Islamist 'enabler' threatens 'grave harm to Bush presidency,' Gaffney warns

Center for Security Policy ^ | 26 February 2003 | Frank Gaffney

[Fred Mertz]

Headline Story |

Islamist 'enabler' threatens 'grave harm to Bush presidency,' Gaffney warns

>

Norquist's group took seed money from an avowed supporter of Hezbollah, the terrorist group that killed 241 US Marines in a 1983 Beirut bombing.

A prominent conservative leader who allegedly has used undeclared foreign money and top political connections to promote terrorist sympathizers is an 'enabler' who threatens 'to do grave harm to the Bush presidency.'

Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney issued the warning in a letter to Grover Norquist, founding chairman of the Islamic Institute, after Norquist publicly accused Gaffney of 'racism and bigotry' and banished him from a weekly strategy group. Norquist's actions came in response to Gaffney's criticism of a White House official who allowed pro-terrorist Muslim groups access to the White House complex on January 16.

'People who afford terrorist-supporters or -apologists and their organizations entree into the White House deserve to be both challenged and criticized,' Gaffney wrote in response. Norquist, an anti-tax activist and Washington networker who often purports to speak in the name of President Bush, told Gaffney in a widely distributed letter that the Center for Security Policy leader was guilty of 'racial prejudice, religous bigotry or ethnic hatred' because the criticized official is a Muslim.

In response, Gaffney and American Conservative Union leader David Keene slammed Norquist for 'employing "Stalinist tactics" against those who disagree with Mr. Norquist's role in brokering access to the Bush White House,' the Washington Times reported on February 7.

Norquist has been criticized for promoting what is called the Wahhabi lobby, a Saudi-funded network designed to dominate and radicalize Islam in America, at the expense of other Muslim groups whose stand against terrorism is unequivocal.

'Why have you gone to such lengths to defend - to say nothing of legitimize and advance the agendas of - terrorist sympathizers and others hostile to everything for which American conservatives stand?' Gaffney asked Norquist in a responding letter. Gaffney listed his concerns:

* The Islamic Institute, which Norquist co-founded and houses in his Americans for Tax Reform office, received seed money from an avowed supporter of Hezbollah, the terrorist group that killed 241 US Marines in a 1983 suicide bomb attack.

* The Islamic Institute reportedly is 'predominantly funded by foreign governments, shady Saudi sources, and US-based groups raided by the Treasury Department-led Operation Green Quest Task Force for allegedly funding suicide bombers, al Qaeda and other terrorists' activities.'

* Norquist led conservative opposition to parts of the Bush administration's anti-terrorism legislation, without disclosing that his Islamic group was dependent on such funds.

* Norquist has affiliated himself with the radical National Committee to Protect Political Freedom (NCPPF), from which he received an award shortly before the September 11, 2001 attacks, despite the group's thirty-year public track record of promoting domestic and international terrorism.

* Norquist reportedly introduced Sami Al-Arian, whom federal law enforcement officials say is a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, to then-candidate George W. Bush during the 2000 campaign. Televised videotape shows Al-Arian raising money in the US for terrorists.

[bvw]

That's a walk into the maze of UN, EURO and NGO power groups. Slobo's a thug -- but that "war" against Serbia was a joke as bad as Viet Nam, or could have been. Look -- I'm a fan of Bosnia and Serbia, both. The Serbian's were on OUR side on WWII. They deserved better dealing with, even with that thug in charge.

Sorry I can't help you on this.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"My concern is regarding a possible betrayal of our country by certain people."

How can it possibly be considered a betrayal when the organizations he is being "accused" of associating himself with, are still functioning, perfectly legal, above the board organizations?

You need to FIRST find the organizations themselves to be doing something wrong, before you go suggesting that anyone is doing anything wrong by associating with them!

[Luis Gonzalez]

"You also seem to be mischaracterise your own alone-ness, and the roar of the crowd. A FEW posters have called to eradicate Islam, and fewer still consistently."

