WHO SENT THE EX-CONS TO THE PARK

Imam Aiyub Abdul Baki of the Islamic Leadership Council delivers a sermon at Zuccotti Park.


Zuccotti Park in New York City became the birthplace and later the headquarters of the nationwide Occupy Wall Street Movement in September of this year.  
Camp kitchens were set up with gourmet meals to feed the hungry protesters as they waged war for the proletariat against the rich.
 Distribution of sleeping bags and other essentials necessary for a prolonged stay in the park were free to all who came.  It was touted as the working man’s Utopia, fighting against the evil one percent who enslave us.  But it didn’t take long for trouble to brew in Paradise. News reports of drug usage, crime, and sexual assault began to emerge in the following weeks. How did that happen?
Leaders of the movement accused the Bloomberg administration, particularly the NYPD, of sending recently released prisoners from the city’s Correction Department on Rikers Island to Zuccotti Park. This, according to OWS leaders, was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the movement.
It seems that the NYPD is being blamed for everything these days from spying on specific communities to disrupting free speech. So where did the cons come from? READ MORE...

Should Muslim Communities Cooperate with Police

Abigail R. Esman, Contributor to Forbes
“If you see something, say something.”  It’s become part of the American vernacular, the 21^st-century version of “Just Say No.”   Now comes a new one: “If you see something, say nothing.” This, at least, is what America’s Muslim organizations are exhorting American Muslims to do: stay silent.  Report nothing.  And whatever you do, do not cooperate with the police.

That advice comes after an AP report exposed controversial investigations by the NYPD into New York’s Muslim communities which some say violate civil rights.  Surveillance of neighborhoods has gone at times to extremes, according to the AP report, with police monitoring restaurants, barber shops, and other small businesses, even in the absence of any crime.

On Friday 11/18/2011, New York Muslims took to the streets to protest the actions, claiming discrimination, and that the surveillance in Muslim communities is without precedent.

But according to Patrick Dunleavy, former Deputy Inspector General of New York and author of The Fertile Soil of Jihad: Terrorism’s Prison Connection, law enforcement has long followed similar patterns in investigating issues like organized crime and drug cartels...READ MORE

Minimizing the Threat, Ignoring the Facts

In the latest study from the New America Foundation(1) on the threat of homegrown terrorism the researchers pose the question,

“Just how real is the “homegrown” Islamist terrorist threat?”

And according to their findings, its no big thing.  If fact

you have a greater chance of being murdered by your neighbor than being killed by a radical Islamic jihadist. 

Comforting, isn’t it ?

Just how the analysts came to these conclusions is as fascinating as the data they used to support their claims.

The panel looked at 188 terrorist related cases from the period

2001 (post 9/11) till 2011, examining such variables as, citizenship, ethnicity, education, target choice, weapons acquisition, number of deaths caused, the role of informants, and if there was cooperation from the Muslim community that lead

to the arrest of the subjects.

The experts than used that data to compare it against 114 cases of domestic terrorism for the same period committed by individuals or groups “motivated by political ideologies other than the violent Islamism advocated by bin Laden.”  In other words, neo-nazis, Christian militants, anarchists, or environmental wackos like the Earth Liberation Front.

Here is where the wheels come off the bus.

The researchers minimized, or in some cases deliberately overlooked, significant data. No mention was made of overseas travel, training or funding. In comparing apples and oranges, it's important to appreciate that they grow in different environments. The same is true for ideological extremists bent on violence. READ MORE...

   

Dunleavy debates CAIR attorney Gadeir Abbas

Investigation alleges NYPD of Profiling Muslims

Critics are calling this a blatant act of racial and religious profiling. But others contend it’s necessary for the sake of ensuring national security. Is this a violation of civil rights? Or would it be impossible for police to ignore this aspect of countering terrorism? How does this method of policing square with the latest initiative from the White House that seeks a softer, integrated approach that works within communities?

   Listen to the interview ...

Evidence vs Intelligence - Knowing the Difference

Two New York police officers patrol Times Square as a police lookout post towers in the background on Wednesday, May 5, 2010. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

There is a new brouhaha stirring among civil libertarians and Islamic organizations in light of the recent Associated Press story regarding the working relationship between the NYPD and the CIA.

Was the government unlawfully collecting evidence against innocent citizens or simply gathering information for effective community policing....read more

                                                                                                                       

The Tragedy in Oslo

  Understanding the Threat

On friday morning the world was confronted with the evil madness of Anders Behring Breivik, the man accused of killing ninety three people in Norway.

