New York set to open Khalil Gibran 'Jihad' School - connected to Saudi funded ADC -principal won CAIR award

1. Sherman A. Jackson, "Jihad and the Modern World," The Journal of Islamic Law and Culture, 7:1 (Spring/Summer 2002).
2. Sherman A. Jackson, "Domestic Terrorism in the Islamic Legal Tradition." (Fall 2001).
3. Mohammed Fadel, "Jihad and Hirabah" unpublished, 2002, by permission of the author.
4. Muslim Statements Against Terrorism: http://www.unc.edu/~kurzman/terror.htm

Slide 1 Notes

In defining jihad, it is important to make a distinction between jihad as a principle and jihad as an institution of the state or government.

• Jihad as a principle: a broad, abstract concept, a general idea and value that is not limited to a single application; applying the principle to a given situation requires discretion and understanding of its multiple implications
• Jihad as an institution: a concrete, established presence that emerges out of essential human interests and needs, in order to promote and ensure the implementation of these interests, needs and concerns; an institution relies less on discretion, BUT, it is essential that the institution be established so that it has the integrity to carry out its function.

As a principle, jihad means "sacrificial struggle." At its basis is the commitment to sacrifice of self and personal interests in order to seek God-given aims. It includes the struggle to protect the weak in society, to guard and strive against oppression and injustice. Carrying out the principle of jihad can take many manifestations, such as speaking out against tyranny, placing one's goods and physical strength in the service of the poor, writing and scholarship, or simply the striving to overcome one's appetites and weaknesses, and personal obstacles. As a principle, jihad has nothing to do with armed struggle. For example, Prophet Muhammad outlined the Greater Jihad as a struggle against one's baser instincts. In early Makkan revelations of the Qur'an, jihad is described as proclaiming the truth in the face of opposition.

Only jihad as a principle is relevant to social justice. JIHAD AS SOCIAL JUSTICE means the following:

• If a person is in a position of authority and power, it means "to do the right thing," to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem; it means to overcome the baser instincts to put aside ambition in favor of the greater good, to right wrongs
• For any individual, jihad means stating the truth in front of a tyrannical ruler, or indeed any ruler, to care for the weak, oppressed and disenfranchised.
• For the ulama, or religious scholars, the principle of jihad means NOT using religious or official authority to promote one's career and self-interest; rather it means using one's office and authority to promote the greater good (public interest, or maslahah) in the spirit of sacrificial struggle. Religious scholars as intellectuals are responsible for this enterprise-calling society to its better self, but other persons of talent and conscience can do so as well.

Slide 2 Notes

Jihad as an institution of armed struggle against non-Muslims, can be undertaken only by a government under the limitations on legitimate conduct of war. Its use is conditional, not persistent or open-ended, nor is it directed against people because of religious differences. Jihad could not be undertaken:

1. to force people to convert
2. to annihilate non-Muslims

Jihad as an institution is either defensive or pre-emptive, meaning that it can be undertaken if an attack is imminently expected. The necessity for military readiness and defensive jihad stemmed from the fact that the rule of state relations in pre-modern times was based on a nearly constant or potential state of war. Among scholars of Muslim history, Fred Donner has argued that in prophetic and classical Muslim history, relations among neighboring states were characterized by a nearly constant state of war. The Roman and Persian Empires are examples of this trend, and the history of medieval European kingdoms offers additional examples.

Religious tolerance or persecution also existed at the whim of individual rulers, so that the ability to follow, preach or convert to a faith was always endangered, and often conflicted with laws and decrees requiring worship of the rulers themselves. This was the situation that both Jews and early Christians faced under Roman rule. Later European history, after the Protestant Reformation, offers examples of sectarian struggles within Christianity involving kings and queens who wished to enforce their religious views by means of edicts and warfare, persecuting religious minorities, and putting down rebellions. One outcome of these centuries of religious warfare were constitutions that separated the power of governments from the power and authority of religious institutions. The American colonies were founded and their leaders and citizens learned to appreciate religious freedom in the context of these European struggles.

Pre-modern communities or states were only as safe as they were strong. Peace treaties were the exception to this state of affairs, but they were provisional or temporary in nature, and did not reduce the need for military readiness.When peace could be achieved, it was achieved by treaty or direct rule.

Throughout pre-modern times, people all over the world existed in a potential state of war. The twentieth century, with its unprecendentedly destructive wars that affected many nations, encouraged attempts to alter the pre-modern state of affairs. The post-World War I League of Nations, and the post-World War II United Nations were organizations formed to preserve territorial boundaries fixed by treaty agreements or acquiescence.

