Anti-Jihad League of America

Congresswoman Sue Myrick and Congressman Frank Wolf's Letter to AIG Regarding Sharia Business - Updated

2008-12-20T13:02:49Z

Congresswoman Sue Myrick and Congressman Frank Wolf's Letter to AIG Regarding AIG's Sharia Business - Updated

AIG_Myrick_Wolf.pdf

Congresswoman Sue Myrick and Congressman Frank Wolf's Letter to AIG Regarding AIG's Sharia Business

2008-12-19T02:14:59Z

Myrick_and_Wolf_AIG_Shariah_Letter_Dec_2008.pdf

AIG Sharia Business - Updates and Lawsuit Against AIG

2008-12-16T18:08:12Z

(U.S.) Uncle Shariah -- by Frank Gaffney -- on AIG's Sharia Businesses
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/16/uncle-shariah/

(U.S.) Lawsuit Filed to Stop AIG's Sharia Businesses
--- Lawsuit Filed Against Treasury Dept: Stop AIG Bailout Financing Terrorism
http://www.thomasmore.org/qry/page.taf?id=19
--- SANE's David Yerushalmi joins Thomas More Law Center to sue USG for its support of Shariah
http://www.saneworks.us/SANEs-David-Yerushalmi-joins-Thomas-More-Law-Center-to-sue-USG-for-its-support-of-Shariah-newsblog-2346.htm
--- PDF of Legal Complain to Department of Treasury: Murray v Paulson et al
http://www.thomasmore.org/downloads/sb_thomasmore/DepartmentoftheTreasury-Complaint.pdf
http://www.saneworks.us/uploads/news/applications/35.pdf

Related Reports:
Jeffrey Imm articles on Sharia Finance:
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/immscf.html
--- End U.S. Ownership of Sharia Business Now Petition - nearly 5,600 Signatures as of today!
http://www.petitiononline.com/stopaig/petition.html

December 4, 2008 - AIG Defies U.S. Taxpayers by Promoting Sharia in America
http://anti-jihad.org/blog/2008/12/aig-defies-us-taxpayers/
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/118.html
-- Source Documents
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/sources_aig_dec.html

Human Rights, Islamic Supremacism, and Our Responsibilities

2008-12-10T14:00:00Z

After World War II and the defeat of the Axis powers, the human rights abuses and atrocities by the Aryan supremacists and other fascists led members of the United Nations to adopt a Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10, 1948. While the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty were declared by the United States of America on July 4, 1776, this additional Universal Declaration of Human Rights was intended to gain acceptance of fundamental human rights by other nations in the world.

Similar to the United States declaration of such inalienable human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes "the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family."

Among the clauses in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are key components of a global commitment to the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty:
-- "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
-- "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."
-- "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
-- "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

The declaration of such fundamental inalienable human rights was defied by those promoting totalitarian ideologies, then and now. One such totalitarian ideology remains the growing threat of Islamic supremacism.

]]> The Islamic Supremacist Denial of Human Rights

In addition to the Communist totalitarian Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was rejected by the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 1981, the Islamic Republic of Iran's representative to the United Nations told the U.N. that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights could not be implemented by Muslims, as it could conflict with ""the divine law of the country." That same year, the Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights (UIDHR) was presented to UNESCO, providing a Islamic supremacist view of "human rights," based on Sharia. On August 5, 1990, a Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI) by the 19th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers of the 45 Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). It was intended to supersede the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam was based on the ideology of Islamic supremacism. It was meant to "serve as a guide for Member states in all aspects of life." This Cairo Declaration offers "human rights" contingent on acceptance of this Islamic supremacist ideology and its Sharia codification. The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam states that:
-- "All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari'ah."
-- "The Islamic Shari'ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration."

The Failure of the United Nations to Defend Human Rights

Incredibly, the same United Nations that once called for this Universal Declaration of Human Rights has failed to challenge the supremacist Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam. You can find this Cairo Declaration on United Nations' web sites, referenced in United Nations' proceedings, and even referenced in UN human rights groups' lists of documents by organizations "aimed at promoting and consolidating democracy."

Surely the most urgent United Nations' human rights action on the 60th anniversary of this Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be to confront this Islamic supremacist Cairo Declaration with serves as a mockery to declarations of inalienable human rights. But the United Nations remains silent on this point. The agenda for the United Nations' 60th anniversary of the UDHR doesn't even contain the word "equality," nor is it a theme of subjective calls for "dignity and justice" by its leading members. Defending such inalienable human rights as "equality" requires judgment on those that reject equality, something those who claim to support "human rights" at the United Nations fear to do.

Moreover, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has been increasingly opposed to defending the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 2007, the UNHRC was pressured by the Islamic supremacist OIC into seeking to edit motions for defending religious freedoms into denying religious rights. In June 2008, the UNHRC bowed to Islamic supremacist pressure to prohibit debate over the impact of Sharia on human rights, and efforts continue with the United Nations to push a legitimization of Islamic supremacism by denying any debate on the ideology. Such efforts have been led by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), where this year, the United States named an envoy to represent our nation in such efforts. As addressed by David Littman, this included an October 2008 seminar sponsored by the OIC with the goal to codify any criticism against Islamic supremacism as "advocacy of religious hatred." Walid Phares has also addressed efforts by the OIC to legitimize totalitarian supremacism by calling for protection by "defamation" against religions.

But no seminars or speeches defending the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, including freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion, are forthcoming from the United Nations. Their grim "celebration" of the anniversary of the UDHR comes as U.N. human rights leaders have turned their back on such inalienable human rights and further legitimized those who seek oppression and denial of equality through Islamic supremacism.

The Human Rights "Advocates" Who Mock the Human Rights of Equality and Liberty

On December 1, 2008, CNN published a commentary by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter entitled "U.S. must lead world on human rights." Mr. Carter further sought to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But if Mr. Carter wants to promote human rights, perhaps he should start with himself. In April 2008, Mr. Carter met with leaders of the Islamic supremacist group Hamas, linked to the Islamic supremacist Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas' covenant (article 32) promotes the anti-semitic apocryphal "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" that was promoted by Adolf Hitler in his Nazi party efforts and in his book Mein Kampf.

Mr. Carter makes a mockery of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the "human rights" that he claims to support, when he openly legitimizes Islamic supremacist groups that espouse the same supremacist ideology of Adolf Hitler's Nazi party (the very reason for the creation of the UDHR in the first place). But CNN ignores this and promotes Mr. Carter as a figure supporting "human rights."

In Mr. Carter's April 2008 meetings with the Islamic supremacist group Hamas, he also met with Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al in Syria. Six months after this meeting, Hamas Mash'al boasts to the Al-Jazeera TV audience on October 12, 2008 "how Allah made a laughingstock of America," and asserts that "[t]he day will come, within several years, when this world will change, submitting to the Arab Islamic will, Allah willing."

