Mosque terror allegations not pretty
Report: Bridgeview Mosque funded by Mid-eastern Govt's
Local readers already know many of the controversies such as the exile of political leaders, court battles over freezing charity funds, the FBI chief’s town hall meetings in the Mosque and - the saddest chapter of all - post 9/11 rioting.
The new allegations are:
1)The Mosque Foundation raised more than $50,000 for Sami Al-Arian, a Florida professor facing federal terrorism-related racketeering charges.
2)The Mosque Foundation raised money “in memory” of dead suicide bombers.
3)The Mosque is closely tied to Middle Eastern governments. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia finances the salary of the Mosque leadership, including Imam Jamal Said. In order to build the Mosque itself, the Saudi government contributed $152,000, the government of Kuwait paid $369,000 and the United Arab Emirates paid $135,000. The Saudi monarchy pays Said $2,000 a month.
4)The Mosque is deeply influenced by the Muslim brotherhood, a group that adheres to a strict form of Islam and seeks to create governments ruled by Islamic law. Off-shoots of the brotherhood are today’s well known terror outfits.
5)Imam Said took his children to the grave of a cemetery to honor terror fighters.
6)Abdullah Azzam, bin Laden’s spiritual advisor, visited Bridgeview in the 1980’s and brought at least three Bridgeview men to fight in Afghanistan.
-In summation, the primary charge against the Bridgeview Mosque Foundation is the moderate, peace-loving Muslim community has been hijacked by hard-liners.
The Mosque Foundation said the article “contains accusations that are false and misleading concerning the past activities of the Mosque Foundation and its
leadership.”
Ousama Jammal, president of the Mosque Foundation says “Islam is a religion of peace and understanding; and the Mosque Foundation continuously strives to
adhere and promote these universal principles. The Mosque Foundation denies any accusations...attempting to associate it, its leadership, or its Imam with any form of extremism or terrorism.”
The fact that no charges have been filed against the Mosque or its leadership, despite an exhaustive investigation, persuades me that these allegations are overblown. Nonetheless, the one area that raises red flags is fund-raising. If the Mosque is funded by foreign governments, that’s an usual setup. Also, some of the fund-raising techniques alleged, such as extolling suicide bombers, can be described as troubling - to say the least.
News Advertise About Us Employment Classified Ads Letters to Editor Community News Story Search Local Links Editor's Column