A press release has announced the launch of an interfaith partnership against terrorism that apparently includes at least one group from the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. The “Uniting to Protect” campaign which will be “formalized” at a Washington, D.C. lunch on November 30 where the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) will present its 2007 fatwa against terrorism in what the press released called ” the first public partnership of the major religions against criminal terrorists.” FCNA is associated with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and both groups are, in turn, associated with the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. The notice cited remarks by the head of ISNA concerning the new organization:
“The primary objective of the ‘Uniting to Protect’ campaign is to guard Americans from terrorism and its devastating consequences,” said Dr. Sayyid Syeed, National Director of the Islamic Society of North America. “The long term gain will be the building of trust among individuals of different religious and ethnic traditions with a focus on the common ground we have in the love of our nation and the desire to protect our people.”
The notice also stated that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, along with other unidentified Jewish leaders will be given a chance to respond to the FCNA fatwa “welcoming the Muslim action and pledging to work together to make America inhospitable to terrorists.” The fatwa in question has been criticized for it’s lack of specificity about individuals and organizations, the vagueness of it’s definition of terrorism, it’s lack of theological justification, and the weakness of the implied penalties. It should also be noted that over the years, both ISNA and FCNA, the leaders of both organizations as well as the entire U.S. Muslim Brotherhood have been involved with various forms of support for Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization. ISNA has only recently mentioned Hamas by name in its condemnations of terrorism and has appeared to make headway in its attempt to develop partnerships with Jewish groups.