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.

Local Islamic extremists attack Columbus Dispatch for Obsession DVD distribution

UPDATE: The Columbus Dispatch wusses out.

Included in the Sunday edition of the Columbus Dispatch this past weekend (you know, before the power went out) was an advertising insert containing a DVD copy of the documentary, “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West”. You can go to FrontPage Magazine to read my review of the movie.

Even before the newspapers began hitting the porches of Central Ohio homes, Islamic extremists upset with the DVD distribution began a campaign to attack the Columbus Dispatch for allowing the distribution campaign. Hany Saqr, chairman of the Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Hilliard, sent the following email to supporters demanding that they contact the Dispatch to express their disapproval (thanks to my friends who forwarded this message):

From: Hany Saqr
To: Noorfriends
Subject: please act now . . not later
Date: September 16, 2:48am

The Sunday Columbus Dispatch released in the advertisements a DVD titled “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War against the West”

This DVD is a mere campaign of spreading hate against the Muslim community

http://www.truthout.org/article/newspapers-deliver-millions-terror-dvds-subscribers-swing-states

Please contact Columbus Dispatch and ask about the reason behind this anti-Muslim campagin and who is sponsoring it

Head Retail Advertising — Nick Lazaroff — nlazaroff@dispatch.com
Advertising — adaugherty@dispatch.com, ckerr@dispatch.com, sthomas@dispatch.com
VP of Marketing — Philip Pikelny - ppikelny@dispatch.com
News Editor — Ben Marrison — bmarrison@dispatch.com
Religion Editor — klecker@dispatch.com, mheagney@dispatch.com

Let us know the columbus dispatch response by sending an email to: contact@noorohio.org

There is even now a Facebook page, “Muslims against the Columbus Dispatch”, that features the exact same information contained in Saqr’s message. As an aside, the Facebook page is run by a kid out of Miami University, Azzam Mahmood.

Here’s the message from the Facebook page:

On Sunday September 14th, 2008 The Columbus Dispatch had released thousands of newspapers containing DVDs containing disparaging comments against Islam, containing huge amounts of slander. They were written as advertisements however, as seen in the Times, these were implemented by the newspaper. As Muslims we should end our subscription and look into new sources of news, unbias and truly newsworthy. The Dispatch has proved through its supposed “advertisement” that its conservative voice is no longer needed in our society.

Act now, and contact one of these people, the more emails the more impact, remember!

Head Retail Advertising — Nick Lazaroff — nlazaroff@dispatch. com
Advertising — adaugherty@dispatch .com, ckerr@dispatch. com, sthomas@dispatch. com
VP of Marketing — Philip Pikelny — ppikelny@dispatch. com
News Editor- Ben Marrison - bmarrison@dispatch. com
Religion Editor — klecker@dispatch. com, mheagney@dispatch. com

Stand up for your culture and people!

What exactly are they demanding? It really isn’t clear, but we’re sure that there will be some profuse groveling by the Dispatch management involved, followed by a glowing article by Felix Hoover on how there are no Islamic extremists in Central Ohio. Will the Dispatch fall quickly back into line and apologize for offending Hany Saqr and his band of Islamic extremists?

In the off-chance that the Dispatch won’t knuckle under, contact the Dispatch at the email addresses above and thank them for standing firm in defense of the First Amendment — something some of our local Islamic leaders aren’t very fond of.

Here’s the press release from the Clarion Fund for the Obsession DVD drop:

September 15, 2008

CONTACT: www.watchobsession.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOMES ACROSS AMERICA receive “OBSESSION” dvd

WARNING ABOUT RADICAL ISLAM THREAT TO AMERICA

Shariah Law Would Erase Basic Freedoms and Codify Discrimination Against Women

Homes in over 100 major American cities are receiving DVD copies of the film Obsession — Radical Islam’s War Against the West starting today.

The Clarion Fund will deliver millions of copies of the DVD during the next month to homes across America.

This is the second phase of a nationwide initiative to inform the American people about the threat of Radical Islam to America, including its efforts to incorporate Islamic fundamentalist Shariah law which would negate a wide range of Constitutional laws and rights.

At the beginning of August tens of thousands of copies were distributed at both the Democratic and Republican conventions. Additional tens of thousands were nationally distributed in publications including National Review, Chronicle of Higher Education, the New York Times and others.

The Obsession initiative is one of the largest distributions ever undertaken of a film to individual households because officials at the Clarion Fund believe the issues addressed in the film are critically important.

