Jessica Masse - New ISB Spokesman

There is a great deal going on under the surface in the Muslim communities in the Boston area.  I have an imperfect understanding of what's going on (to say the least), but nonetheless I try to point out and comment on things that strike me as significant, but that aren't getting coverage in the media.  Today and tomorrow, I'll try to tackle some recent developments one by one.  Today we start with Jessica Masse, the new interfaith coordinator and spokesman for the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB).

The Islamic Society of Boston has had many trials and tribulations as it has attempted to build the largest mosque in the Northeast in Roxbury, Massachusetts, a $22 million dollar project.  Daniel Pipes has a play-by-play of the ISB story.  Several writers have covered the story as well, including Dean Barnett and Tamar Morad.   There's so much material here:  ties to terrorists and terrorist group supporters; anti-Semitic statements by one of ISB's trustees who attended interfaith dialogues in Boston; multiple lawsuits against their critics; sweetheart deals with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA); mosque fund-raising trips by a BRA official to the United Arab Emirates; and most recently, news that $1 million dollars in funding came from the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank, which disburses - among other things - "special funds created to support Palestinian families, including the families of suicide bombers."  Like moths to the flame.   

Anyone who's the spokesman for the ISB has to be working overtime.  The previous face of the ISB was Salma Kazmi, its Assistant Director.  The new spokesman is Jessica Masse, who though only on the job for one month, has been writing up a storm and getting lots of media coverage. On December 28, 2006, the Globe published Masse's letter to the editor about The David Project's questioning of the UAE trip, which concludes:

"The real story here remains the relentless efforts of the David Project to stop the building of a mosque and center for interfaith dialogue in Roxbury . The ISB's letter invited the David Project to participate in dialogue to "begin a discussion toward healing the divisions between our communities" and to help lessen tensions between area Muslims and Jews. In response, the David Project has once again elected to practice only hatred toward area Muslims by rejecting dialogue."

Strong words for the new ISB spokeman's first public statement.  A few days later, Masse was quoted in a December 30, 2006 article about the renewed attempt of an interfaith group to conduct mediation between the ISB and The David Project:

"We embrace the proposal, and our hope is that we can get the David Project to sit down with the Interreligious Center for Public Life and us and work on these resolutions and make them happen," said Jessica Masse , interfaith coordinator for the Islamic Society of Boston, which operates an existing mosque in Cambridge and is overseeing the construction of the new mosque. "We want to immediately begin the process of healing these rifts."

OK then!  (My earlier thoughts on this dialogue here and here.) On January 10, 2007, Masse is quoted in the Globe article about that $1 million dollar financing for the ISB mosque from a Saudi-Arabia-based bank: 

"(ISB) spokeswoman Jessica Masse .... said that the loan is the first money for the project obtained from the financial institutions of Middle Eastern governments.  She stressed that the bank works with many Western governments and that it cofinanced, with the United States, some projects approved by the United Nations and the World Bank."

I wondered who this new, energetic ISB spokesman was.  My question was answered last week by a Muslim American Society e-mail dated January 11, 2007 (the MAS operates the ISB e-mailing list):

"I joined the Islamic Society of Boston as an employee a little over a month ago. When I left my job at Harvard Medical School, I was looking to do something fulfilling, some way to contribute to my community. Al-hamdulillah, I found many opportunities, but the most urgent need I found was with the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB)."

"We all have seen ISB beaten in the press for the past several years and I made the decision to join them to try and help and contribute to the dream of a building a beautiful mosque for our community so that we Muslims can pray together in dignity and peace."

Aha, it is the same Jessica Masse who worked for the Yang Research Laboratory at Harvard University.  Her picture can be found on Google, she is an attractive young woman and apparently is a convert to Islam.  Looks like the ISB has chosen someone with a non-Muslim name and non-Middle Eastern appearance to be its public face.  She has the victim mentality down pat, as her e-mail criticizes the Boston Globe for publishing the article about the Saudi bank funding and Jeff Jacoby's column on same.  She asks people to "to write letters to the editor to protest this attack on Muslims in the Boston community."  More from the e-mail:

They (the Boston Globe) need to know that this type of anti-Muslim bigotry will not stand in our community. And I also assure you, I’ve been getting emails and calls all day from non-Muslims and Muslims alike, telling me they support ISB and are outraged by this latest offense against the Muslim community."

Always a conspiracy, always an attack, the ISB is always the victim.  One simply cannot raise issues or ask questions of the ISB.  Different look, same attitude.   She's apparently been indoctrinated very well.