Glenn Greenwald and his fellow jihad-enabling “journalist” Murtaza Hussain have a major exposé out today about Muslim leaders who are being spied upon by the FBI and the NSA. The thrust of the article is that each one is as pure as the day is long, with the one sin of opposing U.S. government policies.
The idea, of course, that opposing U.S. government policies from the Left will get you placed under surveillance these days is beyond ridiculous: Obama’s IRS is targeting conservative groups, not Leftists, and claiming that “right-wing extremists” are a terror threat, with nary a word about genuinely violent Left-wing extremist groups such as the Occupy movement and others.
And so it is no surprise that Greenwald and Hussain make their case by glossing over the genuine reasons why the FBI and NSA have placed these men under surveillance — surveillance which, if it is still going on at this point, is sure to end now as a result of this article. Here are the facts about Hamas-linked CAIR’s Nihad Awad; I deal with the others here.
“Meet the Muslim-American Leaders the FBI and NSA Have Been Spying On,” by Glenn Greenwald and Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept, July 9, 2014:
The National Security Agency and FBI have covertly monitored the emails of prominent Muslim-Americans—including a political candidate and several civil rights activists, academics, and lawyers—under secretive procedures intended to target terrorists and foreign spies.
According to documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the list of Americans monitored by their own government includes:
• Faisal Gill, a longtime Republican Party operative and one-time candidate for public office who held a top-secret security clearance and served in the Department of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush;
• Asim Ghafoor, a prominent attorney who has represented clients in terrorism-related cases;
• Hooshang Amirahmadi, an Iranian-American professor of international relations at Rutgers University;
• Agha Saeed, a former political science professor at California State University who champions Muslim civil liberties and Palestinian rights;
• Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the country….
…“I’m outraged as an American citizen that my government, after decades of civil rights struggle, still spies on political activists and civil right activists and leaders,” says Awad. “I’m really angry that despite all the work that we have been doing in our communities to serve the nation, we are treated with suspicion.”
The bulk of CAIR’s work is devoted to protecting the civil liberties of Muslim-Americans. (Full disclosure: Glenn Greenwald, a co-author of this story, has given paid speeches before CAIR’s regional affiliates.) The group frequently provides legal counsel to those who believe their rights have been infringed, and litigates constitutional challenges to state and federal laws. Awad says he is particularly incensed about the surveillance given the close cooperation that CAIR has provided the U.S. government in denouncing violent extremism. “The government knows very well that I am not a foreign agent,” he says.
Despite its political moderation and relationship to federal law enforcement agencies, CAIR became a primary target of hardline neoconservatives after 9/11. In 2007, the Justice Department named the group as one of more than 300 “unindicted co-conspirators” in its controversial prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation, then the largest Muslim charity in the U.S., which was eventually convicted of providing material support to Hamas. The Justice Department later attempted to justify its inclusion of CAIR by referring to wiretap evidence showing that in 1993, a Palestinian advocacy group that prosecutors believed was linked to Hamas met in a Philadelphia hotel and talked about founding CAIR. In 1994, Awad voiced public support for Hamas—before the group’s campaign of suicide attacks against civilians and subsequent placement on the State Department’s terrorist list in 1997.
“I do not support Hamas,” Awad says today, pointing out that the group was not involved in terrorist activities at the time he made the statement. “It was not on the list of organizations that sponsor or conduct terrorism by the State Department. And when the organization took those acts, CAIR has condemned it, repeatedly.”…
Very well. So Awad supported Hamas in 1994, but in 1997, when it was placed on the State Department’s terrorist list, he stopped supporting it. Here is part of the old Hamas website’s “glory record” of attacks against Israelis – the terrorist organization’s own record of its murderous actions. Here are some of Hamas’ self-described exploits from before 1994, when Awad made his statement about supporting Hamas:
3. Boureen Operation: The militant Hamdan Hussein Al:najar, a member of Hamas, killed the Israeli settler Ya’coub Berey using a big rock as his weapon. The militant was shot down as a martyr after he had ambushed an Israeli patrol using the dead settler’s weapon….
6. Bus No. 405 Operation: Militant Ahmed Hussein Shukry, a member of Hamas, was able to lead an Israeli soldier to a secluded place in Tel Aviv where the militant hit the soldier with a chisel and killed him on 8 September 1989. The following day, the militant got on bus No. 405 and stabbed the driver to take over the bus; however, the passengers were able to stop the militant….
12. Keryat Youval Operation: The militant Mohammed Mustafa Abu Jalala stabbed four Israelis and injured another at a bus station in Keryat Youval in Jerusalem before he was arrested by the Israeli forces.
13. Askalan Road Operation: While driving a taxi, the militant Jameel Ismail Al:baz, a member of Hamas, ran over a group of Israelis waiting on this road on 19 July 1991….
15. Shailou Operation: A military group belonging to Al Qassam Brigades attacked an Israeli bus carrying some settlers on their way to Tel Aviv to participate in demonstrations organized by the extremist party Likud against the peace process. The bus was completely destroyed; two Israelis were killed and five more were injured….
17. Eid Al-maskhara Operation: The militant Ra’ed Al:reefy attacked an Israeli crowd in Jaffa on 17 March 1992. He was able to kill 2 and injure 21 Israelis who gathered to celebrate Eid Al:maskhara, also known as Al:boureem.
