Do you agree with Pat Robertson about Wahhabism?

[barbaraann]

Breeding Grounds of Terror, Part 1

By Melissa Charbonneau
White House Correspondent
September 25, 2003

The spread of Wahhabism is raising alarms in Congress.

CBN.com – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Islam may be the fastest-growing faith in America today, and it is finding eager converts in prison cellblocks nationwide. But with the increase in jailhouse conversions, some see a sinister threat — growing evidence that extremist Muslim chaplains, hired by the U.S. government, are preaching a hate-filled agenda in the name of Allah, and possibly turning American prisons into breeding grounds for future terrorists
...
The rising concern involves U.S. government-paid clerics who practice a militant Wahhabi ideology, a strain of Sunni Islam rooted in Saudi Arabia, and favored by Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 hijackers.
...
Stephen Schwartz, author of The Two Faces of Islam, said, "They dominate Islam in the prisons in a very intimidating way. They prevent Muslim prisoners from getting access to traditions in Islam that would be more beneficial for prisoners, that would stress meditation, self-discipline and non-violence."
...
The spread of Wahhabism is raising alarms in Congress. In recent hearings, New York Senator Chuck Schumer said Wahhabis "have wreaked some degree of havoc" in his home state. He continued, "Wahhabism is an extremist exclusionary form of Islam."
...
http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/News/030925a.asp

Is it politically incorrect to be concerned about the spread of Wahabbism in the USA (and the world)? I'm especially concerned because of the close association of Wahhabism with the ruling family of Saudi Arabia and its embrace of an extreme form of Sharia.

[Dogmudgeon]

1. He's just jealous

The prison Muslims are getting more attention than the Christian Identity neo-Nazis.

--bkl

[Jerky_LeBoeuf]

53. Damn! You're on to something with that!

All these Christian fundamentalist wackos are just jealous of the extremes to which theocracy has succeeded in the Middle East, while here at home they can't even kill abortionists or plant three-ton graven images in peace!

[stopthegop]

2. he's not too far off the mark on this one...n/t

.

[Girlfriday]

4. I totally agree!

Not just converts either, they're birthrates are extremely high too.

[IrateCitizen]

8. Once again, it's a trait of ANY fundamentalist religion

I have Hasidic Jewish communities down the road from me. All of them have 4-8 kids. It's also an issue in Israel, as the secular Israelis only have 1-2 kids and Orthodox and Hasidics have many more. And have you ever seen how many kids many Mormons have? It's not uncommon for them to have more than 4. Fundamentalist Christians are the same way, because it is the job of the mother to raise the kids.

Fundamentalist Islam is simply no different than the others in this respect. I'm not saying that it's a GOOD thing, because I'm distrustful of ANY form of fundamentalism. I'm just saying it's not an isolated belief, by any means.

[sangh0]

39. Hasids are not necesarily Fundamentalists

Your mistake is a common one, but there is a wide range of ideas within the Hasidic community.

However, you are right that

1) Fundamentalists tend to have a high birthrate
2) Hasids also tend to have a high birthrate.

[IrateCitizen]

3. Well, Robertson should know extremism when he sees it!

I am VERY wary of ANY kind of religious fundamentalism, whether it be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu or whatever. I think that it is because of the obsession that fundamentalism has with the LAW of the faith, that it loses all touch with spirituality in the process. And spirituality is the positive side of religion -- the side that makes us ask "Why?" and encourages us to open our minds to answer the questions that life presents.

And do you really think that if Robertson and Falwell were capable of installing an oppressive religious theocracy within the US, they wouldn't do so? Of course they would. Maybe Pat's just jealous....

[Zero Gravitas]

15. Agreed

Roberston and his ilk are just the Christian equivalent of a whahabist. It doesn't matter which religion it is, the obssesive fundamentalists are a threat to civilization and it is the hard core nutcase Christian fundies that are the biggest threat to the US.

[stopthegop]

18. that's lunacy...

how many planes have Robertson's followers flown into buildings?
how many suicide bombers?