I beg to differ, and I would like to point out that your perception of what's been said to me, or what I have read on this forum could not possibly be more complete than my own.

[EastCoast]

Thanks for the information on al-Arian. I appreciate it. How I've missed all of those threads, I don't know.

Henry Hyde, huh? Well, well, well! I wonder if Nahia knew she would be testifying before HH prior to sending the donation. Bonior, I understand.

The son at the WH was one of many points of contention between Norquist and Gaffney.

I'm under the impression that the feds have been tagging al-Arian for a few years. True or not true? And I wonder what USF is going to do about the grievance that they're about to receive from al-Arian! (Is there a ping list for this information?)

[Thorondir]

Oh, but they're peaceful and really, really, the vast majority of them love us and just want to come here to work and be good Americans. Honestly, it's only a tiny, tiny, tiny minority of Muslims who dance in the streets and silently smile when Americans and Jews are slaughtered. (/sarcasm)

Human civilization had better wake up soon and get as serious about its survival as the seventh-century savages of Islam are about our annihilation!
SLEEPING AMERICANS ARE EASIER TO KILL.
Do not be lulled to sleep by the Religion of Peace defenders.

Click here and never forget the face of Islam and what it wants for you infidels.

[Amelia]

The Serbian's were on OUR side on WWII. They deserved better dealing with, even with that thug in charge.

I felt we were on the wrong side during Clinton's Kosovo war...just couldn't understand why the American left or American Muslims would defend Slobo.

[cyncooper]

I wonder if Nahia knew she would be testifying before HH prior to sending the donation.

That is EXACTLY what I suspect, as the timeline shows she testified before the sub-committee on 2/10/00 and made the H.H. donation 2/16. I am *guessing* that she was told by the sub-committee that she would be granted an appearance before H.H. and the Al-Arians seem to have subscribed to the Johnny Chung idea of how access and favorable decision-making worked in Washington, D.C.

I do NOT think Henry Hyde operates that way. And as I noted, way back in the fall of 2001 when the arrest of her brother happened he moved the donation Nahla made to charity.

Yes, the Al-Arians have been under investigation for years. However, how widely publicized, to the point the name would jump out to even seasoned politician types even just a few years ago, doesn't seem to have been the case.

I am not on a ping list regarding this story, but I think Sabertooth has one.

[Sabertooth]

just couldn't understand why the American left or American Muslims would defend Slobo.

Again, the article is explaining the sometimes ironic diversity of the ANSWER groups. Certain Muslim groups have joined the coalition despite, not because of, the presence of some groups that have defended Milosevic, who warred against Muslims in Kosovo.

The immediate purpose of this coalition is to oppose the war against Iraq, nothing more.

[Sabertooth]

just couldn't understand why the American left or American Muslims would defend Slobo.

Again, the article is explaining the sometimes ironic diversity of the ANSWER groups. Certain Muslim groups have joined the coalition, despite, not because of, the presence of some groups that have defended Milosevic, who warred against Muslims in Kosovo.

The immediate purpose of this coalition is to oppose the war against Iraq, nothing more.

[Sabertooth]

Sorry about the double post, FR is a little glitchy this morning.

[Michael2001]

What kind of fights did you have aa a kid? Ours were always "my dad can beat up your dad". Peeing farther isn't really all that impressive :)

[TLBSHOW]

bttt

[EastCoast]

Thanks for the information, cyncooper! I think you are right that Nahia was informed during the sub-committee that she would be called to testify before HH. It seems they are practicing from the same hymn book Chung used!

It surprised me that HH accepted the donation knowing that he doesn't do those sorts of things, but he did donate it to charity.

I did hear on Fox that the feds have been after al-Arian for 10 years. And thanks for the ping information.

[EastCoast]

Saber, do you have a ping list for the al-Arian threads? If so, can you put me on it? Thanks, EastCoast

[TLBSHOW]

top story at the center again