Scott Alexander planned CTU exchange program with Al Quds University and Hamas activists Azzam Tamimi and Abu Sway

" I am filled with rage at the Jews. I have never greeted a Jew when I came near one and I never will"

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=18773

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/126

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http://www.alquds.edu/

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Scott Alexander and CTU president Ronald Senior are worried about Jewish funding being pulled out of the CTU.

Alexander's backing out of the Damra testimony might also have to do with his concerns that law enforcement could scrutinize a portion of CTU's 2 million Lilly grant funding of his planned Hamas/ Al Quds "exchange program" run by known Hamas activists Mustafa Abu Sway and Azzam Tamimi.

CTU donors,board members, and the public should be calling for Scott Alexander's resignation and an investigation into the CTU and Bernadin Center's activities.

No apology from Scott Alexander will alter his Islamist agenda . The true face of CTU's interfaith has been publicly revealed.

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The entry from lfg quotes Alexander equating Jerry Falwell with Hamas.

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Note that Ira Yudovin, Michael Kotzin, and John Esposito, who are quoted below are on the CTU's Bernadin Center Board of Advisors. (see listing below)

http://www.bernardin.org/BernardinCenter/boardofadvisors.htm

American Jewish Committee, Catholic Theological Union Partner to Advance Interreligious Understanding

January 29, 2003-- The American Jewish Committee and the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union, the largest Catholic school of theology in the United States, have announced a joint association dedicated to further improving Catholic-Jewish relations.

The AJC-CTU association will also enable the routine exchange of research, analysis, and ideas, in addition to the opportunity to work together to support special events. The association may include joint sponsorship of publications, conferences, study groups, and interreligious visits.

"We enter into this agreement in the hope and belief that the association of AJC and CTU will increase the reach and effectiveness of our two organizations, and will also serve the best interests of the Catholic and Jewish communities, as well as those of religious communities in the United States and around the world," said Rev. John Pawlikowski, expert in interreligous dialogue and director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at Catholic Theological Union.

Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's Director of International Interreligious Affairs, said, "We believe that this coop- erative relationship with one of the foremost Catholic theological schools in the U.S., will enhance even further the unique contribution of the AJC to the historic transformation in our times of Catholic-Jewish relations."

The formal association also includes the commissioning of a study regarding joint oversight and expansion of the Catholic/Jewish Educational Enrichment Program (C/JEEP), the AJC92s award-winning interreligious understanding initiative for Catholic and Jewish high school students and faculty. The Bernardin Center at CTU and the AJC have collaborated on several projects, including the Catholic Jewish Studies Conference on "Jews and Catholics Working Together."

Founded in 1906, the American Jewish Committee is the nation's oldest human relations organization, protecting the rights and freedoms of Jews worldwide, combating bigotry and anti-Semitism, while supporting human rights for all.

The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union, founded in 1997 to continue the vision of the late Cardinal Bernardin, focuses on his signature issues such as reconciliation and peacemaking, interreligious dialogue, and the role of religion in society. The Bernardin Center is sponsor of the highly respected Catholic-Jewish Studies Program.

http://www.ctu.edu/WhatsNew/news1.htm

Two families, one Jewish and one Catholic, have endowed a chair in Jewish studies at Catholic Theological Union
(CTU).

The Rev. Donald P. Senior, C.P., president of CTU, announced the Lester Crown Family and the Patrick G. Ryan Family have made this gift at a time when people of many faiths mark remembrance of the Holocaust, April 19.

"On this special day of remembrance of the Holocaust, in a world still strained by conflict and lack of understanding, this gift from the Crowns and the Ryans will enable our school to educate religious leaders of the future who will shape Christian congregations and their interactions with Judaism," Senior said.

Industrialist Lester Crown commented in a Chicago Tribune article, "Together with the Ryans we wanted to do something as far as bridging the relationship between Catholics and Jews. Teaching both priests and Catholic lay leadership is very important."

