A local character and blogger Joachim Martillo printed an article which claimed that the Israeli government was in cahoots with Steve Emerson and "Power Point" expert Robert Spencer, among others, to try and stop the construction of the Roxbury mosque. As if. From the Counterrorism Blog:
"An effort by radical Islamists to smear terrorism expert Steven Emerson backfired last week when the allegations proved to be fabricated. An article entitled, “Paul Kendall: Did an 'Expert' on Terrorism Conspire With a Foreign Government to Violate the Constitutional Rights of American Muslims?" was posted on PR Newswire on March 4. It was based on copies of emails the author claimed to have reviewed. 'These electronic communications prove that Steve Emerson, along with some anti-Muslim advocacy groups, worked directly with the public affairs office of the Israeli consulate in Boston to formulate the creation of a smear campaign intended to stop the construction of a new Islamic cultural center,' the article claimed.
"PR Newswire sought to corroborate the article’s claims. But the emails say no such thing - out of dozens posted with the article, Steve Emerson is referenced in only two. In neither case is he shown in any communication with the Israeli consulate, communication which simply did not happen. The author of the article apparently did not respond to requests from PR Newswire for corroboration."
"PR Newswire therefore issued a “Kill” order on the story at 12:33 p.m. on Friday, March 7, withdrawing the original press release. This was confirmed in an email and telephone call to Steve’s attorney Richard Horowitz. WordPress.com also removed a blog containing the same report: 'This blog has been archived or suspended for a violation of our Terms of Service.' ”
"Steve Emerson expresses gratitude for the way both entities handled the situation. 'I run an independent organization that takes no money from any government, or from anybody outside the United States,' he told me. 'This report was an attempt at a viral smear, using the Internet to spread lies about my work. I appreciate the responsible steps PR Newswire and WordPress took to ensure they were not used any further.' ”
Counterterrorism Blog uses this bogus attempted smear to remind its readers of the salient facts of the Islamic Society of Boston mosque, its trustees, and their funding sources. Why doesn't the City just take it over, and transfer ownership and operation to another organization? Transfer it to a Roxbury Islamic group or maybe some inter-religious group. Anyways, a refresher on the ISB mosque:
"The emails in the original article appear to be part of the discovery process from a lawsuit brought in 2005 by the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB). A year earlier, Boston media outlets reported on the ISB’s mosque project. Most of the coverage focused on a land deal between a city redevelopment arm and the ISB which was well below market value. Several ISB officials also had demonstrable involvement in radical Islamist activity."
"Those officials include former ISB board member and former American Muslim Council President Abdurrahman Alamoudi. Alamoudi is serving 23 years in prison after a 2004 guilty plea for illegal transactions with Libya and for participating in a plot to assassinate the Saudi Crown Prince. ISB officials had contended that they had broken ties with Alamoudi years earlier, but discovery records from the Society showed it paid Alamoudi a speaking fee in November 2000, just two months after Alamoudi stood in LaFayette Park in Washington, D.C. and publicly proclaimed his support for Hamas and Hizballah."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Mahdi Bray, Muslim American Society "Freedom Foundation" director and former spokesman for the Islamic of Society of Boston, was with Alamoudi at Lafayette Park.
"In addition, Muslim Brotherhood spiritual guide Yusuf al-Qaradawi was identified as an ISB trustee. Qaradawi issued a fatwa stating that Muslims killed fighting American forces in Iraq are martyrs. "Those killed fighting the American forces are martyrs given their good intentions since they consider these invading troops an enemy within their territories but without their will.”
"An ISB director named Walid Fitaihi had written that Jews had 'perpetrated the worst of evils and brought the worst corruption to the earth' and engaged in 'oppression, murder and rape of the worshipers of Allah.' "
Former treasurer Fitaihi is still an ISB trustee.
"The ISB dropped its lawsuit against Emerson, the Boston Herald, the Fox affiliate in Boston, the David Project and others in May 2007. For Steve Emerson and the others sued by the ISB, there were no settlement payments, no retractions and no restrictions on future reporting or claims about the Society. ISB’s dropping of a lawsuit win represented a victory for freedom of speech and the press. But it demonstrated the lawfare that jihadists are trying to use to stifle freedom of speech. Smearing is the next tactic they use."
"The Islamic Society of Boston used its connections with the Boston Redevelopment Authority to get a parcel of land at a fraction of its real cost. In its lawsuit, the Society claimed that reporting on the deal and the presence of Islamist extremists within the ISB dried up its funding. But financial documents produced under discovery show massive amounts of money coming in from the Persian Gulf and bank accounts flush with millions of dollars."
