RUTHFULLY YOURS

Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam behind the Ground Zero mosque, is kicking off his nationwide speaking tour ^[1] at the Islamic Society of North America’s Diversity Forum Banquet ^[2] in Detroit on January 15. He will be speaking alongside extremists like Siraj Wahhaj and Zaid Shakir, contradicting the moderate image he’s trying to put forth on his tour.

The Islamic Society of North America ^[3] (ISNA) denies being an extremist organization, saying ^[4] it “rejects all acts of terrorism, including those perpetrated by Hamas, Hizbullah and any other group that claims Islam as their inspiration.” This statement, however, does not necessarily mean they oppose the Islamist political agenda. In fact, ISNA has been listed by the federal government as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the Holy Land Foundation trial that found the charity to be guilty of financing Hamas. ISNA has tried to have this designation removed, but a judge ruled ^[5] on July 1, 2009 that the government “produced ample evidence” to justify it.

The organization was founded in 1981 by the Muslim Students Association ^[6], an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, with help from Sami al-Arian ^[7], later convicted of being a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader. An FBI investigation around that time found ^[8] that ISNA’s conferences have “provided opportunities for the extreme fundamentalist Muslims to meet with their supporters.” One of the Muslim Brotherhood’s own documents ^[9] written in May 1991 listed ISNA as one of its fronts.

ISNA websites have promoted extremist preachers like Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi ^[10] and its conferences have included “some of the world famous Islamists and advocates of Jihad.” The North American Islamic Trust ^[11] (NAIT), a subsidiary of ISNA, is also tied to the Muslim Brotherhood and was listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the Holy Land case. The court learned ^[12] that checks deposited into joint ISNA/NAIT bank accounts for the Holy Land Foundation were often written to “the Palestinian Mujahadeen,” a term referring to Hamas.

Also speaking at ISNA’s Diversity Forum Banquet is Zaid Shakir, one of the founders of Zaytuna University ^[13] in California. Shakir opposes ^[14] attacks on civilians, such as the hijacking of airliners, but then says ^[15], “If you hijack an airplane filled with the 82^nd Airborne, that’s something else.” The New York Times wrote ^[16] in June 2006 that “he said he still hoped that one day the United States would be a Muslim country ruled by Islamic law” and he voices ^[17] 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Shakir has also condemned ^[18] the United States’s “demonization” of people like Saddam Hussein, Hugo Chavez, Manuel Noriega, Muammar Qaddafi and most shockingly, the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. He also depicts terrorist groups as nationalists fighting against Western imperialism.

“Hamas calls for the liberation of Palestinian lands, not the physical elimination of the Jews. Al-Qaeda calls for the end of America’s strategic presence in the Middle East and not the destruction of America. The Iraqi resistance calls for the end of the American occupation of Iraq and not the end of America,” he wrote. ^[17]

Siraj Wahhaj is another speaker at the event. He has been videotaped as saying, “I will never tell people, ‘Don’t be violent.’ That’s not the Islamic way.” He has also made anti-American statements such as “racism is at the very root of this nation” and “America is the most wicked government on the face of the planet Earth.” According to Muslim Mafia ^[19], Wahhaj has described the U.S. as a “garbage can” that he prays “crumbles” and is brought under Islam.

He has also been recorded ^[20] as saying that if American-Muslims united, “we’d elect our own emir and give allegiance to him.” In one vile statement, he said, “We don’t need to arm the people with 9mms and Uzis. You need to arm them with righteousness first. And once you arm them with righteousness first, then you can arm them.”

If Imam Rauf is as moderate as he says he is, he should be speaking out against people like Shakir and Wahhaj and groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. Instead, he’s launching his speaking tour at a conference that exalts them. With friends like these, Imam Rauf’s tour may end up hurting Park51’s prospects instead of helping.