Islamic activists have launched a campaign blasting a documentary that was narrated by a dedicated Muslim to alert the freedom-loving people of the world that there are a few bad apples among Allah's ranks.
The stunning development arose this week when the New York Times published several reports on city officials and their participation in "The Third Jihad," which explores the existence of radical Islam in America and the emerging risk that a "homegrown jihad" poses to national security, Western liberties and the "American way of life."
It is narrated by devout Muslim American Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, who is on the board of the Clarion Fund, which released the project. He practices internal medicine and nuclear cardiology in Phoenix.
The project introduction clearly states, "This is not a film about Islam. It is about the threat of radical Islam. Only a small percentage of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims are radical. This film is about them."
The New York Times reported that nearly 1,500 city police officers, "from lieutenants to detectives to patrol officers" apparently were shown the film over the past year or so. It would alert them what to watch for if they would encounter some radicalized Islamist who may pose a threat to the Big Apple, which took a body blow on Sept. 11, 2001, from such terrorists when nearly 3,000 people died as the Twin Towers were struck by jets, then burned and collapsed.
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But that's too much for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which announced today it would hold a news conference on the steps of New York City Hall Thursday to call for the resignations of New York City Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly and Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne for allowing their statements to be used in the video or for allowing the officers to see it.
A spokesman for the group whose national affiliate was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation Trial several years ago said the city officials had said their comments were only incidental, but it turned out they were recorded during an interview.
The New York Times called it a "hateful film" and noted that the "diverse Muslim community" already was upset with city police after the Associated Press reported a surveillance program watching for such radicalization.
"The film shows some of the grisliest jihadist terrorist attacks in recent years and argues that the real agenda for Islamists in America is to infiltrate and dominate the country," the newspaper said.
In actuality, the film reveals that radical Islamists driven by a religiously motivated rejection of Western values, cultures and religion are engaging "in a multifaceted strategy to overcome the Western world. In contrast to the use of 'violent jihad' and terror to instill fear in 'non-believers,' The Third Jihad introduces the concept of 'cultural jihad' as a means to infiltrate and undermine our society from within," according to producers.
The concerns largely are corroborated by the authors of "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's seeking to Islamize America." The book reveals the "insidious and well-funded efforts" of the Muslim Brotherhood "under the nonprofit guise of CAIR to fully support the international jihad against the United States."
Clarion Fund spokesman Alex Traiman told WND that it's ironic that Islamists perceived by many Americans to be radical are using a video about radical Islam to prevent that message from being disseminated.
"If you look at this situation … and you've seen the film, you realize this episode could be a chapter inside the movie," he said in a telephone interview.
"They're actually using this film as a tool to try to take down [New York's warning to cops]," he said. He described New York City's police department as one that has "recognized the severity of the threats" from radical Islam for some time.
A statement released by the Clarion Fund noted that the New York Times stories contained a series of inaccuracies.
Producer Raphael Shore stated, "We regret that the film has been taken out of the counterterrorism training program of the NYPD. The New York Times stories are proof positive that the Clarion Fund's high-quality and impactful documentaries touch very sensitive nerves."
Shore said the campaign is nothing more than an attempt "to stifle an important debate about the internal state of the Muslim community in America, and whether politicized Islam and indoctrination pose tangible security threats."
He said the public should watch the production, and then make its decision.
Clarion noted that the use of the film first was reported in the media about a year ago, and now "CAIR is taking credit for the 'investigation' which led to the New York Times' coverage."
But the organization's statement revealed that both CAIR and the Times are failing to address the issue that the message is carried by a devout Muslim "who has a significant record of serving the United States of America, as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy and as an attending physician to the U.S. Congress."
"The film's message urges the Muslim community to look within itself to root out the indoctrination that affects a minority of Muslims," the Clarion Fund explained, and "The documentary is founded on credible evidence presented by the FBI of a 'Manifesto' published by radicals calling for the implementation of extremist ideology-both violent and politicized-within the United States."
It's no surprise that CAIR objects to the content, officials said, since it is singled out inside the DVD for its "direct ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, open support for Hamas, and links to terror financing."
Because of those links, the FBI formally ended all ties with CAIR.
That New York should be concerned was confirmed in a 2007 police intelligence report that confirmed, "New York City continues to be the one of the top targets of terrorists worldwide. Consequently, the NYPD places a priority on understanding what drives and defines the radicalization process."
Among the interviews in the project are then-Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey, former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and Kelly.
But the Clarion Fund said the Times also blasted the use of a "doctored" photo of the White House with an Islamic flag atop in the DVD.
