ISNA

Ground Zero mosque imam tied to co-conspirator in terror-funding trial

The Council on American-Islamic Relations wants you to believe those who oppose a Cordoba House * at Ground Zero are bigots. It is CAIR’s modus operandi to cry “bigot” and then release a statement to the press:

Why is all this bigotry and hatred being employed to stop the construction of a community center that will house recreational and banquet facilities, meeting rooms, an auditorium — and yes, a prayer space for Muslims and people of other faiths? … The constitutional rights of American Muslims must not be left in the hands of those who exploit and promote fear of the “other” and use the same divisive tactics that have harmed so many other societies throughout history. — Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, July 22, 2010

Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf heads the Cordoba Initiative that seeks to build a 15-story mosque, “cultural center,” and Islamic “fun center” overlooking Ground Zero. He advocates for replacing our Constitution with sharia law, to take away religious freedom from all non-believers in Islam. His Cordoba House is an attempt by the Muslim Brotherhood to plant sharia’s flag over where genocide was committed and brave American heroes fell.

Among those individuals and organizations named as un-indicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation case were: Jamal Badawi (“Founding incorporator of the Muslim American Society“); Islamic Society of North America, aka ISNA; North American Islamic Trust, aka NAIT; Islamic Association for Palestine in North America, aka IAP; and Council on American Islamic Relations, aka CAIR.

The ISNA and IIIT funded and privately distributed Imam Rauf’s book, with his permission, to Islamic centers around the country:

Click here to view and download the two-page pdf

The Holy Land Foundation:

After more than 15 years of investigation and two trials, the Holy Land Foundation and five of its former organizers were found guilty of illegally funneling more than $12 million to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Hamas was spawned by the Muslim Brotherhood; Imam Rauf repeatedly refused to denounce either of those terrorist organizations.

In part, here is why CAIR and the ISNA were designated co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation trial:

Documents posted at the Counterrorism Blog confirm that Nihad Awad, a leader of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), was present during an infamous 1993 meeting held in Philadelphia by senior leaders of Hamas, the Holy Land Foundation, and the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP). The Holy Land Foundation is currently on trial on charges of providing financial support for Hamas and the IAP is generally considered to have represented the Hamas infrastructure in the U.S. A widely reported FBI memo based on wiretaps of the meeting indicated that its purpose was “to develop a strategy to defeat the Israeli/Palestinian peace accord, and to continue and improve their [HAMAS] fund-raising and political activities in the United States.” Mr. Nihad was an employee of the IAP at the time of the meeting and until now, FBI documents only referred to Nihad LNU (last name unknown). As the CT blog notes, Awad had been asked about his attendance at the meeting during a civil lawsuit and said the didn’t think that he had but that he didn’t remember. The next summer, he was videotaped stating ‘I am in support of the HAMAS movement’ during a seminar at Miami’ Barry University. The impact of these revelations on CAIR is not clear but it the origins of the organization in the U.S. Hamas infrastructure has been known for some time and it is doubtful whether this additional piece of evidence will be enough to unseat the organization in the eyes of many as a prominent organization representing U.S. Muslims that has been engaged by parts of the U.S. government.

We will not be silenced by those who seek to impose religious discrimination — sharia law — here in America: Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf, the Muslim Brotherhood, and an Islamist mouthpiece at CAIR.

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* Note — While it has been announced the proposed Cordoba House mosque and Islamic Cultural Center has changed its name to ’51 Park Place’, they have yet to figure out what to rename the 7-year old Cordoba Initiative.

Ground Zero imam tied to ‘un-indicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial’

The New York Daily News reports that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended his aide’s response to former governor Sarah Palin weighing in on the proposed Ground Zero mosque:

Andrea Batista Schlesinger, a former head of the left-leaning Drum Major Institute who is now a policy aide to Bloomberg, fired back on her Twitter page. “Mind your business,” Schlesinger wrote, followed a moment later with, “Whose hearts? Racist hearts?” She later deleted the tweets, saying she regretted her “curt response,” but stuck up for the proposed Islamic cultural center — just like her boss. Bloomberg said he didn’t agree with Batista Schlesinger that Palin was baiting racists, “But I certainly agree that freedom of speech is just as important as freedom of religion,” he added.

When Mayor Bloomberg is right, he’s right.

Last night, on Fox 5 TV in New York City, retired FDNY firefighter and 9/11 survivor Tim Brown of theBravest.com and 64th District Leader Paul Newell discussed the Cordoba House * mosque:

In case you did not fully catch Paul Newell’s filibuster, he asked, “You are calling Imam Rauf a Muslim terrorist?”

Tim Brown replied, “I did not.”

Mr. Brown added:

“Today, we tied Imam Rauf to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Society of North America … the ISNA is an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial.”

Yet instead of taking Mayor Bloomberg’s sage advice to allow freedom of speech, Mr. Newell tried to drown Mr. Brown out with Islamophobe-baiting. You would think Mr. Newell would be at least curious about how Rauf is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood and the ISNA.

Are you curious?

If so, stay tuned for the answer.

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* Note — While it has been announced the proposed Cordoba House mosque and Islamic Cultural Center has changed its name to ’51 Park Place’, they have yet to figure out what to rename the 7-year old Cordoba Initiative.