Mr. Carter is once again headed to the Middle East, for meetings in Lebanon, and reports state that he next plans to meet with the Islamic supremacist group Hezbollah. But Mr. Carter is just one example of a sickness with the human rights community. We have seen others continue to praise groups with Islamic supremacist history such as CAIR, MPAC, and ISNA as human rights groups. We have seen leaders in foreign policy call for engagement with Islamic supremacist organizations. We have seen individuals in the counterterrorism community seek surrender with Islamic supremacist groups.

This sickness in human rights has allowed obvious contradictions on freedoms to be published without objection - a recent Guardian article calls for support for freedom of speech under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - and urges the Islamic supremacist Hizb ut-Tahrir group to respect such freedoms. This is the same Hizb ut-Tahrir that calls for world domination by an Islamic supremacist caliphate, but this is never mentioned or even considered in such an absurd call for an Islamic supremacist group to respect "freedom."

This sickness in human rights can also be seen in the world media, which largely ignores the ideology of Islamic supremacism itself. As Steven Emerson asked in his recent article "They're Winning," "can you imagine the New York Times focusing its coverage sympathetically on the families of the convicted members of the KKK or neo-Nazis?" Of course not. It would be against all of our understanding of human rights. But what happens when advocates of human rights choose to be blind to Islamic supremacism?

The Human Rights Challenge for a Generation

The challenge for this generation is not just of fighting war, not just of defeating terrorism, but is the larger issue of defending the human rights of equality and liberty. Without working towards this fundamental human rights objective, all of our military efforts, counterterrorism efforts, and foreign policy efforts will accomplish nothing. Yet this most vital issue in our generation is largely unaddressed by the traditional human rights organizations in our world. We certainly have a small group of brave women activists that have been seeking to address the disgrace of Islamic supremacist "honor killing." We have groups such as Compass Direct that address the continuing abuse of Islamic supremacists to Christians around the world. We have groups that fight for academic freedom and religious freedom. We have those who seek to stand up to the Islamic supremacist Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at the United Nations. We have a small, valiant, team of human rights heroes today.

But we must recognize that the decades of denial and obfuscation on Islamic supremacism, including the continuing use of the mainstream mass media to promote those who would mock human rights, requires a different level of effort. It requires a sea change in human perspective on human rights. It requires a national, war-time level mobilization of the American public to defend the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty in America and around the world. It requires a massive public effort to defy and confront the ideology of Islamic supremacism.

It requires a new way of looking at human rights as the responsibility of "someone else," and it requires introspection within us. What would our lives be like without equality and liberty? What would our friends' and families' lives be like? What would our children's and the next generation's lives be like? We can overcome difficult economic times and many other material challenges. But how would the next generation overcome a challenge to the very inalienable human rights of equality and liberty itself - the basis for everything that America is and hopes to be?

A recent news report tells of an Islamic supremacist Taliban member boasting of using his child as a suicide bomber. The Islamic supremacist cowards willing sacrifice the next generation to defend their lie of supremacism. But while we may view them as cowards, what will the next generation view us if we do not assume the responsibility of defending the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty today? Who else will be there to keep hope alive for those oppressed by Islamic supremacists in America and around the world?

We Will Overcome Islamic Supremacism

Those of us who seek to promote equality and liberty do so because of our love and respect for humanity and for those who can't speak out for themselves. As Americans whose Declaration of Independence defines the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty as part of our identity, it is our responsibility to defend equality and liberty during these times.

The truth is that, regardless of the title of Mr. Emerson's recent article "They're Winning," Islamic supremacists will never truly win. They will always ultimately lose their battle for supremacism as long as a single human remains that respects the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty. The question really is how long will it take for those defending equality and liberty to effectively confront Islamic supremacism.

As equality and liberty are inalienable human rights, we will overcome those who would spread Islamic supremacist hate and suppression. The lie of Islamic supremacism will fall. As it has been said before, "no lie can live forever." Surely someday, we will overcome those who would appease Islamic supremacists in our nation and around the world.

But someday can't come soon enough for the helpless and the hopeless living in this nation and around the world that live in fear and terror from the hate-mongering and oppression of Islamic supremacists. Someday can't come soon enough for the children who are stoned to death, thrown acid on, bombs strapped onto them, or who are murdered by their families for Islamic supremacist so-called "honor." Someday can't come soon enough for those tortured and oppressed for simply seeking their inalienable human freedom of conscience.

How long must the helpless and the hopeless in America and around the world wait for the "someday" when the sons and daughters of a nation, founded on equality and liberty, will be responsible for such inalienable human rights by defying Islamic supremacism?

Human Rights ... It Starts With You

What if "someday" started today? Right now?

It can. We don't have to take it anymore. We can choose to defy those who would disgrace human rights by promoting and appeasing Islamic supremacism. We can choose to be responsible adults that value our equality and liberty. We can choose our destiny. We don't have to submit to being helpless victims against a supremacist ideology. We can defy and defeat the Islamic supremacism ideology that is dependent on responsible individuals doing nothing.

Help make "someday" start today. Tell yourself that you are responsible for equality and liberty. Say it out loud - "I am responsible for equality and liberty." Take the first step today, right now. Own it. This minute. Own the responsibility for your identity as an individual that believes in and will defend equality and liberty. Assert your belief in your inalienable human rights of equality and liberty - right now today. Wear your responsibility that is in your heart and mind on your sleeve, and pass it forward.

Tell your spouse, a friend, or relative. If you can't tell them, tell a stranger in the street. Then the next day, tell someone else. And the next day, tell another person. Each time you declare your responsibility for equality and liberty, you send a message of defiance to those Islamic supremacists who would oppress others.

That is how human rights activism starts - with you. That is how changing the world starts - one person at a time. By being responsible for equality and liberty, we remember what we are fighting for when faced with Islamic supremacism in the United States and around the world. This is our responsibility and our legacy to the future.

With great power comes great responsibility, but also with great responsibility comes great power, self-respect, and dignity. As those responsible for equality and liberty, if we were to die tomorrow, we would still die with honor, not on our knees. Isn't the inalienable human right that "all men are created equal" worth our being responsible enough to defend it?

Hundreds of years of American struggle for the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty have led you here today to the point where your forefathers are now looking to you to carry the torch forward. Now it's your turn to be a hero, it's your turn to make history, it's your turn to show the courage of your convictions.

This is what the Islamic supremacist enemy does not expect. They think they have you all figured out, and they are counting on the American public to be silent on equality and liberty. They are counting on the American public being in denial and passive; they are depending on Americans being so afraid of them that our policies will be rooted in a plaintive "leave us alone." Islamic supremacism survives based on the lie that their ideology is superior to the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty. Those dependent on a lie of supremacism can't understand the true moral courage of equality and liberty.