The gift will provide for the ongoing presence of a Jewish scholar at
CTU.

"Under the courageous leadership of Pope John Paul II, a seat change has taken place in what historically has often been a tortured relationship between Catholics and Jews," President Senior said. "In an act of public contrition during his historic millennium pilgrimage to Israel, Pope John Paul II placed a message in a crevice of the Western Wall. The message asked God's forgiveness for causing 'these children of yours to suffer' and renewed the pledge 'to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.'" The Pope's powerful example has encouraged Catholics worldwide to redouble their efforts to seek reconciliation and harmony with their Jewish brothers and sisters.

Newton Minow, who serves on the Jewish Studies Committee and National Advisory Board of the Bernardin Center said, "Cardinal Bernardin, more than once said, 'I am Joseph your brother.' Through this generous gift, the Crown and Ryan families are advancing Cardinal Bernardin's work and spirit."

The late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin made the Catholic-Jewish dialogue a centerpiece of his vision. Because of Cardinal Bernardin's profound commitment to this dialogue, a commitment continued by his successor, Francis Cardinal George, the graduate school's Catholic-Jewish Studies Program is sponsored by the Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry.

Catholic-Jewish Studies has been an integral part of Catholic Theological Union (CTU) since the graduate school's inception in 1968. Directed by the Rev. John T. Pawlikowski, professor of ethics and regarded as the leading Catholic authority on Christian-Jewish relations, the purpose of the program is to instill in future Christian religious leaders knowledge of and respect for the history and content of Judaism as a living religious tradition and to foster a spirit of dialogue and understanding.

In addition to offering courses in Judaism and the Shapiro Lecture series, which brings outstanding Jewish scholars to campus, the program also sponsors conferences, forums, lectures, and consultations that advance the Catholic-Jewish dialogue. CTU also offers annual study programs to Israel and other historical lands in the Middle East directed by expert faculty.

The extraordinary convergence of academic resources in the Chicago area – augmented by strong relationships between Jewish and Christian religious leaders – has placed Chicago among the foremost world centers for Christian-Jewish dialogue. According to Cardinal Edward I. Cassidy, former head of the Vatican Commission on religious relations with the Jews, Chicago is at the forefront of the Catholic-Jewish dialogue.

Rabbi Youdovin, executive director of the Chicago Board of Rabbis who serves on the Jewish Studies Committee and the National Board of Advisors of the Bernardin Center, said, "I remember Cardinal Cassidy addressing a group of local Catholic and Jewish leaders on his plans for enhancing relations between our two faith communities. When he was done, we told him that most of his ideas were already happening in Chicago. CTU and the Bernardin Center deserve much of the credit for that."

"While some Chicago universities offer distinguished programs in Jewish studies, the distinctive feature of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at CTU is its emphasis on the relationship between Catholics and Jews, particularly as it shapes the perspectives of future church
leaders," said the Rev. Al Spilly, director of the Bernardin Center.

Within Chicago, the presence of Catholic Theological Union and its Bernardin Center have been vital in bringing to the conversation the unique relationship of the Catholic community to Judaism.

Father John Pawlikowski said, "The Jewish Studies Chair further enhances CTU's stature as one of the preeminent centers internationally for serious reflection and research on the Catholic-Jewish relationship. It will help build on the excellent groundwork laid by the late Dr. Hayim Goren Perelmuter, CTU's first professor of Jewish Studies."

Founded in 1968 in the renewed spirit of the Second Vatican Council, Catholic Theological Union is the largest Catholic graduate school of theology and ministry in the United States. Through its faculty of world-renowned scholars, CTU is preparing women and men, ordained and lay, international and ethnically diverse, for service to the worldwide church.

CTU is the home of the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry, where the vision of Cardinal Bernardin continues to flourish through scholarships, seminars, lectures, and a full array of public programs. The Center focuses on the Cardinal's signature issues including justice and peacemaking, interreligious dialogue, health care, reconciliation, religion, and society.

