Investigation of 'Terrorist Recruitment' Concerns Muslims

CNSNEWS.COM ^ | September 29, 2003 | Jeff Johnson

[yoe]

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Following the arrests of a Muslim chaplain and an Arabic translator for suspected spying at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility, two senators are calling for a full investigation of terrorists' attempts to recruit members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Muslim-American groups fear the investigation may become a "witch hunt" for followers of Islam.

"How, in our most sensitive Army prison [at] Guantanamo, the most sensitive of Army facilities, were there breaches?" asked Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) Thursday. "When you hear that, at Guantanamo, security has been breached, you say to yourself, 'Well, what's happening at the less secure and less sensitive bases?'"

Schumer's comments came after reports that at least two and possibly as many as four members of the U.S. military detail stationed at Guantanamo have been detained for alleged spying. The New York Democrat joined Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) in calling for hearings by Kyl's Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism and Government Information.

"We had been talking about having a hearing on the military chaplains and in the [federal] prisons now for some time because clearly, both are ripe areas of recruitment that could really hurt us," Kyl explained. "And now, these stories come out to reveal the fact that our worst suspicions are, in fact, correct."

The military is responsible for allowing the alleged breaches, Schumer said, because it did not address a known area of concern.

"Certainly, we ought to get to the bottom of this," Schumer said. "The military, in my judgment, has been lax, totally lax in this regard. Before 9/11, I guess that's sort of understandable. After 9/11, it isn't."

Schumer recalled that the Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General told him in writing in March that it would honor his request to investigate the organizations that certify Muslim chaplains.

"Six months ago, I asked them to look into this, to see what's going on," Schumer recalled. "As of [Tuesday], they said they weren't, but now, as of [Thursday], they say they are. That's good news."

Schumer sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Wednesday, complaining about "incredibly lax" security procedures at the nation's most sensitive military installations and about the delay in the beginning of the probe.

Senators focus attention on two organizations that certify Muslim chaplains.

Of particular concern to both Schumer and Kyl is the limited number of sources, only two, from which Muslims wishing to serve as chaplains can receive their credentials.

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) oversees the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS), which has been registered with the Pentagon to credential chaplains since 1991.

The American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council (AMAF and VAC) is part of the American Muslim Foundation (AMF) and has been registered with the Defense Department for the same purpose since 1998.

The U.S. Customs Service raided the GSISS in March 2002 as the result of allegations that the organization was funneling money to al Qaeda and other militant Islamic groups. No charges have been filed against the school's leader, Taha Jabir Al-Alawani, who was also named in search warrants.

Schumer and Kyl question the logic behind the continued use of the GSISS as part of the vetting process for chaplains.

"I hope there is a complete and thorough investigation as to how these two groups were chosen, if they should at all be involved in choosing Imams and, certainly, if they should be the only groups who can choose Imams for the military," Schumer said.

"It seems logical to me, it wasn't done with any malice, but rather, with some carelessness," Schumer continued, "and as new facts came about, things should have been changed."

Kyl, however, believes there has been an organized effort to promote limited and specific sources for Muslim clerics for the military.

[yoe]

Today's Trojan Horse...his name is Political Correctness

[swarthyguy]

Investigation of Islamic Recruitment concerns Americans.

[Coop]

Apparent apathy on part of Muslims toward terrorism concerns Americans.

[theDentist]

Investigation of 'Terrorist Recruitment' Concerns Muslims

Yeah? Well then the open borders between the Mexico, the US, and Canada should frighten the h*ll out of them!

[Bikers4Bush]

"Muslim-American groups fear the
investigation may become a "witch hunt" for followers of Islam."

Uhm, not to nitpick but when they get caught in the act it's no longer a witch hunt.

[onedoug]

How many American Muslims are Islamists, or idiotic enough not to know the difference?

[MEG33]

Al Amoudi,former executive director of AMC arrested as he deplaned from a trip overseas.

[b4its2late]

Muslim-American groups fear the investigation may become a "witch hunt" for followers of Islam.

They should only be fearful of an investigation if they are engaged in terrorist activities, financing, or endorsing it.

[Highest Authority]

This is typical of the price we must pay for herr Klinton's injection of political correctness into the upper ranks of the military. We will be more than twenty years in fixing the destruction he caused to America.

[Noachian]

The military, in my judgment, has been lax, totally lax in this regard. Before 9/11, I guess that's sort of understandable.

It was understandable because Clinton was in office

After 9/11, it isn't."

Now that Bush is in office NOTHING is understandable to ol' Schumer.

[sticker]

And if the military had acted the way they should have chuckie and the rest of the RATS would have scremed about profiling

[Michael2001]

We shouldn't allow Muslims in the military period. The idea that my friends and family over in Iraq won't be able to trust people in their own unit doesn't sit right with me.

[Stultis]

Why was this excerpted rather than posted in full?

[DianaN]

Yes, there is a difference between Muslims and Islamists.

Unfortunately, it is the truth that there are entirely too many Islamists right here in America and in the UK and other Western countries as well.

One of the reasons some Muslims complain it's a "war against Islam" or a "war against Muslims" is due to the fact that some of the 'ordinary' Muslims sympathize with the Islamists.

It takes time to sort out the anti-American Muslims from the Islamists and those that actively support the Islamists.

Some Muslims make the job of sorting out the Islamists from Muslims more difficult.

I question any Muslims patriotism if every time an Islamist is detained they holler 'persecution'.

[DianaN]

ISNA; That certainly explains how they Iranians and the jihadists got ahold of pictures of the Muslims detained at Quantanamo and then represented on their Islamist web sites that we weren't treating Muslims well enough.

I always suspected we were infiltrated; I should have reported it. It looks like some one else did.