Miss Kelly

"Immigration Laws Are Intended for All"

That includes Muhammed Masood.  The Patriot Ledger editor gets it:

"One of the many things that separate us from other countries is that we are a nation of laws and at the core of our judicial system is a belief that the laws be applied evenhandedly."

"Imam Muhammad Masood has contributed much to the region as former spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of New England’s Sharon mosque but his violation of the immigration laws and his admitted lying should result in his deportation."

"   ....While we empathize with Imam Masood’s plight, we cannot excuse the fact he lied to federal officials..... allowing Masood to remain would open the floodgates to any number of illegal immigrants looking to circumvent the system.

The local Muslim American Society, on the other hand, doesn't get it.  Hossam AlJabri of the Boston MAS issued this statement last FRiday (2-29-08):

"We continue to support Imam Masood as a loved and respected leader in our community and urge government agencies responsible for his continuing immigration case to allow him to continue to live in his adopted homeland."

Unlike the Muslim American Society, which maintains that the prosecution was a "witch hunt" against Masood, the Patriot Ledger editor took the time to research how many similar cases are underway:

"According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, Masood is clearly not being singled out. Between 2004 and 2006, the Department of Homeland Security brought criminal immigration charges against 814,073. Of that, more than 86 percent involved a variety of immigration violations such as entering the U.S. without an inspection, not having a valid immigrant visa or overstaying a student visa."

Kudos to the Patriot Ledger for stating the obvious, something which other newspapers, interfaith supporters and the Boston MAS can't bring themselves to do. 

And where is Imam's apology for his repeated lying?  I guess being a Wahabi/Salafi Muslim means never having to say you're sorry.

Essam Omeish of MAS Appointed to VA Commission on Immigration - NOT!

UPDATES BELOW!!

Saw this over at LGF:

"A local delegate has asked Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to re-think his appointment of the head of the Virginia-based Muslim American Society to the Virginia Commission on Immigration."

"Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, wrote to Kaine earlier today, saying he was concerned about the appointment of Dr. Esam S. Omeish, a Northern Virginia physician and the group's president, to the panel. The commission was created earlier this year to study the impact of illegal immigration on the commonwealth. The Muslim American Society has significant ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a group founded in Egypt, Gilbert said."

" 'It is unfortunate that the Governor would choose the leader of an organization such as this to represent many the freedom-loving Muslim citizens of Virginia on this important commission,' Gilbert said. 'While the Muslim American Society claims to be the innocent face of peaceful Islam in America, their history and teachings tell a much different story. Unfortunately, it is a story about which all Americans have become much too familiar -- that of the promotion of a global Islamic state. The questionable origin and teachings of this group should give the Governor some serious concerns about his recent appointment. Even though this organization has a savvy public relations machine, the public face that it projects may disguise some very troubling hidden intentions.' "

They're not hiding much, really. LGF posted a video of Omeish delivering a "virulent anti-Israel, anti-US rant" at a Washington, D.C. rally in August 2006.  Funny how the MAS claims to be the "biggest grass roots Muslim organization" in America.  Doesn't CAIR say the same thing?  How many members does MAS have?  Where does their funding come from?  I bet they're as representative of American Muslims as CAIR is, which is to say, hardly.  MAS is big on appearances, short on truthfulness.

I sat through about two hours of Omeish's lectures last December (Ughh! The things I do for this blog!). Omeish delivered several fiery speeches at the  2006 Muslim American Society (MAS)/ Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) conference in Dearborn, Michigan in November 2006. Some excerpts from Omeish's lectures:

• "All humanity is divided into  two categories: those who follow divine guidance (Muslims) and those who are seeking or need to be invited to Islam (everybody else, non-Muslims)." 
• "To call all humanity to Allah, that role is incumbent upon us....We are not just another community to bring into the mainstream."
• "Muslims must be willing to live and die for the sake of Allah," 
• "I am here for Allah to establish the way of Allah,"
• "We must create a society that is aligned by the will of Allah and that glorifies the almighty Allah."