The profile coming out now describes the man as a “right-wing Christian Fundamentalist”

 .  He is also said to have posted a manifesto online decrying multiculturalism and Islamism in Europe and calling for a revolution to rid the world of Marxists and Muslims.  What are we, who have spoken out against radical Islamic terrorist acts in the past, to make of this?

In June of this year I had the privilege to testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Chaired by Rep. Peter King of New York, on the topic of threat of Islamic radicalization in the U.S. prison system.  During my testimony, I was asked by Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-Tex) a question regarding a letter she stated the committee received from an inmate who she described as a “Christian Militant”.  That inmate was in prison for setting an explosive device at an abortion clinic.  Rep. Lee asked if I thought that individual should be considered an terrorist and if I thought that “Christian Militants” were a threat to the security of the United States.  I responded by stating that;

“I believe that anyone who kills (innocent) people in the name of God is an ideologue.”  When Rep. Lee was not satisfied with my answer she asked again if I would agree that “Christian Militants” pose the same threat as radical jihadists like Al Qaeda.  I stated that I doubted that you would find foreign backing or financing for Christian militants, as is the case with radical islamic jihadists.

I know of no country on this planet that provides safe haven for  individuals like  Anders Behring Breivik or organizations that would support his heinous act.

On the contrary places like Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen have become meccas for

radical Islamists who continue to plot violent acts against innocent people in the name of Allah.

An honest analysis or risk assessment or the two  distinct threats would reveal one as individualistic and the other as systemic in nature.

We condemn the despicable twisted acts of a lone individual such as Breivik and our sympathies go out to the survivors and families of the victims...but we understand that this was not supported by some shadow organization or government bent on ridding the worlds of infidels.  Evil can take many forms, we must speak out against if wherever it is found

Testimony Before the House Committee on Homeland Secuity

On June 15th I had the opportunity to speak before the House Committee for Homeland Security chaired by Rep. Peter King (R-NY).  I had the honor of being joined by Michael Downing, Commanding Officer Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau for the Los Angeles Police Department and also Kevin E Smith, former Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California who prosecuted the Kevin James / JIS terrorism case.   Compelling testimony was given
regarding the very real phenomenon of Islamic Radicalization in U.S. prisons
to read the complete testimony...click here

Remembering the Fallen, and Those Responsible

Bill Ayers and Bernadette Dohrn.

(Old & New)

There is an old saying “War and Politics Makes for Strange Bedfellows” Now it seems we may add a third part to the equation: Prisons.

In the present situation in Gaza with its current government run by HAMAS, designated a terrorist organization by the US State Department, it seems that some convicts from America’s past have run to support it with political statements and funds.

Several domestic terrorists currently serving life sentences for killing law enforcement officers are attempting to inject themselves into the current situation in the Middle East including calling for the end to Israel.

Inmates such as Herman Bell, Anthony Bottoms, James Dixon York, and Clark Edward Squire who were members of the Black Liberation Army as well as David Gilbert, a member of the Weather Underground, have in the recent past posted statements on the Internet calling for the end of “US/Zionist Imperialism in Palestine.” They also encouraged the use of any means necessary - including violence - to achieve the goal of “driving the Zionist oppressors out of your land.”

These same convicts have also come out in opposition to the US involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, and North Africa.

They consider themselves political prisoners in a corrupt regime, not criminals.

Their view of the United States was articulated most accurately in this recent statement;

"The real terrorist is the American government, state terrorism unleashed against the world."

Who said it? If you would have guessed Al Qaeda spokesman Anwar Al Awlaki or Osama bin Laden’s chief lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri, you would have been wrong. The statement comes from Bernadette Dohrn. Dohrn you may recall is the former member of a domestic terrorist organization who along with her husband, Bill Ayers, admitted to setting bombs at several government buildings during the turbulent 60’s and early 70’s .. Although charges against Ayers were dropped, Dohrn pled guilty to aggravated battery in exchange for a sentence of probation. Over the years they have maintained their relationship with the other members of their group, now incarcerated, through visiting and talking on the prison telephone. The inmate they most frequently communicate with is David Gilbert. He is currently serving seventy five years to life in Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York near the Canadian border. Gilbert’s lenghty sentence was meted out after he was found guilty in the murder of two police officers and a Brinks guard during a botched hold up attempt. 

