Posted on 02/03/2006 7:18:32 AM PST by SJackson
On Wednesday, January 18, I received an e-mail from someone identifying himself as Ahmed. He wrote to me that he was a Muslim activist and that he wanted me to come on his radio show to discuss my work, or, in his words, to give [my] side of the story. In doing a simple web search on his e-mail address, it turned out that this individual was none other than the Director of Communications for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Ahmed Rehab.
While I didnt know his motives in contacting me, I had recalled when another leader from CAIR, Randall Todd Ismail Royer, had sent me an e-mail less than a year before his pleading guilty to terrorism charges. In my discussions with Royer, I had gotten much out of him, including his feelings on such Islamist groups as the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), the Muslim American Society (MAS) and CAIR the latter two, organizations he had found employment with. This being the case, I took the rare opportunity to pick Rehabs brain with a series of relevant questions, and like Royer before him, the revelations I received from Mr. Rehab were major the biggest one being a confirmation that the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) was no longer in existence. I replied to Rehabs e-mail with the following: Ahmed, I understand that you are involved with CAIR. Were you ever involved with the IAP? I ask because both have a presence in Chicago, and both are closely related, CAIR being a group founded by the IAP (Rafiq Jaber and Nihad Awad). Oh, and do you see Rafiq at all? Maybe at the Mosque Foundation? Thanks. Joe My questions were perfectly legitimate. After all, CAIR was founded through the IAP; the IAPs headquarters was in Chicago; and Rehab was part of the Chicago office of CAIR. In addition, Rafiq Jaber, apart from being a co-founder of CAIR and the President of the IAP, was also a board member and former President of the Mosque Foundation, a Hamas-linked center located in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview. The interrelated nature of all of these institutions led me to seek answers. However, Rehab did not want to respond to any of my questions. Instead, he attempted to change the subject and redirect our discussion towards me. I was persistent, though, and on his fifth e-mail, he dropped a bomb (not literally). He answered one of the questions and, with it, told me something that I was not looking for, but it was something huge nonetheless. Rehab stated, No, as it happens I have never been involved with the IAP. I am in my twenties and was not into the activist scene during the time this organization was around. The End of the IAP The Islamic Association for Palestine was incorporated in Chicago, in November of 1981. The name listed as the registered agent on the groups incorporation papers is Aly A. Mishal. Mishal was active during the IAPs beginnings, along with Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami Al-Arian, who developed the IAPs magazine Tareeq Filistine (Road to Palestine), and Mousa Abu Marzook, the IAPs founder and Deputy Political Bureau Chief of Hamas. In the early 90s, a young group of Muslim activists had assumed leadership of the IAP, which at this point also went by the name American Muslim Society. In June of 1994, the organization took a dramatic turn, when it created a splinter group called CAIR. Concerning the three founders of CAIR: the President of the IAP, Omar Ahmad, became CAIRs Chairman of the Board; the IAP Public Relations Director, Nihad Awad, became CAIRs Executive Director; and the IAPs Rafiq Jaber took over as IAP President. According to those involved, CAIR was created as a civil liberties group, so while the IAP was praising Hamas attacks via its magazines and videos, CAIR was defending the civil liberties of terrorists, such as the spiritual leader of the 93 bombing of the World Trade Center, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, and Marzook, who would soon be deported from the United States. The two groups worked well together, in that they complimented each other, but apparently that relationship is no more, as after 24 years in existence, according to Rehab, the IAP is no more. Could this be possible? I knew that, in December of 2004, the IAP (and others) were found liable for $156 million in the murder of an American teenager, David Boim, during a Hamas terror operation. I also knew that the IAPs website was taken down, within a few months after the verdict was rendered. But never did I see any mention of the IAP being terminated. I was of the understanding that the IAP was going to appeal the courts decision. Indeed, a report of a future appeal is found right on CAIR-Chicagos website. Regardless of any of this, I have no reason to second guess Mr. Rehabs knowledge of the IAPs demise, because while he had refused to answer whether or not he sees the IAPs (ex)leader, Rafiq Jaber, it seems Jaber has been a guest on Rehabs radio station. In fact, he had been a guest on Rehabs show! Hate Radio On January 8, 2005, Rehabs WVON Radio Islam show featured three guests: Ali Abunimah (co-founder of Electronic Intifada), Fadi Farhan (Government Affairs Director for CAIR-Chicago), and Rafiq Jaber. The topic was the upcoming Palestinian elections. During the show, Jabers extremist opinions came through loud and clear. He called Mahmood Abbas a failure, and in a foreboding move that has only been realized today, he stated, The only opposition that could give [Abbas] a run for his money
the only ones that could do that are the Islamist movement there, which is Hamas and Jihad. When asked about whether he was for a one state solution or two states (Israel and Palestine), Jaber made his true intentions known to all. He said, Well, I think the two state solution
is really just a farce
[CAIRs Fadhi Farhan also chimed in, One state solution is actually, in the long term, the only way its going to work, whether it be through war, whether it be through some sort of peaceful resolution of this particular conflict.] And Jaber raised anti-Semitic canards of old Jewish control over the media and government. He stated,
the Zionists and the Jewish people, here in this country, they are [sic] big businesses and the advertisers, and so thats one factor of it