“Obsession demonstrates in graphic detail what can happen in a nation when it ignores the troubling symptoms of the influences of Radical Islam and its efforts to sneak Shariah principles into local and state laws,” said Watch Obsession.Org national chairman Tom Trento.

“Obsession offers details and documentation of story after story about secretive and often violent efforts to spread Islam throughout Europe and here in America. Every American should know the lessons taught by this important film.

“This film is not a blanket condemnation of all Muslims. Many moderate Muslims have been intimidated into silence by lawless and violent cells of extreme jihadists who are now operating in America and throughout the world.”

Consult the list below to identify a national spokesperson or someone from your area to interview. For more information about Obsession and Radical Islam go to radicalislam.org To see a four minute trailer from Obsession — Radical Islam’s War Against the West go to watchobsession.org

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

Welcome Investigative Project and RoP visitors!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


Here’s the entire IslamOnline interview with Salah Sultan:

Politicking US Muslims

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

By Abdelrahman Rashdan

Staff Writer — IslamOnline.net

US Muslims: Interview with Dr. Salah Soltan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will CAIR protest Ohio State Fair prize-winning pig of blasphemy?

Oh, the cultural insensitivity! Rampant Islamophobia in the Buckeye State! From the Columbus Dhimmi Dispatch, nonetheless! The horror!


No doubt this little girl innocently intended to honor world champion boxer Muhammad Ali (which is what the Dispatch article indicates), but will that prevent them from burning Dispatch reporter Braden Lammers and editor Ben Marrison in effigy in Karachi tomorrow? History has proven time and again that extremists need less excuse than this.

CAIR boycott of the Columbus Dispatch and Kroger will commence in 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . .

[article online]

A reason for hope in Central Ohio

I don’t follow the local dead tree media (e.g. Columbus Dispatch, et al.), but I was made aware of a recent letter to the editor published by the Dispatch last week that gives evidence that not all Central Ohioans have fallen prostrate to the agenda of our country’s enemies (though it does seem that many of our local officials have). The letter is from a father of a local Marine and describes the treatment his son received while home on leave.

Here’s the letter in full:

City conveyed its appreciation to Marine
Sunday, February 3, 2008 3:10 AM

I am a Marine Corps dad who picked up my son from the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot at Parris Island on Jan. 25. I had no idea what was in store for him when he came home to Columbus.

Upon our return, we have witnessed a gratitude from the people of Columbus that we did not expect. Last Sunday, my son, Pvt. Tyler Allen Leavitt, put on his dress-blue uniform for church to visit those who have prayed for him during the tough training that Marines must endure for the honor of being called a United States Marine.

During this “victory tour,” Tyler has witnessed a grateful nation through the awesome, intimate hand of fellowship from the people of Columbus.

Here are a few of the wonderful gestures:

After church we had lunch at Stan’s Restaurant. A waitress slipped Tyler $20 and whispered, “Thank you,” and went on her way. We went to T-Mobile at Easton to re-establish Tyler’s cell-phone service. The customer-service line was out the door. Tyler looked at me and said, “Dad, this could take a while.” I left him there for a couple of minutes to look around. I came back to find that the entire line had moved this Marine to the front, as he was already being taken care of by the T-Mobile staff.

While walking to our truck to leave Easton Town Center, many acknowledged Tyler by blowing their horn shouting, “Semper Fi.” The most emotional event was when we heard a mother with her young children say, “Kids, you have just been passed by a United States Marine.” It was all I could do to hold back my tears.

Tyler joined the Marines from his deep passion to serve and protect the nation and people he holds dear. I know from his silence and the look in his eyes during these events that he was deeply moved.

I can see that the honor, courage and commitment instilled during his training was strengthened by the people he loves so much.

Thank you, Columbus.

ANDY LEAVITT
Columbus

These heart-warming incidents are a testimony to the attitude of gratefulness in our area for those serving in defense of our county. It reminds me of the outpouring of gratitude on the return of the Lima Company Marines in October 2005, when the city showed up en masse to welcome home our local heroes from Iraq.

Pvt. Leavitt’s parents and family have reason to be proud, as do the families of all those from our area serving our nation in uniform. God bless all those serving at home in abroad to keep us safe and free. May we always be willing to show our gratitude.

Anisa Abd El Fattah backs Ron Paul and neo-Nazi STORMFRONT

Vote for Ron Paul, infidel.

