This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/2091
July 6, 2006
Muslim Youth Jihad Camp Returns To Pennsylvania, Complete With Al-Qaeda Linked Cleric
By Beila Rabinowitz
July 6, 2006 - Philadelphia, PA - PipeLineNews.org - Residents of Villanova, Pennsylvania who have opposed the expansion of a facility in which the "Foundation of Islamic Education" is housed should really be concerned over a "Youth Jihad Camp" [Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the group's summer gatherings were openly called "Jihad Camps"] planned to take place in August.
According to an article appearing in the Philadephia Inquirer - "Neighbors fight Islamic foundation's expansion" - the FIE is "... a New York non profit religious group headed by a Saudi businessman," who "agreed to to buy the campus of the Northeastern Christian Junior College , the former Morris Clothier estate, for 2.7 million.." Article Link
Beila Rabinowitz of Militant Islam Monitor, Al-Qaeda linked cleric among speakers at Muslim Youth camp at Foundation for Islamic Education in Villanova PA 8/2-6/06 has uncovered further information on the Wahhabist ties which go directly to the Saudi government:
"The foundation's trustees are based in Saudi Arabia. The president of the board is Mahmoud Abdullah Taiba, a member of the Majlis Ash Shura and former secretary of the the Energy and Electricity in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. FIE is also directly linked to the radical Islamist University, Al Azhar, a bastion of the Muslim Brotherhood. The head Imam of Al Azhar, Sheik Tantawi, sanctioned suicide attacks against Israeli civilians, characterizing them as all potential soldiers. Bin Laden's mentor, Abdullah Azzam attended the university as well. The FIE works together with the American Open University and describes itself as 'a satellite campus ' accredited to Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.
The theme of the Muslim Youth camp being held at the FIE is "Deen and Dunya" - Finding the Balance. The Muslim Youth organization takes their ideological and religious teachings directly from the Muslim Brotherhood - the group which assassinated Anwar Sadat and from which al-Qaeda evolved.
The speakers at the upcoming Muslim Youth camp are hard-core Islamists, many of them have documented ties to terror and for that reason the residents of Villanova have good cause to be concerned about security issues. At a 2000 ICNA conference in Baltimore the head of the Young Muslims organization which is running the camp, urged parents to send their sons to fight jihad in Chechnya.
According to testimony given by counter terrorism expert Steven Emerson:
At the July 2000 annual convention of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) in Baltimore, speaker Tayyab Yunus pleaded with the audience: The youth is very important…And, we all want to see our youth to succeed to become doctors, to become engineers; but how many of you can actually say that you want to send your sons to Jihad, to Chechnya? How many of you can actually say that? [Takbir! Allahua Akbar!] How many of you can actually say that you want to send your child… How many of you can actually say that you want to send your youth to fight in Jihad or to send them to…to these Islamic Institutions to become educated? I'm sorry. Other than that, I honestly believe in my heart that this is the time, right now is the time."
Speakers at proposed Jihad Camp
Mazen Mokhtar a New Jersey Imam who is under investigation by the FBI for ties to Al Qaeda and bomb plotters in the UK. In 2004 the Washington Post reported on a previous Youth Camp appearance by Mokhtar : Jamal Badawi - An Imam based in Canada who recently justified suicide bombings in an 7/29/06 forum on the Islam Online website with the theme Dying for Allah - "Martyrdom in Islam let's discuss it " - Badawi was asked 'what is the difference between a martyr and a a sucide bomber?' and responded:
"...It should be made clear that defense against unprovoked aggression and resistance to reduce oppression are legitimate causes for combative jihad provided that all other conditions, qualifiers and ethics of war are strictly observed. It should also be noted that in all nations and according to the UN charter and international law, the Islamic causes are basically the same. Also, it should also be noted that all nations and peoples have lots of praises [sic] for those who not only put their lives on the line but also sacrifice their lives for what they consider as defense for their country or people. It is known that people from various backgrounds sacrificed their lives in a way that many may classify as "suicidal operations" such as the Japanese pilots in the Second World War.Siraj Wahhaj - Unindicted co-conspirator in the conspiracy surrounding the WTC 1993 bombings ["unindicted persons who may be alleged as co-conspirators" in the attempt to blow up New York City monuments..."] and Imam of radical al-Taqwa Mosque in New York . Wahhaj finds common cause with those who participated in the Mohammed cartoon riots, stating that Muslims "Had to make sure that they (infidels) do not do this again." Faisal Hammoudeh - A leading volunterr for the Islamic Relief organization in Chicago. Islamic Relief is linked to terrorist groups, last month the Gaza coordinator of Islamic Relief Worldwide was arrested and deported from Israel for conducting a fundraising operation for Hamas.
Now that the Islamist agenda behind FIE is clear, it behooves the Lower Merion Council to refuse the organization's request for a permit to expand and rather initiate proceedings to close the group down.
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/2091