The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has reported that its highest officials met with the US Attorney General to discuss the current climate in the US with regards to Muslims. According to the announcement :
On September 7, following the DC interfaith summit, ISNA President (outgoing) Dr. Ingrid Mattson and Vice President Imam Mohamed Magid met with US Attorney General Eric Holder, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a delegation of Muslim leaders. At the meeting, they discussed the growing tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence used by communities across the US from Tennessee to New York. In the meeting, the DOJ made a commitment to enforce laws against anyone carrying out crimes against Muslims and violating their first amendment rights.
The ISNA announcement also indicates that ISNA official also met with the board of the controversial Mufreesboro mosque project and arranged a meeting on behalf of the Nashville Muslim community with Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez and his staff at the U.S. Attorney’s offices in Nashville:
As a part of its continued effort to directly support local communities and respond to their needs, ISNA Director of Community Outreach Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi visited Murfreesboro and Nashville, TN on September 27-28. Dr. Elsanousi also met with the board of the proposed Murfreesboro mosque to develop strategies for the community to overcome the challenges they currently face while building their mosque. “It is imperative for ISNA to assist the community in Murfreesboro and Nashville to build strong interfaith relations and reach out to the community to foster better understanding about Muslims,” said Elsanousi. ISNA has already connected the mosque with the United Church of Christ and continues to use their national interfaith relationships to connect the mosque to local denominations. Additionally, ISNA agreed to assist the community to raise funds for their mosque and develop relationships with other Muslim organizations across the country. ISNA also arranged a meeting on behalf of the Nashville Muslim community to meet with Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez and his staff at the U.S. Attorney’s offices in Nashville to discuss the challenges that are faced by their Muslim community. Muslim community members discussed their challenges with the Federal Authority, such as the widespread bullying of Muslim children in schools, the construction of the Murfreesboro mosque, and others; the DOJ officials promised to follow up on these issues. ….Zarzour states, “By visiting the local communities in Tennessee, ISNA is carrying out its mission to support local communities and fostering positive relationships between local Muslim communities and their local, state, and federal governments as well as their interfaith communities.”
An earlier post discussed the Murfreesboro mosque project noting that the reading list of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM), the sponsoring organization, suggest ties to the Global Muslim Brotherhood.
It is becoming increasingly evident that the Obama administration is actively courting ISNA. As a previous posts have reported, ISNA officials have met recently with Hillary Clinton and the National Security Advisor and hosted a US Assistant Secretary of State.
As documented in a Hudson Institute report, ISNA grew directly out of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. The organization has a long history of fundamentalism, anti-semitism, and support for terrorism and during the recent Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial, ISNA was named as an unindicted co-conspirator as a result of what the government called “ISNA’s and NAIT’s intimate relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Palestine Committee, and the defendants in this case.” Although it is true that recently ISNA has issued condemnations of terrorism which for the first time identify Hamas and Hezbollah by name, there is no indication that the organization has ever addressed or acknowledged its history of support for terrorism. Also, as the Hudson Institute report observes, almost all of the ISNA founders remain active in the organization and ISNA maintains close relations with all other components of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.
A previous post discussed the ties between the ISNA Secretary-General, a former leader of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago chapter, and an Illinois school with close links to the Mosque Foundation, itself tied to fundraising for Hamas.