You are humanity's secret weapon against Islamic supremacism. The Islamic supremacist enemy doesn't expect your moral courage in being responsible for equality and liberty.

Take a stand today. Be counted among those who will be responsible for equality and liberty.

Fear No Evil.

[Postscript - see also Sources documents for additional reading and background information.]

AIG Defies U.S. Taxpayers by Promoting Sharia in America

2008-12-05T00:00:00Z

For the third month in a row, AIG is in the news regarding its promotion of Sharia-compliant finance (SCF) products, which promote the Islamic supremacist, segregationist ideology of Sharia. For a company struggling with its financial survival, it remains astounding that AIG would want to incite its American taxpayer owners by promoting products that are based on an Islamic supremacist political ideology. In October 2008, I wrote how the U.S. government gave an $85 billion loan to AIG, without demanding divestment of its business ventures reselling Sharia mutual trusts and its AIG Takaful division selling Sharia-based insurance. In November 2008, I wrote about how the U.S. government purchased $40 billion in AIG stock, making you as a taxpayer, an owner of a company promoting Sharia through such businesses.
]]> AIG's Takaful division was planning to expand to offer such AIG-specific Sharia products here in the United States. Now AIG has announced that it has Sharia-based insurance products for the United States, and AIG is promoting them.

On December 1, 2008, AIG announced that it was "introducing a Takaful Homeowners Policy, the first installment in Lexington Takaful Solutions, a series of Shari'ah-compliant (Takaful) product offerings in the U.S. The newly announced Takaful products are compliant with key Islamic finance tenets and based on the concept of mutual insurance." Note that AIG indicates that such Sharia insurance products are the "first installment" in a series of Sharia products. In the AIG press release, AIG Takaful's Abdallah Kubursi expresses his pride in AIG's ability to promote Sharia within the United States, stating "This is truly a global effort on the part of AIG."

This is our company, using our taxpayer dollars, to promote Islamic supremacist Sharia-based products in our country. As we are $40 billion owners in AIG, this is our problem as Americans. What is our government and AIG going to do about this?

First, let's remember what Sharia is and is not.

Sharia is a legal codification of the political ideology of Islamic supremacism. This Sharia legal codification is intended to enforce discriminatory and segregationist practices against women and non-Muslims and to suppress the liberties of those living in Islamic theocracies. As a legal codification of a supremacist ideology, Sharia is incompatible with democratic values and the inalienable human right that "all men are created equal." In 2001, nearly two months before the 9/11 attacks, the European Court of Human Rights determined that Sharia law was incompatible with democracy and human rights. The President of the European Court of Human Rights stated that "the Court found that sharia was incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy as set forth in the Convention... Principles such as pluralism in the political sphere or the constant evolution of public freedoms have no place in it. According to the Court, it was difficult to declare one's respect for democracy and human rights while at the same time supporting a regime based on sharia...". Even British courts have ruled that Sharia is "discriminatory."

In a nation such as the United States, based on the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, why would American taxpayers seek to fund a business selling products that promote a discriminatory, segregationist, and supremacist ideology that is "incompatible with democracy and human rights"?

Sharia is not merely "cultural beliefs," "religious beliefs," or "social preference." In the AIG press release, AIG's Abdallah Kubursi would have Americans believe that the goal of promoting such Sharia products is to expand "social preference." But America has rejected those who would label supremacist values as "social preference," just as they rejected white supremacists who once called for racial segregation and discrimination. America's society, businesses, government, and law rejects supremacist ideologies. Just ask President-Elect Barack Obama.

This is the same Sharia ideology that has been used by the Islamic supremacist Taliban to murder those who they believe have committed moral crimes, the same Sharia ideology that was used to murder a 13 year old girl last month who was raped in Somalia, and the same Sharia ideology supported by the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and Islamic supremacists around the world. It is the same Sharia ideology whose zakat charities have been used to fund jihadist terrorist organizations. On September 18, 2008, Congressman Tom Tancredo's office introduced "Jihad Prevention Act" (H.R. 6975). According to the press release from his office on this bill, "the legislation would make the advocacy of Sharia law by radical Muslims already in the United States a deportable offense."

But now American taxpayer dollars are being used to promote products based on Sharia?

In fairness to AIG, there are many who do not understand the political Islamic supremacist nature of Sharia.

Stop Sharia Now (FAQ item 17) provides a quote regarding an "Islamic Finance conference" in New York City where an attendee asked the meaning of Sharia. One of AIG's Sharia advisors, Sheik Nizam Yaquby, ambiguously responded by stating that "Shariah is the path on which we walk, the water which we drink." Those of us who are aware that Sharia is a legal codification for all aspects of Islamic supremacist life grasp what Yaquby was trying to communicate; certainly none of the supremacist aspects of Sharia was communicated by Yaquby. It is then reported that "Not one person in the room followed up with a question. The group went back to looking at flowcharts and graphs." So it should be little surprise that few people involved with Sharia finance products actually understand the ramifications of promoting Islamic supremacist Sharia.

To give AIG an opportunity to respond to this, I called the individual listed on AIG's press release for its Sharia Takaful Homeowners Policy, Jim Crain, and talked to him about the AIG product. My impression is that AIG's Jim Crain is a businessman, and I got the distinct feeling that he was uncomfortable with being named as the AIG point of contact on a product with political connotations. I told AIG's Jim Crain about the online petition signed by over 100 individuals calling for the Federal Reserve Board and the Department of Treasury to call for AIG to divest itself of its Sharia businesses. I also told AIG's Jim Crain about how the Islamic supremacist Taliban and other groups are seeking to promote Sharia.

AIG's Jim Crain told me that he had no comment on AIG's Sharia product linkage to the Islamic supremacist Sharia ideology, but stated that with "this business venture" it was not AIG's intent "to enter into the political arena at all." Jim Crain stated that he did understand that Sharia is viewed as a political ideology, and commented "that is becoming more apparent as the days go on." (I would conclude from this that I was not the first person who has called Jim Crain about this.) He stated that "it is entirely possible" that the public is going to think that AIG is taking a political position that is pro-Sharia. Jim Crain concluded our discussion by stating "I am going to pass your concerns on to our senior management and legal."

Now it is your turn. American taxpayers own $40 billion worth of AIG stock. This is your company and your responsibility to contact AIG about both its Sharia finance businesses and its efforts now to promote Sharia-based insurance in the United States.

Let AIG's Jim Crain know that the calls he has gotten thus far complaining about AIG's Sharia based business is the tip of the iceberg. Jim Crain's phone number and email address are provided on the AIG press release to discuss AIG's Sharia-based Takaful Homeowners Policy. Let him know precisely what you think of it as a shareholder in AIG, and ask Jim Crain to make certain that his senior management also is aware of your concerns as well.

