Muslim Brotherhood Influence in Boston

This article by Husain Haqqani of Boston University is actually about the Muslim Brotherhood  domination of Islamic organizations in the United States, but we're seeing exactly what Haqqani is talking about in Massachusetts.  Great summary article from the Hudson Institute on what the Muslim Brotherhood seeks to achieve, how they operate and their relationship to the U.S. government since the Cold War.  Haqqani was recently named as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, which ought to lend some legitimacy to what he's saying. 

Haqqani discusses the Muslim Brotherhood's seven-point pledge of allegiance.  Anyone who pledges to the Muslim Brotherhood takes an oath that he will "build up an Islamic personality;" establish a Muslim family; work to reform society; free Muslim countries from foreign, non-Muslim control; reform his government until it is converted to an Islamic government; work to restore the ummah and establish a world-wide Islamic state; and perform the duties of a teacher, serving as a guide to the whole world.  Haqqani observes: "This casting of Islam as an ideology, as opposed to a religion that serves as the means of spiritual salvation to its followers, sets the Muslim Brotherhood apart from purely religious groups. "

The article also discusses the American Muslim community that existed before the Muslim Brotherhood became active here, and how the Muslim Brotherhood has - with its its vast wealth, fueled by petro-dollars - overwhelmed American mosques and Muslim groups.  This is famously the case with the Islamic Center of New England (ICNE) and no doubt with other Massachusetts Islamic groups too. The Muslim Students Association was an early Muslim Brotherhood group that became active in the 60's and 70's.  The Muslim Brotherhood specifically targeted young professionals and students, which they continue to do today at many prestigious colleges.   What's the upshot of the expansion of the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S.?  Haqqani sees four major effects (all negative, in my opinion):

"First, many of the leading figures in the U.S. Muslim community ended up being people from, or influenced by, the Muslim Brotherhood. They had the money, resources, and the connections to organize and claim to represent America’s Muslims."

"Second, many mosques and organizations in North America are influenced or controlled by associates of the Muslim Brotherhood. The American Muslim community as a whole is very diverse and includes Sufis, Shias, Sunnis, and people with backgrounds in syncretism. Although an overwhelming majority of American Muslims would prefer that their imams be American Muslim—rather than radical Muslims aiming to change the American way of life—the Muslim Brotherhood has identified itself as their leaders."

"Third, the Muslim agenda in the U.S. has been defined by the Muslim Brotherhood. Matters of religious interpretation and inter-faith dialogue have taken a back seat to the Brotherhood’s political issues and priorities. Instead of accepting the diversity among Muslims who consider Islam simply as their religious faith, Muslim Brotherhood leaders describe Islam as a political and social ideology. Islam is therefore defined as ideology and faith, and any distinctions between the two become blurred."

"Fourth, the Muslim Brotherhood’s dominance has marginalized traditional Islam within the American Muslim community. The kind of people who want to say their prayers but otherwise want to get on with the business of life; who want to have a relationship with God through saintly intermediaries, but do not want to think in terms of political agendas, have found themselves on the outside of the organized U.S. Muslim structures."

Finally, Haqqani notes that enormous problem that non-Muslim Brotherhood Muslims don't have any voice on the media whatsoever.  This is true of virtually all American media, and is particularly true of the Boston Globe, which routinely goes the the Islamic Society of Boston, the Muslim American Society, and the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) when they want "the Muslim point of view." 

"But for many Americans, the Muslim Brotherhood’s version is now the 'official' and mainstream version of Islam. If a news organization is looking for a spokesman for the Muslims, they usually go to one of the Brotherhood-linked organizations, marginalizing the opinions of traditionalist but non-radical Muslims. Ironically, commentators then turn around and wonder what has happened to the moderate Muslims. The point is that moderate Muslims do not control the organizational structures from which Muslim spokespeople in the U.S. are selected."

"As Islam continues to win converts in the United States, these new converts are more likely to be influenced by radical Islam than by traditional Islam. Whether it’s a Muslim prison ministry, a chaplaincy in the military, or some other U.S. outreach, all of its teachings have been influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood sufficiently for the Brotherhood’s views to be the prism through which new converts view Islam. Even critics of radical Islam are affected by the Muslim Brotherhood’s notion that there is only one Islam. As a result, the plurality of Islam and the pluralism within Islam are totally ignored. Creating the illusion of homogeneity for a diverse community might be the Muslim Brotherhood’s most effective and profound accomplishment. It has achieved this through its well-planned takeover of Muslim leadership in the United States."

Which begs the question, how can the Muslim Brotherhood influence and control be countered?

And who can the media go to instead of the ISB and MAS to get opinions from non-radical Muslims?