The second part of it, of course, there is distortion of all the facts, that about Palestine, from not just the media, also from the government. The government here, which is the political leaders of our country here, [sic] that they lean also toward who is giving them the money and who is voting for them. Again, we see the Jewish people and the Jewish money and the Jewish lobby here. Rehab agreed: Its been made politically incorrect to make such statements, but I think, if youre putting it in the context of the question (Why is it that you think that this media is very skewed to the Israeli side of the conflict?), which I think is a very valid question, I think it definitely has to be made. Rehab Unplugged This wasnt the first time that Ahmed Rehab toyed with the subject of Jewish dominance. In his piece entitled, Double Standardism: The Case of the Two Books a rant against author of The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie Rehab openly complains about the American medias criticisms against books that question the validity of the Holocaust. In the article, Rehab attributes this to Jewish control over the media. He further writes, The Muslims protesting Satanic verses were given little credibility as they were seen as being biased for their religion. On the other hand the Jews and the Jewish subjects were not seen as such but rather as credible professionals
He then points to an American journalists Jewishness as being the reason for his bias. Rehab writes,
he is of course Jewish
In a follow-up article, Double Standardism: The Case of the Two Films, Rehab ridicules Hollywood for having what he considers to be a pro-Jewish slant. He states,
the movies exploiting the Arabs and Muslims are a bold and uncompromising look behind the closed doors of a hidden world
On the other hand, a movie which glorifies the other Semites, the Jews, is a great American classic, an untimely epic, a movie-making masterpiece, and an all-time family favorite, well whoop-di-di-doo. Rehab calls the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) a big mouth organization. He ends the piece by railing against Jewish filmmakers. He writes,
the history of the Jewish film producers in particular have shown that they predate on weak minorities by default. Rehab, like CAIR, the IAP and Hamas before them, was influenced by the violently anti-Jewish and anti-Israel Muslim Brotherhood. On his personal website, he denotes the founder of the MB, Hassan Al Banna, as a Contemporary Muslim Individual who influenced me. He also lauds two Muslim Brothers, who just happen to be brothers. He calls Muhamad Qutb one of his Favorite Writers / Thinkers and Sayyid Qutb, his Favorite Modern Personality. In Sayyid Qutubs famous work, Milestones, Qutub states, Even the Western world realizes that Western civilization is unable to present any healthy values for the guidance of mankind
It is essential for mankind to have a new leadership... Islam is the only system which possesses these values and this way of life. Rehab, it seems, took the Brotherhood philosophy to heart. Further evidence of this is shown in how he describes Harry S. Truman, on his website, as being one of the Worst Presidents. A reason for this was because, in Rehabs words, President Truman was the first to recognize Israel unjustly & unjustifiably. He ridicules President Truman as Harry S. Falseman. One would wonder if Rehab would feel the same about President Bush, now that he has stated that America will not recognize Hamas, until the group rejects violence and renounces its intentions of destroying Israel. Conclusion On February 4, 2006, CAIR-Chicagos 2nd annual confab will be taking place at the Sabre Room, in Hickory Hills, Illinois. The keynote speaker at the event will be Sulayman S. Nyang, a former board member of CAIR and a professor of African Studies at Howard University. Also speaking at the event will be CAIR co-founder and Executive Director, Nihad Awad. Shortly before he ended his tenure with the IAP, in March of 1994, Awad stated, in front of a university audience, After I researched the situation inside and outside Palestine, I am in support of the Hamas movement
In Ahmed Rehabs exchanges with me, he described his groups founders as concerned American citizens who wish to project an accurate and fair image of Islam and Muslims. But if thats true, why is the organization that laid the foundation for CAIR gone? To Rehab, that was probably the outcome of some far flung Jewish conspiracy. In reality, though, the group had been the product of a terrorist action network called Hamas, the same organization that his groups leader says he supports. With all of this in mind, one has to ask if this a hint of things to come? If the IAP is gone, could CAIR very well be next? Click Here to support Frontpagemag.com.
JIHAD WATCH.org (AP): "CAIR, ACLU SUE TO STOP DOMESTIC SPYING PROGRAM" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Detroit suit, which also names the NSA, was filed by the ACLU, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greenpeace and several individuals.") (January 17, 2006)
CNS NEWS.com: "ISLAMIC GROUP CALLS FOR USE OF KORAN TO TAKE OATH" by Melanie Hunter (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "An Islamic civil rights and advocacy group is calling on North Carolina judges to allow people to use the Koran when taking an oath, saying the use of the Bible exclusively represents "an inappropriate state endorsement of religion." The request by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) comes after Guilford County judges said they would not allow use of Korans in their courtrooms.") (June 21, 2005)
CNS NEWS.com: "FREE KORANS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE" by Susan Jones (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Over the weekend, CAIR held a conference in the Washington area on the causes and remedies of "Islamophobia and anti-Americanism."") (May 17, 2005)
Thanks for the very informative article. I found this one while following some of the links on Frontpage.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/02/01/carter.hamas/index.html
"Carter, who monitored last week's Palestinian elections in which Hamas handily toppled the ruling Fatah, added that the United States should not cut off aid to the Palestinian people, but rather funnel it through third parties like the U.N." END of QUOTE.
Carter comes right out and says the USA should funnel money to Hamas, using third parties like the United Nations. At least the mask is off, concerning creative ways to support terrorism. Talk about lunacy.
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