorist group, Hezbollah (“A Smile and Handshake for the Iranian Dictator”).


Then there was the minor role that Al-Akhras played in the horror of 9/11, by publicly coming to the defense of two Saudi students that the FBI and the 9/11 Commission Report says had conducted hijacking dry-runs on an American West flight from Phoenix to Columbus (“Ahmad Al-Akhras and the pre-9/11 "dry-run" Al-Qaeda terrorists he defended”).

He must also explain his cheerleading and promotion of 9/11-denial “theologian” David Ray Griffin (“9/11 Denial author coming to town, promoted by Mayor Coleman advisor Al-Akhras”). Oh, and while we’re on the topic, we do have artwork of Al-Akhras at the Griffin event we haven’t released yet.

The invitation that Al-Akhras extended to promient hate sheikh and 1993 WTC bombing unindicted co-conspirator Siraj Wahhaj to speak at a fundraiser this past September for the Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio, which Al-Akhras is president of, would no doubt be raised during any State Senate confirmation hearings (“Mayor Coleman advisor brings hate sheikh to town”). Oh, and there was that defense fundraiser that Al-Akhras hosted with Wahhaj in support of convicted cop killer Jamil Al-Amin (more on that one later!).

And let’s not forget about the videotaped assault by Al-Akhras and his Islamofascist goons of a local female independent journalist while videotaping one of his regular “hate the Jews and infidel Americans” rallies at the Federal Courthouse downtown (videos at Ciaospirit’s website), which may not sit well with some of the feminists in the Ohio Senate (see also my FPM article, “CAIR: Assault and Videotape?”). Included in other reported incidents of Al-Akhras’ jackboot thuggery is when he, along with two CAIR accomplices, went unannounced one evening to the home of a local retired Marine veteran to harrass him because they didn’t like his bumper sticker (“CAIR Thugs on Islamophobia patrol”), a confrontation he has openly bragged about to the local media.

Al-Akhras’ membership in the Muslim Brotherhood front group, the Muslim American Society, and its racist website postings might also come up (“The Muslim Brotherhood in Central Ohio”), as well as the long string of now-convicted terrorist leaders (such as Abdurahman Alamoudi, sentenced to 23 years in prison on terrorism charges) and other extremists that Al-Akhras brought into Central Ohio when he was still the president of CAIR-OH.

And then there was his appearance in August at the conference that was evicted from the US Capitol by the US House Sergeant-at-Arms over security concerns and his connection to the sponsoring group, the Peace and Justice Foundation, which openly defends a whole host of convicted terrorists and cop killers. The Peace and Justice Foundation also rose to the defense of Al-Akhras, Abukar Arman and Anisa Abd El Fattah against my criticism of that event, going so far as to openly defend a number of terrorist organizations in an open letter in support of the HAMAS-fest at the Ohio Statehouse back in October (“Group supporting Al-Qaeda defends Ohio Statehouse October-terror-fest”)

There are, however, other possible explanations for Al-Akhras’ reported departure from MORPC that may not be related to the open OCRC position. With the ongoing organizational shakeup at CAIR national, he might be positioning himself for a move into the national spotlight in Washington DC. It might be hard to believe, but such a move would likely serve to increase CAIR’s extremism.

Another possibility is that he might get something in the third-term Coleman administration in Columbus City Hall, where he can directly manage his many lackeys and stooges already inside Mayor Coleman’s office (I know, it’s not like the Mayor would ever create a job for one of his [drug dealer] friends or other political allies). Other job options for Al-Akhras are possible, but it is highly unlikely he will leave the public sector, where taxpayers get to fund his activism and he is exempt from Social Security taxes by being part of the Ohio state employee retirement system.

Whatever it might be, we will all be eager to hear where Ahmad Al-Akhras lands. Hopefully I’ve helped him here to fill in some of the holes in his resume. No need to thank me, Ahmad! Always my pleasure.

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.