According to many Muslim and other religious jurists and scholars, as well as intellectuals of many cultures, humans have the potential to live in a state of peace, as long as such international agreements hold. Muslim jurists have written that the meaning of jihad in the 20th century requires change in the law of jihad as an institution, making it unnecessary except for defense against attack. Japan's demilitarization is a good example of agreement among scholars and leaders in many cultures, as are agreements by members of the Organization of African States to respect even harmful colonial borders that divided the continent into today's independent countries. OAS members have officially placed the need for general peace and cooperation over the need to correct unjust boundaries. Agreements such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in Europe, are further examples, following centuries of intra-European wars.

Under these jurists' rulings and international law, it is the responsibility of the most powerful nations to uphold the state of peace by resisting calls to empire-building and control of other nations, and to contribute to sustain the state of peace and prosperity, instead of taking the world back to a time when war was the norm for international relations, and the strong devoured the weak. Considering the extreme destructiveness of modern warfare, the effects of weapons of mass destruction and their disregard of civilian lives and the environment, this is a matter of the gravest importance for citizens everywhere.

Slide 3 Notes

The Muslim state, or rulers, had power, but the religious jurists (ulama), or specialists in Islamic law, established authority through the legitimacy they gained for the working out of Shari'ah, or Islamic law. The State had the power to coerce, while the religious establishment could enlist compliance, using its authority to promote social justice. People followed the ulama out of the belief that it was the right thing to do, as long as they enjoyed legitimacy by staying true to their roles as holders of religious knowledge. Rulers had to take the legitimacy of the ulama and Islamic law into account, to keep the support of the people.

As a leading group outside of government, the ulama were traditionally suspicious of state power, and they were in a position to carry out the principle of jihad (meaning to support social justice) through persuasion. In spite of their suspicion of the state, the jurists generally granted to the state (the rulers) sole power to coerce through violent means-in others, to conduct warfare within the framework of jihad as an institution. They agreed that civil order was the greater good, and sanctioning rebellion would encourage a chaotic situation that was harmful to society in the long run, and may make it vulnerable to attack from outside.

Muslim jurists identified two exceptions to the state's (meaning government's) monopoly on the use of violence:

rebellion (Arabic: baghy) = violence against the state, setting out to topple the government against which a group has grievances, in order to right a perceived wrong

terrorism (Arabic: hirabah) = publicly directed violence carried out by individuals or groups that has the effect of spreading fear, by preventing people from taking any safekeeping measures against physical or property damage.

Both rebellion and terrorism are institutions in which groups take public power into their own hands, either with the intent of enriching themselves, as in highway robbery or organized crime, or in order to address political or social grievances, to try to harm the government by disrupting public order. It is unimportant whether such publically-directed violence was intended to achieve legitimate or illegitimate goals-the labels still apply.

Slide 4 Notes

As the diagram shows, the difference between rebellion (baghy) and terrorism (hirabah) in Islamic law is that rebellion from a segment of the public targets the government because of grievances against it (legitimate or not), but terrorism (hirabah) represents one segment of the public attacking another, usually larger, segment of the public. hirabah, whether it is based on legitimate complaints or not, is a capital crime of the most serious kind, and is NOT considered a form of jihad, and is NOT a means for seeking social justice.

The ulama unanimously labeled rebellion unlawful, an act of disobedience to God. However, Muslim jurists also recognized that governments are sometimes tyrannical, and might be overthrown by widespread rebellion. In the American Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson and his co-signers clearly laid out examples of such conditions for legitimate rebellion. Muslim scholars, however, supported public order and did not lightly recognize or legitimize this form of violence as a means to achieve redress of grievances, or to achieve social justice. The jurists agreed that rebellion should be put down, but the jurists also denied the state the right to execute the rebels or punish them, except for crimes like rape and theft committed in the course of rebellion, which had no connection to the act of the rebellion. The jurists set conditions under which rebels would not be punished: first, the rebels must be numerous enough to show that dissatisfaction with the government was a widespread problem. They said that rebellion cannot be legitimized, but if it was related to issues of social justice, the rebels cannot be punished. If, however, the rebellion succeeded in overthrowing the government, then the newly emerging government was seen as legal and legitimate, unless it was illegitimate for other reasons.The jurists made this ruling in order to distinguish such action against the state alone from crimes against society or individuals. The jurists left a legal door open for the possibility that rebellion might be necessary against tyranny.