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Talat Othman, a wealthy Arab businessman who is on the advisory board of the Benardin Center, is vice president of the Council of Islamic Organisation in Chicago, and also works with the Bridgeview Mosque Foundation . Below Othman lauds the "interfaith" programs set up with the Bernardin Center as an opportunity for outreach.

For Muslims outreach is a code word for Da'wa or Islamic Propagation.

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PDF] Chicago Muslims Share Anxieties, Mistrust of US Acts
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
... One handout said in bold letters: "Muslims worship the God of Abraham, the same God
as Jews and Christians." Talal Sunbulli of the Bridgeview Mosque Foundation ...
https:/.../ Winter01/Chicago%20Muslims%20Share%20Anxieties,%20Mistrust%20of%20U.S.%20Acts.pdf - Similar pages

Celebrating A Decade Of Community Service

The Council derives its strength from active involvement and support of our valued member organizations. Their dedicated leaders and representatives keep the Council going with collective decision-making, planning, and implementation. Their heart-felt messages below are treasured and a source of inspiration as we forge ahead together. All we can say here is THANKS for this appreciation!

· Talat Othman, President, Founding Committee of the Council.

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Message from the Islamic Association of Palestine

"Congratulations to the Council on its tenth anniversary. It is only 10 years young & getting better. May Allah (swt) guide & grant the leaders of this great organization the wisdom to build a great Muslim community, for a better America."

Rafiq Jabr,
President Islamic Assn of Palestine

Talat Othman's remarks on the significance of the CIOGC interfaith programs with the CTU Bernadin Center :

Remarks from the President of the Council's Founding Committee

"As the president of the ad hoc committee that found the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, I am very grateful to Allah (swt) for the success that we were blessed with during the first ten years of the Council's existence. God willing, the next ten years will be even more fruitful with love and peace among peoples of all races, faiths, and ethnicities. The less time needed to put out fires of fear, hate, and discrimination, the more time will be spent on improving relations within our community, society, and country for the benefit of all people in the great nation.

It is appropriate at this time to reflect on the founding and growth of this organization. Much of the credit goes to Dr. Ibrahim Elghindy for planting the seed and for calling the first meeting of heads of Muslim associations. That action resulted in the election of the Ad Hoc Committee to look into the formation of an umbrella organization. The nine members of the Ad hoc committee, including vice-president Dr. Mohammed Kaiseruddin, spent days and months in research, preparations, and meetings until Alhamdulillah, the by-laws were accepted and endorsed by all the major (in size of membership) Mosques and Islamic Centers. Other organizations later joined the Council.

The Council was blessed from the beginning, having dedicated persons to serve in leadership positions. The first chairman of the Council, Dr. Kaiseruddin initiated many programs including " food for the poor", and the media relations committee. Dr. Talal Sunbulli followed as chairman and strengthened the Council; he instituted the outreach program with interfaith dialogues. Br. Kareem Irfan, the current chair, improved and expanded the effectiveness of the Council in several areas including the media, dialogues, and outreach. Under his leadership, a Council office was opened, and of particular significance is the relationship with the Catholic Theological Union-Cardinal Bernardin Center, where a Catholic-Muslim Studies Program was initiated. I am honored to serve on the Bernardin Center's Advisory Board."

Talat M. Othman

http://www.isna.net/news.asp?view=detail&id=64

http://www.muslimuzbekistan.com/eng/ennews/2002/03/ennews29032002_2.html

MIM this was the note on the Muslim Uzbekistan website which might not be accessible via the URL :

Editor's note: This letter was emailed by Federation of Australian Muslim Students and Youth (FAMSY)

March 29, 2002

A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF USA ON MUSLIM CIVIL LIBERTIES

Mr. George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
March 26, 2002

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing for two reasons.

