This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/577

MIM Exclusive:Neo Nazi William Baker Tells Crowd at Boca Marriott that 9-11 Hijackers Weren't Muslims

May 1, 2005

MIM: Investigative reporter Emily Emerson attended what was billed as an event to "Celebration of the Birthday of the Last Messenger of God' organised by the Assadiq Islamic Educational Center of Boca Raton, which took place on April 30th at the Boca Marriott which featured Neo Nazi William Baker as a keynote speaker. Emerson may well have been the only journalist to attend the event, and she noted that all the major television stations were kept at a distance, denied entrance to the hall, and prevented from having access to Baker. For background on the event see the previous blog entry :http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/538

The controversial Nazi - Islamist hatefest held by the Assadiq Islamic Educational Foundation took place at the Boca Marriott Saturday night despite appeals from concerned citizens to the management of the Boca Marriott to cancel the event. The Boca Marriott's hosting of the event provided the group with a facade of legitimacy. (Even if the Assadiq Islamic Educational Foundation had cancelled Baker, the presence of a CAIR speaker,and the uproar which ensued as a result of their fraudulent use of two mayor's names on their event listing, should have been enough reason for the hotel to deny the group use of it's premises ).

It can only be hoped that next time any Islamic group organises an event that both city officials and management of event halls will practice due diligence and research the group before agreeing to appear (as in the case of the Mayors who were announced as guests of honor ). According to reporter Emerson, the Boca Marriott was in a state of semi lockdown with law enforcement everywhere and protesters outside, presenting an 'inconvienence' which certainly did not escape the notice of the paying guests who may decide to take their business elsewhere next time.

Imam Sayed Al Qazwini explained his reason for bring neo Nazi William Baker to speak in a predominently Jewish neighborhood by saying he was "going to bridge the gap between communities", and he would "only (to)speak about religion". For his part, Baker told the audience that he would "welcome working with Jewish brothers and sisters who practice true Judaism". Holocaust denier Baker is not surprisingly, also ignorant of 'true Judaism' since the night of the event was a Jewish holiday which prohibits travel .It is unlikely that any Jews, nor anyone interested in truth, would have wanted to receive his message, ;which included such lies as "Islam was not spread by force", and " Muslim soldiers were never allowed to rape woman", which as Emerson pointed out, blatantly disregarded the ongoing slaughter and rape of men, women ,and children, in the Sudan, by Muslim soldiers.

The Assadiq Islamic Educational Foundation further belied their stated committment to 'understanding' by denying the media entry to the event and access to Baker.

Inside the hall, an additional obstacle was put in the way of anyone who might have felt compelled to answer Baker's call to 'interfaith understanding', in the form of two 'burly bodyguards' who formed a menacing presence on the stage throughout the proceedings. Reporter Emerson related that the guards seemed to be members of the Nation of Islam, a likely scenario, since Al Qazwini's relative - Hassan Al Qazwini, the head of the Islamic Center of America, "...has enthusiastically hosted Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, ....Qazwini was seen to cheer when Farrakhan denounced Jews as "forces of evil." http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/1217

Jew hater Hassen Al Qazwini was himself a guest speaker at the Assadiq Center of Boca Raton, no doubt in another example of what Imam Mohamed Sayed Al Qazwini would describe as an attempt at "bridging the gap between communities".

William Baker and Imam Sayed Mohammad Jawad Al-Qazwini

See: http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17849 for information on Al Qazwini

"To the best of our understanding, Mr. Baker is a religious man and seems adamant about bringing people together and promoting tolerance and understanding," statement by the Assadiq Islamic Educational Foundation

Controversial Bill Baker Tells Boca Crowd 9-11 Hijackers Weren't Muslims

Reiterates claims of Muslim speakers at Assadiq Islamic Educational Foundation event

by Emily Emerson

BOCA RATON, FL (April 30, 2005) "Islam has come to America to call this country back to its roots," declared the controversial Bill Baker to a crowd of over 300 men, women and children Saturday night at the Boca Raton Marriott Hotel. Baker, a self-proclaimed Christian, travels throughout America and Canada making speeches to mostly Muslim organizations, often in conjunction with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and Muslim Students Associations on college campuses. The main point Baker said he wanted to make was that Christians and Muslims "have more in common than you think."

The white haired, aging Baker appeared last on the lineup. He began by thanking his Shiite Muslim hosts and declared, "my heart is Shi'a" as he touched his chest. He cajoled and wooed the audience with an edgy sarcastic sense of humor while recounting a number of anecdotal personal stories that would be difficult to verify. Despite Baker's stated objective of enlightening the audience, he did little to explain what the two religions have in common. He asked, "why haven't we heard more about the commonalities between Christians and Muslims?" Answering his own question he replied, "because it doesn't serve today's realities." He offered no explanation of these realities. He skirted the issue of his neo-Nazi ties through a casual acknowledgement that he had detractors, and he declared he would welcome working with "Jewish brothers and sisters who practice true Judaism."

