Citizens for Peace and Tolerance Finds ISB Locals Ties in HLF Trial

Dennis Hale of the Citizens for Peace and Tolerance finds many connections between the recent Holy Land Foundation trial in Texas and our fair city.  From Market Watch:

"Dennis Hale, President of Citizens for Peace and Tolerance, called today for a public investigation of the Boston Redevelopment Authority's sale of land to the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) for the construction of New England's largest mosque."

"Hale noted that officers of the largest Muslim charity in America, The Holy Land Foundation (HLF), convicted in Texas last week of funding Middle East terrorism, have ties to the ISB and its close affiliate, the Muslim American Society. 'The convictions in Texas are a victory in the government's efforts to prevent charities from being used to support terrorism,' said Hale. The Holy Land Foundation and five of its organizers were convicted for sending more than $12 million to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. 'It is shocking to discover the ties between the HLF and the leadership of the Islamic Society of Boston,' said Hale.

"Hale enumerated the ties:

-- " 'Hossam Al Jabri, President of the Muslim American Society's Boston branch (MAS Boston), which now controls the ISB Cultural Center, personally donated money to the HLF while they were sending funds to Hamas,' Hale said. 'And the Islamic Society of Boston as an organization sent thousands of dollars to the HLF as well.' "

--"  'Jamal Badawi, an ISB Trustee, was a frequent speaker at HLF fundraising events, and was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF prosecution.' "

-- " 'Osama Kandil, the ISB Board Chairman, founded the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA), which provided venues for HLF fundraising events where Hamas members made explicit calls to murder Israelis.' For its role in Hamas fundraising, MAYA was also listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF trial"

" 'Now,' Hale continued, 'the mosque, which was built by the Islamic Society of Boston, has been taken over by the Muslim American Society (MAS). MAS was founded by top Muslim Brotherhood leaders and states that it is guided by Muslim Brotherhood ideology. The Brotherhood inspires and provides the justification for the anti-West Jihad.' Hale cited a document from the HLF investigation, which describes the Muslim Brotherhood's goal in America as a 'Grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying Western Civilization from within.' Hale noted that, 'this same document praises the contribution of ISB Trustee Jamal Badawi to the Muslim Brotherhood's efforts.' "

" 'And finally,' Hale said, 'the Boston Phoenix published last week an expose, 'Menino's Mosque,' which shows that the BRA did not perform due diligence when it approved the sale to the ISB of public property at a steep discount for the construction of a mosque financed mostly by Saudi Arabia. The Mayor intended to help a group of local African American Muslims build a house of worship. Instead, he wound up giving the mosque to a group controlled and financed by the Saudis,' Hale said. 'The BRA role is further complicated,' according to Hale, 'by the role of Muhammad Ali-Salaam, an official of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), who was also an ISB member and fundraiser for the mosque. The BRA recently told a judge that their records on the ISB matter have 'disappeared.' Today we call upon the FinCom's chairman, Paul Minihane, and its Executive Director, Jeff Conley, to initiate a long overdue investigation into the conduct of the BRA.' "

"CPT is an interfaith citizens group. It was sued by the ISB for "defamation" after asking questions about the radical leadership of the ISB in 2004, based on news reports that the founder of the ISB, Abdulrahman Alamoudi, was serving a 23-year prison term for a terrorist conspiracy and fund-raising for Al-Qaeda, and that an original ISB Trustee, Yusuf al Qaradawi, was calling for the wholesale murder of Jews and homosexuals, and is now barred from entering the U.S. Also sued were the Boston Herald, Fox 25, and over a dozen individuals and organizations. The ISB dropped its lawsuit in 2007"

About time.  There are way too many unanswered questions about who's running the Islamic Society of Boston and why the City actively and financially supported this mosque project.  Let's hope this call for an investigation has legs. It's years overdue really. 

 

Comments

[Shawmut]

I certainly appreciate seeing this item relating the ISB to the "Guilty" findings in Texas.
This Boston situation has more than a few moving parts to it and my fear is that, in an attempt to handle one, we'll drop all the others.
Frankly, I fear the population will become alternately selectively deaf and blind and will be bored after two sentences.
Maybe Mr. Hale is being cynical in calling either Paul Minihane or Jeff Conley to action. I doubt it. Boston's FinCom is as effective as the "Ancient and Honorable" and which I call inert and vulnerable. In fact, I alerted Mr. Minehane to this about two years ago, before I entered into the dialogue. Minnehane, a title chaser, was first appointed by Cellucci, removed by Swift and re-appointed by Romney.
Chairman of FinCom is a Boston Title awarded by the Governor's office. There are three and a staff to include Executive Director Conley. The members and the staff could no more order an investigation than they can thier office supplies. But the members possess those most useless but awed items - titles.
FinCom was originally estsblished by Brahmins of Beacon Hill to monitor the Irish Catholic politicians in Boston. I've known most of the nominees over more than a few years. I've seen nothing that resembles tenacity, but for the titles.
On the other hand, Mr. Hale's challenge to action is quite appropriate - if all we can do is say - we tried. I know City Councillor Micheal Flaherty was been fairly well briefed about two months prior to "Phoenix".
We're in that situation where - I'll use my own terms - we're (American People) afraid of ourselves. The political sensitivity prevails.
What has a good track record is the Municipal Research Bureau run by Sam Tyler. I believe it functions more on the behalf of some of Boston business leaders("The Vault").
When (or if) we hear of that entity engaging, we might just see some sparks fly.
It will either dove-tail together or go off in a flurry of feathers.
Regretfully I haven't been as engaged as I would like due to giving some seminars on intelligence operations, and then there's the aspect of selling the concern about Sharia Compliant Financing. Nobody's concerned about the ideals, so the risk has to be amplified.
Same problem however.
Walt Kelley who did the "Pogo" cartoons had a line in the 50's: "I've met the enemy...and he is us".
We have a case here where people see only a garden patch and some of us see a battlfield of even greater dimensions.
I applaud in awe for those of you maining the engagement.