Posted on 05/31/2005 5:07:37 PM PDT by CHARLITE
"The extremists have taken over so many of our mosques, one mosque at a time. They have driven out those who disagree with their ideology." Those are the words of Dr. Ibrahim Mohamed, a respected faculty member at a university not far from Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Mohamed is a proud and brave man, but he is also quite concerned that this interview will cause him to be marked as an apostate. At the onset of this interview, he made it clear that he fears retaliation in response to the information he is providing, especially possible during the trip to Cairo he has scheduled for this summer.
Dr. Mohamed is a graduate of Ain Shams University in Cairo, and has been in this country since the mid-1970's. He is proud of his U.S. citizenship. "When I came to this country, it was everyone’s dream in Egypt to go live in America. Everyone loved Americans. Now when I go back to my home country, I do not advertise that I am an American."
He is quite concerned that this interview will cause him to be marked as an apostate, and he fears retaliation, especially on his planned trip to Cairo this summer.
"In Egypt, everyone knew about the Muslim Brotherhood, but it was illegal. After the peace treaty with Israel, the radicals came crawling out of the darkness. But they weren’t idiots. They were very cunning," he explained.
Dr. Mohamed continued, "The US knew there was going to be a problem. They had problems in Iran with the Ayatullah, now they were afraid there would be problems in Egypt. Jimmy Carter and his people were going to reach the next generation of young men by giving them scholarships to come and study in America. They were going to teach them how great the US was. They recruited from universities in Egypt, Syria, Saudia, the Emirates – all the Arab countries."
Dr. Mohamed thinks part of the problem was the students themselves. "They [the students] didn’t have to be the smartest. Some were just average students. They didn't just come from Cairo and Alexandria, they came from Benha and Assuit and Mansoura and Gharbeya. Anyone who wanted to come to the US and go to graduate school could with a little bit of work, and get a fellowship."
He explained that the rural enclaves of Egypt, especially in places like Assuit and Benha, were known reservoirs of Islamic extremism, even back in the 1980’s.
"The US paid their tuition to go to universities all over the country, and paid them living expenses – around 500 U.S. Dollars per month. You have to understand that was a great deal of money to these men, especially the men from Egypt. Most had been working in an Egyptian university or a public sector job, and they were making less that $50 a month. This is in 1980 money. Much of that $500 a month went to support Bin Laden in Afghanistan, with the blessing of the US," continued Dr. Mohamed.
According to Dr. Mohamed, the US inadvertently bankrolled a generation of sleeper agents, educating them, and helping them to become established, respected members of their communities. Many married American women, believing that marriage to an American allowed them to remain in the US. And for many, the two year home country residence requirement was a simple formality. Some took their new wives back to their homelands, remained for two years, and came back to the US. Others found loopholes in the law, or managed to get exceptions to the requirement.
"Go look at your newspaper. The US reported that they have a man in prison in Iraq, a man from Jordan, a man who is one of Al Zarqawi's assistants. They say he came to the US, took US citizenship, and lived in the US for over 20 years. How do you think he came to the US? Most likely he came to the US as a student. He probably came to the US to study, maybe paid for by the US, maybe paid for by Jordan. Most likely he married an American girl, got a degree in Engineering, maybe a masters or a doctorate. Or maybe he got lucky and won the visa lottery. Those are the two main ways to get into America and usually it is as a student. They say he lived here for 20 years so he had to have a job, or maybe he started a small business."
Dr. Mohamed shook his finger at me, as though lecturing a small child. "There are many like him here. He is not the only one."
"Before the 1980's, before Camp David and the ensuing Arab appeasement, there weren't nearly as many mosques as you see now. We met in a classroom or a meeting room at the university, or at someone's home. Then the mosques started going up. They started small. Many started as a simple rented house. Then in a year or two they had the money to buy the land, and buy a building. Where did the money come from? Not the students. The students sent their zakah to Afghanistan. The money came from the governments. From Saudia [Saudi Arabia], from foundations that were set up by the Saudis."