9/11-denial author coming to Columbus, promoted by Mayor Coleman advisor Al-Akhras

“It is already possible to know beyond a reasonable doubt one very important thing: The destruction of the World Trade Center was an inside job, orchestrated by domestic terrorists.” — David Ray Griffin

Having just passed the sixth anniversary of America’s Day of Terror, some of our local extremists are bringing to town prominent 9/11-denial author David Ray Griffin, the foremost academic of the movement, who will be speaking at the First Congregational Church on East Broad Street next Tuesday, September 25th. Notwithstanding Griffin’s use of research from Holocaust-denial groups and individuals (discussed below), one individual promoting Griffin’s visit is Mayor Coleman’s close advisor, Ahmad Al-Akhras, a member of the Columbus Community Relations Commission.

In a critical review of Griffin’s book, The New Pearl Harbor, Chip Bertlet describes some of Griffin’s views:

• The U.S. government caused or deliberately allowed the attacks of 09/11/01 to take place.
• The collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center was caused by a controlled demolition (bombs planted in the buildings prior to the planes striking the buildings).
• The Pentagon was not struck by American Airlines flight 77 or any commercial jet, but was hit by a guided missile.
• The commercial jet that crashed in Pennsylvania was hit by a heat-seeking guided missile launched by the government to silence the hijackers who could have exposed government complicity.
• Bush knew in advance that the attacks would take place because after the attacks began he stayed talking to children in a classroom.

Even though most of Griffin’s bizarre claims have been thoroughly refuted (for instance, see NASA research scientist Ryan Mackey’s nearly 200-page rebuttal of Griffin, “On Debunking 9/11 Debunking”), the professional theologian has taken on in his most recent book the 2005 Popular Mechanics 9/11 myth-busting special report, “Debunking the 9/11 Myths”.

Scientists vs. retired liberal theologian: you decide.

What is most disconcerting about Griffin’s conspiratorial views is that he frequently relies on individuals and publications involved in the Holocaust-denial movement. For instance in his article published in Tikkun earlier this year, in his footnotes there are several references relying on such sources:

[24] A photograph taken by Terry Schmidt can be seen on page 63 of Eric Hufschmid’s Painful Questions: An Analysis of the September 11th Attack (Goleta, Calif.: Endpoint Software, 2002). According to Schmidt, this photo was taken between 3:09 and 3:16 PM, hence only a little over 2 hours before Building 7 collapsed. It shows that on the north side of the building, fires were visible only on floors 7 and 12. Therefore, if there were more fires on the south side, as some witnesses have claimed, they were not big enough to be seen from the north side.

[25] Quoted in Christopher Bollyn, “New Seismic Data Refutes Official Explanation,” American Free Press, Updated April 12, 2004. For several more examples, see the subsection labeled “Molten Steel” in my chapter, “The Destruction of the World Trade Center: Why the Official Account Cannot Be True,” in Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11, or the discussion of molten metal in Chap. 3 of Debunking 9/11 Debunking.

[56] See Ted Twietmeyer, “Judicial Watch Caught Pulling a 180 on Pentagon Footage,” Rense.com, May 21, 2006

The items I have placed in bold above should be noted. Eric Hufschmid is a prominent Holocaust-denier; the American Free Press is the publisher of The Barnes Review, founded by neo-Nazi Willis Carto and perhaps the largest Holocaust-denial publication in the US, which has recommended Adolf Hitler for a Nobel Prize (ADL has published a report on AFP/Barnes Review and their role in the 9/11 denial movement); and Rense.com is a site that promotes the cause of neo-Nazi Ernst Zundel. Even many in the 9/11 denial movement are loathe to associate or rely upon the research of these individuals and organizations. But not David Ray Griffin. Just last week one of his events in Ireland was cancelled after protests from local Jewish organizations.

