The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) has joined the rest of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood in blaming Israel for the current Gaza conflict by referring only to Israeli military action and not mentioning the campaign of rocket fire emanating from Gaza. According to the MPAC statement, Israel’s true aim is the “assassination of Palestinian leaders, destruction of Gazan infrastructure and the gross killings of Palestinian civilians, including women and children”:
November 15, 2012 For the past 48 hours, the Israeli army has escalated air and ground attacks against the Gaza Strip, killing Palestinian men, women and children. Israel is claiming these attacks are about going after militants, but in reality it’s about assassination of Palestinian leaders, destruction of Gazan infrastructure and the gross killings of Palestinian civilians, including women and children. Israeli Vice Prime Minister, Silvan Shalom stated Israel is prepared to escalate the attacks against Gaza should they deem it necessary. Unfortunately, Israel’s military machine is getting the green light from the US administration to continue its attack on Gaza. With the recent re-election of President Barack Obama, Americans are expecting that he step up and do what is right for America and her security. It’s time our nation stand against oppressive tactics used in the Occupied Territories cloaked as national security measures. To that end, a group of 15 prominent American Christian leaders wrote a historic letter to Congress asking them to question America’s use of military aid to countries, such as Israel, when that aid assists human rights violations committed against Palestinians. Plain and simple: Every time Israel uses American weapons against civilian populations, both the U.S. and Israel are in violation of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which prohibits sales of US weapons to countries that target civilian populations. It is refreshing to hear a perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian issue that looks at the humanitarian aspect of the decades-long conflict. The letter calls on Congress to immediately ‘investigate into possible violations by Israel’ of U.S. laws that govern the use of foreign assistance and arms exports and withhold military aid if Israel is found to be in violation of these laws. While we may find it morally incumbent to provide aid to other nations, shouldn’t we abide by responsible guidelines that put checks in place if that aid is used against civilians? Obama has four more years as the elected leader of our nation. Rather than capitulating to a foreign government that is bent on aggression, he should be meeting with human rights activists, religious leaders, student groups and the international community who are calling for the U.S. to stand up for America’s interests against any and all human rights abuses.
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In the past, MPAC has also gone beyond criticism of Israel, engaging in demonization of the Jewish state. Such demonization includes accusations of “rape of the Palestinians” in regard to the Al-Aqsa mosque, comparisons with Nazis, accusation of apartheid and genocide, accusations of “butchery”, and suggestions that Israel is seeking the eradication of Islam from its territories.
MPAC, headquartered in Southern California, was established initially in 1986 as the Political Action Committee of the Islamic Center of Southern California whose key leaders likely had their origins in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Since that time, MPAC has functioned as the political lobbying arm of the U.S. Brotherhood. MPAC has opposed virtually every count-terror initiative undertaken or proposed by the U.S. government. At times this opposition was said to be on civil-rights grounds but, just as often, MPAC claimed that U.S. counter-terror efforts were aimed at the U.S. Muslim community itself. MPAC has consistently supported and facilitated terrorism by supporting terrorist organizations and, more broadly, constructing an elaborate ideology defending the use of violence by Islamists and Islamist organizations. Although proclaiming a love for the Jewish people and engaging in interfaith dialog, MPAC has made frequent anti-Semitic statements that assert or imply an organized Jewish campaign to defame and exclude U.S. Muslims. More than any other U.S. Muslim Brotherhood organization, MPAC has developed extensive relationships with the U.S. government which have included numerous meetings with the Department of Justice and the FBI.