On Saturday evening the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will be celebrating its 15th anniversary as the apologetic-propagandist machine that it is. The notorious Rev. Jesse Jackson will be speaking at the banquet along with Imam Siraj Wahhaj of the Masjid Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, New York.
Born Jeffrey Kearse, the native-New Yorker is the “No. 1 advocate of radical Islamic ideology among African-Americans,” according to Stephen Schwartz of The Center for Islamic Pluralism. Schwartz also states that, “…His stuff is very appealing to young Muslims who are on a radical path…”
If this particular Imam’s name rings a bell, it’s likely a result of his testimony as a “character witness” in the case of the “blind sheikh,” Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted of devising the plot to bomb the World Trade Centers in 1993. Although never formally charged, Wahhaj made the “list of unindicted persons who may be alleged as co-conspirators,” according to US Attorney Mary Jo White.
The Clarion Fund, who came to prominence in the public arena by way of their documentaries Obsession: Radical Islam’s War against the West & The Third Jihad, have called for the cancellation of the banquet.
So while this Imam’s presence may strike a chord with the average New Yorker, as most references to the WTC do post-9/11, should there be another reason behind that “twinge?”
The answer is yes.
It seems as though (in light of recent exposures by some in the press) people within the Obama administration who hold deep-seated ideological differences from many in America may be contributing drastically to the “fundamental Change” campaign that was promised. From the mouths of Presidential advisors have spewed hateful, anti-American rhetoric that would make the likes of Nancy Pelosi shutter, so the question that Americans should be asking themselves is how far this “Change” should be permitted to go from the Founder’s intentions.
A woman with relatively little media notoriety is the Obama administration’s Advisor on Muslim Affairs, Dalia Mogahed, who recently participated in a joint-interview on a British fundamentalist-Islam television network with Dr. Nazreen Nawaz, a member of the radical Islamist organization, Hizb ut Tahrir. Ms. Mogahed, with the backing of Dr. Nawaz, professed that “…the majority of women around the world associate gender justice, or justice for women, with Sharia’ah compliance…”
That’s right. According to her “scientific research” even Muslim-American women, who are the beneficiaries of many years of struggling against women’s past inequality, attribute gender justice with Sharia’ah compliance…We’ll touch on this again in a moment, but first let’s examine the type of thought that Ms. Mogahed sides with.
Hizb ut Tahrir, while only on a “watch list” in the US, has been designated a “Terrorist Network” in many countries for advocating the overthrowing of Capitalism & democracy as well as the imposition of a system of global Sharia’ah. Rather than condemning “Jihadist” viewpoints & actions, this group has been known to advocate for their use as a political means of progress, while not directly contributing to the killings.
Their organization has devised a strategy for implementing global Sharia’ah:
Stage #1- Culturing the masses to believe in an Islamic-world view by gathering them to form groups.
Stage #2- Interacting with “Ummah” so they will promote these ideas & join the cause.
Stage #3- Establish government, implementing Sharia’ah (generally & comprehensively) while continuing to carry its message to the rest of the world.
Their stratagem bears a striking resemblance to the Muslim Brotherhood’s (Ikhwan) 20 year plan to establish an “Islamic government on Earth”—the Project, available here both in its original form & as an English translation.
It’s largely up to the individual in determining the meaning behind her support of various organizations, but prior to her appointment as the Muslim Affairs Advisor, Ms. Mogahed was a member of the US Muslim Engagement Project (who holds strong, un-renounced ties to the Muslim Brotherhood). She currently serves as the Senior Analyst & Executive Director at the Center for Muslim Studies at Gallup and also directs the Muslim West Facts Initiative, a collaborative effort between Gallup & the London-based Coexist Foundation.
Back to Ms. Mogahed’s statement & assumed authority as described in the book she recently co-authored with John Esposito, “Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think.” It’s important, when discussing her statement in the interview, to confront a common misconception made as a result of the vague generalities often associated with the topic of Sharia’ah. The primary one being that Sharia’ah deals with only certain legal matters (which to many Americans would likely encompass what we consider “civil law”), but one must understand that Sharia’ah is actually an entire way of life.