[Aidoneus]

20. they have tanks and bomber jets instead

they believe W is a gift from God and that killing thousands of Iraqis is noble, liberating and heroic, that supporting Israeli oppression of Palestinians will make Jesus come back quicker, that Charles Taylor was just some misunderstood but Good Christian, that US-backed fascist military regimes and and death squads (aka "Reagan's buddies") in Central/Southern America were good Christian soldiers slandered by evil commies, etc etc.. They (and other Americans) cheer on the deaths of thousands in the name of Jesus and America, will cheer on more, and believe themselves to be divinely right.

[Zero Gravitas]

21. Bombers and hijackers

don't undermine civilizations, replacing Government of, for and by the people, with "God's law" does.

[Classical_Liberal]

23. He doesnt' have to blow up planes to damage this country

all he has to do is make this government support Ariel Sharon's settler regime in Israel, and the muslims do it for him.

[DrWeird]

38. Robertson applauded 9-11.

He said the terrorists were doing God's work.

[Muddleoftheroad]

40. Bull crap

You can hate the man all you want, but lying just makes you lower than him.

[Zero Gravitas]

43. Flawell and Roberston

"God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve," said Falwell, appearing yesterday on the Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club," hosted by Robertson.

"Jerry, that's my feeling," Robertson responded. "I think we've just seen the antechamber to terror. We haven't even begun to see what they can do to the major population."

Falwell said the American Civil Liberties Union has "got to take a lot of blame for this," again winning Robertson's agreement: "Well, yes."



http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A28620-2001Sep14¬Found=true

They were saying that God "LIHOP" because of liberals and the ACLU.

[Muddleoftheroad]

59. Nowhere near the same

As saying they were doing God's work.

[Classical_Liberal]

61. Walks like Duck! Quacks like a Duck

God lifted his veil of protection and let Sadama Bin Hussien happen.

[Muddleoftheroad]

89. Nowhere near the same thing

no matter how many times you say it.

Falwell and Robertson are scum, so why bother misquoting them?

[DrWeird]

64. It is the same.

9-11 was God's punishment for gays, liberals, and lesbians. There really is very little difference between radical islam and radical christianity, from an outsiders perspective.

[Yupster]

25. I believe that if Falwell and Robertson had

followers willing to strap on bomb vests and suicide bomb gay couples in San Fransisco,

they would order them not to do that.

Be against Falwell and Robertson if you want, but they are not to be compared to Wahabbis blowing up school kids on purpose.

That's just nuts in my humble opinion.

PS -- The problem is much worse in France than in the US. The French birthrate is at pretty much zero growth and the Muslim minority in the country is growing rapidly. I read somewhere that already, over 1/2 of all prisoners in French jails were Muslim. I don't know if that is true or not, but if those numbers are anywhere near correct, France will not be recognizable as France for many more decades.

[Zero Gravitas]

26. Bombers are not the point.

Most Whhabists don't blow up school-children either. The threat is thier wish to replace the rule of law and secular government with a theocracy. That is threat to our civilization, not whackos with bombs and/or guns (Eric Rudolph, Paul Hill, James Kopp).

[IrateCitizen]

29. Only 8% of Arabs and North Africans in France are religious

The overwhelming majority of them are as secular as other Europeans.

[Yupster]

45. Didn't France just have elections for an Islamic Council?

And weren't they shocked by who won?

[_Jumper_]

46. Turnout, turnout, turnout

Who do you think was most likely to vote in a religious election, fundies are moderate voters?

Moreover, the group that worries France did not win a majority of seats, although they did win a subtantial share.

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. A broken clock is right twice a day

[Brewman_Jax]

31. No one keeps a broken clock

n/t

[ElsewheresDaughter]

6. Robberson, his CC and Wahabism are cuts of the same cloth

equally evil

[Yupster]

28. With fundamelntalist Bush in charge, you

can type what you just typed.

If real Wahabbis ever take over America, you won't want to type what you just typed.

Were real Wahabbis in charge in America, women would not be able to drive, go to school, or hold decent jobs. In America, many women have affairs because they're stoned. Were Wahabbis in charge here, adulterous women would be really stoned. I bet I can guess what the Wahabbi view of a women's right to choose would be too.

I mean really, be against Pat Robertson if you want, but comparing him to the Wahabbis? Really?