Sign our online petition demanding that the Federal Reserve, Securities Exchange Commission, and Department of Treasury carry out their fiduciary responsibilities under H.R. 1424 to act as the Financial Stability Oversight Board in America's interest - and demand that AIG divest itself now of its Sharia businesses. This is an opportunity to make American commitment to human rights a part of how companies do business in America. It is our responsibility to let AIG know our concerns.

Let's make our voices heard on this outrage, just as we would if AIG was offering a white supremacist financial products, black supremacist financial products, or any other products or services linked to a supremacist ideology. We need to make our voices heard because supremacism is fundamentally against the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, as defined in America's Declaration of Independence... and declaration of our identity as well. By the very definition of America, we are responsible for equality and liberty, and we are responsible for confronting Islamic supremacism.

Fear No Evil.

[Postscript - see also Sources documents for additional reading and background information.]

Holy Land Foundation defendants guilty on all counts

2008-11-24T23:42:17Z

Below is a summary of news stories and related reports on the decision in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) retrial in Texas. The defendants were found guilty on all counts.

Holy Land Foundation defendants guilty on all counts
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/112508dnmetholylandverdicts.1e5022504.html
--- Defendants in the Holy Land trial
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/longterm/stories/101907dnmetholylanddefendants.1829f8674.html
--- Investigative Project on Terrorism: HLF Officials Convicted on All Counts
http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/865
--- Justice served: Holy Land Foundation defendants guilty on all counts
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/023628.php
--- AFP: Jury finds US-based Muslim charity guilty of funding terrorism
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081124/wl_mideast_afp/usmideasthamastrial

--- Defendants in the Holy Land trial
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/longterm/stories/101907dnmetholylanddefendants.1829f8674.html
--- Muslim Charity, Leaders Convicted on Charges of Funding Terror
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,456904,00.html

The Verdicts:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/longterm/stories/101907dnmetholylanddefendants.1829f8674.html

--- Ghassan Elashi
---- Dallas Morning News: "The decision: Guilty on 35 charges, including support of Hamas, money laundering and tax fraud. He faces up to life in prison."

--- Shukri Abu Baker
---- Dallas Morning News: "The decision: Guilty on 34 charges, including support of Hamas, money laundering and tax fraud. He faces up to life in prison."

--- Mufid Abdulqader
---- Dallas Morning News: "The decision: Guilty on three charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; conspiracy to provide funds, goods and services to a specially designated terrorist; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He could get a total of 55 years in prison."

--- Abdulrahman Odeh
---- Dallas Morning News: "The decision: Guilty on three charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; conspiracy to provide funds, goods and services to a specially designated terrorist; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He could get a total of 55 years in prison."

--- Mohammad El-Mezain
---- Dallas Morning News: "The decision: Guilty of providing support to Hamas, having been acquitted on 31 other charges last year. He faces up to 15 years in prison."

Phares: Al Qaeda's Message: We Will Not Stop Waging Jihad With Obama in the White House

2008-11-21T12:00:00Z

Written by Walid Phares

While observers waited for the release of the "official" Al Qaeda position on the election of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States, seasoned experts on the Jihadist movement had little doubt about the substance of the main message. As I have outlined in my appearances on Arabic television channels since November 4, Usama bin Laden or his second in command, was expected to declare that their "Jihad" will continue despite the election of an African-American president and despite Obama's intention to withdraw from Iraq. Ayman al-Zawahiri lived up to expectations on Wednesday in his latest message to his supporters and his enemies. His message? Even if the war ends in Iraq, the global war will continue everywhere.

The tape was expected to appear a couple weeks after the election because that's how the terror group does things. First, Al Qaeda monitors the reaction from of the international community, both from the Arab and Muslim world and also from other Islamist authorities. The Bin Laden-Zawahiri style is to give the "last word," like a Caliph would. The points raised in the tape were almost all predicted by experts familiar with the Jihadi-combat mind set: Although a new president was elected -- one who would reverse some of Bush's policies, the new president will also devise new strategies to defeat Al Qaeda.

Zawahiri isn't buying the version proposed by other anti-American critics of Washington's War on Terror. Most of Europe's left, the Arab authoritarian regimes, and the Islamist fundamentalist establishment have all welcomed the news of an Obama victory and are tailoring new proposals for the region's future (of course to their advantage). But not Al Qaeda. That's why this Zawahiri message is important. It is telling the world and allies that there will be no respite in the conflict.

Al Qaeda's number two had to address the election of a black president of the United States because of the two massive changes this choice has brought to the Jihadist agenda: On the one hand, public opinion of Obama is very high internationally; on the other hand the president-elect is planning to withdraw from Iraq and forge ahead in Afghanistan. All this changes Al Qaeda's game. Zawahiri's tape had to address these "challenges" as pressure was mounting among Jihadists to deal with this election. Hence, the main points presented by the audio message are as follows:

]]> 1. The election of Obama is a Defeat to the United States in Iraq and a Victory to the Jihadists

In his tape Zawahiri congratulates the Muslim world:

On the American people's admission of defeat in Iraq. Although the evidence of America's defeat in Iraq appeared years ago, Bush and his administration continued to be stubborn and deny the brilliant midday sun. If Bush has achieved anything, it is in his transfer of America's disaster and predicament to his successor. But the American people, by electing Obama, declared its anxiety and apprehension about the future towards which the policy of the likes of Bush is leading it, and so it decided to support someone calling for withdrawal from Iraq.

In Al Qaeda's lexicon it is crucial to demonstrate to their supporters that it is "their" actions (terror in Iraq) which convinced, if not intimidated, American voters into voting for Obama and against McCain. Zawahiri wants Al Qaeda to get credit for the behavior of America's voting majority in the same way it took credit for the Madrid elections after the March 11, 2004 attacks.

2. A Warning to Obama: Don't Send Additional Troops to Afghanistan

Zawahiri then sends a warning to President-elect Obama:

The second of these messages is to the new president of the United States. I tell him: you have reached the position of president, and a heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits you. A failure in Iraq to which you have admitted, and a failure in Afghanistan to which the commanders of your army have admitted. The other thing to which I want to bring your attention is that what you've announced about how you're going to reach an understanding with Iran and pull your troops out of Iraq to send them to Afghanistan is a policy which was destined for failure before it was born. It appears that you don't know anything about the Muslim Ummah and its history, and the fate of the traitors who cooperated with the invaders against it, and don't know anything about the history of Afghanistan and its free and defiant Muslim people. And if you still want to be stubborn about America's failure in Afghanistan, then remember the fate of Bush and Pervez Musharraf, and the fate of the Soviets and British before them. And be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them.