The first is to extend my prayers to you, your family, and your White House staff for providing this country with strong leadership in these difficult times. I can only imagine that, since September 11th, precious little of the decisions you must make on a daily basis are pleasant ones. I pray that God continue to bless you with the wisdom and strength you need to persevere as a national and world leader at a time when so much of the world and its politics are undergoing such great stress and flux.

The second reason I'm writing is to protest, in the strongest terms possible, the recent raids on the homes and offices of Muslim citizens and community leaders in Virginia and the D.C. area. I realize that ensuring national security in times like these occasionally requires a resort to extreme measures. I also realize, however, that if attacks on this country were carried out by a group like the IRA, it would be highly unlikely that federal agents would be raiding the offices of Roman Catholic archdioceses around the country. Yet that is the magnitude of what has happened here.

It is almost as if, because the Muslim community and its leadership is not structured according to clearly defined clerical and lay distinctions (which do not, by and large, exist in Islam--especially not in Islam in the U.S.), the respect accorded the leadership of mainsteam Christian and Jewish communities simply does not apply to their Muslim counterparts.

Unfortunately, it appears that such obvious discrimination goes unchecked because the voice of the Muslim community in this country is simply not yet strong or influential enough to afford its members the protections enjoyed by members of more numerous or influential religious communities.

This affront to the integrity and rights of the Muslim community in the U.S. is compounded by the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, its leadership has repeatedly and sincerely offered to cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities in the current imperative to dismantle terrorist networks here in the U.S. Nonetheless, the homes of some prominent, civically active Muslim individuals have been invaded with what appears to be little to no consultation with them or other members of the Muslim community who could have helped investigators pursue their task with the caution, scruples, and due process demanded by our Constitution for every U.S. citizen.

My fear is that our government has taken the lead of a self-appointed and media-anointed "terrorist expert" like Steven Emerson who simply points his finger at each and every Muslim organization with any tie to Palestine, and declares them hornets' nests of terrorist activity. Does the FBI, for example, consult regularly with those key members of the Muslim community who can raise substantive (rather than rhetorical) objections to the observations of someone like Emerson? My sense is that it does not. Rather, it seems that in its dealings with the domestic Muslim community, federal law enforcement is operating on Emerson's McCarthy-like assumption of treachery rather than loyalty among the American Muslim community.

I would think, Mr. President, that this would gravely sadden and outrage you as it does the rest of us who have deep ties with the Muslim community and who are terribly concerned for the welfare of its members as we continue to struggle for ways to increase our security without compromising our most cherished values.

As an American citizen, I want very much to trust in my government at a time like this. I want very much to trust that we are doing what's in the best interests of this country and all its citizens. I must say, however, that my trust is being eroded by a combination of "extreme circumstance" excuses, secret evidence privileges, surprise raids on the homes of respected Muslim leaders, and sentiments by our chief law enforcement officer (i.e., Mr. Ashcroft) and the religious culture of his roots (e.g., Franklin Graham) which betray a profound ignorance of and antipathy toward Islam.

Not long after the day of our great national tragedy, with courage and foresight you came before the American people and stated quite explicitly that our war was not a war on Islam and Muslim peoples. I, for one, believe you were--and are--sincere in this belief. I wonder, however, whether this important statement still rings true. As you know, it's not enough simply to say that the rights and dignity of American Muslims will be protected during this trying episode in our history. Certain clearly defined steps must be taken, and firm commitments made to see to it that this be the case.

Are such steps being taken? If they are, many of us both within and without the Muslim community cannot identify them. Have such commitments been made? If so, many of us do not recognize them or see them being carried out.

In the name of God, and in the name of all that is noble and good in our great nation, I respectfully implore you to take immediate and concrete steps to prove to all Americans--and the rest of the world--that the rights and dignity of the Muslim community in the U.S. will be afforded all the protection they legally and morally deserve.

Once again, thank you for your leadership. And, as always, may God bless you and guide you to act solely to His greater glory.