[IrateCitizen]

32. Bush isn't a big embracer of the Religious Right

Read Molly Ivins' book Shrub. She describes Bush's relationship with the RR as "you've got to dance with them what brung you," and "he treats them like a girl he's embarrassed to be seen with in public".

His real base is with the uber-rich and big bidness. He'd sell out the RR in a heartbeat for them.

And don't fool yourself -- Falwell and Robertson would absolutely LOVE to be able to install a system here like there is in Saudi Arabia, a religious theocracy. You're missing the point in all of this by focusing on the "flying planes into buildings" thing.

[DCDemo]

7. It might be non-PC, but that doesn't mean it isn't a serious issue

I do not dislike Islam or Muslims, but I have little tolerance for Wahabbism. It is a very backwards-looking, violent belief system.

Islam itslef is a major player on the world stage, and that is a little frightening. There is a lot more solidarity between countries in the Islamic worls than there is in the "Christian world" (religious solidarity).

If you look at maps showing the world and the rise of Islam, it is a bit scary. It's like one of those viruses in the movies that keeps growing and growing, taking over the world.

From my background, this is a little frightening as historically, Islam has crushed local cultures, traditions, beliefs, etc. and transformed a society into an Islamic one. This is now beginning to happen in Europe - lots of Muslim immigrants have created strong Muslim societies that in some cases are slowly working at replacing the local culture with an Islamic one.

While I support and respect the rights of people to believe what they want, I am not comfortable with people moving in, wiping out the local culture (and, in some cases, non-believers), and replacing it with theirs.

It's a dicey issue because it is very complex and not simple to solve or even deal with. A given Muslim is not on a mission to subvert non-Islamic society, but the effect over time is just that.

I always thought that strong national identity, and clinging to local culture and traditions would be a bulwark against these effects, but now I begin to wonder.

We need to be able to all get along in our own ways, and I'm really not sure how to really deal with such a cultural/religious trend that occurs over time, not in a day, week, year, or decade.

[_Jumper_]

33. Step uo to the plate and just say it

You want a complete halt on Muslim immigration...

"It's a dicey issue because it is very complex and not simple to solve or even deal with. A given Muslim is not on a mission to subvert non-Islamic society, but the effect over time is just that."

[Zero Gravitas]

35. And of course Christianity never

"crushed local cultures, traditions, beliefs, etc. and transformed a society into a Chrisitan one."

That's never happened has it?

It doesn't matter which religion it is, it is the fundamentlism that is the problem.

[_Jumper_]

42. The cultural argument is intellectually bankrupt

People have been claiming that immigration would destroy local culture for over 200 years and it hasn't happened.

[Yupster]

47. Yes, this is an argument I don't get

the proper response to Hitler is to say that Attila invaded Europe too and that was really bad back then.

[DrWeird]

67. Northern Ireland?

Murrah building? Ku Klux Klan? Matthew Shepard? Abortion clinic bombers? Gulf War II?

[Yupster]

68. I guess I wasn't clear enough

My point was that if there is a danger coming, you don't fight the danger by naming other dangers, or dangers in the past.

[Classical_Liberal]

70. I don't think they would be dangerous if it weren't for our fundy

policies toward the israeli settlements. Your fear of their immigration is no different than nativist fear of Papist running the country. You are looking at their behavior in their native countries and assuming they are the same as they would be in those countries. In fact muslims that come to America probably have American values.

[_Jumper_]

73. Good post

Some people think that only people of European descent can assimilate into Western nations.:eyes: I except such sentiment at FreakRepublic but not at DU...

Blank check support of Israel leads to hatred of America but it doesn't have much of an impact on Muslim's view of other Western nations IMO.

The fear that these people have about Muslims overrunning Europe are the same fears that existed in America about the Germans overruning America, or Irish and Italian Catholics overrunning America and making it Catholic. The irony here is that these xenophobes probably have some people from Catholic nations in their family tree...

[BlackVelvetElvis]

88. Pat has no credibility

...simply because every opinion he's ever spouted from his feeble brain is based on narrow-minded religious dogma.
I believe a more secular phrase that applies to his spew is called "throwing stones at glass houses".
Don't give him the power!

