Miss Kelly

"Masood Played a Key Role in Shaping Abou Samra's turn..."

From the Patriot Ledger, where reporter Lane Lambert digs into the background of co-conspirator Ahmed Abousamra (in the Tarek Mehanna case) and his association with former Sharon imam Muhammed Masood:

"SHARON — Back around 1995, before the FBI says his interests turned to terrorist training, 14-year-old Ahmad Abou Samra cut a fairly conventional adolescent figure around the Islamic Center of New England’s Sharon mosque."

"An honor student at Xaverian Brothers, a Catholic high school in Westwood, and the son of a leading Islamic Center board member, 'he seemed like a regular kid,' a longtime mosque member recalled.' "

"That seems to have changed by the time he graduated in 1999 from Stoughton High, where he switched for his senior year."

"Within a year, according to government documents, he was talking about jihad. Not long after, he allegedly praised those behind the Sept. 11 attacks."

"Today, Abou Samra is a wanted man. While he has yet to be charged, federal authorities this week named him a co-conspirator with Tarek Mehanna, the Sudbury man accused of plotting to attack shopping malls and target U.S. politicians, and charged with conspiring to provide support for terrorists."

And from whence, pray tell, did the jihadist adulation apparently come from?

"Ahmad Abou Samra and Mehanna were either in middle school or high school when they met at the Sharon mosque, which opened in 1993, when Abou Samra was 13 and Mehanna was 12. They had no connections when the Islamic Center’s mosque was in Quincy. Abou Samra grew up in Stoughton, where he was an honor roll student, as he was in high school. He was later a dean’s list student at Northeastern University."

"Longtime mosque members – who didn’t want to be identified – aren’t sure how well Abou Samra and Mehanna knew each other back then. One said former Sharon Imam Muhammad Masood played a key role in shaping Abou Samra’s turn to conservative Muslim practices."

What Made Bilal Kaleem Change His Mind?

Here's what Bilal Kaleem, Executive Director of the Boston branch of the Muslim American Society (MAS) had to say about the Tarek Mehanna case on Friday, October 23, as reported in the MetroWest Daily News:

"Bilal Kaleem considers the terrorism-related charges facing Tarek Mehanna and is troubled for many reasons. Muslims are already feeling a backlash from the Sudbury man's arrest, says Kaleem, executive director of the Muslim American Society of Boston."

"In the wake of Mehanna's arrest, members of various congregations find themselves surrounded by media and placed under pressure and scrutiny, he says..... ' The media has to take on a harder task,'he said. 'We have to analyze it in more subtle and mature ways.' "

"He suggested the media should delve into whether Mehanna's case was another instance of a disaffected kid from the suburbs."

Pretty outrageous, Mr. Kaleem.  Most alienated suburban kids don't travel to Yemen looking to join terrorist training camps, no matter how much angst they're feeling.   What a nonsensical and frankly mendacious reaction to the Mehanna case.   We're not talking about Catcher in the Rye here, Bilal. 

But what a difference a day makes, twenty four little hours.  Yesterday, Kaleem was singing a different tune, per this Boston Herald article:

"Bay State Muslims should help 'root out' any radicals in their midst, a Massachusetts Islamic leader urged yesterday.

“ 'We call on Muslim leaders and organizations to root out any radical teachings they may find in Muslim communities,' said M. Bilal Kaleem, executive director of the Massachusetts Chapter Muslim American Society."

That's rich coming from MAS!  I don't share the enthusiasm of some of the commenters, who are pleased that a Muslim leader is finally calling for routing out radicalism in their midst.  It's about ten years too late. And it's no doubt a response to negative reaction to his "disaffected suburban youth" comment.  MAS is trying to cover their ass.  They're the very organization that controls the mosques and schools where Islamic fundamentalism is taught.  They're the very organization that brought people like Salah Soltan, Mahdi Bray and Siraj Wahaj to Boston.  MAS is going to rout out radicalism?? This I gotta see!

" 'If anybody senses imminent danger, they should alert the proper authorities,”'said Kaleem, when asked if Muslims should call the cops on hate groups."

This from the MAS which routinely advises Muslims not to talk to the FBI or police, but to call a lawyer first.   I eagerly await the next announcement from MAS about how they'll identify and rout out "radical teachings."  

P.S. Check out Rusty Shackleford's article at Pajames Media, Boston Terror Suspect: Just Another 'Typical American Kid' with Terror Aspirations.  It's an interesting look at the apparently comparmentalized life that Tarek Mehanna was living.  His friends express shock at his arrest, describing  Tarek as shy, polite and helpful.  But Rusty was well acquainted with the online Tarek, aka Abu Sayaba. Excerpts:

"But in Mehanna’s case there were warning signs. If his friends’ shock is real, then Tarek Mehanna was living a compartmentalized and double life. For the Tarek Mehanna I knew online was not the 'moderate' that his apologists portray him as. He was a fanatical Islamist, devoted to the same ideas as al-Qaeda. He spent countless hours translating Arabic texts into English in order to inspire others to become violent jihadists."

"Mehanna went by the handle 'Abu Sayaba' online.  In addition to frequently commenting at radical forums and online discussion groups, 'Abu Sayaba' also ran his own blog.  His Iskandari blog posted translations of Arabic texts. Typical of the writings he posted were calls for the establishment of an Islamic state and Islamic law. He also encouraged violent jihad as a means of attaining these two goals."

"Tarek Mehanna may seem to have been an unlikely terrorist candidate to some, but given his online support for violent jihad revealed through his 'Abu Sayaba”'persona, should it really come as a surprise that he would aspire to become a violent jihadist himself?"

"....The signs of terrorism are there, but you will not necessarily find them by searching for outwardly antisocial behavior. The common denominator to most would-be terrorists is a devotion to the jihad ideology. And ideologies are hard to detect."

Americans for Peace and Tolerance Fact Sheet on Abousamra

Americans for Peace and Tolerance, a Boston-based interfaith group, has pulled together a fact sheet on Dr. Abdul Abousamra, the father of a co-conspirator Ahmed Abousamra named in the Tarek Mehanna complaint.  Here's the fact sheet reprinted in full:

Man accused in Boston terror plot is son of former Muslim American Society leader

Father moves out of town weeks after son questioned by the FBI

Media reports on the Boston terror arrest have named three individuals as conspirators in the plot to machine gun people in shopping malls and kill American officials.Two, Daniel Maldonado and Tareq Mehanna, are in custody. The third, however, Ahmad Abousamra, escaped to Syria after being questioned by the FBI in 2006.

• According to the complaint, it was Abousamra who introduced Maldonado and Mehanna to each other during an afternoon of watching “jihad videos” in which Islamic terrorists killed and mutilated American soldiers.

• Abousamra seems to be the most extremist of the three, as well as the one most educated in radical Islamist ideology. According to the criminal complaint:

“Abousamra expressed his belief that suicide bombings were permissible. … Abousamra found justification for his position in the religious writings of Muslim extremists.  Abousamra justified attacks on civilians, such as the September 11, 2001 attacks. Abousamra stated that civilians were not innocent because they paid taxes to support the government and because they were Kufar (non-believers). … Abousamra always justified their extremist views by citing Islamic teachings.”

Mehanna Timeline / Boston Globe Notices Abousamra

Two things:

1) The Christian Science Monitor has a good timeline on the Tarek Mehanna case. It's a bit difficult to follow that in the DOJ complaint and FBI affidavit, as they go switch back and forth in time. 

2) The Boston Globe has an interesting article today about Tarek's friend Ahmed Abousamra: "Details Emerge on Plot Suspects."  So Tarek and Ahmed met at the Islamic Center of New England in Sharon, where Dr. Abousamra was president and/or on the Board of Directors for several years.  Where Muhammed Masood (brother of Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed of Pakistan) was imam, until Masood was "voluntarily" deported in October 2008 for lying to federal agents and visa violations.  It's a small world, a mighty small world. 

The Globe article overlooks the other associations that Dr. Abousamra had locally, including as director with the Muslim American Society, although that's no longer on the MAS website.  Dr. Abousamra was on the Board of Trustees of Al Noor Academy, an Islamic School in Mansfield, MA, with other MAS directors (ISB's Basyouny Nehela, ICNE's Ghazwan Ghazi).  He's also on the School Board of the Islamic Academy of New England (located on ICNE property) in Sharon MA.  A busy man!  You've got to hand it to those guys, they've planned their work, and they're working their plan.

Reading Between the Lines - FBI Affadavit on Tarek Mehenna

Local media coverage of Tarek Mehanna, the Sudbury, MA "wannabe" terrorist,was extensive yesterday, covered on radio, TV and news websites, but it was rather limited in scope.  The media stories focused on how shocked, shocked people were that an educated, affluent young Muslim was accused of planning to commit terrorist activities.  And especially Tarek Mehanna, that gentle soul, his neighors and classmates couldn't believe that he wanted to wage jihad and kill kufirs (non-believers).  The other angle frequently reported was that Tarek was an incompetent wannabe terrorist: he couldn't get his hands on good weapons,  he was turned away by terrorist groups, he was a "tinhorn terrorist."  The unspoken conclusion for many folks was that Mehanna probably never would have committed such a terrorist act.  People wouldn't be so smug though, if Tarek and co-conspirator Ahmed Abousamra had pulled off a Mumbai-type attack.  From the DOJ press release:

"Acting U.S. Attorney Michael K. Loucks and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI - Boston Field Division, announced today that Tarek Mehanna, 27, of 6 Fairhaven Circle, Sudbury, Mass., was charged in a complaint with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists."

".... It is alleged that, among other things, that would prepare them for armed jihad against U.S. interests, including U.S.Mehanna and two of his associates traveled to the Middle East in February 2004, seeking military-type training at a terrorist training camp that would prepare them for armed jihad against U.S. interests, including U.S. and and allied forces in Iraq. The complaint also alleges that one of Mehanna's coconspirators made two similar trips to Pakistan in 2002."

"According to the complaint affidavit, Mehanna and the coconspirators had multiple conversations about obtaining automatic weapons and randomly shooting people in a shopping mall, and that the conversations went so far as to discuss the logistics of a mall attack, including coordination, weapons needed and the possibility of attacking emergency responders."

There is much more that the media could be looking at in this case.  I'll start with reviewing FBI Special Agent Heidi L. Williams affadavit, and pulling out the elements that caught my eye:

• There's more info on this case than what the DOJ and FBI have revealed so far. The affidavit states that "it does not, however, include all the information known to me with respect to this investigation, but only that information which is necessary to establish the requisite probable cause." We'll have to wait for a trial to get more of the scoop.

• The affidavit supports the criminal complaint against Tarek Mehanna with conspiring with AHMED ABOUSAMRA ("ABOUSAMRA") and others to provide material support to terrorists. There's lots of background on Mehanna. I've not heard or read one single news story that tells us who Ahmed Abousamra is, not a one. Ahmed skipped the country in December 2006 after he was interviewed by the FBI, reportedly fleeing to Syria. Ahmed is the eldest son of Dr. Abdul Abousamra, an endocrinologist who was a Big Kahuna in the local Muslim community, now unfortunately so dominated by the Muslim American Society (MAS)/Muslim Brotherhood. Dr. Abousamra was the president of the Islamic Academy of New England and he hired Muhammed Masood at the IANE school (more on Masood here! ). The good doctor was also a MAS director , a "Free Imam" offerred to local Boston colleges, and on the Board of Directors of the Islamic Center of New England (ICNE) in Sharon, MA. We will come back to Abousamra in another blogpost, but isn't it worth looking at the background of the co-conspirator as well as Mehanna's background? Isn't it remarkable that the son of one of the leading Muslim "leaders" has been throroughly radicalized, and the father didn't notice? Like I said, more to come on Abousamra. The Dr. recently moved to Dearborn, MI, I'm told.

Feds Arrest Tarek Mehanna of Sudbury

I haven't got much time right now to discuss this development, but wanted folks to know about this:

"A 27-year-old Sudbury man allegedly plotted to launch terrorist attacks on shopping malls in which he and his fellow conspirators would mow down civilians with automatic weapons, federal authorities said today as they announced his arrest."

"Desiring to take 'some kind of action in furtherance of jihad,' Tarek Mehanna and his co-conspirators allegedly had multiple conversations about obtaining weapons and randomly shooting people in malls, including discussions of the logistics of the mall attacks, assaulting from different entrances, and attacking emergency responders, acting US Attorney Michael Loucks said this morning."

Gives you something to think about next time you're browsing the shops at the mall.  Pay attention to your surroundings!  The story in the Boston Globe is here,  the search warrant filed by FBI Special Agent Heidi L. Williams is here, and the DOJ press release is here. 

Mehanna was arrested in November 2008 and indicted in January 2009 for making false statements to federal agents about the whereabouts of Daniel Maldonado, a former Methuen MA resident and Muslim convert who was suspected of training at al Al Quaeda terrorist camp.  

Do read the arrest warrant, all 61 pages.  Lots of interesting details.  More on this case later. And more on Ahmad Abousamra, Tarek's co-consprirator.

Fax the Senators Today: KILL THE BILL

Quick and easy way to fax the 31 senators who could vote one way or the other on the Senate health care bill. The group Citizens in Action makes it really easy, just follow these steps:

1.  Go to  http://ciafax.ning.com/

2.  A fax has already been prepared although you can elect to write your own.

3.   Fill out all of the information under Step 1.

4.   Select the Responsible Healthcare Fax.

5.   After you send the fax, locate the DONATE button in the lower left hand quadrant of the page.  Please either pay with PayPal or send a check to the address listed.

Here's what I wrote:

September 11th - Make Your Own Moment of Silence

Definitely not as much attention being paid to September 11th in 2009 as in years past. Even in my workplace, this is the first year there is no short memorial service is being held.  So let's hold our own memorial services where ever we are, and pray silently for the 3,000 lives lost, their devastated families, the hundreds of dead firefighters and policemen who rushed into burning skyscrapers and sacrificed their lives to save others, and the tens of thousands of men and women in uniform who are fighting to keep us safe today.   A media compilation of that horrible day (hat tip to the Vicious Babushka):

I'd also say a prayer of thanks to President Bush, who prevented another attack on our country during his time in office.   (Unlike Spain, Indonesia, England, Pakistan, to name just a few places that have suffered terrorist bombings in the intervening years).  I'd also pray for President Obama that he do what it takes to match Bush's success in preventing a terrorist attack on our soil.

Finally, a prayer for the parents, family and friends of Chris Michael Kirby. His smiles, laughter and jokes are surely greatly missed by them. I first found about about Chris in 2006 when I participated in the 911 Remember project.   Chris, nicknamed Happy, would have been 29 this year.  The death of someone so young (only 21 when he was killed) goes against nature.  The pain of a young person's death doesn't seem to lessen much with time, if anything the loss seems even greater as time passes.  Resquiat en pace, Chris.

"It's Not a Trojan Horse.....It's Right There!" ObamaCare

Never heard of Yale University professor Jacob Hacker before, but he's apparently the master mind behind Obamacare. I saw this at National Review Online.

Ruh roh!! Is this the sort of thing that should be reported to the Drop-a-Dime White House??

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care.  These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation.  Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to [email protected]."

Unbelievable!  It's been pointed out here and here that this seems to be an illegal activity on the part of the White House.  It's kind of nice to have such a clear enemy here. 

Meanwhile, here's just a few tidbits in the 1,000 plus page bill that should make you nervous:

• Page 22: Mandates audits of  all employers that self-insure!
• Page 29: Admission: your health care  will be rationed!
• Page 30: A government committee will decide what  treatments and benefits
you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no  appeals process)

Get Ready to Lobby Your Senators Against Carbon Tax Bill

Sadly, the House narrowly passed the carbon tax/cap-and-trade bill today, 219-212.  Jill at Business of Life has a good wrap-up of the issues around the Economic Suicide Act here.  And The Club for Growth has a great list here, Fifteen Reasons to Oppose the Climate Bill. 

Honestly, Obama and Congress seem intent on further wrecking the economy, don't they?  Please burn the phone lines to your senators.  Write, e-mail, call. 

NECN Coverage of Roxbury Mosque Ceremony

Pretty decent coverage of the continuing controversy of the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) Roxbury mosque on NECN this evening (sorry, you have to sit through the ad....). 

The ISB (actually the Muslim American Society of Boston) held their opening ceremony today, and there was a well-mannered group of protestors across the street bearing signs that read "Prayer Yes! Extremism No!"  Sweet!  It's not the mosque anyone is against, it's the leadership with its demonstrated ties to radicalism.  The building is handsome, I'm sure local Muslims are thrilled to have this center.  But all the controversy about the leadership of the ISB/MAS that has plagued this project from the beginning is still with us. 

Let's not forget who we're dealing with here. To refresh your memory on the legal jihad waged by the ISB, please read The Silencing by Solomonia.  To refresh your memory on the improper (if not illegal, given the conflict of interest issue) real estate transaction between the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and the ISB, please read Menino's Mosque by David Bernstein of the Boston Phoenix. 

Press Conference Thursday - Extremist Leadership at Roxbury Mosque

UPDATE:  You can see a video of the press conferencehere.

This sounds extremely interesting.....I hope our local media and politicians pay attention to who's in charge at the Islamic Society of Boston.  This deserves attention, scrutiny and action from our leaders. From Americans for Peace and Tolerance:

WHAT: Press Conference to Caution about Extremist Leadership of the Boston Islamic Center.

WHEN: Thursday, June 25^th, 10:30 AM

WHERE: Sheraton Crowne Plaza Hotel, Newton, 320 Washington Street, Newton MA 02158

One Reason Why Distributing Condoms in Africa Won't Reduce AIDS

Because in ZImbabwe (and other African countries, no doubt), many men believe that having sex with a virgin can cure AIDS. 

"Like many young girls in Zimbabwe, Hope was the victim of a widely held belief that if a man with HIV or AIDS rapes a virgin he will be cured of his disease. This so-called virgin myth, perpetuated by Zimbabwe's traditional healers, has led to the rape of hundreds of girls, according to UNICEF. Some of those victims are too young to walk, much less protect themselves."

Condoms really won't help here, will they? 

Betty Mokani, who was raped as a 14-year old by her uncle, started an organization called Girl Child Network Worldwide, to provide a haven for the tens of thousands of girls who are abused in this way.  

 

I Spy with My Little Eye - Masood in Saudi Arabia

According to a reader, Muhammed Masosod, former imam of the Islamic Center of New England in Sharon, has been trying to find work in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.  Masood is reportedly in KSA right now with his brother Hafiz Hamid, the former imam at the Islamic Center of Greater Worcester.  Masood was reportedly in Malaysia for the past two months seeking a job there so he can for bring his family there, but had no luck in finding a job.  The family is still in Sharon, and my reader writes that the family wants to leave the U.S. but they dont want to settle in Pakistan.  That's understandable. 

Life was good in Sharon and Worcester for Hafiz Saeed's brothers, but things are tough now.

Will try to find out when the Masood family deportation hearings continue. 

Hafiz Saeed Linked to Al Qaeda - But Family Still Living in Sharon MA

How curious, the ongoing Lahore High Court hearing on Pakistani terrorist group founder Hafiz Saeed finds a link between Saeed's group (Lashkar-e-Toiba, LeT and its offshoot Jamaat ud Dawah, JuD) and Al Qaeda:

"The Lahore High Court has adjourned the hearing of house-arrest case of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, chief of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah till Monday. The federal and provincial government presented the secret documents about Hafiz Mohammad Saeed the before the court."

"Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa said that the documents are related with the national security; therefore he has presented them in closed session of the court.... JuD leader’s counsel AK Dogar said these documents should be presented in an open session of the court in the presence of Hafiz Saeed."

"Latif Khosa said that JuD is linked to Al-Qaeda, adding one culprit involved in Mumbai attacks is said to have links with JuD."

Today, the Lahore High Court released Saeed from house arrest, which he's been under since December 2008.  You can scroll through and read my previous blogposts about the notorious Hafiz "Jihad Will Never Stop" Saeed and his groups LeT and JuD here.

Hafiz Saeed still has close relatives living in Massachusetts, including brother-in-law Abdul Hannan, imam for the Islamic Society of Greater Lowell as well as the Islamic Society of Manchester, New Hanpshire.  Hafiz Saeed's brother Muhammed Masood, former imam of the Islamic Center of New England in Sharon MA, took a "voluntary deportation" back to Pakistan in October 2008 after being convicted of visa fraud and lying to federal authorities.  Masood's large family (wife Rehanna and eight  children) are still living here, most of them residing at the ICNE 52-estate in Sharon.   Rehanna and the five oldest children face their own deportation hearing this year.

Although the ICNE Board of Directors stated in 2008 that Hafiz Masood and his family was asked to leave the ICNE estate, his family is still living there, paying neither rent nor utilities. As one ICNE member wrote to me, "the ICNE is a charitable instituion and our tax dollars are supporting the life style of the Hafiz Masood Family. Why is this still going on at the ICNE?"

Any comments from the ICNE Board of Diectors, the Attorney General of Massachusetts, the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security on this? 

Veni Creator Spiritus

Pentecost Sunday - commemorating when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus' followers (painting by Titian, ~1545):

 

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord.  The biblical origin of the seven gifts is found in Isaiah (11:1-3), where Isaiah describes the qualities of the Messiah. More on Pentecost and the gifts of the Holy Spirit here at EWTN.

Way Better Message ......

... than photos of shredded fetuses:

Hat tip to Sissie.  What was wrong with orphanges anyway? Why not bring them back as one of several alternatives to abortion? 

On a related note, there's a campaign underway in Massachusetts for the RMV to offer "Choose Life" license plates.  Again, that's an awfully good message, on many levels.  L'chaim!

Marian Prayer Services in Boston, Lowell

FYI, there are two Marian prayer services I know about next week, one in Boston and one in Lowell.  Nice opportunity to pay special respects to Mary during her month of May, and with very pretty hymns too!  Both are free and open to the public. 

Monday, May 4th, 7 PM - St. Margaret's Church, Lowell, MA. 

The Blessed Virgin Sodality of St. Margaret's Parish in Lowell is holding a Spring Rosary and Prayer Hour on Monday,  May 4th at 7 PM.  The prayer hour will include reciting the rosary, the Magnificat, chanting the Litany of Loreto and singing Marian hymns.  All are invited to join us in this traditional prayer service honoring Mary.  Refreshments will be served afterwards.  The address is 374 Stevens Street, Lowell, MA, in the Our Lady of Lourdes chapel  (downstairs) .  For more information, please contact the St. Margaret's parish rectory at 978-454-5143.    

Thursday, May 7th, 7 PM - St. Clements Shrine,  Boston

From their blog: The 1st Thursday Women’s Prayer Group is hosting the May Dedication to Mary Crowning Ceremony in lieu of the regular May prayer group and we hope you will be able to join us for this very special event!   We will begin with praying the rosary then have the crowning ceremony. Refreshments will be served afterward. You are invited to bring a flower to place before the Blessed Mother. All are welcome! 

 

Spenger Reveals His Identity

Interesting!  Spengler, who's been a columnist at Asia Times since 1999, starts work as associate editor and writer at First Things, a Catholic journal about religion, culture and public life.  His name is David P. Goldman and he's Jewish.  His coming-out story is here.  Excerpts from his latest column:

"A malicious thought crossed my mind in 1999, though, as the Internet euphoria engulfed world markets: was it really possible for a medium whose premise was the rise of a homogeneous global youth culture to drive world economic growth?  Youth culture, I argued, was an oxymoron, for culture itself was a bridge across generations, a means of cheating mortality. The old and angry cultures of the world, fighting for room to breath against the onset of globalization, would not go quietly into the homogenizer."

"....The end of the old ethnicities, I believed, would dominate the cultural and strategic agenda of the next several decades. Great countries were failing of their will to live, and it was easy to imagine a world in which Japanese, German, Italian and Russian would turn into dying languages only a century hence. Modernity taxed the Muslim world even more severely, although the results sometimes were less obvious."

Spengler Discusses Demographics and Economy

Spengler's- oops, David Goldman's - first article at First Things is about the link between demographics and economic depression. Very cool article, he looks at why children and two-parent families are essential to a healthy economy.

Goldman's recommendations for a family-oriented economic program: