Rep. Hoyer seeking moderates amongst terrorists

Today is one of those days when you cannot make up things, like the Congressional support of terrorists and looking to appease them. On 07 APR 2007 (Source: WorldNetDaily) Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) met with the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that has been banned in Egypt due to its outlooks to overthrow the government there:

The meeting took place just one day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Syria last Wednesday against the recommendations of the White House drew widespread domestic criticism and also sharp praise from some Palestinian terror groups.

Visiting House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer met twice on Thursday with the head of the Muslim Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Saad el-Katatni. One meeting took place at the Egyptian parliament and the second at the home of the U.S. ambassador to Egypt, Brotherhood spokesman Hamdi Hassan said.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo confirmed the meeting, but would not disclose what was discussed.

The Brotherhood's Hassan said Hoyer discussed with the group developments in the Middle East, the "Brotherhood's vision" and the status of opposition movements in Egypt.

The Brotherhood seeks the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime and the creation of a region-wide Islamic caliph that would eventually spread around the world. The Hamas terror group, responsible for dozens of suicide bombings in Israel, was founded in 1987 as a military offshoot of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

Although there are some tactical differences between the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas - the Brotherhood says it is committed to a non-violent, reformist approach to Islamic takeover -experts say they are concerned by the current level of cooperation between the two organizations.

Well that is certainly none too good, this looking to talk with an organization seeking to put in a Global Islamic Empire. Perhaps Mr. Hoyer was there to look to ensure his future position in that sort of thing? One never does know with meetings that do not have the topics nor minutes disclosed. Rep. Hoyer wishes to paint such meetings as trivial, but those that he met with paint them otherwise as seen in this 09 APR 2007 article by AP which has the title: "Hoyer: No meeting with banned group." One can already feel the spin machine starting up, so lets have the article speak for itself:

CAIRO, Egypt -- A top U.S. Democratic congressman said he did not have "personal meetings" with a member of Egypt's largest opposition group, the banned Muslim Brotherhood, during a recent official trip, a spokeswoman for the American lawmaker said Sunday.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's spokeswoman, Stacey Bernards, said the Maryland Democrat and his bipartisan delegation participated in a meeting Thursday with members of Egypt's parliament including Mohammed Saad el-Katatni, who is the leader of the Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc.

Hoyer also "spoke briefly" with el-Katatni later Thursday at a reception at the U.S. ambassador to Egypt's home, Bernards said.

"However, the bipartisan delegation, including Mr. Hoyer, did not have personal meetings with Mohammad Saad al-Katatni," Bernards said.

A Brotherhood spokesman said Saturday that Hoyer and Katatni had met privately at the ambassador's home. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has refused to meet with the Brotherhood, which is Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's biggest rival.

El-Katatni told The Associated Press Sunday that he and Hoyer had met twice - once at the parliament and again at the reception at Ambassador Francis Ricciardone's home.

El-Katatni said the parliament building meeting lasted about two hours and involved other lawmakers including members of Hoyer's delegation and the parliament speaker, Fathi Sorour.

So, which is it, Rep. Hoyer? No "personal meetings" or just the one with El-Katatni?

Now some folks may be wondering why the fuss over this? Well, beyond the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood is the oldest group seeking Fundamentalist Islamic Revolution that is currently knocking around, it also serves as an incubator for other groups and radicals. Congress, in point of fact, knows this having been briefed on it many times over the years. So lets start with some of the very basic things about the Muslim Brotherhood. Before I go on, let me give thanks to Globalsecurity.org and MIPT Terror Knowledge Base as they are extremely valuable assets for historical documents, incidents, and organizational affiliations.

At the very top is a quick overview at Globalsecurity of the Muslim Brotherhood:

"Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."-Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna, a 22-year-old elementary school teacher. The Brotherhood asserted itself as an Islamic revivalist movement following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the caliphate system of government that had united Muslims for hundreds of years. Al-Banna emphasized the comprehensive nature of his faith. Islam was not only a religion, but a fundamental force in society and politics.

The Brotherhood grew as a popular movement over the years. It blamed the Egyptian government for being passive against "Zionists" and joined the Palestinian side in the war against Israel (1948). The Muslim Brothers also performed terrorist acts inside of Egypt, which led to a ban on the movement by the Egyptian government. A Muslim Brother assassinated the Prime Minister of Egypt, Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi, on December 28, 1948. Al-Banna himself was killed by government agents in Cairo in February, 1949.

In 1954, Abdul Munim Abdul Rauf, a Brotherhood activist, attempted to assassinate the widely popular Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and was executed, along with five other Brothers. Four thousand Brothers were also arrested, and thousands more fled to Syria, Saudia Arabia, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Although officially banned by the Egyptian government since 1954, the Muslim Brothers have captured 17 seats in the Egyptian Parliament running as independents in recent years, in addition to holding important offices in professional organizations (syndicates) in Egypt.

It has been around for awhile and has served as a basis for inculcating radical Islamic beliefs for decades now. Further background is provided by this 1998 article that was presented to the Senate:

ISLAMIC EXTREMISM AND THE MODERATE MUSLIM VOICE:
FIVE YEARS AFTER THE WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING
SUBMITTED TO: U.S. SENATE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE ON
TECHNOLOGY, TERRORISM, AND GOVERNMENT INFORMATION
SUBMITTED BY: OMAR ASHMAWY
MATERIALS PREPARED BY: OMAR ASHMAWY AND SEIFELDIN ASHMAWY

[..]

ELEMENTS THAT AFFECT THE EXTREMISTS' MOVEMENTS

1) State Sponsorship
Until about 1952, small local groups with little or no outside support composed the extremist movement. The largest group was the Muslim Brotherhood. It was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan El Banna. When Abdel Nasser came to power in Egypt in 1953, he promoted his Pan-Arabism policies. The Pan-Arabism policies became very popular among the Arabs. The Saudis, fearful of this policy, began to financially support the Muslim Brotherhood to destabilize Nasser's regime.