[maha]

9. Wahabbis are extremist Sunnis

... which means they are not chummy with the extremist mullahs of Iran and most Iraqis, who are Shia. Nor are the Wahabbis big fans of Saddam Hussein, who is too secular for their taste.

The Wahabbis are extremist Islamic fundies, which means you don't want to turn your back on 'em. Nasty bunch. Worse than extremist Christian fundies? Only by degree.

[Yupster]

30. Different than fundamentalist Christians by degree

like a match and the sun.

[maha]

50. The only difference is power.

There are elements of the Christian fundie movement (the Reconstructionists come to mind) that would be just as violent and terrible as the Wahhabis, if they had the chance. What's holding them back now is that they don't have enough power to get away with murder. Yet.

[Yupster]

52. You believe this stuff?

or are you just having fun on the message boards?

[Jerky_LeBoeuf]

57. You DON'T believe this stuff?

Have you ever done any reading about the Christian Reconstructionist movement?

[maha]

86. Yes, I do believe it.

Be careful who you call a "fundie." I don't use the phrase "fundamentalist Christian" to be synonymous with all evangelicals or conservative Christians. There's a lot of overlap, but there are distinctions.

Religious fundamentalism across religious traditions is more alike than different, and at the heart of fundamentalism -- Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, whatever -- is fear. Fundies see themselves as victims, oppressed by modernity, which they fear. They react to those they perceive as the enemy (everyone who isn't them) by assimilating, controlling -- or eliminating.

Christian fundies probably don't believe that they would be as bad as the Taliban if they had the chance, but believe me, they would.

Required reading: The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong.

[barbaraann]

10. Thanks for the replies. I was feeling weird about

agreeing with Pat Robertson but if HE'S worried and WE'RE worried, it can't be good.

My mind keeps flashing on scenes from "The Handmaid's Tale" and making involuntary connections between the BFEE/Saudi ruling family/Wahhabism.

[soupkitchen]

11. Those who sharpen class distinctions sharpen the guillotine

I don't know anything about wahhabism, but I guarantee you the wider the gulf between rich and poor, the greater the threat of domestic terrorism.
And this is what Republicans and Libertarians and me, me, mes and my moneys, my moneys, my moneys, don't seem to grasp. The Higher the Gate, the greater the Hate.

[soleft]

12. I have a suggestion for threads involving religious figures

Instead of identifying them as being from any particular religious faith, what if they are just referred to as fundamentalists.

In America, a lot of the people we criticize happen to identify with a Christian denomination, and I always feel bad for our fellow Christian DUers who are very spritual, interpret scripture on a higher plane of understanding, who actual follow the teachings of the person the religion was based on. I would think it must be very frustrating to see people like Falwell, Robertson, Reed, Sanitorum, Phelps identifying themselves as Christians. It must be how I feel when I hear Bush call himself a man of peace.

Anyhow, since the people who perpetuate hate, violence, intolerance, ignorance are essentially fundamentalists regardless whether they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, etc. - what if we stop referring to them as even belonging to the faiths they completely do not understand, and just call them fundamentalists.

[cprise]

19. That's a good (and IMO honest) strategy

The PromiseKeepers brand of fundamentalism for the masses has utterly failed.

Now they must raise the alarms because Islam has a greater appeal. Small wonder that our prisoners prefer to identify with the relatively powerless.

[patdem]

13. Voltare:When the last king is strangled by the entrails of the last priest

then there will be freedom!!! LOL...Just heard this on the radio on my way home today!!!

[htuttle]

14. A different view

Check this site out (site is PR for a book of the same name):
http://www.thewahhabimyth.com/

The situation seems to be far more complex than Mr. 'Gold Bug' Robertson would make it out to be (hardly surprising).

[barbaraann]

16. Very interesting.

When I have more time I will study that. Thanks.

[meow2u3]

17. fed2dneck to Pat Robertson: It takes a fundie wacko...

to know a fundie wacko!

Wahhabism is to Islam as Pentecostalism is to Christianity and Hasidism is to Judaism.....

Extremely conservative, extremely fundamentalist--to the point of violence against women and children, and extremely un-Islamic, un-Christian, and unkosher!

