World Threats

Park51’s Ground Zero Mosque project has been struck with three more blows over the past two weeks. First, it is being threatened with eviction from part of its property. Then, developer Sharif el-Gamal was caught giving faulty receipts to reporters. And just now, it’s been exposed that al-Gamal is in violation of a court order and owes New York City tens of thousands of dollars. Victory can’t be declared yet, but this has been a very bad couple of months for Park51.

Part of the land slated to become the Ground Zero Mosque is a former substation owned by Con Ed, which Park51 is leasing. The two parties agreed to have the property appraised and rent raised, since the $2,750 Park51 was paying was set in 1972. The property was appraised at $10.7 million, so Con Ed raised the rent to $47,437 a month, requiring retroactive payment back to July 31, 2008. Con Ed told Park51 it must pay $1.7 million in back rent by October 4 or face eviction.

Park51 sued to temporarily prevent the eviction and a hearing is set for November 17. Park51 says Con Ed’s demands are “outrageous,” and it only owes $881,519 and the rent should only be $25,875 a month. If Park51 is ordered to pay the rent or surrender the property, the Ground Zero Mosque will be limited to the 5 stories that el-Gamal owns. He is already preparing for such an eventuality, saying that some of the property might be turned into condos, hotels or offices. The Ground Zero Mosque will still be built, but will be a shadow of what he wanted it to be.

Click here to read the rest of my FPM article.

On September 21 at 6:30 PM, the Ground Zero Mosque will open its doors to show a photo exhibit in its community space. Park51 is hoping to discourage its opponents by declaring an early victory in spite of its recent embarrassments and setbacks. This grand opening does not mean that the fight is over. The project still has a long way to go until completion.

The exhibit, called “NYChildren,” will showcase the work of Danny Goldfield, who photographed children in the city originating from 171 countries around the world. About $70,000 was raised in less than two months for the temporary community space through KickStarter.com. Over 700 invitations have been distributed for the grand opening, and visitors to Park51’s website are registering to attend now. The exhibit will be up for three months. The site will be open Monday through Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 9:00 pm beginning on Thursday.

The photo exhibit is not the Ground Zero Mosque’s only attraction. It will have various classes including yoga and Brazilian martial arts, discussion groups, arts programs and, of course, a section for Muslim prayer services. Religious services have been held in the old Burlington Coat factory since 2009. The planned prayer space will accomodate over 2,000 attendees, rivaling St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Park51 claims the site is a cultural center, not a mosque, because it will eventually have a gymnasium, swimming pool, art galleries, and other non-religious facilities.

Click here to read the rest of my FPM article.

The “moderate” imam originally behind the Ground Zero Mosque, Feisal Abdul Rauf, says he likes free speech—unless it is against Islam or Mohammed. In that case, those hate-mongering Islamophobes need to be punished!

The Traditional Values Coalition is bringing attention to this quote (video at the link):

“I believe that the insulting or mocking of others’ religious symbols, icons, prophets, etc. should not fall within the realm of free speech. Mocking people, insulting people, uh, I think, falls almost into the arena of um, libel.”

In other words, critics of Islam, including those that leave the faith and speak out against it, should be sued or prosecuted. And even those who do not criticize Islam as a whole, such as myself, should be worried. How many times have CAIR and similar organizations accuse those that say “Islamist” or “radical Islam” of insulting their religion?

Freedom of speech, which includes the right to offend, is a foundation of America. Advocates of Sharia-based governance inevitably have to attack this freedom because a Sharia state bans criticism of Islam, along with many other things. If Rauf had his way, his critics would be silenced and America would be brought into closer compliance with Sharia-based governance.

First of all, our hearts go out to all Americans on this tenth anniversary of September 11. I wrote an article for Pajamas Media called, “Fighting Islamic Terror: A Personal Duty,” that everyone can read by clicking here. Please try to remember 9/11 by following some of the suggestions laid out in the article.

Today, I learned some very good news about the fight against the Ground Zero Mosque. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has rejected Park51’s request for a $5 million federal grant that would have had taxpayer money paying for Arabic language classes and other “non-religious” activities that would be a part of their outreach program. And now, Sharif el-Gamal, the developer, is talking about scaling back plans for the 15-story Islamic center/mosque.

Rep. Allen West isn’t being deterred by accusations of “Islamophobia,” and will be hosting a screening of the Christian Action Network’s film, “Sacrificed Survivors: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mosque” in Congress on September 7. The event kicks off a screening tour in New York City public parks around the tenth anniversary of 9/11 that is sure to rile up the deniers of the Islamist threat.

