Shaker Elsayed is still repeating his line, "The call to reform Islam is an alien call," at one of the largest mosques in our country. From AP, with thanks to Daryl and Andy.
The voice of the new imam at one of the largest mosques on the East Coast rang loud from the pulpit during Friday services recently: "The call to reform Islam is an alien call."People who do not understand Islam are the ones seeking to change it, said Shaker Elsayed, the new spiritual leader at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in the Northern Virginia suburbs. "Ignorance comes from outside circles who know nothing about us."
Though his role as the mosque's religious leader is a new one, Mr. Elsayed is well known as a civic activist in a large Muslim community that has been subject to sharp scrutiny ever since the September 11 attacks. His face is a familiar one at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, where he has lent support to area Muslims who have been prosecuted for everything from immigration violations to soliciting treason. He has been vocal in support of Muslims he believes are the victims of a federal witch hunt.
Mr. Elsayed, who assumed duties as imam on June 1, also has served as secretary-general of the Muslim American Society. Some federal authorities and U.S. Muslim leaders suspect the advocacy group has links with the Muslim Brotherhood, a seminal anti-Western group that has inspired other hard-line Islamic organizations.
Mr. Elsayed, however, said he is not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.He also has served as an unofficial spokesman for the family of Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who is accused of joining al Qaeda while studying overseas and plotting to assassinate President Bush. Ali grew up in Falls Church, and worshipped at Dar al-Hijrah.
With all his activities, it's perhaps not surprising that Mr. Elsayed's sermons seem to carry political overtones. On a recent Friday, preaching to more than 500 men and women -- with the sexes worshipping separately as is customary -- he said without mentioning specific nations that: "Islam forbids you to give allegiance to those who kick you off your homeland, and to those who support those who kick you off your homeland. We do have license to respond with all force necessary to answer our attackers."...
"Mr. Elsayed says he is not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood."
Gee, that's reassuring.
There must be legislative efforts made by Congress so that Homeland Security can take action against this imam, and others like him, for statements like this. The stakes are too high. We need an intelligent, informed debate that comprehends the menace of Islamic ideology, the potential for horrible, massive violence and loss of life, as well as appreciation for our rights to free speech and practice of religion. The context of Islam, understood as an aggressive, violent geo-political movement, must be taken up entirely unto itself, and our federal government must be provided with more teeth than it has to shut fellows like this down.
Arab politics belong in Arabia, not in the United States or anywhere else in the world. Arab politics by proxy seems to be the driving force behind all that is going on in the world today. Islam is an expression of this aggressive political movement. For this reason, no one needs to "understand" or "believe" in the so-called "redemptive value" of Islam as we all have our own belief system.
We only have to look cause and effect: Islam moves in bringing the accompanying tyranny, intolerance, pain and suffering. Freedom, joy, creative expression, and a host of other intangibles that are valuable in our Western style of life move out. To our peril, the lessons of history of the Arabs and their relations to any other civilization are being foolishly ignored.
Why do we allow this? What's it going to take? Another 911, a mass transit attack? How about attacks on a school or shopping center? Whatever happened to our laws against sedition? Folks used to go to jail for plotting the overthrow of our government.
I live in Houston, and my husband and I drove past a mosque near us on Conrad Sauer Street to take a close look. It's a large facility with a school and recreation facilities. There's also a bookstore with a sign in the window: "Espanol". Now, there's a happy thought. The peaceloving Muslims are reaching out to the Hispanic gangs and convicts. Oops, I mean Hispanic community. (Believe me, we got Hispanics.)
Houstonians, here's another happy thought. There's a magnificent old bank building on Main Street, a few blocks from our courthouses and jail complex. The Federal detention facility is just a few blocks away. Now, the building is the Islamic Dawah Center. There's speculation here that guests of the judicial system are brought to the "Center" upon release for --- what? Wouldn't be for recruitment into peaceloving Islam would it? My husband and I are going to visit this "Center" one day soon, and try to take a look around.
Why can't some of us mount some colorful, obnoxious protest aimed these creeps and their crummy mosk. If 100,000's can turn out for an anti-war-Bush rally with giant puppets, can't we get a few thousand to turn out to a rally dedicated to rooting out the enemy within?
Opening act is the dramatic playoff between those who wanna "deform" islam and those who wanna "reform" it.
PS
Guess, we should first start with the one who "formed" islam. Its all downhill from there.
What homeland has this loud mouth been kicked out of??? And how many of his listeners have been kicked out of anyplace? In the US 'kicking out' has not started yet...but it's under the 'things to come' catagory...
Do you live in a world of wilful ignorance JT. Our Federal Government, the Bush Administration, provides this guy and other Islamoids protection.
Maybe you should read the Sperry Files and in particular his book Infiltration, How Muslim Subversives and Spies have infiltrated Washington.
Let's start with Chapter 27, Undue influence at the White House, the role of Grover "Ali" Norquist and Karl "ibn" Rove.
Grover Norquists Islamic Institute is the GOP wing of the American Muslim Council.
Bush is friend and business partners with the Saudis.
The Bin Ladens and Saudis were partners with George H W Bush in the Caryle Group (till 9-11)
The article mentions the Muslim America Society, so does Sperry at his page Here
I suggest you expand your knowledge and horizons by exhibiting some curiousity and reading a few books,.
So glad to know that the 'program' is legitimate, as is.
And that suicide bombers are just fine with Allah.
Which should be a good enough reason for the government to deport this bozo to Mecca ASAP.
Dumbo (now there's a misnomer) said "Why can't some of us mount some colorful, obnoxious protest aimed these creeps and their crummy mosk."
Excellent point. If we start seeing large protests against violence and hate-spewing mosques like this, how can the press continue to ignore their incitement? The politicians and media like to paint anyone who speaks facts (as opposed to idiotic "nuke the sand-n*ggers!" expletives) about Islam as anti-Islamic or Islamophobic. If we see rational well-spoken people speaking out on the news against the jihadist incitement, it will be that much harder for them to discredit us.
For the main brunt of the article, the Islamist imam is speaking the truth: it is only non-Moslems like Bush/Blair/Rice who are claiming that Islam is a religion of peace, that the terrorists don't speak for Islam. The Moslem world has been excrutiatingly quiet on the subject. Has Bush proven to be a good imam, has he changed alot of Moslem minds? Or has he merely mislead and diverted and placated non-Muslims while the jihadists continue at an increased pace?
special_guest:
the "exempt" media pretty much ignored the recent report by Freedom House exposing the materials made available in US mosques courtesy of Saudi funding.
If there were such protests mounted as Dumbo suggests, and they received any media attention, it would be of the KingTolerance variety, dismissing the protesters as intolerant bigots.