If victory has been achieved by the jihadists against the United States in Iraq by forcing the new administration to pull out of that country, in Zawahiri's mind, another defeat awaits America in Afghanistan according to Al Qaeda's latest message. The logic of endless Jihad seems to be that wherever American forces would be sent, the jihadists will meet them for a fight until the US redeploys its contingents from around the world, back to "its borders" as previous Al Qaeda messages have underlined.

3. The Same U.S. Aggression Remains

Concerned about the sympathy emerging from around the world and within the Muslim community regarding the new president, Zawahiri reminds his Islamist followers that "crimes have been committed and the mentality that produced them is still around." He doesn't want to see a shift in pubic opinion towards a "nicer" America. He says:

As for the crimes of America which await you, it appears that you continue to be captive to the same criminal American mentality towards the world and towards the Muslims. The Muslim Ummah received with extreme bitterness your hypocritical statements to and stances towards Israel, which confirmed to the Ummah that you have chosen a stance of hostility to Islam and Muslims.

Clearly, Zawahiri is trying to draw red lines for the acceptance of Obama by the Arab and Muslim world. This audiotape is probably the prelude to a campaign by the jihaidists to minimize Obama's emergence and classify him as just "another US President, with a different face."

4. You're Not Real

Then Zawahiri begins the Jihadi deconstruction of Obama's image. He declares:

You represent the direct opposite of honorable black Americans like Malik al-Shabazz, or Malcolm X (may Allah have mercy on him). You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims, and pray the prayer of the Jews, although you claim to be Christian, in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America. And so you promised to back Israel, and you threatened to strike the tribal regions in Pakistan, and to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, in order for the crimes of the American Crusade in it to continue. And last Monday, your aircraft killed 40 Afghan Muslims at a wedding party in Kandahar. As for Malik al-Shabazz (may Allah have mercy on him), he was born to a black pastor killed by white bigots, but Allah favored him with guidance to Islam, and so he prided himself on his fraternity with the Muslims, and he condemned the crimes of the Crusader West against the weak and oppressed, and he declared his support for peoples resisting American occupation, and he spoke about the worldwide revolution against the Western power structure. That's why it wasn't strange that Malik al-Shabazz (may Allah have mercy on him) was killed, while you have climbed the rungs of the presidency to take over the leadership of the greatest criminal force in the history of mankind and the leadership of the most violent Crusade ever against the Muslims. And in you and in Colin Powell, Rice and your likes, the words of Malcolm X (may Allah have mercy on him) concerning "House Negroes" are confirmed.

Zawahiri's words are strong and are aimed at putting pressure on all those in the region who rushed to announce that Obama will radically change the "regime" in the United States. Al Qaeda number two paints the president-elect as an opportunistic politician who used all three faiths to access power. By doing this Zawahiri is trying to achieve two goals: maintaining his own flock fully indoctrinated against Washington regardless of the change in the White House; and pressuring the radical clerics in the Wahabi and Muslim Brotherhood circles -- who are welcoming Obama's victory -- to retreat from such "apostasy."

5. The War Must Continue...

Zawahiri's main message is to call on the jihadists everywhere to resume the war relentlessly and to "strike." Yes, he argues, there was a victory when America changed direction in Iraq, but the road to full jihadi victory is still long. Read it as follows: The fight over Iraq will continue until the establishment of an Al Qaeda-like Emirate in the Sunni Triangle, which would be then the real victory. The fight will go on in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia and beyond. In short, Al Qaeda's war against the world won't stop because of an election in America. Zawahiri said:

You also must appreciate, as you take over the presidency of America during its Crusade against Islam and Muslims, that you are neither facing individuals nor organizations, but are facing a Jihadi awakening and renaissance which is shaking the pillars of the entire Islamic world; and this is the fact which you and your government and country refuse to recognize and pretend not to see. I tell the Muslim Ummah: America, the criminal, trespassing Crusader, continues to be the same as ever, so we must continue to harm it, in order for it to come to its senses, because its criminal, expansionist Crusader project in your lands has only been neutralized by the sacrifices of your sons, the Mujahideen. This, then, is the path, so stick to it. To the Mujahideen. I tell them: may Allah reward you in the best way for your historic heroics, which have ruined America's plans and rendered its projects ineffective. So be firm and resolute. Your enemy's stagger has begun, so don't stop hitting him. I say to my brothers the Mujahideen in Iraq in general and the Islamic State of Iraq in particular, and to its Amir, the towering mountain Abu 'Umar al-Baghdadi: your enemy has admitted defeat, and the forthcoming stage is expected to be dominated by conspiracies and betrayals in order to cover the American withdrawal, so you must persevere, for victory is in an hour of perseverance. And I tell my brothers in Somalia: rejoice in victory and conquest. America is gathering its wounds in Iraq, and Ethiopia is looking for a way out, and for this reason, the stage of conspiracies and machinations has begun. So hold tightly to the truth for which you have given your lives, and don't put down your weapons before the Mujahid state of Islam and Tawheed has been set up in Somalia. And I tell all Mujahideen everywhere: Allah has granted you success and honored you by making you the most important cause of that, so be resolute on the path of Jihad until you meet your Lord while He is pleased with you.

As many experts in Jihadism have underlined -- and as I projected in my last three books on "future Jihad" -- even if we decide to change course in Iraq or even in Afghanistan, the strategic intentions of the Jihadi Salafists is to engage in confrontation worldwide, including within democracies.

6. Until You Surrender...

Echoing this assessment of the global jihadi drive, Zawahiri asks the followers of this ideology -not just his membership -- to relentlessly fight against what he perceives as the "Grand Crusade." A stark reminder that the forces, which waged their campaign against the United States beginning in the early 1990s and peaking on 9/11, then spread their warfare to dozens of countries, aren't going back to the pre 9/11 model. Once again, Al Qaeda's number two offers a deal to the "infidel powers": quit and withdraw from this entire region or face a greater war. It is a chilling statement of the so-called "Jihadi offensive." It is not just about Iraq: It is about the planet as a whole. He goes on:

And my fifth message is to all the world's weak and oppressed. I tell them: America has put on a new face, but its heart full of hate, mind drowning in greed, and spirit which spreads evil, murder, repression and despotism continue to be the same as always. And the Mujahideen of Islam, by the grace of Allah, continue to be the spearhead of the resistance against it to restrain it from injustice, aggression and arrogance. As for my final message, it is to the American people. I tell it: you incurred defeat and losses from the foolish actions of Bush and his gang, and at the same time, Shaykh Usama bin Ladin (may Allah preserve him) sent you a message to withdraw from the lands of the Muslims and refrain from stealing their treasures and interfering in their affairs. So choose for yourself whatever you like, and bear the consequences of your choice, and as you judge, you will be judged.