"The photo is one of many pieces of documented footage from Islamist sources. Yet the New York Times implies that the filmmakers were the ones to manipulate the photo," the Clarion Fund statement said.
In a publicity release company statement, CAIR quoted the CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick saying that the use of the film was "poor judgment," but the lack of truthfulness by city officials over the "Islamophobic training film" is a step beyond.
"This situation necessitates their immediate resignations," he said in the PR release.
Rogues gallery of terror-tied CAIR leaders
WND previously has reported on a number of people in positions of power with CAIR who have been directly connected to terrorism and have either been prosecuted or thrown out of the country. According to another FBI veteran familiar with recent and ongoing cases involving CAIR officials, "Their offices have been a turnstile for terrorists and their supporters."
A review of the public record, including federal criminal court documents, past IRS 990 tax records and Federal Election Commission records detailing donor occupations, reveals that CAIR has been associated with a convicted terrorists or felons in terrorism probes, as well as suspected terrorists and active targets of terrorism investigations. The list is long and includes:
FBI agents arresting CAIR founding director Ghassan Elashi in 2002. |
- Ghassan Elashi: One of CAIR's founding directors, he was convicted in 2004 of illegally shipping high-tech goods to terror state Syria and is serving 80 months in prison. He was also convicted of providing material support to Hamas in the Holy Land Foundation terror-financing trial. He was chairman of the charity, which provided seed capital to CAIR. Elashi is related to Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook.
- Muthanna al-Hanooti: The CAIR director's home was raided in 2006 by FBI agents in connection with an active terrorism investigation. Agents also searched the offices of his advocacy group, Focus on Advocacy and Advancement of International Relations, which al-Hanooti operates out of Dearborn, Mich., and Washington, D.C.Al-Hanooti, who emigrated to the U.S. from Iraq, formerly helped run a suspected Hamas terror front called LIFE for Relief and Development. Its Michigan offices also were raided in September 2006. In 2004, LIFE's Baghdad office was raided by U.S. troops, who seized files and computers. Al-Hanooti is related to Sheik Mohammed al-Hanooti, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Muthanna al-Hanooti, wearing traditional headgarb"Al-Hanooti collected over $6 million for support of Hamas," according to a 2001 FBI report, and was present with CAIR and Holy Land officials at a secret Hamas fundraising summit held in 1993 at a Philadelphia hotel. Prosecutors added his name to the list of unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land case.
Although Al-Hanooti denies supporting Hamas, he has praised Palestinian suicide bombers as "martyrs" who are "alive in the eyes of Allah."
- Abdurahman Alamoudi: Another CAIR director, he is serving 23 years in federal prison for plotting terrorism. Alamoudi, who was caught on tape complaining that bin Laden hadn't killed enough Americans in the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, was one of al-Qaida's top fundraisers in America, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
- Siraj Wahhaj: A member of CAIR's board of advisers, Wahhaj was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The radical Brooklyn imam was close to convicted terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and defended him during his trial.
Imam Siraj Wahhaj"Muslim Mafia," citing co-author's Sperry's previous book "Infiltration" as well as terror expert Steven Emerson's research, reports that Wahhaj, a black convert to Islam, is converting gang members to Islam and holding "jihad camps" for them. With a combination of Islam and Uzis, he has said, the street thugs will be a powerful force for Islam the day America "will crumble."
Wahhaj was a key speaker at CAIR's 15th annual fund-raising banquet in Arlington, Va., in 2009.
- Randall "Ismail" Royer: The former CAIR communications specialist and civil-rights coordinator is serving 20 years in prison in connection with the Virginia Jihad Network, which he led while employed by CAIR at its Washington headquarters. The group trained to kill U.S. soldiers overseas, cased the FBI headquarters and cheered the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. Al-Qaida operative Ahmed Abu Ali, convicted of plotting to assassinate President George W. Bush, was among those who trained with Royer's Northern Virginia cell.
- Bassam Khafagi: Another CAIR official, Khafagi was arrested in 2003 while serving as CAIR's director of community affairs. He pleaded guilty to charges of bank and visa fraud stemming from a federal counter-terror probe of his leadership role in the Islamic Assembly of North America, which has supported al-Qaida and advocated suicide attacks on America. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison and deported to his native Egypt.
- Laura Jaghlit: A civil-rights coordinator for CAIR, her Washington-area home was raided by federal agents after 9/11 as part of an investigation into terrorist financing, money laundering and tax fraud. Her husband Mohammed Jaghlit, a key leader in the Saudi-backed SAAR network, is a target of the still-active probe.Jaghlit sent two letters accompanying donations – one for $10,000, the other for $5,000 – from the SAAR Foundation to Sami al-Arian, now a convicted terrorist. In each letter, according to a federal affidavit, "Jaghlit instructed al-Arian not to disclose the contribution publicly or to the media."