Notwithstanding Griffin’s bizarro conspiratorial worldview and his reliance on Holocaust-denial researchers, he has already found enthusiastic supporters here in Columbus. One of the first people to announce Griffin’s upcoming Columbus appearance was none other than Mayor Michael Coleman’s close advisor, Ahmad Al-Akhras, who sent out the following email to a CAIR-OH listserv a few weeks ago:

From: Ahmad Al-Akhras
To: “cair ohio”
Date: Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:43 am
Re: FW: David Ray Griffin talk, Sep 25 7pm

Prominent theologian to speak in Columbus

David Ray Griffin will be in Columbus for a talk at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 25, at the First Congregational Church, 444 East Broad Street.

Dr. Griffin is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology at Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University, and codirector of the Center for Process Studies.

He has written four books on the subject of 9/11, including “The New Pearl Harbor” (2004), “The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions” (2005), “Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11” (2006), and “Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory” (2007).

He is co-editor with Peter Dale Scott of “9/11 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out” Vol. I (2007), which bears this note from Paul Craig Roberts, former assistant secretary of the US Treasury and editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal: “This is the most important book of our time. Distinguished national and international scientists and scholars present massive evidence that the 9/11 Commission Report is a hoax and that the “terrorist attack” has been manipulated to serve a hegemonic agenda in the Middle East. The book’s call for a truly independent panel of experts to be empowered to bring out the true facts must be heeded or Americans will never again live under accountable government.”

The following commendation of Griffin’s work is from the late Reverend William Sloan Coffin: “Professor David Ray Griffin has a well-deserved reputation for the thoroughness of his research. All Americans who love their country enough to dig into the facts of these critical times will be well rewarded for examining his books. 9/11 truth is a very important issue — one with the power to bring lasting change to our country.”

Speaking as someone who lost a friend and colleague on 9/11 (on American Airlines Flight 77, which Griffin says didn’t hit the Pentagon), it sickens me that six years after the fact that crackpots and nutjobs like Griffin continue to receive a hearing and are welcomed in our area. They are not being heard because of the weight of their arguments, but the virulence and venom of their ideas, much like Nazism in post-WWI Germany.

It isn’t surprising that Ahmad Al-Akhras and CAIR are involved in such filth; in fact, a CAIR-OH forum held back in April listed Columbus 9/11 Truth as one of their associated groups (see my FrontPage article, “Ohio State Profs Go ‘Truther’”. What is surprising is that they are still received and defended by the political power-brokers in Central Ohio and the Columbus establishment media.

CAIR to honor Holy Land Foundation official and unindicted co-conspirator at annual banquet

Just a day after the 9/11 commemoration last week, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced that Kifah Mustapha will be among their featured speakers at their annual banquet a on Saturday, November 17th at the Marriott Crystal Gateway in Arlington, VA.

Who is Kifah Mustapha? Well since you asked, Mustapha is currently an imam and associate director of the radical hub The Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, IL. In February 2004, the Chicago Tribune published an investigative report, “Hard-liners won battle for Bridgeview mosque”, which reports that convicted Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative Sami Al-Arian had been videotaped raising funds in the Bridgeview mosque to wage jihad and commit terrorist acts against Israel. The Tribune article also describes how extremists had taken over the mosque in a leadership coup. Mustapha is now part of that leadership. The mosque had also had another curious guest — Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden’s mentor, and co-founder of what became Al-Qaeda. Nice.

Mustapha was immediately hired by The Mosque Foundation in 2001 after his previous employer, the Holy Land Foundation, of which he was the executive director and ran their Chicago office, was closed down by the US government in the wake of 9/11 for funneling funds to Islamic terrorist organizations.

Joel Mowbray’s Wall Street Journal January 2006 article, “Reign of the Radicals”, specifically mentions Mustapha’s hiring in the context of the other terror-related activities at the mosque:

Between 1991 and 2001, the mosque gave a total of almost $400,000 to three Islamic charities: the Global Relief Foundation, the Holy Land Foundation and the Benevolence International Foundation. All had offices near the mosque and shared many of its leaders. When the charities were closed after 9/11 for financing terrorist activities, the mosque leaders thumbed their noses at the government, re-electing GRF officer Mohamed Chehade to its board and hiring Kifah Mustapha, who had run the Chicago-area HLF office, as its new prayer leader.