Against all other reactions, both positive and neutral, vis-a-vis Obama's election, Al Qaeda stands firm in rejecting the new leadership even before the president-elect takes office in January. From a political/psychological perspective the master of Jihadism Usama Bin laden cannot be overshadowed by another international leader, particularly if that emerging figure is president of the "Great Satan." Zawahiri's response to the election seems to re-frame the results of the election, an election seen around the world as one of change. To Al Qaeda there is no altering of direction in their struggle and agenda. In their own logic, either Obama will end America's presence altogether in the greater Middle East, or nothing will really change on the global battlefield.

Conclusion

Once Obama's victory was solidified, many wondered what Al Qaeda's response would be. Many of observers thought that the election of Mr. Obama would wash away the grievances of Al Qaeda and isolate the pockets of violence to a few valleys in Afghanistan. Zawahiri's answer is a blunt "No." Obviously, by Al Qaeda's standards, this is a step forward but it is not enough. Pulling out of Iraq is a victory, something the Jihadists of all persuasions agree on, but more victories are needed to end the war from their perspective. This indicates that the post 9/11 era may well be reversed in the mind of liberal democracies via electoral victories at home. This was the case in Spain, and could also be true in the United States, but in the mind of the Jihadists -- it is irreversible. Of all the points raised by Zawahiri on the audiotape, I believe that the central message is this: Redeploy as you wish and change all the leaders you want, but know that we will continue our global fight against you. This means that the next administration will confront a tremendous challenge and it will have to do so by learning from the past and enhancing its strategies for the future. The landscape of the war with the Jihadists may have changed in the last eight years, it will also be different from what it was during the 1990s. Now, a whole new configuration is ahead of us.

Dr Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of "The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad."

Oil, U.S. Auto Industry, Jihad, and Islamic Supremacism

2008-11-20T00:34:51Z

As the U.S. automobile industry seeks funds from the U.S. government, Americans need to ask if this industry understands that Islamic supremacists are at war with America, and how the automobile industry is going to change its product lines to recognize the need to reduce petrodollars to our Islamic supremacist enemies.

After the 9/11 attacks, I looked in the mirror and asked myself that, if I was going to do to challenge others on Jihad and Islamic supremacism, what was I going to immediately change in my own life. I had to be able to walk the walk - personally. Among other answers, the easiest one for me was to commit to driving out Jihadists by using a fuel-efficient vehicle or other non-oil based transportation as much as possible. I am not suggesting that this is all it takes for America's energy independence crisis, nor is this a solution that will work for everyone. But we have to be able to show willingness to change and sacrifice as individuals in the larger and longer human rights war against Islamic supremacism.

Of the 19 suspected 9/11 hijackers, 13 came from Saudi Arabia. What does Saudi Arabia export other than oil and Islamic supremacism? Sand? After 9/11, it did not require a political science degree to figure out that a key focus in our economic war against Islamic supremacism had to include a focus on America's energy and oil independence from Saudi Arabia, other Islamic supremacist nations, and other foreign nations. ]]> So what happened after 9/11 to Saudi Arabia? Did American leadership cut off its flow of petrodollars from the U.S.? Did American leadership view Saudi Arabia's Islamic supremacist ideology to be an enemy of America? In fact, Saudi Arabia became wealthier, got more American petrodollars after 9/11, and incredibly, was named as an "ally" of America in a "war on terror" that refused to define the enemy or its ideology.

How did American industry react to the 9/11 Islamic supremacist act of war against America? Did U.S. oil industries shun Saudi Arabia and other Islamic supremacist providers, and promote alternative energy sources? Did U.S. automakers aggressively promote fuel-efficient vehicles to minimize the petrodollars continuing to flow to Islamic supremacist nations? None of these happened. Neither the U.S. oil nor the automobile industries have recognized that America is at war with Islamic supremacism.

As American taxpayer dollars are being asked to bailout the U.S. automobile industry without strings, a history lesson of the U.S. automobile industry's response to the 9/11 attacks would be valuable.

In 2002, an example of General Motors' (GM) offer of "innovation" in response to acts of war by Islamic supremacists on America was to have "AM General... assembling the HUMMER H2, a new 'next generation' sport utility vehicle designed by GM, at a new factory in Mishawaka" - for American consumer use at approximately 10 mpg. In 2001, GM also had an electric automobile known as the EV1, which you might have never heard about. I know about this because, after the 9/11 attacks, I repeatedly contacted GM about trying to purchase or lease an EV1 or even get on the waiting list for a future version ("GenII") of the EV1. In fact, what GM told me was that the EV1s were not available to anyone outside of California, and I am on the East Coast. No matter who I contacted in GM Sales, the answer was the same - they did not want to sell me a GM EV1 electric automobile at any price, under any condition. (You can see from this September 11, 2002 EV1 white paper that I was not only one who could not obtain an EV1 from GM.) GM was more concerned with California's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate than it was with acts of war against America. Just over two months after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, GM was already collecting EV1 electric automobiles to take them off the market and crush them. By 2003, GM had officially ended the EV1 electric automobile program; GM donated one to the Smithsonian museum. Where is GM's progress for fuel-efficient vehicles at today? Among GM's 2009 vehicles, GM offers a hybrid SUV (offering "an astounding EPA estimated MPG 21 city"), hybrid truck ("limited availability early 2009"), and states that it will offer "very limited availability" for its 2009 Malibu Hybrid. In 2010, nine years after the 9/11 attacks, GM claims that it will also offer another electric vehicle, the Volt. In the meantime, GM continues to predominantly manufacture and market vehicles that will ensure the maximum petrodollars go to Islamic supremacist nations.

In early 2002, a division of Ford Motor Company's TH!NK announced that it was going to produce a series of small electric automobiles for use in California and New York City. However, later that year, Ford announced that it was going to halt production of such electric automobiles, and in 2003, Ford abandoned its nascent efforts to counter America's oil dependence on Islamic supremacist nations, and sold the company to a European company for production overseas. A year later in 2004, Ford announced plans to crush its remaining TH!NK electric automobiles, later deciding to send 300 of them to Norway. Concerns about ending America's oil dependence on Islamic supremacist nations was the furthest thing from Ford's mind. Later in 2004, Ford developed a "hybrid SUV" (now that's a "hybrid" for certain) called the Ford Escape hybrid SUV. U.S. Senator John Kerry was famous for promising that he was going to buy and promote one; needless to say after the 2004 election, we have never heard about that subject again from Senator Kerry. The 2009 Ford Hybrid Escape states that it gets an estimated 34 mpg city, significantly less fuel-efficiency than hybrid vehicles offered by Honda or Toyota. Ford continues to predominantly manufacture and market vehicles that will ensure the maximum petrodollars go to Islamic supremacist nations.