"Who ran the foundations, who decided where the money went? The religious men, the ones serious about Islam."
But according to Dr. Mohamed, they weren’t just serious about Islam. Many were Wahabi Muslims, of the same sect as Osama Bin Laden. And it is these mosques that formed the core of the Islamic terror network that currently sleeps underground in America.
"We were very excited to have a mosque to pray in. As Muslims we are required to attend the Jumu’ah (Friday) prayer services. We believe that the reward for group prayer is 27 times that of saying the prayers individually, so having a mosque where we can assemble to say the prayers is something we were very happy about."
But divisions emerged, mostly regarding politics, according to Dr. Mohamed. "I prefer that politics and religion be kept separate, the way it is done here in America by your government. The separation of church and state is a good thing. Over the years the mosque became political."
Dr. Mohamed explained that at first, the political sermons were against Israel. Most Muslims were sympathetic to the Palestinian issue, and were largely unified against Israeli actions. Still, a few Muslims withdrew from the mosque community, but by and large the group remained together.
"First we got our own building. Then soon we needed a full-time Imam, someone who could lead the prayers and lead the community."
Dr. Mohamed explained that full-time imams have usually received advance education, maybe a doctorate or masters degree, in Islamic studies. And therein was a problem. Many of these imams have been educated in universities and schools surrounding conservative mosques like the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The Imams brought with them the ideology of Wahabi Islam.
And with the first Gulf War, the political divisions within the mosque intensified. As the decade of the nineties progressed, the sermons became more and more radical, says Dr. Mohamed. "Eventually it reached the point, after Bin Laden bombed the embassies in Africa, where I stopped going to the mosque. Anyone with eyes could see what was happening. I didn’t want to be connected to that. I love America. But there were so many people in the mosque that hated America. They are still there. Those of us who love this country don’t go to the mosque anymore."
Has he tried other mosques? Dr. Ibrahim admitted that he had tried several others, in the Atlanta area, and had not found one where he was confortable.
I asked how he handles the mandatory Friday congregational prayers? "Several of us get together at our homes, or in our offices at the university, or in a classroom and pray," he explained.
"You think there are no terror cells in America? You think the FBI and the Homeland Security has caught them all? I wish they would but they don’t. There are cells from Islamic terror groups in every big city in this country."
I asked "What about Atlanta?"
Dr. Mohamed’s answer was chilling. "I am absolutely certain there are groups here in Atlanta. I do not know who they are or where they are. But I am sure they are here. Do you want to know why? Because Mohamed Atta came to Atlanta. Why did he come here? There are flight schools all over America. Why Atlanta? The only answer is he had friends here, he had some sort of support group here."
Dr. Mohamed claims that he expressed these concerns to the FBI and he was assured that the matter would be investigated. He admitted that because he didn’t have any information other than speculation that it was unlikely that they would be able to do anything about his suspicions.
*Note: The name Dr. Ibrahim Mohamed is a pseudonym used to protect the anonmity of the actual source. It is NOT his actual name.
http://www.lauramansfield.com/psk/DesktopDefault.aspx
or inaction of the stereotyped class
All the more reason to vehemently support the Second Amendment. If the gloves come off, CAIR and the ACLU be damned.
Bookmark
Does the FBI have the authority to do surveillance in and around mosques?
I agree. To hell with how the world reacts.
I agree with you Nelson, to hell with what anyone in this world thinks of us..
I apologize for being late in replying to your comments, all of which are outstanding!
Thank you so much. I've concluded exactly what you write here. Sooner or later, the majority of the collective sleeping tiger will awaken to the terrific threat that these interlopers pose to the America we cherish more than our individual lives.
Thanks again for such fine comments, Marauder.
Sincerely,
Char
thanks for the ping.
yeah, sorta - Atlanta is sort-of like DC/Boston in the south. It has been almost five years since I left Atlanta But, while I lived there, the extremism of the clerics in the scattered madrassas was evident.
that's a shame.