Other prominent members of Bridgeview have ties to terrorist groups too. Muhammad Salah, who was on the mosque’s executive committee until 1993, is under house arrest, pending trial on charges of laundering millions to fund Hamas. Bridgeview’s imam was the treasurer in the mid-’90s for Al Aqsa Educational fund, described by the FBI as a front for Hamas. The list goes on.

This invitation to be honored by CAIR comes as former officials of the Holy Land Foundation are currently on trial in a federal court in Dallas, TX. In fact, Kifah Mustapha was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in that trial, along with CAIR. When it comes to terror-loving jihadis, old habits die hard for CAIR.

And who is the national vice-chairman of CAIR? Columbus’ own smilin’ Ahmad Al-Akhras.

“That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.” — Hamlet: Act I, Scene 5.

CAIR turns on the Columbus Dhimmi Dispatch over dreaded cartoon of blasphemy of the week

(Welcome RoP readers! Many updates below)

I wish I could say that I take a slight bit of pleasure in Columbus Dispatch editorial page editor Glenn Sheller’s present misery, but I don’t, seeing as Ahmad Al-Akhras and CAIR has called out their cultural stormtroopers to wage jihad against their media establishment dhimmi for violating their always-fluctuating and perpetually hypocritical standards. The First Amendment is what they have in their sights. Still, as much as the Dhimmi Dispatch and Mike Curtin shills for CAIR and the free print space that Glenn Sheller gives to Al-Akhras and his CAIR thugs on a constant basis, karma is at work in this situation. (If only for those First Amendment considerations, consider dropping a note of support to the Dispatch: gsheller@dispatch.com).

The dreaded cartoon of blasphemy of the week appeared in Tuesday’s edition of the Columbus Dhimmi Dispatch, and pictures terror cockroaches scurrying across a map of the Middle East out of an Iranian sewer identified with the word “extremism” (link is to CAIR’s own reprint of the cartoon, so it will be interesting if they accuse me of incitement and/or racism as well — UPDATE: CAIR has removed the cartoon from their website, so we are reposting it here):


For Al-Akhras and his stormtroopers, the First Amendment is a one-way street: they are free to seethe and spew their extremist venom as much as they want, but no one is free to criticize their jackboot thuggery or their terrorist associates.

There is cause to feel some sympathy with the establishment media, however, because they are almost in the same relationship with CAIR as a battered spouse: no matter how much the Dispatch will try to please CAIR and its stormtroopers, the more demanding and violent CAIR will become. They are playing a game they can never win.

The real issue at hand is: will the Dhimmi Dispatch pay CAIR’s propaganda jizya by apologizing for the cartoon to placate their Islamic extremist pals? Will they agree in obeisance to allow CAIR to clear all of their editorial cartoons in the future, or will they just be mindful not to publish anything to inflame their Muslim Brotherhood overlords?

CAIR has posted an action request up on their website:

Incitement: Cartoon Portrays Iranians as Roaches Fleeing Sewer

SEE: http://www.cair.com/Iran_DispatchSep42007.gif

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.) Send polite comments about this Nazi-style cartoon depicting Iranians as roaches fleeing a sewer to: gsheller@dispatch.com, michael.ramirez@investors.com
COPY TO: info@cair.com

Here’s the email that got the whole thing started (ongoing thanks for my Muslim friends who continue to provide me with the internal correspondence of the extremists in our community):

From: Ahmad Al-Akhras
To: CAIR-OH
CC: Ibrahim Hooper, Parvez Ahmed
Date: Wed Sep 05 07:40:30 2007
Subject: FW: anti-Muslim political cartoon

The Sep 4th is NOT on the web. I saw it in the print version and it is DISGUSTING! I attached a pdf of the cartoon.

This is exactly the same propaganda that the German government used against the Jews in the 1930s!

