Militant Islam Monitor > Satire > Al Qaeda linked Muslim American Society blames "Islamo"phobs" and "bloggers" for thwarting Jihad confab at Presbyterian retreat
Al Qaeda linked Muslim American Society blames "Islamo"phobs" and "bloggers" for thwarting Jihad confab at Presbyterian retreat
Press release by Joe Kaufman details how MAS speaker Mazen Mokhtar's website is linked to Hamas
January 6, 2006
MAZEN MOKHTAR'S MINNA WEBSITE
CONTAINS PORTAL TO HAMAS
MOKHTAR DESCRIBES HAMAS AS BEING "HEROIC"
(Coral Springs, FL) Mazen Mokhtar, the Youth Division head of the New Jersey chapter of the Muslim American Society, last weekend, became the subject of concern, when it was brought to light that he had created a website that was an exact replica of one that was raising funds and recruiting fighters for terrorist activities abroad. The website, www.minna.com, was a "mirror" site of www.azzam.com, which was named for Osama bin Laden's mentor, Abdullah Azzam. The Minna site was created so that, when the original would be shut down (i.e. after 9/11), the Minna site would be able to continue raising money and recruiting terrorists.
Besides being associated with Al-Qaeda, the Minna site contained a portal to the official website of Hamas, 'The Palestinian Information Center.' The site featured Hamas communiqués and numerous violent anti-Jewish statements.
Mokhtar's entire www.minna.com website can be viewed here; scroll down for Hamas site.
It makes sense for Mokhtar's site to be connected to Hamas, because Mokhtar, himself, has made numerous statements praising the terrorist group. About Hamas, Mokhtar has said such things as:
"One of the reasons of my support for Hamas is that they have very high moral standards."
"Bombing houses is best left to the IDF (IOF?) they are the experts in the field. Hamas prefers to invest its limited resources in doing good."
"I have read the [Hamas] covenant. I support the covenant…"
"Hamas's path is the only path in the history of the Palestinian struggle against Israel that has produced results, and the results are impressive, I must say. I think it is clear that Hamas has the wider vision and the better plan."
"…the operations of HAMAS are heroic."
"I have enough trust in Hamas to feel that no one is killed before being identified as a collaborator."
Mokhtar has also made statements highly supportive of suicide bombing.
Joe Kaufman, Chairman of Americans Against Hate (AAH), stated, "I cannot fathom that a man who lauds Hamas and created a website connected to Al-Qaeda and Hamas could be allowed to teach impressionable children as a Youth Director. At the very least, this man should be behind bars and in shackles. I call on law enforcement to take this man into custody immediately. He should not be allowed on the street!"
Joe Kaufman is available for interview. E-mail: [email protected].
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ALERT: MAS Tampa Stops Attempts by Islamophobs to Cancel Muslim Youth Event
Date Posted: Tuesday, January 03, 2006
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful
January 3, 2006
ALERT: MAS TAMPA STOPS ATTEMPTS BY ISLAMOPHOBS TO CANCEL MUSLIM YOUTH EVENT
Extremist Blogger's Supporters Threaten Muslims and Presbyterians
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Despite death threats and hate calls seeking to derail a Muslim American Society Muslim youth retreat, MAS Tampa was able to successfully galvanize the community in Florida and hold the successful event.
The two-day (December 31 and January 1) MAS Tampa youth retreat and conference was originally scheduled to be held at Cedarkirk, a Presbyterian camp and conference center in rural eastern Hillsborough County, Florida. However, right-wing Islamophobs, approximately one week before the event, began a vicious misinformation campaign attacking event speakers as extremists and terrorist supporters.
This hate campaign, which also targeted the Presbyterian Church, reached its peak when blogger Joe Kaufman last Thursday appeared on Fox News's Neil Cuvato show and falsely accused one of the youth retreat speakers, Mazen Mokhtar, as having ties to al-Qaeda. Kaufman went on to attack the Presbyterian Church for allowing "terrorists" the right to use their facilities.
Alarmed by the intensity of Kaufman's vile campaign and other bloggers of his type, the Director of the Presbyterian campsite contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local sheriff's office. She was informed that there was absolutely nothing about the scheduled speakers, or MAS Tampa, that should cause them not to allow the MAS Muslim Youth event to occur at their camping conference center. Unfortunately, due to the volume and nature of the threats the camp received, and after conferring with law enforcement, the Director, due to safety reasons, decided to close all activities at the camp, including events scheduled by other organizations.
However, Mohamed Moharram, MAS Tampa President, and its members were determined not to allow the haters to win. After consulting with MAS National headquarters and its Freedom Foundation, MAS Tampa launched a rapid and aggressive positive media and outreach campaign exposing Kaufman's, and other right wing bloggers', lies and fabrications. The media's response was outstanding, in addition to local television coverage, positive articles explaining the true nature of the Muslim youth retreat also appeared in the St. Petersburg Times and the Tampa Tribune.
In addition, support through e-mail messages came from other members of the Florida community, commending MAS Tampa for their determination to have the youth retreat, and its positive approach in dealing with hate and intimidation. The retreat was relocated to an undisclosed location to ensure safety, and according to attendees and participants, the event was a major success.
"Tampa is a textbook example of how Muslim communities should deal with bigoted attack campaigns directed towards Muslims," stated MAS Freedom Executive Director Mahdi Bray. "When I spoke with the chapter president, he made it clear that due to training they received from the Freedom Foundation, they knew exactly what to do, and they did it.
"It's moments like this that makes all that traveling from city to city, and conducting activist training workshops worthwhile," said Bray. "Now, we need to investigate our options and see if we can initiate litigation against these cowards who threatened the safety of our children, community and Christian neighbors.
"It's still all about ‘Faith Over Fear and Justice For All'," added Bray.
Action Requested:
Please contact Fox News: "Your World with Neil Cavuto", [email protected]. Indicate in a polite, but firm, manner your displeasure in allowing Joe Kaufman a forum to spread false allegations concerning Muslims that lead to violent calls and threats against Muslims and the Presbyterian Church that had to be reported to the FBI.
Please send thank you notes and comments to:
Tampa Tribune - Chris Echegaray: [email protected]
St. Pete Times - Sara Rosenbaum: [email protected]
Channel 8 - Pete Masa: [email protected]
The Freedom Foundation is the public affairs arm of the Muslim American Society (MAS), a national grassroots religious, social, and educational organization. MAS is America's largest grassroots Muslim organization with over 50 chapters nationwide. Learn more at www.masnet.org. Support our work at MAS Freedom Foundation. Make A Donation.
____________________________________________
MAS Freedom Foundation
1050 17th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Tel.: (202) 496-1288, Fax: (202) 463-0686
URL: http://www.masnet.org/index_publicaffairs.asp
Email: [email protected]
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