The event is being held on the morning of September 7 from 11:30 am to 1:00 PM in Room B-339 of the Rayburn Congressional Office Building, thanks to Rep. Allen West. It is generating significant media coverage and controversy, as is the Christian Action Network’s tour in New York City against the Ground Zero Mosque that begins later that night. West and some of the other participants have been labeled as “Islamophobes” in the Center for American Progress’s “Fear Inc.” report, which specifically mentions this event as evidence of the alleged growing anti-Muslim bigotry in the country.

Click here to read the rest of my FPM article.

The Ground Zero Mosque controversy is reigniting as the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, and new accusations against its chief financier adds to concerns about the money for the $100 million project. Those behind the Ground Zero Mosque have a history of shady financial dealings, and have not ruled out taking money from Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Allstate Insurance is suing Hisham Elzanaty, the Ground Zero Mosque’s top financial backer, for running a “highly developed and sophisticated kickback scheme.” He is alleged to have fraudulently set up medical facilities, despite not being a licensed professional. He then presented Allstate Insurance with inflated medical bills and engaged in illegal fee-splitting arrangements, it is claimed. He is being sued by Allstate for $5.1 million. State Farm and Geico separately sued Elzanaty this year for $1.9 and $1.7 million respectively on similar allegations of fraud.

Click here to read the rest of my FPM article.

From CAN:

NPR is reporting that Sharif el-Gamal, the developer of Park51, is saying that the project is moving forward. However, the New York Post reports that the group is far away from reaching the $100 million it aims to raise in order to build the 16-story building. Opponents of Park51 call it the “Ground Zero Mosque” because of its location near the former site of the World Trade Center, while supporters say it is an Islamic community center.

El-Gamal says that Park51 now has nearly a dozen staff members and is putting together an advisory board. NPR reports that the old Burlington Coat factory slated to become the Park51 site is currently having prayer services with several hundred attendees, as well as Arabic classes, film screenings and meetings between Shiite and Sunni Muslims for interfaith relations.

The developers of Park51 say it will take at least five years for the site to be built and it will be constructed in four phases. The facility is to include a mosque, 9/11 memorial, an auditorium, library, restaurant, sports center and a culinary school.

Park51 still has much fundraising to do before it can be constructed, the New York Post says. In 2011, the group raised $7.5 million and it expects to raise $15 million in 2012. The final cost of the project is estimated to be $100 million.

In 2010, the Christian Action Network released SACRIFICED SURVIVORS: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mega-Mosque. The organization continues to hold screenings of the film around the country.

The Washington Square News interviewed me for this article about the resignation of Imam Abdallah Adhami, the leader of Park51, also known as the Ground Zero Mosque. Click here for the original article.

The article is posted below:

“Park 51 Imam Steps Down After Making Homophobic Comments”

Even more controversy emerged around the Islamic center near Ground Zero last week, when its newly appointed imam, Abdallah Adhami, resigned Friday after making comments in which he called being gay a “painful trial.”

Adhami announced his resignation after an Internet lecture was circulated online of him saying that homosexuality is a result of sexual abuse.

“An enormously overwhelming percentage of people struggle with homosexual feeling because of some form of violent emotional or sexual abuse at some point in their life,” he said in the lecture. “A small, tiny percentage of people are born with a natural inclination that they cannot explain. You find this in the animal kingdom at some level as well.”

Ryan Mauro, Christian Action Network’s national security advisor, said Adhami’s resignation “is a sign that the public pressure is taking a toll on Park51.”

[Continued after the jump]

Read the rest of this entry »

From CAN:

The new imam of the Ground Zero mosque project, Abdullah Adhami, has resigned, Reuters reports. Park51, the group behind the project, claims he was only an advisor and his departure will not affect their plans.

Adhami had been criticized for complimenting a radical preacher named Siraj Wahhaj as “our beloved imam,” preaching that the Koran calls for jailing former Muslims who preach against the religion, and claiming that most homosexuality is caused by childhood trauma.

“…you literally have the right to the choice to reject God’s message. The only thing you do not have the right to do is to spread this conviction, lest you, quote unquote, pollute others,” Adhami was recorded as saying in a story byWorldNetDaily.com.

However, Adhami said that there is no need to jail apostates today because Islam is so large that it is “not going to be hurt by a few thousand” former Muslims that preach against it.

Read the rest of this entry »

From CAN:

The new imam leading the Ground Zero mosque project called Park51, Abdallah Adhami, has been recorded as preaching that apostates that preach against Islam are supposed to be jailed, WorldNetDaily.com reports.

