Illustrating the close relationship between U.S. Muslim Brotherhood organizations, the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) has announced a joint open house with the Duncan Black Macdonald Center at Hartford Seminary. According to the announcement:
The Fairfax Institute at International Institute of Islamic Thought jointly with Duncan Black Macdonald Center at Hartford Seminary invite community leaders to an open house to introduce a unique academic program leading to Graduate Certificate in Imam Education….Introduction to the program and discussion, guidance on admission and scholarships, tour of facilities, dinner.
The Fairfax Institute describes itself as “a Northern Virginia based center of knowledge committed to continuing education and lifelong learning, operated by the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).” The Director of the Duncan Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations is Ingrid Mattson, the President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).
IIIT is an important component of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and three of the key Fairfax instructors; Jamal Barzinji, Hisham Al-Talib, and Yaqub Mirza; were also associated with what has been called the SAAR network (Safa Group), a network of Islamic organizations located in Northern Virginia that was raided by the Federal government in March 2002 and which, until at least mid 2007, had been the subject of an ongoing investigation. A Hudson Institute report details the role that Barzinji and Al-Talib played in the origins and founding of ISNA. Iqbal Unus, another Fairfax instructor, is currently a member of the ISNA board as well as being the Headquarters Director for IIIT.
Previous posts have discussed the role that the Fairfax Institute played in hosting visiting Malay and French Muslim delegations