18. Beit Lahya Operation: On the third anniversary of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin’s arrest, a group belonging to Al Qassam Brigades attacked an Israeli settler at Beit Lahya and shot him down then withdrew safely….
21. Carlo Factory Operation: Four militants belonging to Al Qassam Brigades broke into a citrus packing factory (Carlo) near Nahal Oaz at 2:30 p.m. on 25 June 1992. Three militants stabbed two Israelis while the other was guarding….
So Greenwald and Hussain claim that Awad only supported Hamas “before the group’s campaign of suicide attacks against civilians” began. Yet on Hamas’s own website at the time Awad expressed his support for the group was a celebration of the murders of civilian Ya’coub Berey; the civilians on the bus to Tel Aviv; the civilians in the crowd in Jaffa; and the civilian at Beit Lahya; as well as the stabbings of the driver of bus No. 405, the Israelis at the bus station in Keryat Youval, and the citrus packers, as well as the victims of cabbie Jameel Ismail al-Baz.
Also, when Awad says that he and CAIR do not support Hamas today, it should be recalled that in March 2004, when Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin was killed by Israel, CAIR condemned his killing — without ever mentioning that Yassin was the mastermind and director of suicide killings for Hamas: “We condemn this violation of international law as an act of state terrorism by Ariel Sharon’s out-of-control government. Israel’s extra-judicial killing of an Islamic religious leader can only serve to perpetuate the cycle of violence throughout the region. The international community must now take concrete steps to help protect the Palestinian people against such wanton Israeli violence.”
The way they deal with Awad is typical of the dishonesty of the entire Greenwald/Hussain piece.
John C. Barile says
“The government knows very well that I am not a foreign agent,” says Awad, head of a known, foreign-funded front group for HAMAS.
Jaladhi says
Today’s lefty libtards don’t want to be confused by facts. They make up their own facts just as Muslims do to suit their narrative!!
Jay Boo says
A P.R. CALL TO PRAYER
But, that which is not said, their “Allahu Akbar” can no longer, in darkness cloak; yet, as each morning the strangled rooster crows, calling all to surrender hope.
Once again, Islam will display vain deeds as if they were peace while in its lies it takes pride even as another sunrise reveals that everything Islam touches soon begins to wither and die.
jihad3tracker says
I always begin posts about CAIR here on JW by saying hello to Nihad Awad and the other fraternity pranksters he pals around with.
They read every word on Mr. Spencer’s beacon of truth, so, again, my heartfelt greeting goes out to all of them.
They are buying aspirin in giant-economy size bottles to suppress migraines brought on by al-Baghdadi’s refusal to follow the stealth jihad playbook.
And it would now be a good idea to buy high-quality binoculars — Leicas are excellent.
Then devote time each day to scanning the sky over all of your homes and headquarters — for seagulls and crows that, for some unknown reason, endlessly circle about 400 feet overhead.
Angemon says
“The National Security Agency and FBI have covertly monitored the emails of prominent Muslim-Americans”
Funny how they unwillingly and unknowingly told the truth. Muslim-Americans. That’s just the problem, isn’t it? They consider themselves muslims first and americans second, thus their allegiance isn’t with America, the american government or the american people.
Jay Boo says
Muslim leaders at CAIR have a right to suspect that they are being spied upon but not by the FBI and the NSA.
Ex-Muslims who are tired and ashamed of living under the stench of Islam’s daily disgrace are not just breaking their shackles but are also unveiling Islam’s ‘beast’ making organizations like CAIR very porous.
Jay Boo says
Obama is trying to get the FBI and NSA to spy on allies instead, such as Germany and also spying internally to find out how much information is known about his Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy.
Maybe that explains what really happened at Benghazi.
Watcher87 says
Nihad…..rhymes with _____?
John C. Barile says
“Internal Spiritual Struggle”–am I right?
Jay Boo says
At the first sign of CAIR indignation
Liberals bow their heads and turn into groveling vultures.
See them pose on a PC perch; hear them sing…
“dhimmi dhimmi dum, dhimmi dhimmi doo doo.”
A nest of appeasement cannot talk.
It can only chirp – chirping
“… As-for-Islam / I-like-kum, too.”
Tradewinds says
Cannot stand the goons and thugs of cair. You listening, Doug Hooper? They should all be deported to Yemen with their mosks and korans. Good Riddance.
mike ryan says
WHAT!!!!!! I’m absolutely shocked that this man hasn’t been appointed to a “advisory post” in the Obama administration.
Scott says
Why did you call Hussain a Jihad Enabler? Where’s your evidence of this? And why did you put the word “journalist” in scare quotes? Is he not an actual journalist?
Biff H says
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126142123@N07/14623140845/in/photostream/lightbox/
Biff H says
Biff H says
https://flic.kr/p/ohcBRa
Boston Tea Party says
Holy crap, I just about fell off my chair at work today. NPR was covering this story—I don’t know who they were interviewing about it, but they asked him about the high-profile Muslims that had been under surveillance. The NPR host asked if there were any legitimate concerns about any of them, and the guy said “Well, one of the men was an official in CAIR, an organization that has had direct ties to Hamas–which the US considers a terrorist organization.”
That was NOT what the NPR host wanted to hear! NPR was a little lax on screening their guests. 🙂
( A bit later though they got back on track– they had on a puff piece with Asim Ghafoor and of course he was presented as a reasonable, sensitive moderate who was the victim of racism and/or Islamophobia. )