Jurists left no door open for publicly directed violence, or hirabah. Terrorism, which modern Muslim jurists have classified under hirabah, is an instance in which an individual or group takes violent action in the public space. hirabah was defined as:

• individuals or groups carrying out violence directed against the public, against civilians
• an action that has the effect of spreading fear by preventing people from taking any safekeeping measures against physical or property damage
• such violence may be overt or stealthy, and may include serial murders, burnings, bombings, or property destruction, not just political acts o violence
• by arousing general fear and lack of safety, public life is endangered and civic life becomes completely disrupted and unpredictable

The jurists prohibited hirabah because Islam places an absolute value on public safety and protection as God-given human rights. These rights belong to "the sphere of God." A right of God in Islamic law is one based on universal rights, whose penalty is not subject to the discretion of the judges; neither can acts of hirabah be ignored. hirabah is punishable by the most severe penalty mentioned in the Qur'an, where it is called fasad (fah-SAAD) in chapter 5, verse 33, meaning in this case mayhem and destruction.

Jurists distinguished hirabah from baghy by the number of perpetrators and by the publicly directed nature of the violence. The diagram above shows that baghy represents violence by a segment of the public against the government, but hirabah represents violence by a segment of the public against another segment of the public, specific or general. Consider the following question in order to evaluate the significance of such categories: If jurists had not distinguised between the two types of violence, then what could states assert about rebels?

In the past, the term hirabah used to be associated especially with highway robbery, extortion through violence, and brigandage, meaning roving bands of robbers and plunderers who preyed upon the roads outside of towns and cities, wastelands, and remote areas. This sort of piracy by land endangered public safety, trade and prevented the public from going about their business because it created a climate of fear. This meaning, in the judgement of modern Musilm jurists, best fits the definition of terrorism in the modern context. The difference is that such violence takes place within cities, but it shares the important aspect that it makes civil life impossible by destroying public safety. Therefore, Muslim jurists consider it a crime, and NOT a legitimate means of protest or political action for social justice as required by the proper application of the term jihad.

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10th Anniversary Gala, October 13, 2004

The Ritz-Carlton New York Battery Park
with Her Majesty Queen Noor as Honorary Chair & Keynote Speaker

Honorary Committee
Honorary Chair & Keynote Speaker
Her Majesty Queen Noor
Dinner Co-Chairs

Assad Jebara, President & CEO, Zana Di Jeans/Alpha Garments, Inc.
Lola Nashishibi Grace

Ms. Mona Aboelanga, Executive Vice President, Overture Asset Managers, LLC
Mr. Ismael Ahmed, Executive Director, ACCESS
Ilham Alqaisi, MD, Ob/Gyn
Ms. Erna Altmann Al-Salihi
Ms. Maria Servedio Ashmaway, President, Hady Inc. and the Peace Press Association
Ms. Kinda Asseily & Mr. Philippe Asseily, SEAL (Social and Economic Action for Lebanon)
Mr. Issa Baconi, Executive Vice President & Branch Manager, Gulf International Bank BSC
Mr. Monir Barakat, Managing Director, Wafra Investment Advisory Group, Inc.
Dr. Georgette Bennett, President & Founder, Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
Judge Charles N. Brower, Special Counsel, White & Case LLP
The Hon. Zeinab Chahine, Deputy Commissioner, NYC Administration for Children's Services
Mr. Wa'el Chehab, President, Cedar Capital Management
Ramsey Clark, Esq., Former U.S. Attorney General (Johnson Administration)
The Hon. Una S. T. Clarke, C.D., Director, Empire State Development
The Hon. Mario Cuomo
Ms. Raghida Dergham, Sr. Diplomatic Correspondent & Columnist/Al Hayat; NBC News Analyst
Ms. Abigail Disney
Joyce Dubensky, Esq., Executive Director, Tanenbaum Center
Mr. Seth Edwards, Vice President, JP Morgan Chase
Mr. Jamie Farr, Actor
Ms. Marilyn Gelber, Executive Director, Independence Community Foundation
Neal F. Grenley, Esq., Partner, White & Case LLP
Mrs. Phoebe W. Griswold
Nazeeh S. Habachy, Esq., General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Olayan America Corporation
Ms. Nimet Saba Habachy, Broadcaster, WQXR-FM
Armond Habiby, Esq.
Mr. William Hanna, President & CEO, Cedars Bank
Paul Homsy, Esq., Partner, Fognani Guibord & Homsy, LLP
The Hon. Charles J. Hynes, District Attorney, Kings County
Mr. George N. Jalinos, President, The Galen Group, Inc.
Mr. Habib Kairouz, Managing Partner, Rho Capital Partners
Mr. Muhannad W. Kamal, General Manager, National Bank of Kuwait
Rabbi Robert G. Kaplan, Director, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York
Mr. Casey Kasem, Broadcaster
Mr. Ghazi Y. Khankan, Executive Director, CAIR-NY
Ms. Margie McHugh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition
Drs. Mahmoud & Afaf Meleis, Engineer and Dean of the Nursing School, University of Pennsylvania
The Hon. Joan L. Millman, NYS Assemblywoman, 52nd Assembly District
The Hon. Jeanne Mullgrav, Commissioner, NYC Department of Youth & Community Development
Ms. Kathy Najimy, Actor and Comedian
Ms. Hutham Olayan, President & CEO, Olayan America Corporation
Ms. Laura Osman, Director, Concord International Investments
Dr. Janet Piedilato, CEO, Immaginal
The Hon, Jeanine Pirro, District Attorney, Westchester County, NY
Isam Salah, Esq., Partner, King & Spalding LLP
George R. Salem, Esq., Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Dr. Jack G. Shaheen, Author, Professor & Media Critic
The Hon. Donna Shalala, President, University of Miami; former U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services
Mr. Peter J. Tanous, President, Lynx Investment Advisory, LLC
The Hon. Nydia M. Velazquez, U.S. Congresswoman, 12th District
The Rt. Rev. Orris B. Walker, Jr., Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Long Island
The Hon. David Yassky, NYC Councilman, District 33
Dr. James Zogby, President, Arab-American Institute