[Classical_Liberal]

22. Yes, it is over the top

The popular form of Islam in prison is "The Nation of Islam"

Most muslims in this country are not Wahhabies, and we are no danger of instituting any type of Sharia law.

[Yupster]

41. I think the Netherlands

will be the first European country to really have to face the Muslim threat to their national identidy.

If you see Dutch people in the next 20-30 years starting to leave Holland in great numbers consider it the "mene, mene, tekel, parsin," the proverbial writing on the wall.

Will the Dutch and later French make a stand for their culture? or will those lands become part of the Dar Es Salaam which has been advancing steadily for hudreds of years? Only time will tell.

I recommend the Nobel prize winning author Naipal and his book "Among the converted," or even more available, the website, www.ask.imam.com.

[_Jumper_]

44. Culture and immigration

Name one time planned immigration has decimated the local culture.

Moreover, do you, like Pat Buchanan, oppose Catholic immigration to America for "cultural" reasons? Or are you just an Islamophobe?

[Yupster]

54. Just a prediction

I don't think it matters whether the immigration is planned or unplanned.

What's the Muslim population of the Netherlands today? Somewhere between 10-20 %? I predict that once it gets past 30%, there will be a mass exodus of Dutch people from Holland and the countyr will quickly become a Muslim state. Is that bad?

Not necessarily I guess. The world changes and nations change with it. Afghanistan used to be Budhist. Egypt used to be Christian. Indonesia and Turkey used to be Christian too. Places change, and I'm just looking at historical trends and projections and birthrates and projecting which countries will be next to change.

Will Holland be worse off when Muslim voters and legislators make the laws? Maybe not, but I'd prefer not to live under them. Does that make me an Islamophobe? Maybe - I just look at Muslim majority countries around the world and see the laws they live under and think I'd like a lot more liberal society than they tend to produce.

[Classical_Liberal]

55. If it makes you feel better we don't get nearly as much immigration

from islamic countries as Europe and what we get is more than offset by nonmuslim countries. I think the muslims in this country will be more liberal like Catholics and and other religions.

[Yupster]

58. I don't think America

is in any danger of having a Muslim majority.

I'm thinking some European countries are moving that direction though.

[_Jumper_]

76. Who cares about Europe's religion?

What difference does Holland's religion make to us?

[Classical_Liberal]

63. I think our fundamentalist are dangerous as well

and they do actually have the reins of power in this country. They are also enflaming the muslims with their pro-armageddonist policies in the middle east.

[Yupster]

65. The Muslim World

has been growing geographically nation by nation for 1400 years now. It is a macro-historic trend.

It has not been caused by anything that's happened in the last 2-10 years.

[Classical_Liberal]

72. So what?

The Irish propensity to pump out kids liberalized them when more than 50% of their population was under 25. It will probably do that to muslims.

[Yupster]

78. You may be right

It is certainly happening that way in Iran today.

The young population is rebelling at the ultra-conservative laws and culture. This is an important battle being fought right now without much press coverage at all. Let's root for the student movements.

[_Jumper_]

74. Simple question

Are you one of those people that believe that only people of European descent can assimilate into Western nations?

You imply that Muslims will not assimilate. What makes you think they won't assimilate like every group that has come to America has done?

[Yupster]

80. No

I'm not.

[_Jumper_]

82. Ok

Do you believe Muslims can't assimilate into Western nations?

[_Jumper_]

77. "Mass exodus of DUTCH people"

You clearly are implying that non-European Muslim immigrants aren't Dutch. Will you overtly state that? What is your reasoning? What groups do you consider "fake Americans"?

[Yupster]

84. Jumper - I see the large Muslim influx to Europe

as a real challenge to those societies.

I look at a recently converted country like Indonesia, or countries with large Muslim and non-Muslim populations like Sudan or Nigeria, or countries with centuries old significant Muslim minority communities like India or the Philippines and I'm not optimistic.

I am reading much on France's work to try to integrate its fast-growing Muslim population into French society. I don't think I'm reaching too far to say that their success has been much less than hoped for so far.

You may agree with me that this is a challenge and maybe a real potential catastrophic problem for France, or you may think I'm wildly exaggerating any problems that might exist.