When it comes to fuel-efficient vehicles to cut off petrodollars to Islamic supremacist nations, we have had nothing but counterproductive products, half-measures, and endless promises from GM and Ford. In the meantime, Islamic supremacism has continued to grow in America and around the world.

What did I do about it? Since both GM and Ford refused to take my money and sell me a fuel-efficient vehicle that would limit petrodollars to our Islamic supremacist enemies, I had to go elsewhere. In early 2002, with the remains of the World Trade Center still nothing but a pit and a wing of the Pentagon still in shambles, there was no American leadership or business focus on stopping the flow of petrodollars to our enemies, nor was it a priority. In our nation's capital, there was virtually no interest in hybrid automobiles. But in early 2002, I started driving a hybrid automobile as a strike against Jihad and Islamic supremacism. We started by selling our old automobile and getting a Honda Insight hybrid automobile. When we went to the automobile dealer 10 miles from the White House, it was a real battle to get such a hybrid automobile. The DC area Honda sales person tried to persuade me not to buy a Honda Insight hybrid automobile. They were hidden in a back lot and literally covered with dust; they had to wash one off to show it to me. That's how unimportant fuel-efficient vehicles were in the Washington DC area after the 9/11 attacks. I was personally uncomfortable with buying a foreign-made automobile, and it was the first I had owned. But I felt that I had no other option, if I was to focus the war of ideas against Islamic supremacism, I had to do what I could personally to stop their funding through petrodollars. We still drive our 2002 Honda Insight hybrid today, as well as a 2005 Toyota Prius hybrid. As a result of GM's and Ford's unwillingness to recognize the need to modify its products to deal with the Islamic supremacist war on America, we have been unable to purchase a GM or Ford automobile since the 9/11 attacks on America.

Afterwards, I continued to try to promote fuel-efficient vehicles as part of a campaign against Islamic supremacism and Jihad. I soon learned that there was very little interest in this tactic. I went to political events, campaign events, public affairs events, and tried to get the public to cut off the petrodollars to Islamic supremacists. My efforts on this have been met, on every level, with a resounding silence and disinterest. I am well aware that this is not a popular issue to discuss. I am also not suggesting that fuel-efficient automobiles alone will solve our energy independence from Islamic supremacist nations. But when will America decide that this is a necessary issue to address? The fact remains that not only has GM and Ford been unwilling to do anything about this issue, our government and much of the American public has been unwilling to do anything as well.

In the meantime, what has grown is this tacit acceptance among the American governmental leadership, the American automobile industry, and the American public that we won't talk about the need for fuel-efficient vehicles to help in cutting back petrodollars to Islamic supremacist nations. Glittering generalities are fine; everyone is for someone else to do something about it. But calling for accountability and actually doing anything about it, well, that isn't polite discussion.

But as American taxpayers get ready to hand over (either by a bailout or a bankruptcy - we pay) tax dollars to GM and Ford, when exactly will it be the right time to talk about the need for fuel-efficient vehicles in reducing petrodollars to Islamic supremacist nations? Why not now when we have GM's and Ford's attention? Isn't it about time that these companies with a very checkered history when America has been at war to step up and prove that if they want American taxpayer dollars that they recognize and will support America's national security priorities?

Did Americans all have to read Robert Baer's book in 2003 "Sleeping with the Devil" to understand how petrodollars had further empowered Saudi Arabia to spread Islamic supremacism around the world? Did America really need to wait until the 2005 Freedom House report on how Saudi Arabia was spreading Islamic supremacism in the United States to act on energy independence? Even so, wasn't that 3 to 5 years ago? We need American leadership that can define the war against Islamic supremacism clearly enough to the American people that they don't have to wait until gasoline is $4.00/gallon to seek to drive fuel-efficient vehicles. Moreover, they need the U.S. automobile industries to deliver products in line with America's national security interests during war.

Four years ago, President Bush stated during his campaign for re-election that America's energy independence was going to be a key national security issue and priority. Such false promises have resulted in petrodollars continuing to flow from the U.S. to Islamic supremacist nations as much, if not greater, than before. Islamic supremacist Sharia finance has expanded and grown over the past four years. On November 6, 2008, the U.S. Treasury held a training session on Islamic supremacist Sharia finance and a week later, on November 10, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced that it was purchasing $40 billion of AIG preferred shares of stock, while AIG has continued to own divisions that promote and sell Islamic supremacist Sharia finance investment and insurance products. As a result, American taxpayers now own part of a Sharia finance business. Are American taxpayers next going to support automobile manufacturers selling products to ensure our Islamic supremacist enemies get the maximum amount of petrodollars?

The failure to have accountability in national business and economic decisions that support and embolden the Islamic supremacist enemy remains a national disgrace. The root of this problem can be found in the failure to define the enemy and the enemy's ideology in Islamic supremacism and to declare unequivocal total war on Islamic supremacism, using every tactic, including economic measures.

On November 13, 2008, at a Saudi-sponsored "interfaith conference," Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz told world leaders that Islamic supremacism practiced in Saudi Arabia supports peace, justice and tolerance, while President Bush replied that freedom includes "the right to choose or change religions and the right to worship in private or public." Those are noble sentiments by President Bush, but what has he done in terms of Saudi Arabia or any other Islamic supremacist nation to defend those rights? Has he sought to constrain Islamic supremacist Sharia finance? Has he sought to stop petrodollars to Saudi Arabia and other nations? Has he accomplished any significant initiatives to gain our energy independence from Islamic supremacist nations? Has he made all Islamic supremacist nations a pariah? Has he identified Islamic supremacism as an enemy ideology? The answer to all of these questions, of course, is no.

Believing in the need to defend equality and liberty should be a fundamental part of each American's identity. But the real test of this American virtue is deciding to actually do more than just talk about it.

In fighting the culture wars for America, we need to stay focused on fighting for what America's culture is truly all about, and not view our culture as only based on consumer goods and recreational activities. America is not merely about baseball, apple pie, and Chevrolets. We are at war, and the Islamic supremacist enemy continues to gain power every day. Remembering what we are fighting for is essential for us to win this war.

America's culture war is about living and defending the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty. America is about the idea that all men and women are created equal. Equality and liberty are the basis of our culture war for America against Islamic supremacism, not gas-guzzling vehicles that give endless petrodollars to our Islamic supremacist enemies, and not businesses that refuse to put America's interests first during war-time.