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According to the NY SUN:

The committee that designed the school included the principal, Debbie Almontaser, a former teacher, and several nonprofit groups, including Lutheran Medical Center, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Salaam Club of New York, and the Arab American Family Support Center, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that will act as the main support organization. The organization's top funders include the U.S. government, the American Jewish World Service, and the Christian Children's Fund. http://www.nysun.com/article/49971?page_no=3

MIM: John Abi Habib the CEO of the MSI software company who is described in the media as an" Arab American activist" is a Maronite Christian who is involved in the curriculum for the school via his Salaam Club which was started by businessman Mitchel Hadad aimed at helping the Lebanese/Syrian business community . http://www.salaamclubny.org

Abi Habib was quoted in the NYSun article about the schoolwhere he cynically exploited the multiculturalist mantra to deceptively play down the school's Arab/Islamist supremacist agenda and stated that:

• "There's an Asian school opening in Flushing. It's the same thing," he said. "We don't need to get politics involved in everything." http://www.nysun.com/article/49971?page_no=2

MIM :John Abi Habib works with radical Islamists and is a board member of the Arab American Association of New York [AAANY] whose dirctor is Dr. Ahmed Jaber who works at the Lutheran Medical Center which was also part of the KGIA planning group.

Abi Habib wrote a bellicose comment on the website of Dr.Daniel Pipes in response to his blog about the school. http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/86585

MIM: Note that the mission statement of the AAANY says it was started due to the grave needs of the growing Arab community in NYC post 9/11.

The Arab American Association of New York (AAANY) is a not for profit culturally sensitive social service agency located in the heart of the Arab Community in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. AAANY opened its doors post 9/11 due to the grave needs of the growing Arab community in New York City... http://www.arabamericanny.org/uploads/mission.html

http://www.arabamericanny.org/uploads/Board.txt

Ahmad Jaber, M.D. - President

Dr. Jaber has been a local community member for over thirty years. He sits on the board of Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center, Arab Muslim American Federation and the Islamic Mission of America. He is also a past president of the National Arab American Medical Association-New York Chapter. Dr. Jaber is one of the founders of the Arab American Association of New York. Dr. Jaber is an obstetrician and gynecologist by profession.MIM Note: According to an 2005 newsletter Jaber is an immigrant form "Jenin, Palestine and understands the difficulties one must endure to transfer to a new homeland".

MIM: One day after 9/11 an article in the Columbia Journalism School paper titled "Terror and Response" quoted Isam Mayrola the secretary of the Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center [where Ahmed Jaber is a board member], who said the attacks and footage of Muslims celebrating were both the work of Israel.

• Mayrola said the footage of people clapping "is an old picture," shot on a different occasion, that the Israelis have sent through their media. He contended that "all Palestinians have condemned this attack."