UPDATE #1: Welcome everyone visiting from LGF, Atlas Shrugs, Ace and RoP!

UPDATE #2: For a visual comparison of her Anisa Abd El Fattah persona (her nom de jihad), and her Caroline Keeble identity, take a look at the top of this post.

Sultan Knish informs us that our local HAMAS operative, former CAIR national board member and would-be Columbus Public School Board member Anisa Abd El Fattah/Caroline Keeble has a couple of recent posts on the “Muslims for Ron Paul” Yahoo forum coming out in favor of presidential hopeful Ron Paul and wishing neo-Nazi website STORMFRONT the best of luck in their battle against ADL. How nice.

This is the same Anisa Abd El Fattah who spent this past weekend speaking at a conference for an Iranian government front group identified by former FBI Director Louis Freeh as a direct domestic terror threat.

But don’t worry: the Columbus Dispatch still thinks she’s a moderate.

In her first message, she encourages candidate Paul not to bow to outside pressure calling for him to return donations from neo-Nazi leaders:

Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:48:00 -0800 (PST)
To: Muslims_for_RonPaul@yahoogroups.com
From: caroline keeble
Subject: Re: [Muslims_for_RonPaul] ADL Concerned About Ron Paul Supporters

Well, this will be the first test for Ron Paul. We will know if he is really our man if he stands for the Constitutional rights of all Americans to participate in the political process and to exercise their right to free speech. Campaign contributions are free political speech, and I think the ADL should be very careful not to attempt to chill or deprive Americans of their Constitutional rights. We already know they believe that only their flunkies have rights, and that they have the power to dictate to others who to vote for, etc. So this will be the test. Let’s see how Paul responds when it comes to dealing with the ADL.

Anisa

Next up, she offers a prayer for STORMFRONT:

Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:49:12 -0800 (PST)
To: Muslims_for_RonPaul@yahoogroups.com
From: caroline keeble
Subject: Re: [Muslims_for_RonPaul] ADL Extremism vs. Stormfront Extremism

28 USC 241 is a criminal statute. Traditionally only the US Attorney, or an Attorney General can file a suit under this statute. This is why the National Association of Muslim American Women filed a complaint back in January with the DOJ, requesting a Department of Justice investigation of the Jewish Lobby, including the ADL, not only for their routine attempts to tar and feather every Muslim and Arab as terrorist or potential terrorists, but also because there is a very good chance that these organizations, and their supporters are the sources of the so-called secret evidence that is the cause for many of the wrong arrests, imprisonments and other acts that have been carried out unfairly against Muslims and Arabs. Once tried in courtrooms these cases fall apart because the groups and individuals that provided the secret evidence, or who spread the rumors are liars.

There is also a very good chance that if we had gotten the investigation, it would have been proven that much of the testimony they have provided in Congressional hearings and private meetings has been lies, or rather perjury and false statements made to government officials, both crimes under 18 USC 1001. We attempted to circulate a petition asking Muslims and Arabs to sign onto the request for an investigation, to demonstrate to the DOJ that this was a serious initiative, and an issue of importance to nearly 8 million American citizens. We got 98 signatures, and so the Lobby continues with these tactics because they feel emboldened by Muslim and Arab apprehension about speaking up and pushing back. I pray that the people of Stormfront and their followers will have better luck with their people than we did with ours. It’s time for someone to stand up to the JDL and the ADL, and for their attempts to chill and deprive other Americans of rights be stopped.

Anisa

The Sultan notes this is not the first, or even the second time that Fattah has come out in support of the neo-Nazis (see my previous FPM article, “Islamofascist Defends Fascists”, covering her unashamed approval of neo-Nazis). In her published exchange with UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh, she goes out of her way to defend “White nationalists”, explaining the motive for their “fear mongering”:

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

No doubt, Ron Paul is proud to have her support.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph: Suicide bombings are “reasonable”

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s Mahmoud in his own words:

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

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

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

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

Mahmoud El-Yousseph
Westerville

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

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

Dear editor:

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

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

Mahmoud El-Yousef

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

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

Dear friedns:

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

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

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

thanks for your time.
Salaam,
Mahmoud El-Yousseph

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3/23/2004

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HAMAS-linked Ohio Statehouse conference speaker defends neo-Nazis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Former Hilliard HAMAS cleric pictured with two global terrorists

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where’s the Columbus Dispatch now?

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.