If GM and Ford want a hand out from American taxpayers (either via bailout or bankruptcy protection), they need to commit to business practices that recognize American values and recognize that Islamic supremacists continue to be at war with America. Energy independence will not be gained from fuel-efficient automobiles alone. It is a much greater and complex issue than that. But if American leadership, American business, and the American public can't even start to address such a basic step in energy independence through improved fuel-efficient automobiles, we can't hope to stop handing money to our Islamic supremacist enemies that seek to destroy us, and who seek to destroy every hope there is for defending equality and liberty.

We can't let that happen. Too many hopeless, helpless people are counting on us to act.

Fear No Evil.

[Postscript - see also Sources documents for additional reading and background information.]

America Must Not Own a Sharia-Based Financial Business

2008-11-11T01:00:00Z

As Americans, we generally have choices as to what we own, especially when such ownership of financial support is against the values defined by United States as a nation. However, on November 10, 2008, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department decided that they were going to use American taxpayer money to buy ownership in something against America's values of equality and liberty -- by purchasing ownership in a company with a Sharia-Compliant Finance (SCF) based business.

As an American taxpayer, you are now a part owner in a business that promotes the Islamic supremacist Sharia ideology - whether you like it or not. Your tax dollars today are now being used for own part of a company with a Sharia-based business. This is the same Sharia ideology that was used by the Taliban in Pakistan today to murder a woman for adultery, the same Sharia ideology that was used to murder a 13 year old girl last week who was raped in Somalia, and the same Sharia ideology supported by the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and Islamic supremacists around the world. It is an ideology that is against the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty. It is an ideology that even the British courts have called "discriminatory."

But on November 10, 2008, the Federal Reserve announced that "it will purchase $40 billion of newly issued AIG preferred shares," which, as AP reports, will give "taxpayers an ownership stake in the company."

The Federal Reserve Board and the Treasury Department apparently believe that American taxpayers owning part of company with a business that promotes an Islamic supremacist ideology that is against equality, against liberty, and in support of discrimination, is a good thing for the American taxpayer.

Do you want to own a Sharia-based financial business promoting Islamic supremacism? ]]> "America Must Not Bail Out Sharia Finance." In that article, I pointed out how on September 16, 2008 that the Federal Reserve extended an $85 billion loan to AIG, and that the U.S. government was going to "receive a 79.9 percent equity interest in AIG." Less than a week after your government's September 16 bailout of AIG, AIG's Sharia-based business announced further expansion.

AIG's Takaful division has been selling Sharia-based insurance for over two years with a stated goal to sell such Sharia financial instruments in the United States. AIG SunAmerica, AIG Financial Services Corp, and other divisions of AIG also are dealers in Sharia mutual trusts.

Now part of this $85 billion loan to AIG (reducing it to $60 billion) has been converted into $40 billion of ownership of AIG stock - your ownership of AIG. AIG's business includes its Takaful Sharia-based insurance business, its divisions promoting Sharia finance and Sharia mutual trusts. You own it. That's where your tax dollars are going today.

The decision to buy this $40 billion of AIG stock was made based on the bailout authorized under the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008" (H.R. 1424). According to Section 104 of the legislation, "Financial Stability Oversight Board," it is the responsibility of the U.S. Treasury Secretary, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Chairman of the Securities Exchange Commission, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to ensure that policies enacted under this legislation are "in the economic interests of the United States."

How is it in the economic interests of the United States to own part of a corporation with a business based on promoting a discriminatory ideology, that is against equality, and that is against liberty? How is it in the economic interests of the United States to own part of business that supports an Islamic supremacist practice that has been used to fund Jihad?

Why wasn't the first priority of considering a bailout to AIG two months ago a prerequisite that AIG must first divest itself of its Sharia-based businesses that promote Islamic supremacism? Why should one dollar (let alone $85 billion) go to any company who owns a business that promotes a supremacist ideology? The federal government was not confronted on this in mid-September 2008. Now, the government has interpreted Americans' silence on issue to be acquiescence. So now, incredibly, today you as a taxpayer own part of an Islamic supremacist Sharia-based financial business. Do you want to? Do you think this is proper for American's tax dollars?

Moreover, this may not be the end of such absurdities by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve. On November 6, 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department featured a training class for government employees to learn more about Sharia Finance, entitled "Islamic Finance 101," which a coalition of groups and individuals against Sharia have protested.

Imagine if such "finance" dealings had involved any other identity-based supremacist ideology - white supremacist, black supremacist, Aryan supremacist. Can you imagine the U.S. government funding with your tax dollars a business promoting white supremacism or any other supremacist ideology? More troubling, could you imagine the U.S. federal government owning part of a business promoting white supremacism or any other supremacist ideology? It would be a front page news story on every one of the major mainstream media outlets. There would be protests in the streets. There would be demands for the immediate resignation of those responsible.

But when your federal government purchases stock to own part of a business promoting Islamic supremacist ideology, it is not even a news story. There are no rallies. There are no demands for resignations. Such disgraceful, undignified silence is a dark day in America.

What type of federal government does America have that does not understand that supremacism is un-American? Fundamentally, absolutely, unequivocally un-American. What type of federal government does not understand that America was founded on and is based on the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty? What type of federal government leaders do we have that drive past the words hammered in marble that "All Men Are Created Equal," and don't understand the concept?

What American leaders and the American people must never forget is that the words "All Men Are Created Equal," does not come with any caveats or disclaimers. It is not "All Men Are Created Equal," except when it is inconvenient, unpopular, might upset supremacists, might raise the price of oil, or if we can just look the other way. The words are uncompromising. There is no Sharia exception, there is Islamic supremacist exception. There are no exceptions to the inalienable human right that "All Men Are Created Equal" - to all men and women. We hold these truths to be self-evident. We declare this as fundamental to the identity of the United States of America.

American human rights groups, American civil rights groups, and patriotic Americans everywhere have to take a stand on this latest disgrace. Our national honor has been besmirched long enough with those calling for "engagement" or "reconciliation" with Islamic supremacists. Now this latest indignity - American taxpayer dollars are funding the ownership of a company with a business in promoting Islamic supremacism.

We need to call for the following:
(a) The American people must call for the immediate freeze of all American taxpayer funds to AIG until it divests of its Sharia financial businesses.
(b) The American federal government must give AIG an ultimatum to divest itself of its Sharia business or the America federal government must divest all ownership in AIG.
(c) Those in the American federal government responsible for the bailout and purchase of AIG stock must resign, including the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board Chairman.
(d) Leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives must lead a national investigation into Sharia-Compliant Finance (SCF) and Sharia financial businesses in America to end their ability to promote the Islamic supremacist ideology in America.

To that end, I ask you to support this petition that calls for the U.S. federal government to "end U.S. ownership" of Sharia-based financial businesses; the Anti-Jihad League of America will ensure that the Federal Reserve Board, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and our elected representatives see your support on this petition.

Fear No Evil.

[Postscript - see also Sources documents for additional reading and background information.]