Sincerely yours,

Scott C. Alexander, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Islam
Director, Catholic-Muslim Studies
Chair, Department of Cross-Cultural Ministries
Catholic Theological Union
5401 South Cornell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60615
U.S.A.
tel. 773.256.4251; fax 773.684.1067
e-mail: [email protected]

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MIM: The updated board membership list for the Bernadin Center shows that Emily Soloff the director of the American Jewish Committee and Jonathan Levine the AJC regional coordinator are now on the board. Another new board member is Elaine Shuster the CEO of a major charity called the Golden Apple Foundation.

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MIM:

http://www.ctu.edu/Bernardin_Center/The_People/Board_of_Advisors.html

Bassiouni recently spoke at a CAIR event and no longer even attempts to keep up the pretext of being a moderate.

The People

Board of Advisors

Bernardin Center National Advisory Board

Dr. Ghulman Haider Aasi
American Islamic College
Chicago

Mrs. Elaine Addison
Cardinal Bernardin's sister
Marietta, GA

Dr. Scott Alexander
Assoc. Professor of Islamic Studies, Catholic Theological Union
Chicago

Dr. Imad Y. Almanaseer
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
Park Ridge, IL

Dr. Scott R. Appleby
Director, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN

Dr. M Cherif Bassiouni
Professor of Law, DePaul University
Chicago

Dr. Georgette Bennett
President, Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
New York, NY

Marshall Bennett
Chicago Real Estate Executive, Chicago Real Estate
Northbrook, IL

Sr. Dianne Bergant, CSA
Professor of Old Testament Studies, Catholic Theological Union
Chicago

Robert L. Berner, Jr.
Baker & McKenzie
Chicago

Rev. Jeremiah M. Boland
Administrator, Holy Family Parish
Chicago

Thomas J. Boodell, Jr.
Boodell & Domanskis
Chicago

Dr. John Borelli
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.

Rabbi Herbert Bronstein
Rabbi Emeritus, North Shore Congregation Israel
Glencoe, IL

Rev. John M. Buchanan
Fourth Presbyterian Church
Chicago

Dr. Cynthia Campbell
President, McCormick Theological Seminary,
Chicago

LeRoy Carlson, Jr.
President, CEO Telephone Data Systems, Inc. T.D.S., Inc.,
Chicago

Dr. Donna Carroll
President, Dominican University,
River Forest, IL

Mrs. Renée Crown
Wilmette, IL

Mrs. Margaret Daley
Pathways Awareness Foundation
Chicago

Rev. Stanley L. Davis, Jr.
Chicago

Mrs. Catherine Denny
James and Catherine Denny Foundation
Chicago

James Denny
James and Catherine Denny Foundation
Chicago

William J. Devers, Jr.
President, Devers Group, Inc.
Wilmette, IL

Thomas J. Donnelly, Esq.
Mary J. Donnelly Foundation
Pittsburgh, PA

Virginia Duncan
Fond du Lac, Wisc.

Dr. John Esposito
Director, Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding, Edward A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Washington, DC

Dr. Nancy Furey, M.D.
Internal Medicine Northwestern Mem. Hospital
Chief of Medicine Mercy Hospital
Chicago

Dr. Warren W. Furey, M.D.
Chief of Medicine, Mercy Hospital
Clinic of Medicine Mercy Hospital
Chicago

Harold Gershowitz
Chicago

Most Rev. Raymond Goedert
Auxiliary Bishop, Retired
Chicago

J. Ira Harris
The Pritzker Organization
Chicago

Dr. Shakeela Hassan
Chicago

Rev. J. Bryan Hehir
Catholic Charities
Boston, MA

Dr. Asad Husain
President, American Islamic College
Chicago

Dr. Kareem Irfan
Council of Islamic Organizations, Council of Islamic Org.
Lombard, IL