“If someone leaves the din, leaves the path privately, they cannot be touched. If someone preaches about apostasy, or preaches their views, they’re jailed,” Adhami says on the recording.

Adhami said that Sharia law makes a distinction between those who privately depart from Islam and those who become preachers against the religion after leaving.

“In Islam, in the Quran, theoretically, if you look over the Quran from cover to cover, you literally have the right to the choice to reject God’s message. The only thing you do not have the right to do is to spread this conviction, lest you, quote unquote, pollute others,” he says.

However, Adhami preached that there should be no punishment for public apostates today because they don’t pose a threat to Islam.

“If you left Islam, nothing happens. The Muslims are 1.5 billion people; they are not going to be hurt by a few thousand leaving,” he says.

Adhami has also been criticized by praising radical preacher Siraj Wahhaj as a “beloved imam” on his website. Wahhaj has preached that the U.S. government is racist and evil and that violence is a part of Islam.

Read the rest of this entry »

From CAN:

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the leader of the effort to build the Ground Zero mosque, will no longer be acting as the main spokesman for the project but will remain on the board of directors of the Park51 group behind it, the Associated Press reports. The announcement comes as Imam Rauf kicks off his nationwide speaking tour in Michigan and Park51 said it needed someone that could focus on the local community.

Taking over Imam Rauf’s duties will be Abdullah Adhami, a local New York City imam. The Atlas Shrugs blog has brought attention to the fact that Adhami refers to a radical preacher named Siraj Wahhaj as “our beloved imam.” Elsewhere on the site, Wahhaj is called “the voice of the spirit of Islam in America and its pride.”

Wahhaj has been recorded as saying “America is the most wicked government on earth” and that “racism is at the very root of this nation.” He has also raised the possibility of using violence to advance Islam.

“We don’t need to arm the people with 9mms and Uzis. You need to arm them with righteousness first. And once you arm them with righteousness first, then you can arm them,” Wahhaj has said, according to the book, “Muslim Mafia” by Paul Sperry and Dave Gaubatz.

Read the rest of this entry »

Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam behind the Ground Zero mosque, is kicking off hisnationwide speaking tour at the Islamic Society of North America’s Diversity Forum Banquet in Detroit on January 15. He will be speaking alongside extremists like Siraj Wahhaj and Zaid Shakir, contradicting the moderate image he’s trying to put forth on his tour.

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) denies being an extremist organization, saying it “rejects all acts of terrorism, including those perpetrated by Hamas, Hizbullah and any other group that claims Islam as their inspiration.” This statement, however, does not necessarily mean they oppose the Islamist political agenda. In fact, ISNA has been listed by the federal government as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the Holy Land Foundation trial that found the charity to be guilty of financing Hamas. ISNA has tried to have this designation removed, but a judge ruled on July 1, 2009 that the government “produced ample evidence” to justify it.

The organization was founded in 1981 by the Muslim Students Association, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, with help from Sami al-Arian, later convicted of being a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader. An FBI investigation around that timefound that ISNA’s conferences have “provided opportunities for the extreme fundamentalist Muslims to meet with their supporters.” One of the Muslim Brotherhood’s own documents written in May 1991 listed ISNA as one of its fronts.

Click here to read the rest of my FPM article.

Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam behind Park51, has announced a speaking tour, kicking off in Detroit on January 15. Due to death threats, none of the events will be public, but local media can ask questions. Get ready for it: His allies will frame each event as an example of how the tolerant and open Rauf is being persecuted by intolerant Islamophobes. This will not be a political debate but a civil rights struggle, with the Park51 opponents on the wrong side.

Park51’s slick use of semantics will be employed full force in this PR campaign. Officially, the speaking engagements are not fundraisers, but obviously the goal is to win support and donations. They’ll continue calling the Ground Zero mosque a “community center” because it will include a gym, a performing arts center, and other non-religious components, but large churches have long built the same and if they started calling themselves “community centers” instead of churches, they’d be laughed off.

Click here to read the rest of my PJM article.

Christmas came early for me! Click here to read the New York Times article about Imam Rauf’s speaking tour where I’m quoted as a “conservative blogger.”

Here’s the relevant excerpt:

Some of the project’s most outspoken opponents welcomed the imam’s plan for a speaking tour, though for reasons of their own.

“I think this will help to revive the opposition, not only from Americans in general but from Muslims in this country, who don’t want this thing built,” said Ryan Mauro, a conservative blogger and the producer of a documentary about the planned community center.

The film, “Sacrificed Survivors: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mega-Mosque,” focuses on opposition by some families of 9/11 victims.