Yup, the standard Islamic supremacist verbiage.  Does he say that sort of thing when he's speaking with Governor Kaine?  As I commented back then:

"It is inconceivable to these "leaders" that in a pluralistic American society, Islam is one religion among many.  Assimilation into American society is rejected.  It's also clear that to MAS/ICNA, Islam is not simply a religion, it's an ideology that seeks to dominate our society.   They make no bones about it."

Esam Omeish should NOT be on the Virginia Commission on Immigration.  He ought to be marginalized, not mainstreamed. Would Governor Kaine appoint a White Supremacist?  No, of course not.  So why is it OK to appoint an Islamic Supremacist?   Please let the governor know what you think of this move here, and you can thank Delegate Todd Gilbert for pointing this out here. 

UPDATE: And hey- who was just in Boston at a fundraiser for the Islamic Society of Boston?  The same! Dr. Esam Omeish was one of two featured speakers at the Grand Ramadan frundraising banquet held at the Cambridge Marriott Hotel in Kendall Sqaure, Septemebr 15th.  Pricey tickets, $100 a pop. 

GREAT UPDATE:

UPDATE TWO: The amazing power of blogs sometimes!  LGF broke this story, posted the video, and now they're reporting that Gov. Kaine has accepted Omeish's resignation.  Kudos to LGF and kudos to Delegate Todd Gilbert.   People with supremacist ideologies, people who want to impose their version of MAS Islam on  everybody else, need not apply.   

More on Religious Visa Fraud - Al Capone to Al Qaeda

More on religious visa fraud, via Bill West at the CounterTerrorism Blog:

First West asks, "Have we had enough?" He cites a story in today's Ontario, California Inland Valley Daily Bulletin about "the grossly abused and mismanaged religious worker visa program administered" by the the Immigration Services agency of the Department of Homeland Security.   Reporter Sara A. Carter writes that "Thousands of people who sought to sponsor religious workers for entry into the U.S. were approved to do so since 2001 without the applicants receiving proper background checks," according to memo obtained by the Daily Bulletin.

"Those oversights could pose a significant risk as a U.S. citizen with ties to terrorism could sponsor a person with similar beliefs to come to the United States without the sponsor being detected, according to national security experts. Because religious visa petitioners were not required to provide their dates of birth on their applications, their national security background checks were ineffective.... More than 5,000 people have applied to sponsor foreign applicants, usually religious workers, into the United States since 2001.... Nearly 33 percent of all immigrants who filed religious worker applications filed them fraudulently, according to USCIS documents. "

The article provides examples of several people who've entered the U.S. on religious visas who have been prosecuted for aiding terrorist organizations or plotting terrorist attacks.  Earlier in the week, Bill West wrote about anti-terrorist law enforcement officials effectively using immigration law violations to arrest and deport terrorists:

"Modern day law enforcement, from at least the 1970s onward, has addressed organized crime and drug traffickers with the “Al Capone” approach via well established and highly successful multi-agency task force efforts..... They all involve various Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies working in concert targeting major criminal enterprises, going after the crooks with any viable legal process and charges that develop."

"Within the counter-terrorism arena, the FBI as the lead Federal law enforcement agency, wisely adopted the multi-agency approach with their Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) well before the 9/11 attacks. The JTTFs significantly expanded after 9/11. Over the years there has been little criticism (except, perhaps, from defendants and their attorneys) of the “Al Capone” approach taken by the Feds against gangsters and drug dealers."

"Immigration law enforcement, in the form of the old INS Investigations Division and now ICE, has always been a participant in these multi-agency task forces. Not surprisingly, whether the targets are gangsters, drug traffickers or terrorists and their supporters, very many of them are foreign nationals (aliens) who, amazingly, in some way or another violated one or more (usually more) provisions of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. Therefore, not surprisingly, many such task force targets found themselves arrested and charged with immigration law violations. Sometimes such violations were in conjunction with other crimes. Sometimes those violations were the only viable charges under the circumstances, notwithstanding the intelligence that might exist identifying the suspect as a notable bad player (be he/she a gangster, drug dealer or terrorist operative). This isn’t bad; it’s solid, aggressive and innovated investigative law enforcement and prosecution, and it works."