Make a call to the Dispatch

Glenn Sheller — Editorial Page Editor
gsheller@dispatch.com
(614) 461-5072

Mike Curtin — Vice Chair and Associate Publisher
mcurtain@dispatch.com

Michael Fiorile — President
mfiorile@dispatch.com

Make your voice heard.

JAK

AA

-----Original Message-----
From: Brittany Parsons
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 7:33 PM
To: info@...
Subject: anti-Muslim political cartoon

Hello,I wanted to pass this information along because it really offends me. Today, September 4, the Columbus Dispatch ran a very offensive political cartoon that I would describe as anti-Muslim. On the top of page a8 there is a cartoon that depicts Iran as a sewer and Iranians as cockroaches. I called the newspaper to complain about it but I was blown off. I’m not a Muslim, but this really offends me. I hope that your organization can rally your members against the Dispatch and at least get them to apologize. Thanks for your time!

— Brittany Parsons

Just so I understand this situation correctly, CAIR is finally concerned with Nazi-style cartoons? What about all of the anti-Jewish cartoons that appear virtually every daily in the biggest newspapers in the Middle East (check out the MEMRI blog for the most recent examples)? What about the anti-American cartoons that appear in Iranian newspapers? It’s a bit ironic that CAIR is now using the term “Nazi”, because weren’t these Muslim Brotherhood stormtroopers on the side of the Nazis in WWII? Their hypocrisy is pretty rank.

Update #1: An Iranian blogger, Kamangir, comments on the matter and says, “Do not Panic! You are not a Cockroach!”, and also provides some examples of cartoons from the Iranian state-run newspaper Kayhan, “Offensiveness: A Proprietary Right”. Don’t expect CAIR to get too hot and bothered over the Iranian cartoons, however.

Update #2: Dispatch editorial page editor Glenn Sheller responds to an email from local extremist and regular Dispatch letter to the editor contributor Mahmoud “Hezbollah are freedom-fighters” El-Yousseph, and says:

“You are entitled to interpret cartoons as you prefer, but since the cartoon clearly labels its target as extremism in Iran, your reading of it as an indictment of Muslims in general strikes me as unjustified.”

Glenn, you are missing the point. It has nothing to do with what was intended; it’s all about how Al-Akhras and his crew can twist it to get what they want out of it. You are object to their subject; you are merely grist for their mill. They are after some quid pro quo, such as getting the Dispatch to do another hit piece on me and COAT. What’s Barbara Carmen working on these days? And since we’re on the subject, why is the Dispatch riffling through my personal blog everyday?

Update #3: It seems the National Iranian American Council is following CAIR’s lead.

Update #4: Dave Harding at the Leftist Progress Ohio blog reprints a form letter being sent out by Glenn Sheller in response to the CAIR Cartoon jihad:

Dear sir or madame:

Thank you for writing to The Dispatch.

You apparently are responding to a call from the Council of American-Islamic relations to write to me and to cartoonist Michael Ramirez to complain about a cartoon about the Iraqi regime’s support of violent extremists and terrorists throughout the Middle East.

CAIR claims the cartoon demeans all Iranians as cockroaches. But since the drain cover depicted in the cartoon is clearly labeled with “Iran” and “extremism” it is clear that the cartoon refers only to those elements of the Iranian regime who support extremism. In other words, it doesn’t come close to labeling all Iranians as cockroaches.

CAIR also likens the cartoon to Nazi propaganda. This is a remarkable display of intellectual gymnastics. Iranian President Ahmadinejad has called for the destruction of the Jewish state and questions the Holocaust, while his regime tries to develop nuclear weapons. If CAIR is truly concerned about the promotion of Nazi ideas and the use of Nazi methods, it should direct its attention to Tehran.

CAIR’s claims that its mission is to promote understanding of Islam and combat anti-Islamic information and anti-Islamic attitudes. That’s an honorable mission when it is directed at legitimate grievances.

In this case, CAIR has misrepresented this cartoon and missed the mark by fabricating a false grievance.

All the best,

Glenn Sheller
Editorial Page Editor
The Columbus Dispatch
614-461-5072

CAIR fabricating grievances? Shock a monkey!

