RUTHFULLY YOURS

An interview has surfaced in which, after being assured that it has ended, Imam Rauf speaks “off-the-record” and reveals some intriguing plans and views that he has regarding America and the world. The interview, given on June 20^th, 2006, sees Rauf speaking about his “game plan” for achieving an Islamic State without borders, which — in his mind — has previously existed and should have continued to exist, if not for Western interference in the last century. The Ground Zero mosque imam also discusses some of his other objectives which include: (1) manipulating U.S. foreign policy, (2) advocating  for Hamas and (3) getting “power” on his side to push back the opposing “interests.” In one part of the “post-interview,” he also boasts that he advised and influenced former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and that he has a blurb on the back of one of her books.

One can’t help from wondering: why is a “Sufi” cleric involved in such things?

Check out Rauf “off-mic” here:

To get a closer look at the psychology and true “game plan” of Imam Rauf, let’s take a closer look at some of the more intriguing quotes from him in this interview:

“9/11 was a watershed, was a major catalytic force in, in catalyzing the attention towards the issue of Islam, it’s presence in the West.”

This quote clearly reveals that the Imam sees 9/11 mainly as a major opportunity, a milestone in advancing Islam. In other words, he holds that the murder of 3,000 Americans is now facilitating the work of nice “moderate’ Imams like himself in America.

“How America should really engage with them [Hamas]…Helping her [Madeline Albright] understand the role of religion. She supported a Jewish State in the Middle East; why not support an Islamic State?”

When Rauf learned that the interview was over, he opens up regarding his advocacy for Hamas and how he advised and influenced former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright — with whom he claimed to have had constant contact. Rauf warns of the need to deal with Hamas lest we lose this organization to bad guys, like Syria or Iran, as if Hamas is not bad enough on its own. This is the same threat this ‘man of peace’ is warning America with — to never upset the Islamic street “or else.”

“We have designed our Cordoba Initiative to be designed, in other words, we have 5 major areas of our program. So we have foreign policy, is one area, you have communications is another area, you have education as the third area, for example, you have intra-Islamic issues is the fourth area, arts and culture is the fifth area.”

Why would Cordoba, which he claims to be a “cultural center,” have a “foreign policy” section that would develop “strategy action play”? What is it exactly he going to educate Americans about? Will he send Muslim coaches to American schools to teach sensitivity training to watch out for the feelings of Muslims? Or might he demand to educate American kids about how to pray to Allah?

“If the entertainment media, the news media, was broadcasted in print, describe and speak about the issues in a different way it can help change perceptions profoundly, because it’s the media, which helps shape perceptions to a great degree. So if we have strategic action plays, designed plays, in the area of foreign policy, in the area of healing the divide, and then you unpack and give up Israel. You then have to have your offensive coaching stuff, your offensive coach and defensive coach and your head coach, we have to have our Palestinian coach, etc.”

Rauf speaks here like a war strategist who wants to use the media to shape perceptions to promote his strategic action plays in the area of foreign policy. Rauf and I are both of Egyptian origin and I think he is still dreaming of the good old days when the Egyptian media propaganda machine I lived under and participated in was at its strongest. Before moving to America, I was a journalist and media censor in the Middle East News Agency. There is no other way to interpret what Rauf wants: to use the media the way the tyrants and dictators of the Middle East do: as a traditional Islamic tool of indoctrination, misinformation and propaganda. Watch how clever Rauf inserts words like “healing the divide” right before hitting us with “you unpack and give up Israel.”

“I am the head coach of this strategic initiative and the President of the United States, or the President of Malaysia, or the President of England, is like a player you want to bring in for particular plays. We look at it as American football, you want to gain yardage.”

Are we supposed to believe that these are normal words of a peaceful Sufi cleric? What is it that he wants to win in yardage, one yard at a time?  These are clearly grandiose plans of what appears to be a borderline delusional narcissist who admits he plans to manipulate U.S. foreign policy, the U.S. president, the “president” of England (someone please inform the Queen on that one!) whom he considers as just “players” in his grand scheme.

When he is asked who he considers to be “the enemy,” he answers: “You have to make sure you are not pushed back, you have to make sure you have power on your side to be able to push the ball forward.” Is this ‘community building’ or a war strategy?

Mr. Rauf goes on to speak of his vision of the Islamic State:

“I don’t want a demographic Islamic State, it is not a part of our tradition and never was until recently.” He added “Egypt, Alexandria, had 400,000 Greeks” “We created the notion of demographic Nation State whereas before that they were all living together.”

Rauf has an illusion of an Islamic State that never was and never will be. For some reason, I’m hearing John Lennon’s song “Imagine” (there’s no countries… no borders etc).

Rauf’s true self, motives and objectives have been exposed in this interview. To him, the hard Jihad of 9/11 was just a catalytic beginning that facilitated his form of stealth Jihad. Soften the American public with a huge explosive terror act that divides Americans and sends their heads spinning, then comes Rauf to save the day with his community “bridge-building” at Ground Zero. To him, 9/11 was just a strategic move in an Islamic/Western chess game. With both violent and stealth jihad coordinating their efforts and by playing the old “good cop-bad cop” routine on the American psyche, Rauf aims at becoming the Muslim hero in America who will join those who want to break down America’s borders brick by brick until finally one day America is transformed into a Sharia-compliant Islamic state.

Faisal Rauf is the typical double-faced Islamist who speaks from both sides of his mouth. Even his book has one “nice” title in English to fool the West, while in Arabic it advocates Sharia from Ground Zero. While claiming that his mission is non-political, just community building, his interview not only exposes him but more importantly exposes Islam’s goals and the fact that “moderate” Islam can work in perfect harmony and in conjunction with radical Islam.

Imam Rauf is dangerous, but what is more dangerous is our State Department which has has been facilitating the agenda of a clearly megalomaniacal stealth jihadist.

Nonie Darwish is the President of FormerMuslimsUnited.org and author of Cruel and Usual Punishment.