Maybe that's what behind the arrest last month of Boston area imams imams Hafiz Hannan and Muhammed Masood on what their supporters dismissed as "minor technicalities."  !Ojala que si!

Update on Religious Visa Fraud Charges in Boston

Things are heating up in Boston following the arrest on Wendesday of two area imams by federal immigration officials on charges of religious visa fraud.  Today's Boston Globe notes that Muslim leaders in the area are outraged and they feel they're unfairly targeted. Some more details were revealed:

"William P. Joyce , the lawyer representing Hannan and Masood, said yesterday the government alleges that Hannan fraudulently obtained a religious-worker visa in 1997 from a New York man, Muhammad Khalil, who was convicted in 2004 of conspiracy and visa fraud. The allegation states that Hannan's visa violated the law because it was "not supported by a legitimate job offer," Joyce said. Hannan has been the imam of the mosque in Chelmsford for at least two years, Kaleem said....Both imams, who are Pakistani nationals, were being held yesterday at the Plymouth House of Corrections and are expected to appear in federal immigration court in Boston on Tuesday..."

Interesting connection there.  I wrote about Muhammad Khalil of Brooklyn just yesterday, not knowing of this link to a local imam.  What the Feds say about Khalil:

"Since 1993, Khalil sponsored over 200 fraudulent applications for individuals seeking religious work visas to enter the United States, charging cash fees ranging from $5,000 to $8,000. Prosecutors claimed that he had netted more than $600,000 from the scheme.... In addition, Khalil issued bogus paychecks to the applicants and requiring them to return the money to him in cash. He then filed tax returns for the mosque and required the applicants to file personal tax returns stating that they were employed as religious workers at the mosque. This allowed him to portray the mosque as a large-scale entity with a growing congregation."

Yup, this is more than just a "technicality." Meanhwile, the Boston branch of the Muslim American Society is not taking this lying down.  They've sent e-mail alerts to all the local Islamic groups, and have created a webpage with updates on the "Intimidation and Arrest of Imams of ISNE and ISGL.", including this suggestion:

Plan to come out in a show of support for the imams on the hearing at the JFK Building on the third floor on Tuesday 8:30 AM. The more people that come, the stronger the message to officials that Muslims will not sit idly by and accept intimidation. More details of this will be sent soon.

That's Tuesday, November 21.  Should be a fascinating hearing.

More about Hannan in the Lowell Sun paper. The article is rather fluffy ("Hafiz Abdul Hannan's job has been to spread the message of God"),but it does provide some info on the Religious Visa program.

Two Boston Imams Charged with Religious Visa Fraud

UPDATE BELOW

Immigration shenanigans by imams from two Boston area mosques, reported in today's Boston Globe:

"Federal immigration agents arrested imams from two Boston-area mosques Wednesday, alleging they were involved in a scheme that provided religious worker visas to immigrants who used them to enter the United States and work instead as gas station attendants, truck drivers, and factory laborers."

"Hafiz Abdul Hannan, imam, or leader, of the Islamic Society of Greater Lowell (website: isgl.org) in Chelmsford, and Muhammed Masood, imam, or leader, of the Islamic Center of New England in Sharon, were among 33 people taken into custody nationwide after a multi-year investigation led by agents in Boston and New York, said Paula Grenier, a spokeswoman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  "‘This was a nationwide religious worker visa fraud scheme designed to help illegal aliens," said Grenier."

Hmmm, good work by ICE.  Hope they make it stick. Who started the Religious Worker Program (described in the Globe article) anyway? Not the first time we've seen this sort of fraud in mosques:

"The ringleader of a massive visa fraud scheme operating out of a mosque he established in a Brooklyn basement was convicted by a New York court on September 23 (2004) —the result of a three-year investigation led by ICE.  Muhammad Khalil was convicted on charges of conspiring to submit hundreds of false applications on behalf of illegal aliens from the Middle East, exploiting a program that provides specialized visas for foreign workers with religious training to work with religious organizations in the United States. Khalil was the Imam—an Islamic religious teacher—and director of the Dar Ehya Essunnah mosque, which was located in the basement of a variety and greeting card store he owned in Brooklyn."