Isn't that lovely? The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia connected to the Wahhabi brand of Islam then funds the Muslim Brotherhood to destabilize Egypt. That was, of course, because Pan-Arabism is a direct threat to the Saudi contention that as the holder of Mecca it is also the real holder of what Islam should be. A nasty twist, that is, with one sub-brand of Islam seeking to put forth its vision for the entirety of the religion via a radical group. From there the inculcation of the Global Caliphate would start rolling downhill and gather speed. Now we see that the modern MSM wishes to try and put some division between the Muslim Brotherhood and a directly militant terrorist organization: HAMAS. Unfortunately the Congress heard about that when the Congressional Research Service put an Issue Brief out on 14 OCT 1993 on just that issue:

Hamas: The Organizations, Goals and Tactics of a Militant Palestinian Organization.
OCTOBER 14, 1993

Hamas had its beginnings in 1967 as a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. [Article two of `The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement,' published August 18, 1988, uses the phrase `wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.' Some observers believe that Hamas is actually the military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, noting that Hamas members that have been deported from Israel are working closely with the Muslim Brotherhood in surrounding countries, collecting funds and recruiting new members from the larger organization.]

In 1978, the same organization was registered with Israeli authorities as a nonprofit, religious organization under the name, `al Mujama,' under the leadership of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who was also head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza. At first, the new organization spent most of its time promoting Islamic views and winning support for the Islamic movement in Palestinian institutions, universities and mosques.

[..]

Hamas is still making a strong showing in these elections, though it has sustained some personnel losses resulting from arrests and deportations. A report by Reuters in May 1993 said that Hamas won 10 seats compared to 16 for the PLO in an election held by a 5,000 member professional union in Gaza. Such elections are watched as indicators of public support because general or municipal elections are banned. Hamas usually has the backing of the Muslim Brotherhood in these elections. An Israeli author who follows the situation believes that Hamas has also been the beneficiary of alliances with other Islamic groups `that neither identify with nor support it.' Estimates of overall support for Hamas are much higher in Gaza where the Muslim population is stronger in its support for the Islamic groups.

These ties between the terrorist group HAMAS and the Muslim Brotherhood show not that the first is a mere splinter of the second, but that it is a group founded and directly helped by the Muslim Brotherhood. Sheikh Yassin, himself, was active until he had an unfortunate meeting with an Israeli Missile in 2004, but served as a director and coordinator for things amongst the Muslim Brotherhood and HAMAS until that point in time. This can be seen through this outlook on the HAMAS Funding infrastructure:

HAMAS receives funding from Palestinian expatriates, Iran, and private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activities take place in Western Europe and North America. As of 2003 US intelligence sources estimated that the militant Palestinian group Hamas had an annual budget of 50 million dollars, raising much of that money through its reputation as a charity. Despite its notoriety worldwide as a terrorist group, many Palestinians see Hamas as a charitable organization that builds schools and hospitals and steps in where the Palestinian Authority has failed.

The Hamas organization is also operating in European countries and the United States, mainly among the Palestinian population, by conducting fundraising (through charity associations and foundations - Dawa activity). Some of the funds received are channeled to finance terrorist activity in Israel, and other monies are intended for the funding of Hamas civilian activity. The United States is seeking to bankrupt Hamas by undermining its reputation as a charity.

Syria serves as an important base of the Hamas organization, from a political, information and operational perspective. Officials in the Hamas leadership reside in Syria and conduct their operations from there. This applies particularly to the so-called political office of the Hamas, headed by Khaled Mashal. They are in regular daily contact with the Hamas leadership in the territories, headed by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and with the terrorist operatives of Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam (Hamas battalions) in the territories.

The Syrian Government enables the Hamas leadership and its terrorist commanders to conduct their various activities on its soil, including the formulation of the Hamas operational strategy, the training of terrorist operatives, the funding of terrorist activity against Israel and assistance in the purchase of arms and ammunition.

The Hamas is active in a number of other countries in the Middle East, including Iran, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. These countries provide support and assistance in funding and operations training.

3. The Financial Assistance Infrastructure

The Hamas has an extensive network of financial sources, operating within the framework of Dawa activity, with a total value of tens of millions of dollars a year.

1. Gulf States - A considerable proportion of the aforementioned funds originate from various sources in the Gulf States (The Gulf Cooperation Council States). Most of the funding is from Saudi Arabian sources, with a total value of $12 million a year.


2. Iran - Its contribution is estimated at$3 million a year.


3. Charitable associations in the Territories - Funds are raised for the Hamas through the mosques (a convenient domain for fundraising and recruitment of members) and through charity associations and foundations.


4. Charity associations overseas.


5. Fundraising abroad and in the territories.

It is not possible to separate the Dawa activities conducted for humanitarian purposes from the direct and indirect funding of terrorism: All the monies flow into a common fund, and are then channeled to the relevant activities, in accordance with needs and in coordination with the functions of the organization in the territories and abroad. The monies are transferred using the following means: bank transfers, moneychangers, private money services, unofficial networks for the transfer of funds and "unsuspecting" assistants. Thus, in view of the great difficulty in tracing the source of the money, its address and the motives behind the transfer of funds, it is essential that a strict and vigilant approach be adopted towards the entire fundraising network, operating within the framework of Dawa activity.

Iranian funding of HAMAS starting in the 1990's is a small portion of that compared to their budget points towards a distributed support network. From that HAMAS is seen as taking any support from anyone they can get it from so as to continue their mission. That is a lot for a group that started off as a 'wing' of the Muslim Brotherhood and then, 20 years on, continues with the outlook of it by becoming a full-fledged organization. That is palatable enough for Syria, however, so long as it does not try to do anything *inside* Syria, like the Hama revolt the Muslim Brotherhood staged in 1982. HAMAS, however, was only to be the first of multiple organizations that the Muslim Brotherhood would support, endorse, and help in terrorism. Indeed it was not even amongst the first as seen in this report on Sudan:

Sudan Political Groups
The National Congress Party, currently the ruling party, has its roots in the National Islamic Front, an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt in the 40's.

[..]

Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood, which originated in Egypt, has been active in Sudan since its formation there in 1949. It emerged from Muslim student groups that first began organizing in the universities during the 1940s, and its main support base has remained the college educated. The Muslim Brotherhood's objective in Sudan has been to institutionalize Islamic law throughout the country. Hassan Abd Allah at Turabi, former dean of the School of Law at the University of Khartoum, had been the Muslim Brotherhood's secretary general since 1964. He began working with Nimeiri in the mid-1970s, and, as his attorney general in 1983, played a key role in the controversial introduction of the sharia. After the overthrow of Nimeiri, Turabi was instrumental in setting up the NIF, a Brotherhood-dominated organization that included several other small Islamic parties.Following the 1989 coup, the RCC-NS arrested Turabi, as well as the leaders of other political parties, and held him in solitary confinement for several months. Nevertheless, this action failed to dispel a pervasive belief in Sudan that Turabi and the NIF actively collaborated with the RCC-NS. NIF influence within the government was evident in its policies and in the presence of several NIF members in the cabinet.

Now that strife in Sudan made it a natural target during that time period as was shown by the House Republican Research Committee in 1992:

TASK FORCE ON TERRORISM & UNCONVENTIONAL.WARFARE
HOUSE REPUBLICAN RESEARCH COMMITTEE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON D.C. 20515
BILL McCOLLUM. FLORIDA
CHAIRMAN
DANA ROHRABACHER, CALIFORNIA
CO-CHAIRMAN
MEMBERS:
WILLIAM BROOMFIELD, MICHIGAN
CHRISTOPHER COX, CALIFORNIA
JOHN T DOOLITTLE, CALIFORNIA
ROBERT DORNAN, CALIFORNIA
GEORGE W GEKAS, PENNSYLVANIA
BENJAMIN GILMAN, NEW YORK
JIM LIGHTTFOOT, IOWA
BOB LIVINGSTON, LOUISIANA
DAVID O'B. MARTIN, NEW YORK
FRANK D. RIGGS, CALIFORNIA
JAMES F SENSENSRENNER JR., WISCONSIN
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, MAINE
C.W. BILL YOUNG. FLORIDA
VAUGHN S FORREST
CHIEF OF STAFF
YOSSEF BODANSKY
DIRECTOR
DONALD J MORRISSE
LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOP
JAMES E GEOFFREY
EDITOR
SCOTT BRENNER
PUBLlC AFFAIRS

Tehran, Baghdad & Damascus: The New Axis Pact

August 10, 1992

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Thus, Iraq realized that Iran and Syria constituted the key to any long-term importation of military assistance, crucial to keeping Saddam Hussein in power. The use of Iran and Syria as the ports of entry for all forms of sanction-busting imports remains beneficial to Iraq because there is no Western oversight in these countries and both are hostile to the US and in cooperation with all international bodies. In-pursuing this option, Baghdad is fully aware of the extremely high strategic price it has to pay for securing these lines of communication.

In the meantime, Sudan has emerged as an instrumental intermediary in the negotiation of the new Iran-Iraq strategic deal. During the Gulf Crisis, Sudan was one of Iraq's closest allies and, in fact, a large Iraqi expeditionary force for the seizure of Islam's Holy Shrines in the Hijaz and the blocking of the Red Sea was deployed there. This was the outgrowth of the coming to power, in 1991, of Hassan al-Turabi and the Muslim Brotherhood, who transformed Sudan into an Islamic Republic, thereby naturally shifting its allegiance to Iran in the process.

Thus, in due course, the first meaningful contacts between Iran and Iraq were revived in Khartoum in April 1991. Iranian officials discussed issues concerning cross-border trade with Iraqi intelligence officials concealed among representatives of an Iraqi Trade Union delegation then participating in a conference in Khartoum. In these discussions, Sa'ad al-Takriti emerged as a major figure in the Sudanese-Iranian-Iraqi negotiations. A longtime colleague of al-Turabi, Sa'ad al-Takriti was involved in such clandestine operations as the financing of the Egyptian Islamlist networks via Sudan.

Sudan, then, proved to be a focal point of Iraqi communications and transference of funds, while also falling under sway of Iran. That said the initial and long-term education of Turabi would mitigate what could become Sunni-Shia strife between the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran if it arose. Likely this turned out to be one of many beneficial cooperative arrangements between these two Islamic Fundamentalist groups, and would bear further fruit down the line.

The involvement of the Muslim Brotherhood with Sudan and that pan-Islamic outlook was examined by the US Marine Corps. Command and Staff College in CSC 1997 by Littleton:

Is Sudan Terrorism's New Mecca?
CSC 1997
Subject Area - Topical Issues

Today, Sudan's two most powerful leaders are President Bashir and Sheikh Hassan al-Turabi, who heads the National Islamic Front. Turabi, now 65, is a smooth, Western-trained ideologist of Sudan's Islamic counterreformation. He is man of brilliant intellect and ineffable charm; admired by many, and even more feared by some. He is at ease both in tie and turban, articulate in English and Arabic, and highly educated, with law degrees from universities in Khartoum, London, and Paris. As a lecturer at the University of Khartoum in the mid-1960's, he founded the Sudanese chapter of the Muslim brotherhood, currently known as the National Islamic Front.

In the 1989 coup d'etat by middle-rank military officers, Islam rode to power, and Turabi, although holding no official post, became the director and architect of Sudan's Islamization. He says he turned to Islam because without it "Sudan has no identity, no direction". Sudan's twenty-seven million inhabitants speak one hundred different languages. They are divided into a multiplicity of ethnic groups and separated by regional and tribal loyalties. Most divisive of all, the population in the north of the country, where the majority resides, is culturally Arab, while the south shares the civilization of black Africa. It is not hard to understand why Turabi is looking for a unifying element, but is that element Islam? Turabi and his National Islamic Front think that Islam is the "cure" for Sudan's ills, and will be the catalyst to create a nation.

Turabi's vision extends beyond his borders. He sees Sudan as the heartland of an Islamic revolution which will sweep the Middle East, and he conceptualizes Sudanese security in terms of this revolution. Although he held no official position in the present government until this year, he always held more power than the president, ruling through shadow security forces and secret cells created by the NIF.