Harding questions whether the word “extremism” appears in the cartoon. In fact, it does. In between the first and second grate hole from the bottom.

Update #5: According to a May 2006 Gateway Pundit post, this apparently is not the first time that the whole cockroach issue has been raised. What if Americans rioted every time something unpleasant was said about the US? Does CAIR issue action alerts about that as well?

Colleagues of Mayor Coleman Advisor Placed at HAMAS Meeting

Mike Brown, Mayor Michael Coleman’s spokesman, who we have previously seen actively involved in a cover-up to bury any investigation on terror apologist Abukar Arman to avoid any connections between the Mayor and Ahmad Al-Akhras, close advisor to Coleman and business partner to Arman, ought to be more concerned about the developments coming out of the Holy Land Foundation trial currently underway in Dallas than covering up the Arman matter.

During testimony in that trial two weeks ago, two CAIR colleagues of Al-Akhras (vice chairman of CAIR), Omar Ahmad (chairman emeritus of CAIR) and Nihad Awad (executive director of CAIR), were both placed at a critical 1993 HAMAS strategy meeting held in Philadelphia with the express purpose of coordinating fundraising for HAMAS and putting their public relations and lobbying efforts to work within the US to undermine the Oslo Peace Accords. Ahmad and Awad are the co-founders of CAIR.

Counterterror expert Matthew Epstein has previously testified (p. 12) before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on the 1993 Philadelphia HAMAS strategy meeting, and the role that the future CAIR officials played in the event :

Future CAIR leadership was present at the infamous “1993 Philadelphia meeting,” which FBI documents describe as “a meeting in the United States among senior leaders of HAMAS, HLFRD and IAP.” According to FBI documents, the meeting was attended by future CAIR board chairman Omar Yahya Ahmed26 and future founding board member of the Texas CAIR chapter Ghassan Elashi.27 According to an FBI action memorandum analyzing wiretaps of the meeting:

“The overall goal of the meeting was to develop a strategy to defeat the Israeli/Palestinian peace accord, and to continue and improve their [HAMAS] fund-raising and political activities in the United States. . .

The participants decided that for fund-raising purposes, the United States theater was very valuable to them. They stated they could not afford to lose it. In the United States, they could raise funds, propagate their political goals, affect public opinion and influence decision-making of the U.S. Government.

It was mentioned that the United States provided them with a secure, legal base from which to operate. The democratic environment in the United States allowed them to perform activities that are extremely important to their cause. In discussing financial matters the participants stated a belief that continuation of the Holy War was inevitable.

It was decided that most or almost all of the funds collected in the future should be directed to enhance the Islamic Resistance Movement and to weaken the selfrule government. Holy War efforts should be supported by increasing spending on the injured, the prisoners and their families, and the martyrs and their families.”28

The fact that participants in this senior Hamas meeting would go on to organize CAIR in the United States exposes the militant Islamic disposition of CAIR leadership.

Omar Ahmad, Nihad Awad, Ahmad Al-Akhras and Parvez Ahmed are the executive leaders of CAIR. Omar Ahmad and Nihad Awad have been listed by federal prosecutors as unindicted co-conspirators in the case, as has CAIR itself. The founder of the CAIR-Texas chapter, Ghassan Elashi, has already been convicted on terrorism charges and is included in the Holy Land Foundation trial as well (Al-Akhras founded the Ohio chapter of CAIR). Because of the activity by HAMAS to disrupt the Middle East process, President Clinton designated the group as a terrorist organization in January 1995, but many US-based organizations continued to fundraise for the group.

Mayor Michael Coleman and his spokesman, Mike Brown, have bigger concerns than Abukar Arman, especially since the Mayor has appointed Al-Akhras to a number of government boards, including the Community Relations Commission and the Street Car Working Group. Coleman’s close association with Al-Akhras puts him only one step away from a whole network of international terrorists and domestic extremists, which may not bode well in an election year.