In addition to Ayers and Dohrn, Gilbert has also received visits from several advocates for the Palestinian Solidarity Movement, a HAMAS sympathizer.  While the Movement states that it is nonviolent, we must remember that  many of the 60’s domestic terrorists began in non violent protest organizations only to become completely commited to violence and any means necessary to achieve their objectives. Dohrn, Ayers, and Gilbert were all members of the Students for a Democractic Society (SDS), a non-violent student activist organization begun in 1962. The SDS expressed a desire to use civil disobedience and other nonviolent means to cause change with social, political, and economic policy within the government   However , after several years of non-violent protest, a segment within that group, which included Dohrn, Ayers, and Gilbert, became disillusioned with the results and wanted to take action -- violent action -- against the United States government. They called themselves the Weather Underground or the Weathermen, after a line in a Bob Dylan Song; “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” 

Dohrn loudly announced the objective of the new organization with this communiqué [2]:

"Hello, I'm going to read a declaration of a state of war...Within the next 14 days we will attack a symbol or institution of American injustice."

The connection between 60’s radicals and radical Islamic organizations such as HAMAS and Hezbollah began many years ago when several of the 60’s radicals were in prison with a number of Palestinian inmates in New York State. The Palestinians were in prison at the time for violent crimes including kidnapping, firebombing a Jewish Deli in New York City, and opening fire with automatic weapons on a vanload of Hasidic students. Three of them had active ties to HAMAS, Hezbollah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. This melding of the minds to identify a common enemy, that being “the corrupt US / Zionist Imperialism” was formed over the years in prison together. They exchanged ideas on such topics as safe houses, demonstration tactics and financing. They also shared friends and contacts and some shared visitors with David Gilbert. Others attended the prison mosque with members of the Black Liberation Army who had converted to Islam. The prison chaplain at the time was himself a Palestinian with Jordanian citizenship. The chaplain made national headlines in 2003 when he was indicted (pdf) by the United States Attorney General’s Office for funneling funds into a suspicious charity suspected of providing support to Sunni insurgents in Iraq in violation of the War Powers Act....read the complete article

Don't Make The Same Mistake Twice

 

Zulqarnain Abdu Shahid.

 

The old adage, “fool me once, shame on you: fool me twice, shame on me!” should be applied to the current situation facing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his Corrections Commissioner Dora Schriro as they await the final decision of an employee’s misconduct hearing.

 

Former New York City Department of Corrections Imam Zulqarnain Abdu Shahid wants his $50, 000 a year job back. Shahid who began working for the City in 2007 was arrested in 2010 for attempting to smuggle dangerous contraband into the Manhattan House of Detention or the Tombs as it is commonly known. During a routine security check of the Chaplain’s duffel bag officers found several box cutter type razor blades. Items which, if they had fallen into the hands of the convicts, could have proven deadly.

 

The grand jury failed to indict Imam Shahid and the criminal charges were dropped by the District Attorney’s Office. No legitimate explanation was ever given why. The City proceeded against the employee and moved to have his employment terminated. In an administrative hearing in March of this year, Shahid asked for his job back.

read more...

Please, Don't Shoot the Messenger

March 1, 2011

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Patrick Dunleavy

No one loves the bearer of bad news, but attacking the messenger often seems easier than addressing the issue at hand. This has become a reality when discussing the current problem of homegrown terrorism and radicalization in the Islamic community. In the last 12-18 months the number of incidents involving individuals who, after becoming exposed to some form of radical Islamic teaching, then carried out or attempted to carry out vicious and violent acts against the United States, has increased. Yet it seems that immediately following the reporting of any of the individual cases, there proceeds an outcry from certain Muslim community organizations of entrapment or Islamophobia.

This happened in the case of Major Nidal Hassan, the Fort Hood shooter. It also happened in the case of the Newburgh Four and more recently in the cases of Mohamed Osman Mohamud, the Portland Christmas tree bomber, and Antonio Martinez who plotted to blow up a military recruiting station outside of Baltimore in December Immediately following the reporting of the facts of the stories, out would march a spokesperson from the Council on American Islamic Relations or the Muslim Public Affairs Committee to issue a statement denouncing the legitimate law enforcement use of informants and undercover activities in their communities. Taking it a step further in February of this year CAIR and the ACLU joined hands to file a lawsuit against the FBI alleging discrimination and selective investigation of individuals based on religious belief. This strategy of litigation for the purpose of inhibiting or intimidating is often referred to as “lawfare” and has been used against both governmental agencies and individuals who have written about the phenomena of radicalization in the Islamic community.