The problem of Sudan rose to importance quickly because of the very divisiveness of the Nation and the feeling that something should be done to help secure civil rights and prevent ongoing troubles with terrorism. Another of the USMC CSC papers in 1997 looked directly at what should be done:

Should the U.S. Attack Sudan?
CSC 1997
Subject Area - National Military Strategy
Author Art J. Schoenwetter

As an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the IG is an "Egyptian extremist group that seeks to overthrow Egypt's government and replace it with an Islamic state. It regards Sheikh Omar abdel Rahman, recently convicted in the World Trade Center bombing, as its spiritual leader." The IG receives support from Iran and Sudan. Although the IG focuses on assassinating high ranking Egyptian officials, they have been known to attack local security officials and Western tourists - as symbols of Western culture. The IG claimed responsibility for the failed assassination attempt of Egypt's President Mubarak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in June 1995. They were successful, however, in wounding the Egyptian Minister of Information in 1993 and in assassinating the People's Assembly Speaker in 1990.

Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS): Hamas is another radical organization that seeks to replace Israel with an Islamic state. The Hamas is a breakout group of the Muslim Brotherhood and has claimed responsibility for four suicide bombings in Israel since February 1996. This organization also receives funds and training from Iran.

[..]

Iran's attraction to Sudan is based on strategic location and its contacts with other radical fundamentalists within the region. With Iran's strong desire to spread its vision of Islam throughout the Middle East, Iran sees Sudan as a secure transit point and training location for its terrorist groups. With eight borders and access to the Red Sea, Sudan is an excellent strategic location for passage to many Arab countries in the Middle East. It is also believed that Sudan has assisted Iran in establishing ties with "Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Jordan, the Renaissance fundamentalist movement in Tunisia, and the Armed Islamic Group in Algeria." [James Phillips, "The Challenge Of Revolutionary Iran," The Heritage Foundation, (Washington DC: 29 Mar 1996)]

[..]

Prior to the 30 June 1989 coup, the Sudan was one of the few African countries that enjoyed a multiparty democratic system of government. The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic fundamentalist group seeking to spread Islam worldwide, used the freedom of democracy under its own party, the NIF, to penetrate and occupy key posts in the government, military and business communities.

The bloodless coup was conducted by the Sudanese Army, headed by Colonel Umar Hassan Ahmad al Bashir. Bashir immediately began operating as commander in chief and chairman of the legislative body and banned all political parties and curtailed the freedom of the press. With all political parties banned, the Muslim Brotherhood began operating under the auspices of the NIF, an unofficial political party lead by Hassan Abd Allah at Turabi. While the full nature of the relationship between Bashir and the NIF is unknown, clearly Bashir has been a tool for Turabi and the NIF in adopting Islamic programs. Additionally, some informed western observers believe that Bashir uses the NIF for his own purposes. Since most of Bashir's policies and actions directly support Turabi and the goals of the Muslim Brotherhood and the NIF, Turabi is often viewed as the controlling power in the country. He has always held more power than the president by ruling through secret security cells created by the NIF.

"Turabi has clear ties to the Iranian government, wields enormous influence in Sudan and is accountable to no one. Although he has no official position in the current military regime, he has installed his own people at every level of government. He has thus assured that his own vision of a repressive Islamic society will be the one that predominates [in] the country. Opposition within the universities and labor unions has been rooted out, and many opponents are now in exile. Islamic "Shari" law has become the basis for all civil and criminal legal procedures. Once a friendly country, Sudan has become dreary and militantly oppressive. There is clear evidence that Sudan, under the sponsorship and direction of Iran, is now attempting to export this extremist and repressive version of Islamic principles to other countries in Africa as well."[Majid Jaber, "Iran and Sudan Behind Mubarak Assassination Plot?" International Review, August 1995.]

[..]

This ideology began to spread widely in Sudan in the 1960's with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, founded by Hasan al Banna in Egypt in the 1920's. The movement sought to return the fundamentals of Islam. The Brotherhood used the NIF party as a tool to infiltrate the government and private sectors. In Sudan, one of the Muslim Brotherhood's primary objectives is to institutionalize Islamic law throughout the country. This effort began in 1983 when the government imposed the Muslim Shari law throughout the country. Sudan's president al-Bashir stated that "fundamentalism is the return to our roots, return to the fundamentals. We take from religion all the principles of justice. These values can return under the aegis of a modern state."

This is a distinctly unsettling thing to have happen to a democratic society - the takeover of it by radicals after a coup. One distinctly gets the feeling that the Muslim Brotherhood is not only authoritarian in outlook, but extremely so. Although they can use the facade of good works to fool many people in the Palestinian territories, their actually *winning* elections has proven this to be just facade as no one in HAMAS has an actual concept of what it means to govern or how to actually govern *anything*, save killing people. No experience gained in actually running hospitals and such moved into the structure of HAMAS so it was ill-equipped to deal with winning elections it had not expected to win. In the Sudan, however, a much more brutal form of Islam is put forth for the restriction of rights there. Together the Muslim Brotherhood, Turabi and Iran would serve as a focal point in Afghanistan. By 1993 the House Republican Research Committee put out a document on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare as was being seen in Afghanistan:

TASK FORCE ON TERRORISM & UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE
House Republican Research Committee
(Chairman: Bill McCollum, Florida)
February 1, 1993

[..]

Inversely, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Liberation Front [JKSLF] has transformed into an Islamist organization, now calling itself Ikhwan al- Muslimeen [Muslim Brothers], and is rapidly expanding. Its leader, Hilal Ahmad Beig, is currently at the forefront of the struggle for "the Islamization of Kashmir."Beig is also in command of the armed branch of the Muslim Brotherhood of Kashmir which is increasing its involvement in terrorism.

[..]

For example, some 30-35 Libyan expert terrorist trainers arrived in Peshawar in November 1991 with the declared objective "to train national liberation forces" in mujahideen camps, mainly those of Gulbaddin and Sayyaf. By March 1992, now in a Sayyaf camp in the Kana area, Nangarhar Province, these Libyans became devout Islamists and joined the Muslim Brotherhood under the leadership of Shaykh Nur-ad-Din.

It is noteworthy that the Armed Islamic Movement also player a major role in the consolidation of the capabilities of the Islamist terrorists. In the spring of 1991, 18 Kashmiri Islamists were accepted for about 6 months of highly specialized terrorist training in Sudan under the personal supervision of the Sudanese leaders Turabi and Mustafa Uthman. By then, AIM's leader, al- Turabi, had already visited Pakistan and Afghanistan in September 1991 to coordinate terrorist support activities.

Indeed, Jama'at-i Islami (Pakistan), Hizb-i Islami and Jamiat-i Islami (Afghanistan) and Hizb-ul Mujahideen (Kashmir) had all become members of the Turabi-led Popular International Organization [PIO], and, in this capacity, provided assistance to, and closely cooperated with, Islamists from Egypt, the HizbAllah in Lebanon, FIS in Algeria, and NIF in Sudan. PIO members exchanged experts and cooperated in joint support and training activities. Mean- while, Turabi also worked to expand the international relations and mutual cooperation of the terrorist infrastructure in Sudan. Thus, by late-November 1991, Turabi had consolidated arrangements for the exchange and dispatch of trainees to Islamist, mainly Muslim Brotherhood, sites in Peshawar.

The very same Turabi who had held no government post in Sudan prior to the coup and then was elevated the second highest position there and then helping to spread things around a bit thereafter. Quite an accomplished individual, to say the least! Now we are starting to get quite the scorecard of things associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, including a long, long listing of terrorist organizations that cover a very wide array of Nations. Plus a method of exchanging individuals for training and passing on training to other terrorist groups. All because of the Muslim Brotherhood's man in Sudan.

Time to play a bit of catch-up on groups so we can know who is who. And this scorecard is starting to get long! So let us start with a quick couple of overviews one to the House of Representatives in 1993 by Gerald Solomon and then the TKB entry on it by its more well known name:

WE SHOULD ALL KNOW MORE ABOUT MILITANT ISLAM -- (BY ROBERT M. JENKINS)
(Extension of Remarks - September 08, 1993)
[Page: E2085]
---
HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON
in the House of Representatives
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1993

[..]

The Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, or The Islamic Group (sometimes called Islamic Jihad) is reportedly a radical offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The Islamic Group seeks the violent overthrow of the Egyptian government, hoping to replace it with an Islamic state. The Islamic Group became active in the late 1970s and is organized on the basis of semi-autonomous cells.

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al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (GAI)

Mothertongue Name: al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (GAI)

Aliases: Al-Gamat al-Islamiya, Islamic Group (IG), Jamaat al-Islamiyya

Base of Operation: Afghanistan; Egypt

Founding Philosophy: Egypt's largest militant group, active since the late 1970s, is also one of its most highly decentralized. The GAI began as an alliance of loosely organized cells whose leaders were in contact with one another. The majority of the cells developed after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat released many members of the nonviolent Muslim Brotherhood who had been imprisoned during Nasser's reign. Members who rejected the MB's nonviolent stance fragmented off into a variety of violent Islamist groups. The larger organization's spiritual leader is Sheikh Umar Abd al-Rahman, but his influence has been lessened since his lifelong incarceration in the United States in 1996 for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The Group conducted a number of attacks on Egyptian security forces, government officials in Egypt, Coptic Christians, and on other perceived Egyptian opponents of Islam. GAI also claimed responsibility for the June 1995 attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia.

The group's founders, who are serving prison sentences in Egypt, first called for a ceasefire in 1997 and again in 1999. The 1997 ceasefire led to a split in the organization into two independent, sometimes warring factions. Mustafa Hamza's faction supports the ceasefire, but the other, led by Rifa'i Ahmad, is believed to be responsible for ordering his radical faction to massacre a group of tourists at Luxor within months of the 1997 call for ceasefire. Ahmad's faction was based in Afghanistan and has been identified as having close links with Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), which uses its website to condemn ceasefire initiatives advocated by moderate GAI leaders. The group's March 1999 ceasefire was somewhat more successful, but Sheikh Rahman rescinded his support for the cease-fire in June 2000.

Senior members of the radical faction signed Usama Bin Laden's fatwa in February 1998 calling for attacks against the United States, and since 2000, a number of GAI cells have targeted Coptic Christians in Egypt. Ahmad published a 2001 book in which he justifies mass casualty terrorist attacks. He seems to have disappeared since then and his current whereabouts are unknown. The radical faction was targeted by US-led attacks on Afghanistan after 9/11 and what remained of the faction is believed to have dispersed into Pakistan and various outlying regions, but may have regrouped. In March 2002, members of the group's moderate leadership declared the use of violence misguided and renounced its future use, prompting denunciations by much of the leadership abroad.

Current Goals: For members still dedicated to violent jihad, the main goal is the overthrow of the regime of President Hosni Mubarak and the establishment of an Islamist state in Egypt. Since allying themselves with al-Qaeda however, the faction likely has broader objectives, including attacks on the US.

That should come as zero surprise to anyone since the individuals who CAME from the Muslim Brotherhood and went *to* Afghanistan in the 1990's includes: Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. One of their wonderful trainees was Abu Musab al Zarqawi, who would later go on to infamy and death in Iraq. I find it very, very interesting that Rep. Hoyer would want to meet with the leader of such a group that produces such terrorists and has quite a good grasp on training them. Do notice that the GAI is an 'internal' to Egypt organization from the Muslim Brotherhood, and while some may have agreed to get commuted sentences for renouncing terrorism, they might not be all that serious about it given their previous oaths to continue on their struggle no matter what is said. Further, the actual vehemence towards the US is seen in some of their outlook as witness some of the statements and presentation given to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims on 25 JAN 2000 and this will be a lengthy excerpt once it starts going:

United States House of Representatives
Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims
House Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims
Hearing on International Terrorism and Immigration Policy

January 25, 2000

· Khalid Mishal, a top leader of Hamas, who, in his speeches in the United States, has called for stabbings


· Kamal Hilbawi, a spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood, who has called for attacks on American targets and who has encouraged carrying out of suicide bombings

· Yusef Al Qaradawi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and active supporter of Hamas and other violent groups, who has called for suicide bombings and taking over the United States

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Musa Abu Marzook and UASR:

The United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), an Islamic think tank now based in Springfield, Virginia, was founded in 1989 in Chicago, Illinois by a number of prominent Islamic radials living in the US, primary among whom was Musa Abu Marzook.

Musa Abu Marzook, a.k.a. Abu Omar, was the head of the Hamas Political Bureau since 1988, while he was resident in the United States. Hamas (Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia fi Filastin - The Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine) is one of the most militant Islamic groups in the world and is included in the United States Department of State's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations that are outlawed pursuant to the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. Hamas has claimed responsibility for numerous suicide bombing attacks within Israel resulting in the deaths of scores of innocent Israelis.

On July 27, 1995, Marzook was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport because "he played an important role in supervising the activities of the military wing to Hamas [the wing responsible for the terrorist attacks] and in appointing individuals to important leadership roles in the military wing." In the United States, Abu Marzook was "responsible for the Muslim Brothers organization in the U.S. and resigned from this job in order to devote his time to activities dedicated to Palestine" following the foundation of the Hamas. Marzook, who was born in the Gaza Strip, was a close associate of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the Islamic cleric who foundedHamas as an organization distinct from its parent group Muslim Brotherhood.

Marzook first came to the United States in the late 1970s, although immigration records show that he formally began residing in the United States starting in 1981. Marzook and his family lived in a number of locations during their 14 years in the United States, including Colorado, Louisiana and Virginia. He and his family moved to Falls Church, Virginia in 1991.

Between 1993 and 1995, Marzook resided principally in Jordan, which deported him in June 1995 for his involvement and senior position in Hamas. In July 1995, after making trips to Iran and Syria, Abu Marzook attempted to reenter the United States at which time he was arrested by customs and INS officials at the request of the Israeli government which sought to prosecute Abu Marzook for numerous crimes in connection with his leadership role in Hamas. In October 1995, acting at the request of the Israeli government, the United States initiated extradition proceedings against Abu Marzook based on pending Israeli criminal charges that included murder, attempted murder and conspiracy stemming from Hamas-sponsored terrorist acts.

At the time of his arrest, Abu Marzook was a permanent resident alien of the United States. In 1990, he and his family received their Green Cards in an INS lottery that offered "permanent legal residency" to potential immigrants. In affidavits filed by Deputy United States Attorney Shirah Neiman, the role of Abu Marzook in Hamas activities was discussed as follows:

In his role as head of political bureau, Abu Marzook financed certain activities of Hamas, including terrorist activities against soldiers and civilians in the Territories and Israel. In addition, he played an important role in supervising the activities of the military wing to Hamas (the wing responsible for the terrorist attacks) and in appointing individuals to important leadership roles in the military wing. Throughout most of the relevant period, he resided in the United States.

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Islamic militants on the lecture circuit in the United States:

"The Jews distort words from their meanings…they killed the prophets and worshipped idols…Allah says he who equips a warrior of Jihad is like the one who makes Jihad himself." In Arabic, Wagdi Ghuniem, a militant Islamic cleric from Egypt, mesmerized his audience, with his relentless tirade against the Jews, reminding them of the Jews' "infidelity," "stealth" and "deceit." Known for his folksy deliveries and exhortations to commit violence against the Jews, Ghuniem did not disappoint his crowd, several of whom had come just to hear him. The conflict with the Jews, he said, was not over land but one of religion. "The problem of Palestine is not a problem of belief… suppose the Jews said 'Palestine--you [Muslims] can take it.' Would it then be ok? What would we tell them? No! The problem is belief, it is not a problem of land."

Ghuniem then led his rapt audience, which numbered as many as 500, in a special song, the audience responsively repeating each refrain:

No to the Jews



Descendants of the Apes



We Vow to Return



Despite the Obstacles

The administrators of Brooklyn College would probably have been surprised to learn thattheir campus was the site of an incendiary rally more similar to those held in Gaza than those held in the United States. On May 24, 1998, a special all-day program was held in the Walt Whitman Auditorium of Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York. Organized by the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), an American-headquartered front group for Hamas, the program was entitled "Palestine: 50 Years of Occupation." Eleven Islamic organizations co-sponsored the event, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development and the Islamic Circle of North America. To the outside world, this conference probably seemed like one of the many seminars held on campus. Conducted almost entirely in Arabic, the conference featured Islamic speakers from the United States and abroad.

Ghuniem has traveled to the US on a regular basis, giving lectures in large and small venues. In 1997 and 1998, Ghuniem appeared at the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) (an Islamic group that supports the positions of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas in the United States) and IAP conferences, as well as at smaller events in local mosques and Islamic centers across the United States and Canada. Part of his popularity may stem from the fact that he speaks in a local rural Egyptian dialect and peppers his talks with humorous anecdotes. His rhetoric espouses a deep hatred for Jews. He often praises terrorists and terrorist attacks.

Interestingly, Sheik Ghuniem was denied entry to Canada in early January 1998 and detained as he tried to enter Windsor from Detroit. Ghuniem was on a whirlwind US-Canada lecture circuit, with scheduled stops in Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, Detroit, San Diego, D.C., Toronto and Montreal. But the trip was rudely interrupted, if only temporarily, at the Canadian border. The reason he was barred? "Our (computerized information) system indicated he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas," said Gerald Belanger, a Canadian immigration official as he was quoted in the Ottawa Citizen. Leaders of the Muslim communities in Detroit, Toronto and Windsor bitterly protested Ghuniem's detention, as evidence of an anti-Muslim bias, claiming that Ghuniem was a "man of peace." "He's a very reasonable man" declared Hussein El-Hennawy, a MAYA official quoted in the Ottawa Citizen, "He teaches people to be peaceful." MAYA has established the "Scholars Defense Fund," to pursue legal action against the Canadian Government for its perceived "humiliation" of Ghuniem.

Canadian authorities released Ghuniem back to the United States and he returned to his lecture tour on behalf of militant Islamic groups in helping them recruit new members, raise funds and coordinate strategies with other militant Islamic leaders crisscrossing the United States. US officials say they are virtually powerless to stop the influx of known militants into the United States for reasons ranging from lack of adequate intelligence to easy circumvention of the watch list to legal restrictions in stopping self-described religious clerics from entering the United States.

Still, the question raised by Ghuniem's numerous appearances in the United States is how do terrorists manage to enter the country?

One method has been those who deliberately overstay their student visas, some op who are dispatched from terrorist-supporting regimes. Some of these "students" have acquired visas for the purpose of attaining cover for their illicit activities as activists for terrorist organizations. Others receive advanced degrees in the US and return to their countries where some might work in nuclear, chemical or biological weapons programs. Although there is no official compilation of the number of student visas granted to would-be terrorists and agents of terrorist supporting regimes, one study currently in preparation shows that there are at least 200 terrorists or agents of terrorist regimes and organizations who have received student visas in the past decade to pursue undergraduate or graduate training.

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Beyond the issue of how terrorists have been able to exploit student visas to stay in the United States for long periods of time, another major, even more frustrating, counter-terrorist problem is the ease in which terrorists and militants freely enter the US for shorter periods of time. The official purpose of such short visits is generally linked to invitations to appear at religious-based conferences and meetings at Islamic organizations in the United States attended primarily by American Muslims. The real purposes of these visits are to recruit new members of militant organizations; facilitate fundraising for militant activities, both in the U.S. and abroad; coordinate political and even military strategies with other militants leaders; indoctrinate new "foot soldiers;" and even participate in terrorist training sessions.

Every year, according to law enforcement officials and information obtained at Islamic conferences, dozens of militant Islamic clerics, officials, representatives and leaders of various terrorist organizations and movements come to the United States. These include Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al Gamat Al Islamiya, Sudanese National Islamic Front, Jordan's Islamic Action Front, and Hezbollah. Visits by Islamic militants to the US are not a new phenomenon.

Some get into the United States using false identification, while others simply get in because they are not on any watch list. During these conferences, it is not uncommon to hear Islamic militants praise terrorists and terrorist attacks, attack the United States and the West, or call for the death of Jews and the destruction of the United States. For the most part, these incendiary lectures, almost invariably in Arabic, are not illegal insofar as the content, unless a specific act of violence is advocated, and fall under protected speech. Federal law enforcement is largely prohibited from attending the conferences at which these militants appear, because of the restrictions imposed by the Attorney General Guidelines against any surveillance of religious groups, unless there is ironclad evidence ahead of time that a crime or a conspiracy to commit a crime will take place. Of course, absent direct surveillance, it is almost impossible to obtain such evidence--which creates a Catch-22 conundrum. On the other hand, it must be remembered that the Attorney General Guidelines were issued in response to abuses by intelligence and law enforcement officials.

Even if the FBI were involved in greater surveillance, chances are that it would not witness the events going on behind the scenes--the most likely venue of any illegal activities--even though witnessing center stage activities would be considered shocking in and of itself. For example, the Islamic Association for Palestine held annual meetings in 1989 and 1990 in Kansas City where off stage, secret meetings were held with a pre-selected "class" of future Hamas terrorists who were taught car-bombings and other terrorist warfare. Meanwhile, at IAP's "plenary" sessions--held in the Kansas City Convention center-- several notorious militants and leaders of Hamas gave fiery speeches praising attacks by Hamas and other Islamic fundamentalist groups in language and rhetoric more familiar to Hamas rallies in the Middle East than to Kansas City.One of the most electrifying moments came when a keffiyeh-draped leader of the Izzadin Al-Qassem death squads--the military arm of Hamas--delivered a rousing account of the specific violent terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas.

The conferences mentioned above are but a few of the literally dozens of radical Islamic events held prior to the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993. Following the bombing and the subsequent investigations into the militant Islamic networks in the US and their ties to terrorist organizations abroad, it seemed likely that the US would seek to curtail the entrance of Islamic militants into the US.Yet conferences featuring prominent terrorist sympathizers and spokesmen for Islamic militancy have continued unabated.

Dr. Ishaq Al-Farhan:

Dr. Ishaq Al-Farhan is another Islamic militant who has succeeded in coming to the United States several times. Farhan is the current Secretary General of the Jordanian Islamic Action Front (IAF) - the largest Jordanian opposition party which serves as the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Jordan. There exists a strong relationship between the IAF and the international terrorist organization Hamas, which was also an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood philosophy. Both the IAF and Hamas are ideologically opposed to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and are both opposed to the process of normalization occurring between Jordan and Israel as a result of the peace agreement signed between those parties in 1994. Pursuant to this ideology, the IAF has created a "Committee for Palestine," whose primary objective is to stop the peace process and to prevent Jewish/Israeli tourism or investment in Jordan.

Farhan and Hamas:

Ishaq Al-Farhan has a long history with Hamas in the United States, which the State Department noted on its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations earlier this month. Nasser Hidmi, a Palestinian youth arrested in Israel in the early 1990s for attempting to detonate a bomb, exposed the role of the Hamas military wing in the United States and how this wing recruited new Hamas activists/terrorists within the United States. In his statements to the Israeli authorities, Hidmi described the role of Islamic conferences in the United States for the training of Hamas activists/terrorists. These conferences were sponsored by both the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) and the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA). The conferences played host to militant Islamists from around the world including members of the Jordanian IAF. Farhan played an integral role in these conferences not merely as a speaker, but also as one of the individuals who recruited the Palestinian youth to partake in the activities of Hamas. In his statements to the Israeli authorities, Hidmi said:

At the Islamic Conference there were five thousand invited guests that stayed at hotels surrounding the center.… At the conference at Kansas City [in 1989], Muhammad Salah [a/k/a Abu Ahmed] gathered about twenty young men including myself, for a secret meeting of the activists of Hamas in a meeting hall at one of the hotels. At this meeting, Muhammad Salah and Ibrahim Al-Muzain [an officer of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), another United States-based charity that provides funding for Hamas within Israel] lectured to us. They informed us that all the young men that were present and were chosen for the secret meetings were from the Occupied Territories and were selected according to forms they filled out in the [refugee] camps. This was done in order that they will take part in activities that will support and strengthen the Intifadah within the framework of Hamas.

Hidmi's statement also mentioned Ishaq Al-Farhan:

Among those that lectured to us was Ishaq Farhan who is a member of the Jordanian Parliament.

During the extradition trial of Musa Abu Marzook, the leader of the Political Bureau of Hamas, from July 1995 until April 1997, in the Southern District of New York, the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan, as well as the White House in Washington received a great number of requests for the release of Marzook.Ishaq Al-Farhan, as the Secretary General of the IAF, wrote letters demanding the release of Abu Marzook. In one of the letters dated May 13, 1996, Farhan calls "on all the governments of the Arab and Islamic Worlds and all defenders of human rights to raise their voices and demand the abolition of this decision and the release of Dr. Musa Abu Marzook, a prisoner of opinion and political struggle."