  Mayrola went on to suggest that Israel itself might have masterminded the attack as a means of diverting attention from its violent interventions in the occupied territories. http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/terror/sep12/arab.asp

Samia Faraj - Vice President

In the past Samia Faraj was a midwife and worked very closely with many women in the Arab community in Bay Ridge. She grew to understand the needs of Arab women and has assisted in outreaching to them and encouraging them to participate in workshops and groups at the association. She is also one of the founders of the association.

Zainab Bader, Secretary

Zeinab Bader is one of the top marketers at the Health Plus Company, which provides free or low cost health insurance to low-income families in New York City. She is out stationed one day a week at the association providing assistance to local families in the area.

Bassam Amin - Treasurer

Bassam Amin is a pharmacist by profession and is also a community activist especially for the Palestinian cause. He currently is the President of the Palestinian American Congress-New York Chapter.

Virginia Tong - MSW Board Member

Virginia Tong is the Vice President of Cultural Competence at Lutheran Medical Center. She has been a true advocate for the Arab American Community at Lutheran Medical Center. She is the liaison between the hospital and the Arab American community in Southwest Brooklyn.

John Abi-Habib

John Abi Habib is the CEO of a software company called MSI Net. He is extremely active in the Arab American Community. He is one of the founders of the Unity Task Force, which is a group of community leaders, faith based leaders, and politicians who together address the problems of the local community.

MIM:One example of a board member with radical Islamist ties Issa Mulla who sits on the board of a fundamentalist mosque and raises money for a charity which has the dubious name of the Holy Land I

Issam Mualla [MIM note : aka Islam Mulla]

Issam Mualla is a community activist. He sits on the board of Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center as well as the United Holy Land Fund which raises money for children and families in refugee camps in Palestine to provide them with free education, clean sewer systems, etc.

Joe Elhelew, Esq.

Joe Elhilow is an attorney. He is also a board member of the Salaam Club of New York. He has practiced law in Bay Ridge for over 20 years and is well known amongst the Arab American community.

Ali Gheith

Ali Gheith is the Director of Population Resilience at The Department of Health and mental Hygiene. He formally was leading an Arab American Mental Health Initiative out of Columbia University. One of his projects included a survey that concluded that spirituality was a major part of mental health for the Muslim community.

Souha Nickowitz, PhD.

Dr. Nikowitz is one of the few Arab speaking mental health professionals in the community. Immediately post 9/11 she began crisis counseling for those impacted by this event. Presently she provides one day a week of free mental health counseling at the association. She is also a board member of the National Arab American Medical Association-NY Chapter.

Habib Joudeh

Habib Joudeh is a community activist. He is connected to the leaders of the Arab American Community. He most recently opened a pharmacy by the local mosque and has initiated numerous health related workshop i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure, prostate cancer.

Khalid Hussien

Zeyad El-Far

Dr. Laila Farhat

Dr. Ilham Al Quaisi

--------------------------------------------------------------------

MIM: The Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center "was kind enough to share their space" for tutoring public school students and will likely serve the KGIA as the after school madrassah.

This tutoring program is futher proof that there are zero degrees of separation between the KGIA as public school and a source of religious instruction. Another worrying question is if non Muslim students at the public school where KGIA is being housed will be invited to join the after school tutoring /da'wa program at the mosque part of which could be funded by the Department of Education and taxpayers since Teacher Evaluation Forms were turned in and the students came from the public school system.

http://www.arabamericanny.org/uploads/afterschool.html

After School Tutoring Program

AAANY's After-School Tutoring Program was a great success this past Winter-Spring Semester! It focused on students in grades K-6 who were struggling with schoolwork and whose parents' level of English was not high enough to help with their children's homework. Beit El-Maqdis Islamic Center was kind enough to share their space with the program, demonstrating outreach to the community. Sessions were held there three days a week from 3:00-5:30 PM. All services were free of charge including a light snack for the participants and tutors. The program's twelve dedicated tutors were comprised of AAANY staff and volunteers, community members, recent college graduates, and high school juniors and seniors who had demonstrated a high level of academic achievement. These tutors not only helped the children with their homework, but also served as positive role models and mentors. Over the course of the semester, the program tutored a total of 46 students with a calculated daily average of a least eight students per session. The students came from a variety of countries including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Sudan, Palestine, and Morocco.