There was controversy which arose in Britain when it was suggested that Sharia’ah courts should prevail above British law when dealing with the British-Muslim population. The case was made by many “multiculturalism” defenders, both in the U.S. & abroad, that Sharia’ah courts were similar to Catholic marriage tribunals or Jewish family courts. The component of this argument which is consistently overlooked is that only Sharia’ah imposes its rule over every person living within the society, regardless of their faith or beliefs. Good examples of this would be the Islamic Republic of Iran or Saudi Arabia, both of which squeeze out & eliminate all other cultures. Therefore, when properly implemented, the result is absolutely no “freedom of religion” (or even from religion)—and in all honesty, there goes the Constitution as well.
The system of Sharia’ah instills both fear & dependence within many women who, when living under its rule, are brutalized by what is considered to be the “word of Allah.” Earning the verbal approval of any Muslim, when on a pre-slanted quest, doesn’t change the fundamental nature of Sharia’ah. When people are living in fear of being critical of their own system which gives a man the “divine right” to stone a woman to death, Ms. Mogahed is naïve at best to expect “honest” answers from the majority of the Muslim women she polled.
Fox News Host Glenn Beck has exposed radical ties for many within the administration’s network, including most recently Communications Director Anita Dunn, with her Maoist-admiration. Without the denial of these ties with any verifiable credibility (apart from sweeping “mistakes” under the rug), it’s only fair to question how much of Obama’s time Ms. Mogahed is occupying & how that will potentially impact future policy decisions.
Another nary discussed aspect of the “Change” Americans may need to pay attention to is the fusion of Islamic propaganda inside our educational system. It has continued to increase as the years have progressed as a result of the politically correct culture that’s overwhelmed American minds. Imagine Valerie Moore’s surprise when she pulled up to the front of her children’s school (Joseph Kerr Junior High School in Elk Grove, Ca) to find a banner loudly proclaiming that, “There is one God, Allah, & Mohammed is his prophet…”
Or perhaps a better example would be the lawsuit (3rd entry down in the archive) filed against Excelsior School in Byron, CA where students participated in a three-week “simulation” on Islam. “Islam: A Simulation of Islamic History & Culture” authored by the Council on Islamic Education, instructed the children to “…Analyze, explain, & recite the jihadist scripture:
‘Believers, why is it that when it is said to you—March in the cause of Allah—you linger slothfully in the land? If you don’t fight, He will punish you sternly & replace you with other men.’
They were also instructed to “profess” as “true” the Muslim belief that “The Holy Qur’an is God’s word.”
The Mission Viejo chapter of ACT! for America, a grassroots organization committed to Western values & democracy as well as their staunch opposition toward the “authoritarian values of Islamofascism,” recently compiled a special report, Islam in America’s Classrooms. It served as a one-stop source & in-depth look at the propaganda found in Junior High School textbooks across America, compiling information gathered by two committees established to review textbooks; they were responsible for detailing their findings on what is portrayed as “fact” in History classrooms across the U.S.—everything from generalities used to “whitewash” the often violent history of Islam; “half truths;” the liberal-myth of Islamic “multiculturalism & broad-mindedness;” and finally, the presentation of Islamic beliefs as facts while referring to all Judeo-Christian values as mere “emotional spirituality” which occasionally went as far as to actually demonize both Judaism & Christianity.
One of the committees, the Textbook League published “Reviewing ISLAM: A Simulation,” which was the unit that sparked the heated debate & eventual lawsuit against Excelsior School. An editor on the committee stated in his findings that, “…Page for page, this is the most malignant product that I’ve seen during all my years as a reviewer…”
They also published “How a Public School in Scottsdale, AZ Subjected Students to Islamic Indoctrination” detailing “blatant propaganda” from the popular middle-school textbook, “History Alive! The Medieval World & Beyond.”
When the American Textbook Council compiled a report in June of 2008 titled, “Islam in the Classroom: What the Textbooks Tell Us,” one of the editors stated that, “…the misinformation surrounding Islam & textbooks is disturbing more so because much of it is intentional.”