"Since 1993, Khalil sponsored over 200 fraudulent applications for individuals seeking religious work visas to enter the United States, charging cash fees ranging from $5,000 to $8,000. Prosecutors claimed that he had netted more than $600,000 from the scheme."

More from ICE here.

UPDATE: Within a few hours, the Boston branch of the Muslim American Society has this to say:

"The Muslim community in Boston is deeply concerned and outraged due to the recent arrests of two leading Imams in the Greater Boston community on alleged administrative violations of immigration policies....Imam Masoud's lawyer in the past had ensured ICNE that Masood's immigration papers are perfectly in order and that he is legally clear to work in the US. Imam Masoud and his family are applying for residency status in the US...."

"Imam Abdul Hannan from the Islamic Society of Greater Lowell has also served the Muslim community in Lowell as Imam for several years....."On the surface this appears to be yet another action unfairly targeting the local Muslim community" said Nancy Murray, Director of the Boston ACLU's Civil Liberties Task Force. ... Masood's lawyer, the Honorable William Joyce said: I'm extremely troubled by the way this came about, and I believe that Imam Masood and Abdul Hannan will both be vindicated. The way this all came about is a disgrace. They (immigration officials) wouldn't go to the Cardinal's residence and arrest him for an immigration technicality." 

"MAS Boston president Hossam AlJabri along with community leaders will be meeting with immigration officials tonight to get more information about the case and will demand that charges and evidence be made public to the Boston community and that the issue be resolved in a fair and speedy manner."

The MAS provides contact information, so folks can insist on "fair, speedy and respectable" treatment of the imams. 

Senator Edward Kennedy (617)565 3170
Request to speak to Tom Cohan, (ext. 119)

Senator John Kerry (617) 565-8519
Request to speak to Carmen Velazquez

I'm guessing that since the ICE has been working on this for several years, there's more to it than an "immigration technicality."  Clever (sort of) to compare these imams to Cardinal O'Malley.  Myself, I'm going to call my senators and express my thanks that the ICE is cracking down on fraud and abuse.

Some day, Muslim advocacy groups will work to end illegal activities in their midst, instead of covering up and claiming that they're being unfairly targeted. Some day.....

Mexican Chutzpah in Spades

"Mexico said Tuesday that it would file lawsuits in U.S. courts if National Guard troops on the border become directly involved in detaining migrants."

Can they even really do that? ?Como se dice chutzpah en espanol?

Bruce Bawer

Thought-provoking essay by Bruce Bawer at The Hudson Review on the Crisis in Europe. The opening sentence is a grabber:

"My learning curve was steep. When I look back, it’s as if one day the whole business wasn’t even on my radar screen, and the next day I understood that it was the most important issue of our time."

What he's talking about is the division and friction in Europe between its native population and its Muslim immigrants.  The influx of large numbers of poor Muslim immigrants to Europe since the end of WWII, coupled with the rise in fundamentalist Islam, is creating a "Eurabia" in that continent. Immigrants live in ethnic enclaves, with cultural mores completely at odds with Western mores.  Polygamy, forced marriages, honor killings - all are practiced in London, Paris, Hamburg and other cities in these enclaves.   Demographics being what they are (most European nations are not even replacing themselves, while Muslims are having big families), Europe is on the verge of a cultural collapse. 

The essay reviews a number of seminal books on the issue, including Orianna Fallaci's The Rage and the Pride (2002) and The Force of Reason (2005), Ibn Warraq'a Why I Am Not a Muslim (2003) and Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out (2003), Bat Ye'or's Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis (2005), and Robert Spencer's Islam Unveiled (2002) and Myths of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims (2005).   Bawer has lived in Europe since 1998 in Amsterdam and Oslo.  He also reviews books by Norwegian, Dutch and French writers, who are natives, refugees and immigrants.  These writers are critical of the failure of Europe to insist on integration for its immigrants.  Europe - the supposed bastion of Western, liberal thinking - has failed to protect basic human rights of the Muslim women and children in its midst. 