From the time when the students joined to when the program finished, great improvement (i.e. a greater understanding of homework, a more positive attitude towards homework, higher self-esteem, and better behavior if there was a behavior problem prior to the program) was seen in almost all of the children as noted by the tutors, the parents, and by the students' teacher. The majority of the Teacher Evaluation Forms that have been returned have showed a great amount of improvement in the students. One of the them returned was for a new immigrant girl from Kuwait who had been having trouble reading, as her English was very poor. Her teacher marked "Much Better" (the highest option) for every single category. AAANY counts the Tutoring Program as a great success and looks forward to expanding it for the coming school-year!

MIM: The links page of the AAANY reads like a list of all of the groups involved in the curriculum and planning of the Khalil Gibran International Academy which shows how all of the organisations are intertwined.

MIM: The information on the NYC Volunteers website states that the AAANY is aimed at facilitating immigration of Muslims and Arabs into the United States i.e. by encouraging and enabling them to take advantage of tax payer funded programs and benefits from non Muslims a well known radical Islamist strategy by which Muslims futher their political and religious agendas while subverting the country that funds them.

The mosque often provides a venue for these programs which serve to prevent integration since the services offered are "culturally sensitive" which means that Muslims and Arab immigrants will only be exposed to others from their group. Such programs are mainly staffed by Middle Eastern/Muslim which keeps the funding among those who are promoting the interests and agenda of the community. This means that the government and federal funding is the only real outside contribution to the program which is then tailored to fit and promote the interests of Muslims and Arabs.

http://www.volunteernyc.org/org/3762217.html

The Arab American Association of New York is a not-for-profit culturally sensitive social service agency located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. AAANY was established post 9/11 in response to the needs of the growing Arab American community in New York City. AAANY's mission is to provide the Arab community with culturally sensitive services that will help them to adjust to their new homeland and strengthen the community as a whole.

Description:
The mission of the Arab American Association of New York is to provide services to Arab families which include basic social services (case management), access to healthcare for both documented and undocumented individuals, free legal services and guidance for immigration issues, domestic violence, and advocacy services, bilingual monthly educational (medical and psycho educational) workshops, a growing after-school tutoring program for children grades K-12, and a women's literacy program, as well as cultural events throughout the year. The association provides these services in a holistic approach that allows the community to access these and other referral services. AAANY works to strengthen the community as a whole. While the Association focuses its services on Arab-Americans, it will turn away no low-income or immigrant person seeking help. Its youth programs are open to any interested child and its cultural events are open to the public.

History:
The Arab American Association of New York was founded just months after September 11, 2001, although the project had been conceived of much earlier. Prior to the creation of AAANY, the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, with one of the largest Arab populations in New York, had no organization to meet the needs of its Arab-American community members. Since opening the doors of the Association in December 2001, it has served over 2000 individuals, 85% of whom are women and children. AAANY has grown from a small volunteer-run organization to a thriving center with two paid staff as well as two full-time AmeriCorps members. The Association is now able to provide a greater range of services and serve a larger population.

----------------

MIM: Another group which overlaps with the AAANY and has many of the same members and board members is the Network of Arab American professionals. They openly declare that their aims are to promote Arab and Muslim interests both in the United States and abroad. The Khalil Gibran International Academy plays a key role in advancing their causes.

1)Promote networking and social interaction among Arab American and Arab professionals in the US and abroad.

2)Educate both Arab and the non Arab communities about Arab cultural identity and concerns

3)Advance the Arab American Community by protecting and promoting it's political causes and interests in the US and abroad on all levels of society

4)Support the Arab student movement in the United States

5) Serve society through volunteerism and community service efforts

MIM: Just as children's charities are used by terrorist groups Islamists and Arabs use volunteerism as a means of advancing their agenda of implementing shar'a and making Middle Eastern culture and norms dominant in the United States. For example , activities in the community are exploited in order to introduce people to Islam and Arab political causes. Visits to the hospitals and old age homes are often used to win over converts to Islam by taking advantage of vulnerable people.

http://www.arabamericanny.org/uploads/links.html

Network of Arab American Professionals (NAAP)
www.naaponline.org/ny

Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS)
www.accesscommunity.org

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
www.adc.org

Arab American Family Support Center
www.aafscny.org

Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media (AWAAM)
www.awaam.org

LMC Family Support Center
http://www.lutheranmedicalcenter.com/community/support_groups.htm

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
www.aaldef.org

Arab American Institute
www.aaiusa.org

Arab American Heritage
www.arabamericanheritage.net

MIM: The Lutheran Medical Center is also involved in the KGIA planning. They recently went multi kulti and opened a masjid on their premises. Note that the man fourth from the left is also a participant in the tutoring program. he is pictured below with some of the students.

Opening of the new masjid at Lutheran Medical Center--June 21, 2005
This is one of the many legacies of our dearly missed friend and director Basemah Atweh

MIM: The forth man from left is Dr. Ahmed Jaber a gynecologist/obstetrician who works at the Lutheran Medical Center and is the director of the American Arab Association of New York

http://www.arabamericanny.org/uploads/photogallery.html#tutor

Group Photo Dr. Ahmed Jaber of the Lutheran Medical Center is the chairman of the Dawood Mosque and on the board of the Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center in Queens.

[PDF]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LUTHERAN MEDICAL CENTER OPENS PERMANENT ON-SITE MOSQUE

Note to editors: a photo is available.

June 29, 2005, Brooklyn, New York…Lutheran Medical Center announces the dedication of its new mosque (or

masjed) to serve as a place of worship, spiritual healing and comfort for patients, families, visitors and staff of the

Islamic faith. "As brothers and sisters in all faiths, we do God's work in many different ways throughout Lutheran

Medical Center," said Wendy Z. Goldstein, president and chief executive officer.

"Our new mosque puts Lutheran

Medical Center one step further in realizing our dream of creating an environment of care that is sensitive to each of

Brooklyn's diverse communities," she added.

With a team of volunteers, fundraisers and Imams from Brooklyn's Islamic community, LMC's new permanent

mosque took shape over a period of six months. (The medical center installed an Islamic prayer room at its main site

and its Park Ridge Family Health Center location as early as 1997.) Located on the main floor of the medical center,

the mosque offers convenient access for patients, families, visitors and staff.

"This latest addition to Lutheran Medical Center will be a special place where spiritual healing will enhance physical

healing," says Ahmad M. Jaber, M.D., senior attending and chairman of the board of the Dawood Mosque, president

of the Arab Association of New York, chairman of the board of the Islamic Mission in America, and board member of

the Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center.

Local Brooklyn artist and calligrapher, Majed Seif, spent countless hours with Rana Bishara, a New York based visual

artist, tediously painting the mosque's decorative arches with traditional arabesque designs and verses from the

Koran. Lutheran's on-site carpenters fabricated special display cabinets for prayer materials and even built an area for

performing wudu, or ablution, the pre-prayer cleansing of the hands, face and feet. "Lutheran Medical Center's doors

are always open to its community," said Bishara. "Its message of respect for everyone is refreshing and very

important," she added.

The June 21, 2005, opening ceremony and dedication was attended by some of New York's most prominent Islamic

figures including Abdalla Allam, Imam, Dawood Mosque; Adel Barhouma, Imam, Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center;

Ali Gheith, board member, Arab Association of New York; Zein Rimawi, board member of the Islamic Society of

Bay Ridge; Mohammed Zein Eldin, Imam, Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center; Ashraf Abdelaziz, Imam, Masjid Il Iman.

A Level One Trauma Center and Stroke Center, Lutheran Medical Center has cared for the citizens of Brooklyn since

1883. Providing medicine, surgery, intensive care, coronary care, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, rehabilitation,

and emergency services among others, Lutheran Medical Center is the hub of Lutheran HealthCare, a network of

primary, acute and long-term services dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the people of Brooklyn. In

addition to the medical center, Lutheran HealthCare includes Lutheran Augustana Center for Extended Care and

Rehabilitation, a 240-bed skilled nursing facility, Shore Hill and Harbor Hill Housing and Lutheran Family Health

Centers.

###

MIM: Note that the Lutheran Health Center has not only opened a mosque but instituted an entire "Arab Health Care initiative" which iimplements shar'ia inside the hospital.

http://www.arabamericanny.org/uploads/photogallery.html#tutor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LUTHERAN HEALTHCARE LAUNCHES NEW ARABIC INITIATIVE

Halal meals available on request and an Arab speaking patient liaison

January 23, 2006, Brooklyn, New York…Lutheran HealthCare launches its new Arabic initiative in response to the fast growing Arabic population in southwest Brooklyn.

Unlike most other health networks, Lutheran can now offer its patients halal meals on request and a wide variety of culturally competent support services.

"History has taught us that each culture deals with pain, trauma, disease and death very differently," said Ahmad M. Jaber, M.D., senior attending and chairman of the board of the Dawood Mosque, vice president of the Arab Muslim American Federation, president of the Arab Association of NY, chairman of the board of the Islamic Mission in America, and secretary of the board of the Beit Al Maqdis Islamic Center

. "Cultural Competence plays an integral role in shaping our quality of care, going beyond language translation and providing medical care with regards to the patient's ethnic, spiritual and cultural needs."

The following services are available for Arab patients and families:

• Halal meals available upon request • Arabic-speaking bilingual and bicultural staff • Modesty gowns • Interpretation services available free of charge • Arabic-speaking patient representative • Signage and written documents in Arabic • A variety of religious services including Muslim or Christian • Onsite Mosque with Friday prayer service • Ramadan meal schedules adjusted for cultural needs • Referrals to Social Services • Imam on call service

Brooklyn is one of the most culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse communities in the world. Lutheran HealthCare acknowledges that by integrating cultural competency with superior health care. The network installed aIslamic prayer room at its medical center and its Park Ridge Family Health Center location as early as 1997

. Facilities have directional signage written in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and Russian. Chinese nursing units, offering appropriate décor, cuisine and language accommodations, are available at the medical center as well as multilingual patient representatives. In addition, staff have access to state-of-art translation services in nearly 150 languages and dialects. Appropriate menu options are also offered to Latino, Asian and Jewish patients.

Lutheran's commitment to culturally competent health care represents an unparalleled sensitivity to ethnic, cultural and religious standards and observances that provide patients and staff with the comfort needed for healing and recovery.

Lutheran HealthCare is the principal provider of high-quality, community-focused health care for southwest Brooklyn's diverse

residents and many of their neighbors.

A Level One Trauma Center and Stroke Center, Lutheran Medical Center provides medicine,

surgery, intensive care, coronary care, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, rehabilitation, and emergency services among others. The

Lutheran Family Health Centers network is a community-based ambulatory health care delivery system that provides primary and

specialty services to approximately 600,000 outpatient visits a year. Recent honors include the 2006 Distinguished Hospital Award for

Clinical Excellence from HealthGrades, Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence recognition by the American Society for Bariatric

Surgery and full accreditation in the American College of Surgeons' Bariatric Surgery Center Program. In addition, Lutheran

HealthCare includes Lutheran Augustana Center for Extended Care and Rehabilitation, a 240-bed skilled nursing facility, Community

Care Organization, Inc, Health Plus, a managed care company and senior housing.

Visit Lutheran online at

www.LutheranMedicalCenter.com. ###

MIM: In 2003 the AAANY gave awards to officials of the Health Plus medical company . Basameh Atweh, the deceased Lutheran hospital director who was named above as a director of the Lutheran Medical Center was present at this award ceremony in 2003 and shows a further connection between the AAANY, the Lutheran Medical Center and other organisations and institutions which are either directly or peripherally part of the KGIA school and community orbit.

http://www.healthplus-ny.org/en/942_ENG_HTML.html

For Immediate Release

The Arab American Association Of New York Honors Community Leaders At Benefit Dinner
Health Plus's Ada Rodriguez Recognized

Media Inquiries:Kathryn Soman (718) 491-7493
Customer Inquiries: Marketing Department (888) 809-8009

Brooklyn, NY - December 8, 2003 — Health Plus's Chief Marketing Officer, Ada Rodriguez, and several others were recognized by the Arab American Association of New York at their 2nd Annual Benefit Reception for their commitment to the Arab community.

Honorees Azzam Obeid, Ada Rodriguez, Khader El Yateen, and Faleh Hamdan proudly display their plaques of recognition and stand along side Dr. Ahmed Jabar and Islam Mulla
Health Plus's Hicham Elanmati, Suhad Kazma and Ada Rodriguez stand with Dr. Ahmed Jaber and Basemah Atweh, of the Arab American Association of New York at their 2nd Annual benefit dinner

# # #

Health Plus, a not-for-profit, multi-cultural organization, is one of the fastest growing managed care organizations in New York City. It was established in 1984 with a commitment to provide coordinated quality health care and improving access to health care for uninsured and underserved families. In its annual review of managed care plans, the New York State Department of Health ranked Health Plus as the top plan for quality in its 2002 and 2003 "Consumer's Guide to Medicaid Managed Care in New York City." Health Plus is New York City's leading provider of Child Health Plus, a New York State Department of Health program that offers parents FREE or low-cost health insurance for children under the age of 19. "CRAIN'S New York Business" magazine ranked Health Plus fifth among the largest health maintenance organizations in the New York area.