Fine, we're both entitled to our research and our opinions.

But the semantic games don't advance the dialogue.

When you say Dutch, don't you mean non-Muslim Dutch Yupster? Or are you a racist? hu Yupster? hu,ha,hu,ha. Ooooh I got Yupster good - didn't I everyone? hu,ha,ha.

[_Jumper_]

85. Sure it is a challenge

Just like all waves of immigration in the past were and current waves are. I think France will make it work since they are proactively fighting extremism.

"But the semantic games don't advance the dialogue."

Semantics sometimes are the telltale sign about one's true beliefs; they can't be ignored. What you said was racist plain and simple...if you object to it being called such don't post racist comments. :)

[IrateCitizen]

48. You and Pim Fortuyn probably would have gotten along famously

You both exhibit the same kind of xenophobia toward Arabs and Muslims.

Well, his was a little more extreme than yours. But nonetheless....

[_Jumper_]

49. Why is it tolerated here?

If someone said African-Americans and Hispanics moving to suburbs was destroying "local culture" how quickly would that post be deleted?

[Classical_Liberal]

56. Did you hit alert?

?

[_Jumper_]

75. No

I don't believe in banning people. First of all it doesn't work. Secondly, it violates the spirit of free speech. I just don't like a double standard whereby it is acceptable to bash certain minorities while bashing other groups is not tolerated.

[Classical_Liberal]

79. This is a liberal messageboard

I don't think he belongs here. He wouldn't have a right to be a republican voting in a Dem Primary and that is not a violation of free speech.

[_Jumper_]

83. I don't think he belongs here either

I just don't see any point in banning him. He'll just come back with a new name in 5 minutes.


Yupster, you should post at www.freerepublic.com They LOVE anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, xenophobes there.

[Yupster]

87. I'll check it out

after I watch Survivor and the debate tonight.

[maveric]

24. So the RW plan to incarcerate as many black men as possible is blowing

up in their faces. A great percentage of these inmates are there on minor drug charges aimed at people of color,or biased courts. So now they are seeing things differently and converting to Islam, and realizing more and more how the RW Xtian conservative system is/has been fucking them and most other common folk in this country.

Robertson is part of that system that opresses those very pery people who he is telling us to beware of.

These RW/repugs create monsters then spread fear and blame others when they rise up against them.

Great for these inmates. Things must change in this nation and this may part of the solution.

[AntiCoup2K4]

62. Maybe that WAS the plan all along?

The right wingers, specifically the Bush Criminal empire created most of the terrorists we're supposedly fighting now. Mossad created the rest of them. Saudi Arabi exports Wahabiism, and George Bush Sr is the best friend the Saud family ever had.

With all that in mind, would it be much of a leap to say that they were hoping black men incarcerated and converted to Islam might turn to violence as well?

Just the implied threat of such a thing would make it easier for Little Johnny Asscrotch to peddle the "Shred the Constitution Act II"

[maveric]

71. Charlie Manson may be somewhat prophetic.

At least the part about the black man taking on the white man and defeating him, only for Charlie and his followers to then defeat the blacks and inherit the world.

[JHB]

27. Other definitions/sources on Wahhabism:

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabism

http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/blfaq_islam_wahhab.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4273926-103701,00.html

http://www.muslimwakeup.com/mainarchive/000192.html

[LoneStarLiberal]

34. Another Great Reason Why We Need REAL Answers

This is another great reason why we need real answers to our war on terrorism instead of only pretending security is the be all and end all of it.

Wahhabism flourishes because of Saudi money, poor education, shitty economies, and authoritarian rule. If you address these issues with policies designed to staunch the flow of bigoted money, build up coherent systems of public education in Islamic countries, instigate practical economic reform, and liberalize the political systems of countries like Egypt, then you will have a real answer to the viability of Wahhabism in the Islamic world.

Until then, Wahhabism and its intolerance will flourish.

[BiggJawn]

36. I would not agree with Pat Robertson if he said the sun rises in the East.

Dishonest bastard.

Thinks he can "pray" away hurricanes...
Why is it not mental illness if you blame it on a deity?