If that tactic didn’t work, often times spokespersons talking in “PC Speak”(political correctness) would  attempt to disassociate the individual terrorist from his religious beliefs. Saying it was irrelevant to the facts of the case. As if somehow ignoring the elephant in the room would make it go away. When Nidal Hassan shouted “Allah Akbar” before opening fire on his fellow soldiers it was relevant. When Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square Bomber tells the sentencing judge, “Brace yourself for war with Muslims…” It is very relevant.  Yet some current Islamic organizations in the United States often find it easier to obscure the facts and attack the messenger than to address the very real issue of radicalization in their community.

I’m often reminded of the old TV show “Dragnet” when Detective Joe Friday would say these famous words; “all we want are the facts ma’am” or to paraphrase, “just the facts ma’am, just the facts”

Facts don’t lie and denying them won’t make them go away. A search for the facts or the reporting of the facts surrounding homegrown terrorism should not be met with an attack on the messenger.

This type of strategy has also been demonstrated in the political arena. When Representative Peter King, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee announced that he intended to hold hearings on the issue of homegrown terrorism and radicalization, it was immediately met with opposition from certain Muslim organizations even though King had stated that he intended to invite Muslim community leaders to the hearings for their testimony.

Instead of welcoming an opportunity to tell their side of the story, out marched Abed A. Ayoub, the legal director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, saying that King’s proposal "has bigoted intentions." Followed by Salam al-Marayati, the executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, who thinks King "basically wants to treat the Muslim-American community as a suspect community." And finally CAIR issued its response saying, “King has a long history of extremist rhetoric and baseless allegations against American Muslims…” adding, “Congressman King seems determined to go forward with his witch hunt targeting the Muslim community.” 

It seems they have already prejudged the process before it has begun.

So what will happen to those who come forth to offer testimony before the committee? Will they be ostracized or vilified for their participation? Will moderate Muslims who are genuinely concerned about the influence of radical Islamic teaching in their communities be intimidated or threatened with ostracism if they come forth to participate in the hearings. Let us hope not.

Reasonable people can disagree about the facts. They can also debate the facts, but please don’t shoot the messenger who brings the facts to light.
(this article originally appeared in FamilySecurityMatters.org)

A Cell Within a Cell

A Cell Within a Cell

Putting terrorists in prison does not automatically stop them from coordinating terrorist activities from within their cells…

The latest news report from Afghanistan regarding another suicide terrorist operation dismantled by military and law enforcement would ordinarily be encouraging if it had not been for location of the command center for the terrorist organization, a prison cell.

This strategy, of continuing a terrorist operation while in custody, did not originate in Kabul. Criminals have always found it important to maintain ties with their associates in prison.

We must not be lulled into the false notion that once a terrorist has been captured and put in prison that there is no longer the potential for threat. They have a strategy and we must also have one that is innovative in creating strict administrative measures to deny terrorists the ability to operate from their prison cell.

READ MORE...

Nationalism vs Islamism

February 7, 2011

 

Just recently, Scott Shane a journalist for the New York Times wrote an article entitled "An Islamist Group Rises, Its Intentions Are Unclear". The primary focus of the piece was the Muslim Brotherhood and its role in the current unrest not only in Egypt but in the Arab world in general in the middle east with countries such as Algeria, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen all experiencing some form of demonstration against the present secular regimes in power. The question now on the mind of many analysts is trying to understand the Brotherhood and how to measure its influence on the demonstrators. Experts are also trying to predict how much authority it will acquire when a new government is formed in Egypt.

The issue that struck a discordant tone in the article was from one of the experts who was interviewed by Mr. Shane when writing his article. Carrie Rosefsky Wickham, Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Emory University, and author of "Mobilizing Islam" She described the Muslim Brotherhood in these words, "Its roughly analogous to the Evangelical Christian goal of sharing the gospel." She also talked about one of the offshoot groups that were formed as a result of the Muslim Brotherhood's influence in the Middle East over the last eight decades. The group founded in 1987 is Hamas and according to the article, Ms Wickham described Hamas as a national resistance movement. 

That simply put is not true.

The US State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism describes Hamas as an "Islamic Resistance Movement." There is a vast difference between the two.  In a true Islamic movement there is no room for nationalism. Abdullah Assam a Palestinian and the forefather of Islamist movement that grew out of the Brotherhood believed in an inevitable “clash of civilizations” between the Islamic world and non-Islamic world, and in the necessity of violent revolution against secular governments to establish an Islamic state."

That in a nutshell is the difference between a national resistance and an Islamic resistance movement

READ MORE...

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