Elizabeth Kane
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Chicago

Dr. Eugene Kennedy
Prof. Emeritus, Loyola University
Chicago

Dr. Michael Kotzin
Executive Vice President, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
Chicago

Mrs. Joan Lavezzorio
CEO, Loyola Paper
Northfield, IL

Jonathan Levine
Midwest Regional Director, American Jewish Committee
Chicago

Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb
Archdiocese of Mobile
Mobile, AL

William E. Lowry, Jr.
Vice President Human Resources, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Chicago

Joe Madden
President, Madden Funds
Oak Park, IL

His Eminence Roger Cardinal Mahony
Archbishop of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Eugene T. McEnery
Oak Park, IL

Sr. Joan McGuire
Director, Office of Ecumenism and Inteerrelisious
Archdiocese of Chicago
Chicago:

Lester H. McKeever, Jr.
Managing Partner Washington, Pitman and McKeever,
Chicago

Andrew McKenna, Sr.
President, Schwarz Paper Co.,
Morton Grove, IL

Newton Minow
Sidley, Austin Brown & Wood, Bank One Plaza
Chicago

Daniel R. Murray, Esq.
Partner, Attorney, Jenner and Block
Chicago

Rev. Thomas J. Nairn,OFM
Associate Professor of Ethics, Catholic Theological Union
Chicago

Joan F. Neal
Catholic Relief Services
Baltimore, MD

Talat Othman
Vice President, Council of Islamic Org.
Long Grove, IL

Mrs. Margaret Paluch
Chairperson Paulch Fam. Found.,
Arlington Hgts., IL

Rev. John Pawlikowski,OSM
Professor of Ethics, CTU,
Chicago

Rev. Michael Place
President and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States
St. Louis, MO

Thomas J. Reedy
President, Reedy Industries
Northfield, IL

William E. Reidy
William Reidy Associates
Winnetka, IL

Thomas Reynolds, III
Winnetka, IL

Rev. Gary Riebe-Estrella, SVD
Academic Dean Catholic Theological Union
Chicago

Anna-Eleanor Roosevelt
Boeing World Headquarters
Chicago

Mrs. Shirley Ryan
Pathways Awareness Foundation
Chicago

Manuel Sanchez
Attorney, Sanchez & Daniels
Chicago

Rabbi Herman Schaalman
Adjunct Professor of Jewish Studies, Catholic Theological Union
Chicago

Rev. Robert Schreiter,CPPS
Vatican II Chair of Theology, Catholic Theological Union
Chicago

Dr. Elaine Schuster
Chicago

Sr. Katrina Schuth, OSF
Professor, St. Paul Seminary, St. Thomas University
St. Paul, MN

Mrs. Carole Segal
V.P. Civic Affairs, Crate & Barrel
Winnetka, IL

Rev. Donald Senior, CP
President, Catholic Theological Union
Chicago

Patricia Shevlin
Development Office, Catholic Theological Union
Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation CO-Director,
Countryside, IL

Norman A. Shubert
Shapiro Foundation, Gamble Foundation,
Chicago

Emily Soloff
American Jewish Committee
Chicago

Rev. Kevin Speiss, Pastor
Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity
Winnetka, IL

Rev. Alphonse Spilly, CPPS
Former Director, Bernardin Center
Whiting, IN

Howard L. Stone
Exec. VP American Express Tax and Business Services
Chicago

Jerome Stone
Stone Container, Inc.,
Chicago

Dr. Howard L. Sulkin
President, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
Chicago

Dr. Sayyid Syeed
Secretary General, Islamic Society of North America
Plainfield, IN

Mary-Frances Veeck
Chicago

Msgr. Kenneth Velo
President, Big Shoulders Foundation
Rosemont, IL

Maynard Wishner
Attorney at Law
Wilmette, IL

Rabbi Ira S. Youdovin
Executive Vice President, Chicago Board of Rabbis
Chicago

Sr. Dominga Zapata, SH
Chicago

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