In the second known meeting of US Muslim Brotherhood leaders with Trump Administration officials, various sources are reporting on a “Faith-Based Safety and Security Symposium” held at the White House on September 24. According to one report on the event, US Vice President Mike Pence, Congressman John Joyce (R-PA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Assistant Director Brian Harrell were in attendance:
Vice President Mike Pence, Congressman John Joyce (R-PA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Assistant Director Brian Harrell joined several faith-based community leaders for a Faith-Based Safety and Security Symposium at the White House. The event focused on the importance of securing faith-based communities from all types of violence and exchanging best practices leveraged by faith-based groups regarding information sharing, preparedness, response and recovery. “The need to preserve the right to peacefully congregate and practice a religion of choice is integral in the Constitution, and an attack against such facilities is a direct threat to American democracy,” said Assistant Director Harrell.Recognizing the increase in violent attacks, both domestic and international, against various faith-based groups, the Department has boosted its efforts to detect, prevent, protect against and mitigate threats of targeted violence. “We must address and prevent the mass attacks that have too frequently struck our houses of worship, our schools, our workplaces, our festivals, and our shopping spaces. Today is National Awareness Day for the ‘If you See Something, Say Something’ campaign that works with partners year-round to inspire, empower and educate the public and members of the faith-based communities on the importance of reporting suspicious activities. Partnership and collaboration are essential to building secure and resilient communities,” said Assistant Director Harrell. The symposium brought together approximately 180 people representing the faith-based communities, Federal Government, associations, and state/local governments. It also provided a forum through which security practitioners and others responsible for maintaining the safety of congregants can exchange best practices and gain a greater understanding of the resources the federal government has available to identify and address potential security gaps.
According to an NGO report, also participating in the event were two leaders of US Muslim Brotherhood organizations:
September 25, 2019 About 200 individuals representing several faiths attended the event. Amanda Robbins had organized the event precisely and perfectly. Muslim leadership was also present, and it was good to see them all. Hurun Nisa-Adams Center, Imam Faizul Khan-Masjid ISWA, Imam Talib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad, Akhtar Hossain-MACCP, Oussama Jammal-USCMO, and Dr. Ashraf Sufi-ISNA. There may have been a few others, and I did not know them.
Read the rest here.
The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) is an umbrella group is comprised of virtually the whole of the US Muslim Brotherhood including:
- Muslim American Society (MAS)
- American Muslim Alliance (AMA)
In addition, the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) is part of the U.S. Hamas support infrastructure and the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MFLA) had its origins in the defense of the leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, convicted in the financing of Hamas.
USCMO Secretary-General Oussama Jammal has long been a leader of the Bridgeview Mosque and its Mosque Foundation, the focus of a 2004 Chicago Tribune investigation which revealed that as much as $1 million a year had been raised from mosque members which was then sent to overseas Muslim charities, principally in support of Hamas. The article also detailed the mosque’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Jamal’s twitter feed confirms his participation in the White House event.
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is a long-standing component of the US Brotherhood and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), another US Brotherhood group, reports that it had representatives at their White House meeting.
In August 2017, the GMBDW reported that a group of US Muslim Brotherhood leaders including Jamal and Osama Abuirshaid, AMP national policy director and USCMO board member, had met with US State Department officials to discuss the ongoing Al-Aqsa Mosque crisis.
Earlier this year, it was widely reported that the Trump Administration was intending to issue an order that would designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization. At that time, the New York Times reported that it was unclear what the consequences would be for “Americans and American humanitarian organizations with links to the group.”
The GMBDW has also reported on White House meetings involving the US Muslim Brotherhood during the Obama Administration including:
- A 2009 White House Iftar dinner that included various US Brotherhood leaders.
- A 2010 meeting featuring ISNA and the Assistant to the President on National Security for Homeland Security and Counter Terrorism.
- A 2010 meeting with MPAC, President Obama, and cabinet officials to announce the President’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
- A 2010 meeting with then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the National Security Adviser as part of an interfaith group centered on the Middle East.
- A 2012 meeting between US. Muslim Brotherhood leader Hisham Altalib and the director of President Obama’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
- A 2013 visit by Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah where he met with senior White House officials and representatives of other government agencies including an aide to President Obama and US OIC Envoy Rashad Hussain.
- A 2014 meeting that include UK Muslim Brotherhood leader Anas Altikriti.
- A 2015 meeting that featured Mohamed Soltan, the son of the notorious anti-Semite and Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood figure Salah Soltan.
- A 2015 meeting that included multiple US Brotherhood groups.
It is also known that US Muslim Brotherhood leaders visited the White House during the Bush and Clinton Administrations.
In 2014, we recommended an article by former Wall Street Journal reporter Ian Johnson titled “Washington’s Secret History with the Muslim Brotherhood” in which he reviews the history of the US relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood.