The Muslim American Society - Ties That Bind Them to Michigan

We are being inundated with pictures of what is happening in Egypt and disturbing and frightening stories that are coming from Tunisia, Jordan, Yemen and more.  The name “Muslin Brotherhood” is being tossed around like confetti.  The Muslim Brotherhood, and other extremist groups pose a serious threat abroad.  But we must not ignore the threats that exist right here in America and in our own community.

While this writer is no fan of the ADL and much of what they are involved with, credit must be given when it is due.  Below is an excellent posting from the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) website.  It has laid out in clear detail dangers that confront us and the ties that are right here in Michigan, including the Michigan-based American Islamic University noted in the analysis below.

Posted by Aerie

Backgrounder: Muslim American Society Introduction

Posted: December 23, 2009

Updated: June 25, 2010

The Muslim American Society (MAS), established in 1993 and based in Falls Church, Virginia, claims to be "America's largest grassroots Muslim organization with over 50 chapters nationwide."  While MAS portrays itself as a mainstream organization that attempts to serve the social, educational and religious needs of American Muslims, the organization has a troubling history of associations with radical organizations and individuals that promote terrorism, anti-Semitism and reject Israel's right to exist.

The organization's ties to extremism are apparent in several ways:

• MAS leaders have said that the group was founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic extremist movement that originated in Egypt and has spawned and inspired terrorist organizations around the world, including Hamas and Al Qaeda.
• MAS-affiliated Web sites have featured articles advocating jihad and suicide martyrdom.
• The chairman of the Islamic American University, a Michigan-based subsidiary of MAS, is Sheik Yusuf Qaradawi, a leading Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood ideologue known for his support of terrorist groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. (emphasis added)
• Current MAS leaders and advisors held positions in the now defunct-Islamic Association for Palestine, described by the U.S. as part of a "propaganda apparatus" for Hamas.
• Abdurahman Alamoudi, a prominent member of MAS and the founding president of the Islamic Society of Boston, is serving a 23 year prison sentence for illegal dealings with Libya and his involvement in a plot to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. 

In addition to links to extremism, MAS is the leading American Muslim organization organizing anti-Israel activity in the U.S.  MAS attracts sizable audiences to its anti-Israel demonstrations as a result of its affiliation with some of the largest mosques in the country. The Boston chapter of MAS manages the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) Cultural Center, self-described as the largest Islamic center in New England. Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, one of the largest mosques in the greater Washington area, says it has been affiliated with MAS since 1999. The Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, Illinois, one of the largest mosques in the Chicago area, coordinates its programming with MAS Youth, the youth division of the organization. The majority of the Foundation's leadership is also reportedly made up of members of MAS.

Click here for the entire report.