On November 10, 1996, the American Embassy in Amman received the most militant threat regarding the release of Marzook, which stated the following:

We demand that you immediately release Dr. Musa Abu Marzook and urge you not to hand him over to the Zionist enemy…We warn you that if you do not release Dr. Musa Abu Marzook, and if you hand him over to the Jews, we will turn the ground upside down over your heads in Amman, Jerusalem, and the rest of the Arab countries and you will lament your dead just as we did to you in Lebanon in 1982 when we destroyed the Marine House with a boobytrapped car, and there are plenty of cars in our country. You also still remember the oil tanker with which we blew up your soldiers in Saudi Arabia.

Significantly, the State Department translated the above threat and had the following handwritten message on the translation: "The Arabic fax bears the Islamic Action Front [IAF] name."

As noted above, Al-Farhan was an attendee at joint conferences of the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) and the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA). At these conferences in the early 1990s, Al-Farhan played an integral role in the recruitment of Palestinian youth for the Hamas movement. Al-Farhan's continued appearances at such conferences are a direct affront to United States policy considerations. More recently, Al-Farhan was hosted by IAP in Chicago in December 1997 at its annual conference where he made the following statements, "We need to change this situation [where Muslim countries engage in trade primarily with Western countries] so that in the 21st century we will have more trade between Muslim countries and less trade with Western countries. Sudan is the model for independence from the West. Sudan deals with Muslim countries." By allowing Al-Farhan free rein to come in and out of this country as he pleases, an affront has been created in opposition to the United States policy directive to combat terrorism and the spread of radicalism in our country.

Sheikh Yusef Al Qaradawi:

Sheik Yusef Al Qaradawi currently resides in Qatar and is one of the most popular clerics in the Muslim Brotherhood movement. In the past ten years, Qaradawi has been hosted in the United States by numerous radical Islamic organizations. In the month of November 1999 alone, he was hosted at three conferences in the United States: the conference of the Shariah Scholars Association of North America (SSANA) in Detroit, Michigan; the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) - Southeast Conference in Atlanta, Georgia; and the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) Convention held in Los Angeles, California.

Qaradawi possesses a worldwide following as a cleric; however, statements by him indicate his support of terrorist activities of such groups as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. He has even gone so far as to suggest that if one cannot actively participate in the armed struggle, then he or she should provide financial support such that the mujahideen can fight on behalf of all Muslims.

In an interview that appeared in the September 1999 edition of the Palestine Times, Qaradawi states his support for the "Islamic resistance in Lebanon and Palestine" which he says, "represents the glorious face of the Muslim Umma and serves as an example to that effect." Furthermore, Qaradawi blesses "the martyrdom operations in which a given Muslim fighter turns himself or herself into a human bomb that casts terror in the hearts of the enemy…. If we can't carry out acts of Jihad ourselves, we at least should support and prop up the Mujahideen financially and morally so that they will be steadfast until God's victory."

In a speech delivered by Qaradawi at the 1995 Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) conference held in Toledo, Ohio, Qaradawi made the following statements:

…[T]his is what is told in the Hadith of Ibn-Omar and the Hadith of Abu-Hurairah: "You shall continue to fight the Jews and they will fight you, until the Muslims will kill them. And the Jew will hide behind the stone and the tree, and the stone and the tree will say: 'Oh, servant of Allah, oh Muslim, this is a Jew behind me. Come and kill him!' The resurrection will not come before this happens.

[In a question referring to the state of Islamic movements, Qaradawi responded]…Our brothers in Hamas, in Palestine, the Islamic resistance, the Islamic Jihad, after all the rest have given up and despaired, the movement of the Jihad brings us back our faith….

[In response to a question about suspension of Hamas' military actions, Qaradawi responded] In regard to Palestine, I would like to say that we are in a standstill for a while, but that does not mean the end of history. As Sheikh Ahmed Yassin [of Hamas]…has said: "It is possible to make a truce limited in time, and this will never mean surrendering. We can bide our time, we can stand still for a while, get some rest, but the Jihad continues…until the Day of Resurrection.

In a sermon (Khuttba) Qaradawi delivered in March 1996, and that was made available at the official website of the Hamas terrorist organization (http://www.palestine-info.net), Qaradawi states that Hamas and Islamic Jihad suicide bombers are not engaged in terrorism, but rather in martyrdom, and that all members of Israeli society are valid targets for terrorism due to Israel's universal conscription policy.

A lecture delivered by Qaradawi about Jihad, from March 14, 1997, was taken from his website (http://www.qaradawi.net), and the translation of the first paragraph of the Arabic text found on the website states the following:

Qaradawi reaffirmed that the Jihad is the only weapon to stop the Israeli ambitions. He demanded that the Islamic organizations Hamas, Jihad and Hezbollah will recommence their Jihad against the Jews in the Occupied Land. He called for the revival of the Intifadah in the face of the enemy which submits only to the logic of power.

Again, as was the case with Ishaq Al-Farhan, the relative ease with which Qaradawi is allowed to enter and leave the United States is an issue that should evoke concern on the part of the American counterterrorism policy establishment based on the radicalism which he espouses and the support that he gives to terrorist actions including suicide bombings.

Yes, in America. That was how it was under the Clinton Administration AFTER the WTC bombing in 1993.

Does anyone remember what happened on 11 SEP 2001? Eight long years after the WTC bombing.

Apparently Rep. Hoyer has forgotten that event. And the USS Cole. And the African Embassy Bombings. And many, many other attacks by Islamic Fundamentalists seeking to bring down the United States and her Friends and Allies around the world. We know this because they have told us so, in no uncertain terms. I am having problems finding a *moderate* in that entire bunch from the Muslim Brotherhood and their offspring: HAMAS, GAI, AIM, al Qaeda, NIF, JKSLF... it is quite a long list and includes such step children as Ansar al-Islam in Iraq, that Zarqawi led.

Is Rep. Hoyer wishing to return us to those 'Good old days' under the Clinton Administration?

I would like to know why Rep. Hoyer would even give the time of day to *anyone* from the Muslim Brotherhood.

But that would mean one would actually take them at their word.

One that has been cashed in on often enough to show that they mean what they say.

That is, apparently, too much for a Congresscritter to acknowledge... better to recognize and appease monsters and feed others to them first.

And hope that when it comes for you, there is something more that you can appease it with, other than your life.