Investigators suspect the funds were intended for Palestinian terrorists via a U.S. front called WISE, which at the time employed an official who personally delivered a satellite phone battery to Osama bin Laden. The same official also worked for Jaghlit's group.
In addition, Jaghlit donated a total of $37,200 to the Holy Land Foundation, which prosecutors say is a Hamas front. Jaghlit subsequently was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.
Nihad Awad - Nihad Awad: Wiretap evidence from the Holy Land case puts CAIR's executive director at the Philadelphia meeting of Hamas leaders and activists in 1993 that was secretly recorded by the FBI. Participants hatched a plot to disguise payments to Hamas terrorists as charitable giving.During the meeting, according to FBI transcripts, Awad was recorded discussing the propaganda effort. He mentions Ghassan Dahduli, whom he worked with at the time at the Islamic Association for Palestine, another Hamas front. Both were IAP officers. Dahduli's name also was listed in the address book of bin Laden's personal secretary, Wadi al-Hage, who is serving a life sentence in prison for his role in the U.S. embassy bombings. Dahduli, an ethnic-Palestinian like Awad, was deported to Jordan after 9/11 for refusing to cooperate in the terror investigation. (An April 28, 2009, letter from FBI assistant director Richard C. Powers to Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. – which singles out CAIR chief Awad for suspicion – explains how the group's many Hamas connections caused the FBI to sever ties with CAIR.)
Awad's and Dahduli's phone numbers are listed in a Muslim Brotherhood document seized by federal investigators revealing "important phone numbers" for the "Palestine Section" of the Brotherhood in America. The court exhibit showed Hamas fugitive Mousa Abu Marzook listed on the same page with Awad.
Omar Ahmad - Omar Ahmad: U.S. prosecutors also named CAIR's founder and chairman emeritus as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land case. Ahmad, too, was placed at the Philadelphia meeting, FBI special agent Lara Burns testified at the trial. Prosecutors also designated him as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's "Palestine Committee" in America. Ahmad, like his CAIR partner Awad, is ethnic-Palestinian.(Though both Ahmad and Awad were senior leaders of IAP, the Hamas front, neither of their biographical sketches posted on CAIR's website mentions their IAP past.)
Nabil Sadoun - Nabil Sadoun: A CAIR board member, Sadoun has served on the board of the United Association for Studies and Research, which investigators believe to be a key Hamas front in America. In fact, Sadoun co-founded UASR with Hamas leader Marzook. The Justice Department added UASR to the list of unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land case. UPDATE: In 2010, Sadoun was ordered deported to his native Jordan. An immigration judge referenced Sadoun's relationship with Hamas and the Holy Land Foundation during a deportation hearing.
- Mohamed Nimer: CAIR's research director also served as a board director for UASR, the strategic arm for Hamas in the U.S. CAIR neglects to mention Nimer's and Sadoun's roles in UASR in their bios.
Mohamed Nimer - Rafeeq Jaber: A founding director of CAIR, Jaber was the long-time president of the Islamic Association for Palestine. In 2002, a federal judge found that "the Islamic Association for Palestine has acted in support of Hamas." In his capacity as IAP chief, Jaber praised Hezbollah attacks on Israel. He also served on the board of a radical mosque in the Chicago area.
- Rabith Hadid: The CAIR fundraiser was a founder of the Global Relief Foundation, which after 9/11 was blacklisted by the Treasury Department for financing al-Qaida and other terror groups. Its assets were frozen in December 2001. Hadid was arrested on terror-related charges and deported to Lebanon in 2003.
- Hamza Yusuf: The FBI investigated the CAIR board member after 9/11, because just two days before the attacks, he made an ominous prediction to a Muslim audience."This country is facing a terrible fate, and the reason for that is because this country stands condemned," Yusuf warned. "It stands condemned like Europe stood condemned because of what it did. And lest people forget, Europe suffered two world wars after conquering the Muslim lands."
A CAIR legal attack on the "Muslim Mafia" book and its author is far from over. WND needs your help in supporting the defense of "Muslim Mafia" co-author P. David Gaubatz, as well as his investigator son Chris, against CAIR's lawsuit. The book's revelations have led to formal congressional demands for three different federal investigations of CAIR. In the meantime, however, someone has to defend these two courageous investigators who have, at great personal risk, revealed so much about this dangerous group. Although WND has procured the best First Amendment attorneys in the country for their defense, we can't do it without your help. Please donate to WND's Legal Defense Fund now.