Bawer's essay is a good primer on this extremely important issue. It's also a warning for American progressives that the European model for immigration based on "multicultural tolerance" has been an economic and cultural disaster.   What works far better is the American model of requiring immigrants to learn the national language, compete for jobs, and assimilate into the larger culture. I hope Congress -when it gets back to immigration reform- is paying attention.

Rights for Illegals - Because They're Here

Heather MacDonald, writer for The National Review and City Journal, writes about "post-modern rights" of illegal aliens:

"With last month's mass demonstrations of illegal aliens, the United States has entered the era of postmodern rights. The protesters looked like conventional rights demonstrators, with their raised fists, chants, and banners. But unlike political protesters of the past, the illegal-alien marchers invoked no legal basis for their claims. Their argument boils down to: "We are here, therefore we have a right to the immigration status we desire." "

"The consequences of this novel argument are not insignificant: the demise of nation-states and of the rule of law. Remember: The only basis for the illegals' demands is: "I am here." ....In one stroke, the border-breaking lobby has nullified the entire edifice of American immigration law and with it, sovereignty itself. .... In other words, the United States has no right to decide who may come across its borders and what legal status an alien may obtain upon arrival. Those decisions remain solely the prerogative of the alien himself. The border no longer exists....The illegals are claiming rights to which by law they have no right and for which they can make no legal argument whatsoever. If their movement succeeds, it will not be possible to deny any future rights claims in any sphere of life or activity."

Over at City Journal, MacDonald asks "What would Mexico do with Protesting Illegals?"  She answers with some evidence that Mexico would deport them on the spot.  She also looks into Mexico's immigration policy, which "grants preferences to scientists and other professionals likely to contribute to national progress."  How does Mexico treat the thousands of impoverished Central Americans crossing into Mexico?  They are egregiously victimized, according to this Center for Immigration Studies report and this AP article. Nope, sorry, we do not have to accept millions of illegal aliens streaming into the southwest.  Nor do we have to take lectures from Presidente Vincente Fox about the "rights" of Mexicans illegally crossing into the U.S.   

Guest Worker Program? Decidedly Un-American

An argument against any guest-worker program in the U.S. by the editors of The New Republic. They consider it completely un-American, as it institutionalizes a second-class "citizenry" and is utterly in conflict with America's idea of nationhood.   

"The problem with Bush's plan lies in the term--and the concept of--"guest workers," because there is little that is more antithetical to the American ideal than a guest worker....For generations, immigrants have come to the United States in search of a better life. In the process, they often remake themselves--as Americans."

"But a guest worker and his family have no such opportunity for transcendence. They are slotted into a caste, with no real hope of ever rising above it. Indeed, Bush's guest-worker program would codify a large group of people in the United States as second-class citizens. Although they would enjoy many of the same legal protections as American-born workers, they would never be viewed by Americans as equals. Instead, they would be seen as transient figures here only to make a buck. They would not be immigrants or future Americans. They would merely be janitors, construction workers, and housekeepers."

Any immigration plan which considers amnesty for illegal aliens must have a clear path to citizenship.  And those who are here illegally should not be rewarded for that, they cannot be allowed to jump to the head of the line.  Don't make chumps out ot those immigrants who are doing it lawfully.

Mark Steyn on Immigration

Mark Steyn is definintely one of my favorite writers, and I have to hold myself back from linking to each and every one of his columns.  Gotta link to this one on immigration though.  He starts with the story of how four illegal immigrants were able to obtain fake ID's in Virginia:

"In Michelle Malkin's book Invasion, she recounts the tale of two fellows who in August 2001 pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot in Falls Church, Va., in search of fake ID from the illegal-alien assistance network that hangs around there. Luis Martinez-Flores, who'd been living here illegally since 1994, took them along to the local DMV, supplied them with a fake address and falsely certified they lived there. The very next day, the two guys returned with two pals of their own, and used their own brand-new state ID on which the ink was not yet dry to obtain in turn brand-new state ID for their buddies. A couple of weeks later, all four of them used their Virginia ID to board American Airlines Flight 77 at Dulles Airport and plowed it into the Pentagon."

