This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1049
September 6, 2005
http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=hughesisna%2Ehtm
Bush Administration Censors Hughes' Speech To Islamist Group
September 7, 2005 - PipeLineNews.org - On Friday September 2, Karen Hughes, State Department Undersecretary for Public Relations addressed the Islamist group, ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] at their 42nd convention in Chicago, Illinois.
In the wake of a firestorm of criticism over her appearance before the organization, the State Department is now refusing to release the text of the speech, on the grounds that it was not a public event.
In advance of the address we were advised that the full text would be made available at the appropriate location on State's website, where other Hughes speeches appear.
Not finding it there and making a series of inquiries, we were informed that it had been determined that the event was "private" and the text thereof a non-public document - a classification that we were assured was a long-established option by the department.
However when asked by us to provide a single instance in which such censorship had previously been invoked, the State Department public affairs officer became audibly upset and referred us to another department functionary whom as we go to press, has not returned our calls.
Such behavior is especially hard to fathom since Ms. Hughes speech was heavily promoted in advance as being the opening salvo by the administration in a public relations effort to establish "meaningful" dialogue with "moderate" Muslims.
In a piece published by PipeLineNews on August 30 Letters From The Home Front War On Terror - The Bush Administration's Serious Missteps Regarding ISNA we advised that Ms. Hughes' appearance would prove to be a damaging misstep by an administration increasingly seen as being hamstrung by multiculturalism:
"Given the previous analysis, we consider it outrageous that the Bush administration has apparently made the decision to send top aid and newly appointed State Dept public relations chief Karen Hughes - hat in hand - to the ISNA convention.If this plays out it will be an incredibly damaging move that will have a lasting and negative impact on the President's war on terror. It sends the message that this administration really has no conception of what it is fighting and how the Islamist movement is being advanced in North America.
Actions like this prove that despite assurances that the flow of vital information between various governmental agencies has improved, that little progress has been made.
Apparently this administration is unaware of what ISNA represents, that it is engaged in a vicious campaign to crush Islamic moderates and that the organization's IRS records have been requested by Senator Grass ley's Finance Committee because of concern over the group's possible ties to terror funding."
The question arises as to what is going on at the State Department and moreover, why is the Bush administration censoring a major speech by Ms. Hughes?
Is the administration now reconsidering the fact that it permitted Ms. Hughes to address an Islamist organization that is currently under Congressional investigation as a possible conduit of terrorist funding, and which has an unenviable track record of crushing the very moderate Muslims the administration has stated it seeks to bolster?
If so, it can't say that it wasn't adequately informed, we submitted a pre-publication copy of our article and were told that it and a number of others of the same tenor had been reviewed by members of Ms. Hughes' staff.
Absent the actual text of the speech it's impossible to assess how damaging Ms. Hughes appearance before ISNA was, the snippets which have leaked out indicate that neither Ms. Hughes nor the State Dept. really have much understanding of the organizations or the dynamics operating within the American Muslim community.
Already ISNA on its website is suggesting that the purpose of Hughes' appearance was to atone for rampant anti-Islamism, caused by Bush administration policies - "ISNA Meeting Opens, Bush Aide Slams Anti-Muslim Hatred."
"Hughes, asked by Bush to help restore the US public image abroad badly shaken after the invasion of Iraq...Policies of the Bush administration, coupled with some media campaigns, are widely blamed for increasing hatred toward the Muslim minority in the US, following the 9/11 attacks." - "ISNA Meeting Opens, Bush Aide Slams Anti-Muslim Hatred" - By Abdullah Abdur Rahman, IOL CorrespondentThe ISNA websight also features a picture of a very servile looking Hughes greeting ISNA Vice President Dr. Ingrid Mattson. Hughes is probably unaware that Dr. Mattson denies the existence of Wahhabism and has made the ridiculous assertion that the media should not use the term "Islamic terrorism" as if that phrase has no validity.
That the Bush administration can't seem to separate the Islamist radicals from the moderates is troubling, but no less so than its decision to now conduct their dhimi-plomacy on this matter in secret.
That sends an exceedingly bad message, one which compounds the mistake of sending Ms. Hughes to Chicago in the first place by several orders of magnitude.
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President Bush's top aide, Karen Hughes, praised the Islamic Society of North America for creating a brochure condemning terrorism and religious extremism and called American Muslims her "new allies" in helping her convey a positive image of the
"Words of Muslims are important," Hughes said Friday, opening the four-day ISNA convention at the
As part of her new job as undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, Hughes has the challenging task of changing foreigners' perception of
"I can't imagine that I would seek to approach this job and seek to reach out to a wider Muslim audience without first seeking the advice, opinions and input of our American Muslim community," Hughes said.
Words of Muslims are important," Hughes said Friday, opening the four-day ISNA convention at the
As part of her new job as undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, Hughes has the challenging task of changing foreigners' perception of
"I can't imagine that I would seek to approach this job and seek to reach out to a wider Muslim audience without first seeking the advice, opinions and input of our American Muslim community," Hughes said.
'As American as I am'
Hughes dismissed criticism from some who blasted her unprecedented visit with the Muslims while the U.S. Senate continues investigating some U.S.-based mosques' possible ties to terrorists.
Hughes said ISNA and the
"These are Americans who are just as American as I am," Hughes said of the Muslim doctors, lawyers and teachers she has met in the last two days.
Hughes was also expected to meet with a British Muslim delegation, including Pola Uddin and Nazir Ahmed, to discuss the deadly July 7 subway attacks and challenges facing Muslims in
Dissemination of ISNA's new pamphlet follows the American Muslim scholars' recent fatwa or religious decree against violence carried out in the name of religion.
"This initiative is not being undertaken because of political correctness. This initiative has not been taken for the purpose of being apologetic. . . . I can assure you this was done because of a passionate belief that the true message of Islam needs to be conveyed," Irfan said. "It needs to be wrenched away from those whose acts tainted [Islam] unfairly, unnecessarily."
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1049