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Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > State Department Funding ISNA's Propagation of Islam via citizen exchange program

State Department Funding ISNA's Propagation of Islam via citizen exchange program

April 25, 2008

State Department Funding ISNA's Propagation Of Islam
By Beila Rabinowitz and William Mayer

April 25, 2008 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - A grant made by the U.S. Dept. of State to the Islamic Society of North America [ISNA, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the ongoing Holy Land Foundation terror funding prosecution, whose mission statement is "Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope"] and the left wing National Peace Foundation is being used to fund Islamic da'wa via a spurious "citizen exchange" program.

As the ISNA press release states:

"...This program brings young professionals from the Middle East, specifically from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to the United States...The goal of this project is to explore Islam, the functions of Islamic institutions in the United States, and the activities of interfaith work."

As we have noted in previous pieces, for example Bush Administration Moves To Legitimize The Muslim Brotherhood?, there has been a move afoot, primarily originating within the State Dept., to recognize the Muslim Brotherhood as a moderate organization, an idea so spectacularly stupid it could only originate in Foggy Bottom.

It follows then that if the reputation of the Muslim Brotherhood, which created Hamas and is a constant specter in terror prosecutions, is on the verge of being whitewashed, then making nice with ISNA seems equally reasonable.

The ISNA press release stated that one of these State Dept. funded delegations met with Dr. Ali Goma, the Mufti of Egypt:

"...I think there were two events of the many, many that transformed us (the delegation as a whole). One was the meeting with the personal representative of the Dr. Ali Gomaa, the Mufti of Egypt..."

Regarding suicide bombings, the supposedly moderate Ali Goma was quoted in a 2003 interview in Egypt's "Al-haqiqa" newspaper as defending this terror practice on religious grounds:

"...he is a Shahid [martyr], because Palestine is a special case and not the ordinary case existing in the world...This is because in Palestine there is an enemy that rules the land. This rule is considered a crime by international conventions and resolutions. The world has let the Jews spread corruption throughout the land and they have succeeded in obtaining international legitimacy to territories that were conquered after 1967, Israel is a special case that does not exist [anywhere else] on the face of the earth. We are facing a criminal occupation that is the source of terror...The one who carries out Fedaii [martyrdom] operations against the Zionists and blows himself up is, without a doubt, a Shahid [martyr] because he is defending his homeland against the occupying enemy who is supported by superpowers such as the U.S. and Britain."

Mindful that their warriors are being defeated on the ground in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, the Islamists continue to transition from violent to a stealth jihad mode, confident that they will triumph by following the Muslim Brotherhood's plan to use the West's freedoms to subvert it from within. Mindful of this sea-change in strategy, the Bush administration must become more aware of the cross purposes at which its State Department is operating and take the necessary action to immediately halt any further "citizen exchanges" organized by terror friendly groups such as the Islamic Society of North America.

Until this and similar matters are remedied, Ms. Rice's Dept. of State will continue be dysfunctional, a house divided against itself. http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=statedept4.25.08%2Ehtm

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MIM: ISNA webpages about the Citizen Exchange Project:

Citizen Exchange Project


Through a US State Department grant the Islamic Society of North America and the National Peace Foundation have co-sponsored a citizen exchange project between the United States and the Middle East. This program brings young professionals from the Middle East, specifically from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to the United States. The goal of this project is to explore Islam, the functions of Islamic institutions in the United States, and the activities of interfaith work. In return American professionals from the three Abrahamic faiths; Christianity, Judaism and Islam, will visit these countries in the Middle East to explore Islam and interfaith work as it is done in the respective countries. This program will run through 2009, with several upcoming exchanges in progress. For more information please call the interfaith office or e-mail [email protected]

To view photos from the latest tour to Egypt click here.

To read an interview with Sahar Taman, Project Leader click here


Applications are currently being accepted for those participants from Jordan and Saudi Arabia who are interested in the citizen exchange to take place in July of 2008. The announcement for this exchange is below. Please be sure to share this information with any interested parties you may know in these countries.


Related Documents

http://www.isna.net/Interfaith/pages/Citizen-Exchange.aspx

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http://www.isna.net/Interfaith/pages/IOICA-Staff.aspx

About the IOICA

Through community outreach and interfaith programs, the ISNA Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances (IOICA) strengthens ties between ISNA and local grassroots organizations. The office also functions as an outreach resource for those engaged in politics and government. Such contacts allow ISNA to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims to the nation's political leaders.

To strengthen local communities IOICA, in conjunction with ILDC and the Youth Department, organizes ISNA Days at mosques and community centers across the country. ISNA Day also includes keynote speeches, entertainment sessions, and fundraisers, all of which help connect ISNA to local Muslims. The fundraising programs, in particular, help finance ISNA's many programs.

To better serve all Americans, our office in Washington DC often engages in joint programs with other mainstream religious organizations such as the National Council of Churches, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism. These inter-religious projects help break down barriers of mistrust and misunderstanding, and help form genuine partnerships of faith and ethics.

Shipping Address:
ISNA Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances(IOICA)
110 Maryland Avenue Ne, Suite # 304
Washington, DC 20002
Map It | Get Directions

Name

Title / Department

Direct Line/Fax

IOICA Office

(202)544-5656

(202)544-6636(fax)

Sayyid M Syeed

National Director, ISNA Office of Interfaith & Community Alliances

(202)544-6565

(202)544-6636(fax)

Mohamed El-sanousi

Director, Community Outreach & Communications

(202)544-6767

(202)544-6636(fax)

Amanda Mouttaki

IOICA Administrative Assistant

(202)544-5656

(202)544-6636(fax)

Patricia Anton

IOICA, Muslim Christian Initiative on the Nuclear weapons Danger (202)544-8989

(202)544-6636(fax)

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