[Bridget Burke]

37. No, I don't

Who's going to enlist in the next Crusade?

[barbaraann]

51. Here is Chuck Schumer's testimony.

SCHUMER: GROWING INFLUENCE OF WAHHABI ISLAM OVER MILITARY AND PRISONS POSE THREAT

Schumer testimony for Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
Hearing on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for holding this hearing and for permitting me to testify. The issue we’re addressing today is tremendously important in our effort to protect America from future terrorist attacks and it’s a credit to you and this Subcommittee that you’ve convened this hearing.

Since the Wahhabi presence in the United States is a foreboding one that has potentially harmful and far reaching consequences for our nation’s mosques, schools, prisons and even our military, these hearings could not come at a more opportune moment.

Before I begin, however, let me be absolutely clear: Islam is an admirable and peaceful faith that embraces tolerance, morality and charity. Most of the Muslim world follows these tenets. Unfortunately, the increasingly influential and radical Wahhabi ideology distorts this message by preaching hate, violence, and intolerance toward the moderate Muslim and Judeo-Christian world.

Al Qaeda and the 9/11 terrorists were the products of Wahhabism hateful and intolerant systems of belief. Over the past year, my office has been tracking Wahhabi activities in the US and around the world and has uncovered some disturbing information.

Wahhabism is an extremist, exclusionary form of Islam that not only denigrates other faiths but also marginalizes peaceful followers of Islam like the Shia and moderate Sunnis.

The roots of Wahhabism can be found in Saudi Arabia, where the governing regime has made an ugly deal with that nation’s radical Muslim clerics. The Saudis give the Wahhabis protection and support in exchange for the Wahhabis promising not to undermine the Saudi royal family. It’s nothing short of a deal with the devil.

The Wahabbis get to preach the hate and extremism that form core tenets of Wahhabism, without consequence. More importantly, they are allowed to recruit disciples who pose a tremendous threat to Americans everywhere.

I have written letter after letter to the Saudi Arabian government asking it to denounce the Wahhabi teachings of its madrassahs, or religious schools, which preach extremism, and to stop funding them. I’m sure everyone will be shocked to hear that thus far, I have not received any response from them indicating a change in policy.

As the Saudis turn a blind eye, the Wahhabi machine is becoming well-financed, politically powerful, difficult to prosecute and making dramatic inroads here in the US. Let me give you an example of how Wahhabism has wreaked havoc in my own backyard.

For 20 years, the New York State Department of Corrections employed Warith Deen Umar as one of its chaplains, eventually appointing him Administrative Chaplain of the New York Department of Correctional Services.

A strict believer in Wahhabi Islam, Umar was responsible for the hiring and firing of all chaplains in the New York State prison system, exercising complete control over personnel matters. But last year, Mr. Umar was banned from ever again entering a New York State prison after he incited prisoners against America, specifically preaching to inmates that the 9/11 hijackers should be remembered as martyrs.

Many of the clerics Umar hired during his tenure have reportedly echoed his sentiments in sermons before many of New York State’s 13,000 Muslim inmates as well as impeding their freedom of religion by denying these prisoners access to materials used by more moderate forms of Islam. While it is not surprising that Umar would have hired clerics who shared his beliefs, I am terribly worried that his minions may have exposed members of New York’s prison population to his extremist and toxic anti-American views.

More than preaching hate, these clerics seem to be actively opposing the US government. In March, federal prosecutors in New York indicted a chaplain at the Auburn Correctional Facility for sending millions of dollars to organizations in Iraq in violation of US sanctions. He has since pleaded guilty to the offense. When my office researched further, we discovered that New York’s prisons were not the only ones that had been penetrated by Wahhabi zealotry.

The US Federal Bureau of Prisons uses two groups to select imams who minister to Muslim inmates: the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS) whose offices were right across the river in northern Virginia, and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). As experts appearing later today can testify, both of these groups appear to have disturbing connections to Wahhabism and terrorism.