"Other discovery records show significant financial support from Saudi Arabian funders, attempts to fraudulently change the board of the mosque at the last moment to shield the real board from discovery, destruction of emails (right before they were to deliver them, at which point the ISB dropped the case) and some unusual financial transactions. The entire episode, including an attempt to stifle free speech, the support from extremists, and a clear conflict of interest in the awarding of land at a fraction of its value to ISB, call for a larger federal and Congressional investigation, especially since the Boston Mayor, Boston City Council and the FBI in Boston appear to have tolerated the deceit practiced by the ISB."
"The ISB has received political support from the Muslim American Society (a de facto arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and which has expressed support for suicide operations) and the Council on American Islamic Relations (an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development Hamas money laundering case)."
Political support? Way more than that. The MAS runs the ISB now, and they're not hiding that fact at all.
My previous blog posts on the ISB and the mosque project are here (scroll down).
GULF NEWS
Pope greets Hamad on church opening
By Barbara Bibbo', Correspondent
Published: March 15, 2008, 19:21
Doha: Pope Benedict XVI sent a greeting message to Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and the people of the country on Friday on the occasion of the dedication of the first Catholic Church in the Gulf country.
Cardinal Ivan Diaz, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, conveyed the Pope's message at the consecration of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary during a four-hour ceremony attended by more than 10,000 people.
"The Holy Father sends his very special greetings to the Emir of Qatar and the beautiful people of this country ... I want to thank the Emir for the gracious gift of this land and his permission to build the church that we consecrate today," said Cardinal Diaz, who co-celebrated together with the Bishop of Arabia Monsignor Paul Hinder, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Arabian Peninsula Monsignor Mounged Al Hachem, former bishop of Arabia Monsignor Bernardo Gremoli, former Vatican Nuncio Monsignor Giuseppe de Andrea, and some 20 representatives of the Capuchins order.
Roman Catholics representing 63 nationalities in Doha took part in the ceremonies with traditional and ethnic dances and hymns in the enchanting settings of the new church designed and built by Italian artists with the contribution of celebrated sacred art painter Valentino Vago.
Joyous occasion
The emotional ceremony reached its climax when Cardinal Diaz presented the chalice donated by the Holy Father to the Church and placed a relic of Saint Padre Pio Da Pietralcina in the altar during the dedication ceremony.
"We worked many years to reach this, and we could not have done it without the support of the Emir of Qatar," said Bishop of Arabia, Paul Hinder, whose vicariate includes 2 million Catholics across the entire Arabian Peninsula. More than 3,000 inside the church repeatedly applauded the Emir in sign of gratitude for the donation of the land and his policy of openness and tolerance towards religious communities living in the country.
Monsignor Giuseppe Bernardo Gremoli, the former bishop of Arabia for 30 years, and initiator of the church project, said he had started to dream of a church in Qatar 20 years ago. "Today that dream has come true," he told worshippers.
On Friday night a private ceremony for the Qatari authorities and the Vatican representatives took place at the church premises. Abdullah Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry, attended the event. "We are glad to have the first Catholic Church. Muslims have mosques and places of worship in Christian countries, it is time we also host a church," he told reporters.
"Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance and dialogue. We in Qatar are proud to be the only country to have an annual interreligious conference for the three monotheistic faiths," he said.
Ministerspeak: Papal 'visit welcome'
"Qatar welcomes the Pope," Abdullah Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry, told reporters on Friday night during a visit to the new Catholic Church in Doha.
"We have spoken of a visit with Apostolic Nuncio to the Arabian Peninsula Monsignor Mounged Al Hachem. We would be glad to welcome the Pope any time," the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters.
Asked by reporters to comment on the voices of disagreement within the Qatari community, Al Attiyah said: "I respect all opinions."
Qatar hosts more than 100,000 Roman Catholics and about 50,000 Christians of other denominations.
More from ...... The Gulf
Email this
article
Printer-Friendly
version
Posted by: CHRISTIAN BROTHER | March 16, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Kendall's charges against Emerson were of little interest to me and seemed overstated (but not to have been disproven).
The Israeli Consulate (and therefore the Israeli Government) clearly did engage in conspiracy against rights with Fox, the Herald, the David Project and other local groups and individuals.
See http://tinyurl.com/yrrxm2 .
Posted by: Joachim Martillo | March 18, 2008 at 03:54 PM