I was through Atlanta 20 or so years ago.
Nice city, then.
it got way too big for its britches.
A shame.
"The US paid their tuition to go to universities all over the country, and paid them living expenses – around 500 U.S. Dollars per month. You have to understand that was a great deal of money to these men, especially the men from Egypt. Most had been working in an Egyptian university or a public sector job, and they were making less that $50 a month. This is in 1980 money. Much of that $500 a month went to support Bin Laden in Afghanistan, with the blessing of the US," continued Dr. Mohamed. "
" Is anyone surprised by this? "
As I grow older and realize JUST HOW NAIVE Jimmy Carter was and is about the violent anti-Christians across the globe.
No apology needed, Char. I'm just glad that more people are beginning to see the light on this issue.
I now live in a small town (thankfully - after years in large ones), but we do have a university, so there are many Arabic students. Where they as individuals stand on the WOT is anyone's guess, but if and when it comes down to kill-or-be-killed on this side of the pond, I won't waste any time trying to find out.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/1414753/posts?page=3
Support and scholarships PAID BY AMERICAN TAXPAYERS who might not even be able to afford an exclusive university education for THEIR AMERICAN children. MAKES ME SICK!
Wake up America before the Rape is over.
>>> Wake up America before the Rape is over. <<<
mmercier eloquently wrote:
No one will wake up until after the fact. Be glad that we are fat, happy and dumb enough to do so today.
We will awaken when necessary, and not before. The sad part is our collective memory (not on the FR) is so short that we will need to live as Israel currently lives to understand.
You will not know America if we are hit again, especially by a WMD. History is history, this country can and will overrun the entire planet to maintain the safety of our domestic population, that is what a "volunteer" army does. We will then impose (as previously and presently) a sustainable system on the aggressors and set them free.
It is all about those who seek to harm us; we are not bothering in an aggressive manner anyone on this planet without just cause. Give us cause and hide, otherwise you are going to be toast.
Pray we stay fat, happy and dumb as a republic, then nothing will change, excepting the volume. Pray for our fighters. Pray they retain their morality when they return home, because they always come back, and they always remember. The fighters who return are the true victims of warfare, and are the people of action and understanding that others must deal with.
No one (here) has ever accused me of being "eloquent".
Thanks I think.
***"Eloquent" ...I insist.
If you are correct, fear not... It probably will not happen again.
>> The price of freedom is vigilance
"Eternal vigilance", we are sadly lacking. America exhibits momentary vigilance, not the same as eternal, but good enough. We leave a wide wake, and a worn path that those who do not follow, do so at their own peril.
America is a machine that goes of its own accord. This has nothing to do with our deficient governing structure(s) in this regard. We the people here do in fact lead, we just need to be aroused to the point where our "leaders" will follow where we go. It always hurts to move or be moved, as 911 demonstrated...
Our democratic republican structure of government by its very nature responds after the fact, and does so by necessity to prevent us from becoming the "aggressor".
We nearly owned the planet in 1946, and we gave it back, in better condition than it was in 1939. This is a testament to our power and our will, not to our politicians.
I have little doubt that same will be repeated if circumstances dictate tomorrow.
***You are Insightful...and Eloquent...simple truths are eloquent.
I had a discussion with one of my "liberal" friends who expressed the stale leftover vindictives against capitalism and corporate power. My answer was that ALL THINGS start from and end at CONGRESS - the (bleeping) politicians! Both parties pander to corporate interests and corporate America patronizes the Politik. We cannot expect commercial enterprise to be pure without greedy aspirations. But I, at least, demand that politicians exercise intrigrity as guardians and protectors of the Nation. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with capitalism - the problem is GOVERNMENT and POLITICIANS! Everything begins and ends with the responsibility of CONGRESS and the Body Politik.
We have alot of *tenured* CRAP in Congress...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.