Baker repeated the earlier Muslim guest speakers who emphatically stated that the men who destroyed the World Trade Center on 9-11 were not Muslims. Yet, in a sarcastic tone he condemned Christianity for the Crusades. Declaring a religious dissociation of people from their self-proclaimed religious affiliation is apparently only available to Muslims when they don't live up to their own moral standards. Baker missed the opportunity to argue that the Crusaders weren't really true Christians. Instead, he apologized to the audience on behalf of all Christians for the Crusades. Baker asserted that Islam was never spread by force and Muslim soldiers were never allowed to rape women. Had there been an opportunity for questions, one might have asked Mr. Baker to explain the well-documented ongoing brutal rape of thousands of Muslim and Christian Sudanese women, girls, and boys in Sudan by Muslim Sudanese army troops and Muslim junjaweed militia soldiers.

Collectively, Baker's portrayals of American Christians were negative and contemptuous. He praised Muslims for their dignified observance of Ramadan and fasting without complaint, while characterizing fasting Christians as "going around with a long face," complaining, and looking for special recognition of their sacrifice. He recounted a story of where he challenged a Christian man's contempt of Libyan Dictator, Col. Muammar al-Qadhafi, by saying to him, "have you ever met him?" Baker claims to have met with Col. Qadhafi and liked him. Human rights organizations have document numerous gross human rights violations against Libyan citizens by Qadhafi and his regime. Baker also claims to have illegally traveled into Kashmir and risked his life to meet Muslim Kashmiris; to have had a longstanding friendship with the now deceased Sheikh Ahmad Keftaro, who was the Grand Mufti of the Republic of Syria and Head of the Supreme Council of Fatwa; and to have traveled numerous times to Saudi Arabia where he was allowed to freely practice Christianity despite Saudi law prohibiting such displays outside designated compounds in the Kingdom.

Baker had more to say about Saudi Arabia. He rejects the available evidence that indicates Saudis are funding and spreading radical Islamic ideologies in the US and around the world. He discounted concerns about the spread of radical Wahhabi Islam by claiming the US government wants us to think "the Wahhabis are everywhere." He claims to have recently debated Samuel Huntington in Greece. Huntington is the author of the book, The Clash of Civilizations, where he writes that Christianity and Islam are on a collision course. Rather, Baker told Saturday's audience that Muslims and Christians should join together and in doing so would create the most powerful alliance of faith in the world.

Local Christian clergy were contacted for comment on Bill Baker and his views. All those contacted said they had never heard of him. Apparently Baker is only renowned within the Muslim-CAIR speaking circuit. The claims of his notoriety and credentials in the Christian community appear false.

One prominent and well-respected American church leader has heard of Baker and wants nothing more to do with him. The Reverend Robert Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral Ministries in Garden Grove, CA had at one time employed Baker. (Schuller is best known for his nationally syndicated television program "Hour of Power" and numerous Christianity-based self-help books). Schuller fired Baker when Baker's neo-Nazi ties came to light in 2002. Baker served as the 1984 chair of the Populist Party that offered former Klu Klux Klan leader David Duke as a 1988 Presidential candidate. Baker has written several books one of which promotes the denial of the Holocaust. Baker and his Boca hosts advertised Baker as currently affiliated with the Crystal Cathedral Ministries. The Cathedral Media Relations Director was contacted for comment. She confirmed the Cathedral Ministries had cut all ties with Baker. She said Baker continues to falsely associate his name with their organization despite numerous requests that he not do so.

The recently incorporated Assadiq Education Foundation invited Baker to speak ignoring previous community protests against Baker in 2004. The Foundation gave an open invitation to the community to attend the celebration. Apparently that invitation didn't apply to the news media. The Foundation leadership refused numerous requests by the Palm Beach NBC Channel 5 News for entry to the event, and denied access to Baker. Several other TV station news vans were positioned in the hotel's parking lot and Boca Raton police officers stood watch outside the front entrance. Inside the banquet room, two super-sized black men in the traditional black suits worn by Nation of Islam security personnel flanked each side of the stage for the entire 3-hour program. Outside the Marriott, a small handful of protesters held signs with the message, "Americans Against Hate."

Emily Emerson is an investigative reporter and can be contacted at [email protected]

Exclusive to Militant Islam Monitor (c) copyright Emily Emerson 2005

This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/577