Steyn points out a major drawback to both the Senate and House immigration bills: neither one does "anything to improve the sclerotic U.S. government immigration system."   Congress can grant amnesty for 11 million illegal immigrants, but there's squat for the hundreds of thousands (maybe more?) of people who have been waiting for years to become legal immigrants.  One example:

"Deena Gilbey is a British subject whose late husband worked on the 84th floor: On the morning of Sept. 11, instead of fleeing, he returned to the building to help evacuate his co-workers. A few days later, Mrs. Gilbey receives a letter from the INS noting that as she's now widowed her immigration status has changed and she's obliged to leave the country along with her two children (both U.S. citizens). Think about that: Having legally admitted to the country the terrorists who killed her husband, the U.S. government's first act on having facilitated his murder is to add insult to grievous injury by serving his widow with a deportation order."

This is not funny.  Keep the pressure on our reps and senators to craft an immigration bill that 1)secures the borders, and 2) improves the existing immigration system and takes care of all the people in limbo waiting to become citizens. After that's figured out, I'm willing to compromise on which illegal immigrants get to stay and who has to go. 

I'm totally against a guest-worker program.  It was a disaster for Germany, and is one of the reasons for the ethnic troubles they have today.  Germany allowed Turks in as guest workers after the Second World War. Even after some Turks had lived in Germany for several generations, they weren't allowed to become citizens. That was changed in 2000, but even now, only one-third of German Turks are German citizens.  Their unemployment rate of 21% is double the national rate of 10% unemployment.  We should allow people in the U.S. who want to become Americans. Mexico should fix their economy and government and provide jobs for Mexicans, not the U.S. 

First Put Up a Wall

I'm with Krauthammer on this, first put up a wall and seal the borders. Then we'll deal with the 11 million illegal immigrants here.  The last major immigration reform bill was in 1986, and at the time there were an estimated 3 million illegal immigrants, who were granted permanent residency.  Twenty years later, our borders are no more secure, and we've attracted another 11 million illegals. Granting amnesty without securing the borders will only attract more waves of illegals.  In the post-September 11th world, porous borders are not acceptable.   

The March 2005 Atlantic Monthly listed eleven modern security fences found around the world, "aimed at repelling invaders - whether terrorists, guerillas or immigrants":

• North Korea/South Korea - 151 miles
• Belfast, Northern Ireland - 13 miles
• Cyprus - 112 miles
• Morocco/Western Sahara - 1,500 miles
• India/Bangladesh - over 2,000 miles
• India/Pakistan - 700 miles, eventually to run 1,800 miles
• Kuwait/Iraq - 120 miles, 135 miles to be added
• United States/Mexico (surprised?) - 70 miles, built under Clinton
• Israel/West Bank - the only fence criticized by much of the world - to run 400 miles
• Botswana/Zimbabwe - 300 miles
• Saudi Arabia/Yemen - distance not known

Meeting on Immigration Issues, April 6, State House

Boston, MA - Please tell your friends, neighbors and all concerned citizens about this event. Also, in a united effort to showcase the principles of justice and the sacrifice of blood shed by patriots on behalf of our nation, please wear a red or blue shirt. From Michael Graham's website: Town Hall Meeting Defend America’s Borders Thursday, April 6th, 3-5pm, Gardner Auditorium State House, Boston, Michael Graham live broadcast on 96.9 FM TALK, WTKK Red or Blue attire requested. All attendees must pass through State House security. No banners or posters, please. DIRECTIONS: The State House is at the corner of Beacon and Park Streets. It is accessible by the Red or Green lines at the Park Street Station, and there are several commercial parking garages in the area. Use the East Wing entrance on Beacon Street behind the statue of General Hooker. After you pass through security, follow the signs to Gardner Auditorium.

This is an opportunity to discuss legalized immigration, border-security laws and how as a nation we realistically deal with the estimated 11 million illegal aliens now living in the United States. The politicians have heard from those who violate our borders. This is a declaration: American majority speaking out to demand secure borders and the rule of law.