According to the study, the majority of the information being taught via textbooks fails to meet the “academic definition of history” defined by former-President Clinton’s mandate on guidelines for religious expression and tolerance in public schools.
Ironic since the phrase “under God” is such an elephant in the room during the Pledge of Allegiance…
Don’t ever assume that this type of “whitewashing” & propaganda exists only in primary schooling (K-12), in reality it runs rampant throughout the country when in fact many American universities & colleges either make use of textbooks which are written in a “propagandist”-style or employ professors who subscribe to these same schools of thought.
Here in Northern Nevada, Western Nevada College (WNC) uses “The Western Humanities: Volume I” for its Humanities 101 course; its text is not immune to this frightening phenomenon. Within the book’s eighth chapter, “The World of Islam,” it is stated as fact that, “…Muhammad, as the voice of Allah, was a ruler & not a consensus builder & Islam…the only source of spiritual & secular authority.” Another passage uses the phrase “in the name of Allah” as an indication of Allah’s blessing for the remainder of the chapter’s text, doing so in a way that doesn’t seem to actually enhance the student’s understanding, but instead operates as both “normal” and “factual.” (Underline mine.)
Two commonly glamorized professors—Rashid Khalidi & Joseph Massad, both of whom are tenured at prestigious-elite Columbia University & are outspokenly opposed to not only Israel, but also America.
Professor Massad received a review for a class he instructs that was anything but praiseworthy in which a former student stated:
“This was possibly the most offended I`ve ever been. Massad does not even pretend to give the entire picture, he states that on the first day. Besides being offensive, is it really worth it to take a class that doesn`t tell you both sides of a controversy? I worry about the people who enter the class with little to no knowledge of the topic and form their opinions based on Massad`s lectures and assigned readings. Massad also doesn`t allow students to finish their questions before answering them. The class is taught unethically, and should be renamed “Why Palestinians Hate Israel.” In sum, it sucks to take a class and walk away not feeling like you can form an educated opinion. It also sucks when your professor, (in my opinion) lies and even after being proven wrong by students, continues to lie.”
Rashid Khalidi recently served as a “moderator” for the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) “forum” hosted by Columbia University during which he allowed his divine moderation skills to overcome him by reiterating his fellow Western-destructionists’ views of both Israeli & Western policy.
Another “expert” professor at the same forum reportedly “joked” with the commissioner general of UNRWA stating that he was baffled as to why she hadn’t yet “sprouted horns” for incorporating Holocaust studies into UNRWA’s school curriculum.
All of these issues are alarming, but particularly in a country said to be so united behind “Hope & Change.” Many, I’m sure, will ignorantly label this as another “right-wing extremist,” anti-Muslim diatribe, but nothing could be further from the truth. The problem is not Islam as a religion, but rather the forced conversion that groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir (and quite possibly people affiliated with the current Obama administration) would like to implement. It is not to say that Sharia’ah is “coming to a town near you,” but it is to bring to light the stark contrasts between American value systems & those of other cultures. An informed people are a strong people, after all. Additionally, it’s irresponsible of Dalia Mogahed (or any woman who has fulfilled her career-ambitions while openly practicing her Muslim faith or any other faith for that matter) to espouse an oppressive system which stands in stark contradiction to the very values every American enjoys; in this country we value human rights for all, not exclusively for men and therefore, the often violent edicts of Sharia’ah as the epitome of “gender justice” does not apply. Ms. Mogahed’s words should be infuriating feminists & human rights activists across this country. Instead…there’s a deafening silence. There is a difference between being a cultured society that is acceptant of others & having a “fundamental change” forced upon an unsuspecting nation in an attempt to completely destroy the fabric of our country. So, it seems that the puzzle for many who advocate for “change” is being mindful of the balance…
If you are interested in more perspectives dealing with this topic, I would refer you to Dr. M. Zudhi Jasser’s article, “The Un-fought War on Islamism: To Stay Civilized & Free, We Can’t Be Ignorant.”
The Reno Chapter of ACT! for America can be reached via email: ACT-NNv@callhsb.com