The GSISS is under investigation as part of U.S. Customs' operation Green Quest for its possible role in helping to funnel $20 million to terrorists through offshore financial institutions. Meanwhile, a number of ISNA board members appear to have checkered pasts. One member, Siraj Wahhaj, was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the WTC '93 bombings. Another board member, Bassam Osman, was previously the director of the Quranic Literary Institute, an Oak Lawn, Illinois organization that had $1.4 million in assets seized by the Justice Department in June 1998 on the grounds that it was used to support Hamas terrorist activities.

To make matters worse, the GSISS, as well as another Wahhabi-influenced organization that is under investigation by Green Quest – the American Muslim Foundation – are the sole organizations credentialed to advise the Pentagon on who to choose to serve as imams to the 4,000 patriotic and valiant Muslim soldiers in the US military.

While the potential Wahhabi influence in the US armed forces is not well documented, these organizations have succeeded in ensuring that militant Wahhabism is THE ONLY form of Islam that is preached to the 12,000 Muslims in federal prisons. The imams flood the prisons with anti-American, pro-bin Laden videos, literature and sermon tapes. They destroy literature sent to prisons by more moderate Shia and Sunni organizations, and prevent imams that follow these traditions from speaking to prisoners. In addition, non-Wahhabi Muslim prisoners who seek to practice their religion often receive death threats from Wahhabi prisoners who have been instructed by Wahhabi imams.

The point of prison is to rehabilitate violent prisoners. Instead, the Wahhabi influence is inculcating them with the same kind of militant ideas that drove the 9/11 hijackers to kill thousands of Americans. Mr. Chairman, this is a dangerous situation that is essentially being ignored.

Despite this evidence, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Pentagon continue to allow these Wahhabi organizations under federal terrorist investigation to serve as their sole religious advisors when it comes to Islam. In an effort to end this practice, I have written to the Inspectors General of the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense, both of whom have responded to tell me that they are looking into the matter.

However, Mr. Chairman, their efforts are only a first step towards revealing the full picture of the Wahhabi presence in America. And please make no mistake, we need to develop that full picture if we are to prevent these extremist teachings from taking hold in this country. Now more than ever I am convinced that the process to counter this hateful ideology begins and ends with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis can and should stop the terrorist financing that goes on within their borders. The Saudis can and should track down and arrest terrorists that hide out in their country.

But if they truly want to stop the violence that led to 9/11 and to the recent attacks in Riyadh – going beyond simple band-aid action – they must repudiate the Wahhabi extremism that is the source of this violence. This means shutting down the extremist madrassahs, purging the hate-filled textbooks that populate Saudi schools, and putting an end to the extremist Wahhabi preaching that takes place in their mosques. If the Saudis do not end the funding and teaching of extremism, the cycle of terrorist violence wracking the globe will never end.

In addition, our government – specifically the Defense Department and the Federal Bureau of Prisons – must do a better job of connecting the dots between the organizations with which they do business and Wahhabi activists – ultimately eliminating their influence. Have we not learned anything since 9/11?

Mr. Chairman, by holding these hearings, you’re doing your part to show that we have – you’re doing what’s necessary to ensure that we don’t look back after the next terrorist attack and ask, “why did we not stop it when we had the chance?”

My worry is that the Saudis and many in this Administration are not heeding the warning signs. My worry is that by not heeding these signs, we are once again letting those who hate freedom recruit disciples in our country who may potentially do us harm.

My fear is that if we don’t wake up and take action now, those influenced by Wahhabism’s extremist ideology will harm us in as of yet unimaginable ways.

http://www.senate.gov/~schumer/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/press_releases/PR01819.pf.html

[Classical_Liberal]

60. Schumer must be really frightened of the neocon contingent

That sounded like something out a Daniel Pipes column.

[Yupster]

66. Shumer

and a significant percentage of his constituents are Jewish. They have reason to fear Wahabbism.

[Classical_Liberal]

69. Most aren't neocons, and that is no reason to lie

and pretend their are wahhabies on every steet corner when there aren't. I don't know if I believe their a threat anyway. I don't think they will take over Europe without being Europeanized.

[_Jumper_]

81. Wahabbis are a threat

They must be stopped. However, moderate and liberal(there is such a thing)Muslims are not a threat. They are the majority. I believe the spread of Wahabbi ideology must be stopped but there is no reason to fear Muslim immigration turning Sweden into Iran.