 Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the renowned U.S. writer and broadcaster, was on Anderson Cooper 360 last night (Wednesday, September 23), discussing his noble and admirable activism against Ahmadinejad’s and Gadhafi’s visit to the United States. The Rabbi was involved in demonstrations outside the U.N. and had also helped block plans for Gadhafi to set up a tent on the grounds of a Libyan compound next door to his home in Englewood, N.J. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s pronouncements against Ahmadinejad on Cooper’s program were superb and to the point. He should be applauded and commended. But the Rabbi made a curious comment while denouncing Ahmadinejad and calling for Muslims worldwide to shun him. He said: “Islam was never an anti-Semitic faith.” Is this really so? If Islam was never an anti-Semitic faith, I would like to ask the following: Why was the Muslim Brotherhood’s founder, Hassan al-Banna, a devout admirer of Adolf Hitler? Why did the Nazis help create the organization? And why, by the end of World II, did the Muslim Brotherhood have a half million Arab Nazis as members? Why did the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, meet with Hitler on November 28, 1941 and request Nazi assistance in engendering a Middle Eastern Final Solution? Why, for Sayyid Qutb, an Islamist Godfather, did the Jews represent the “eternal enemy” of Islam? Why is Mein Kampf circulated so widely in the Muslim world? Why is it a bestseller among Palestinians? Read more ...Source: Newsreal BlogShmuley Boteach
Latest recipient of the Retarded Rabbi Award
 By Khalim Massoud Tri-Faith Initiative, a partnership of Temple Israel, The Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska and The American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture, is inviting you to attend Dinner in Abraham's Tent: Conversations on Peace. Join us on March 27 for a special evening with national faith leaders of Reform Judaism, Islam and Christianity to discuss peace in our time and peace in our communities.
Dinner in Abraham’s Tent: Conversations on Peace is a remarkable event offering the opportunity for members of our three faith groups and others who support strengthening interfaith relationshiips to come together for worship, celebration and thought-provoking conversation.
Rabbi Peter Knobel, president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of The Episcopal Church will gather at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE to discuss issues of peace. The idea of interfaith trialogue is commendable, except, in this case there is one enormous problem. Muslim side is represented by none other than the infamous Ingrid Mattson, the president of ISNA. The same ISNA that was a co-creator of Muslim Brotherhood Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America, which, among other things, reads: Establishment of Islam in North America, meaning: establishing an effective and a stable Islamic Movement led by the Muslim Brotherhood which adopts Muslims' causes domestically and globally, and which works to expand the observant Muslim base, aims at unifying and directing Muslims' efforts, presents Islam as civilization alternative, and supports the global Islamic state [caliphate] wherever it is. ... Understanding the role of the Muslim Brother in North America: The Process of settlement is a "Civilization-Jihadist Process" with all the word means. The Ikhwan [Muslim Brothers] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions. Muslims Against Sharia and many other moderate Muslims raised this issue in the past, but our words are falling on deaf ears. Make no mistake about it: conferences like "Dinner in Abraham's Tent" are legitimizing Islamofascism and advance Muslim Brotherhood Strategic Goal described in the aforementioned Memorandum*.* Muslim Brotherhood Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America was part of the evidence presented in Holy Land Foundation terrorism trial which resulted in multiple convictions on terror-related charges.Source: Tri-Faith InitiativeH/T: B.T. | Contact Information | Katharine Jeffers Schori
c/o Canon Robert Williams,
director of communication
815 Second Avenue
New York City, NY 10017
(212) 922-5385
rwilliams@episcopalchurch.org | Peter Knobel
Beth Emet The Free Synagogue
1224 Dempster Street
Evanston, Illinois 60202
Telephone: (847) 869-4230
Fax: (847) 869-7830
Knobel@bethemet.org |
Ingrid Mattson
Latest recipient of the Distinguished Islamofascist Award
 Katharine Jefferts Schori
Latest recipient of the Demented Priest Award
 Peter Knobel
Latest recipient of the Retarded Rabbi Award
 By Joshua Rhett Miller
The beheading of 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan has all the markings of an honor killing, psychologists and Islamic experts tell FOXNews.com, as the upstate New York woman's husband awaits a preliminary hearing on murder charges.
Muzzammil Hassan, 44, remains jailed after being charged with the second-degree murder of his wife, whose body was found Thursday at the office of Bridges TV, their television station in Orchard Park, near Buffalo.
Orchard Park Police Chief Andrew Benz said Hassan has not confessed to the crime, despite media reports to the contrary.
"He came in and said his wife was dead," said Benz, who declined to elaborate on the particulars of his conversation with the suspect.
But Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III left no doubt that he believes Muzzammil Hassan killed his wife. Hassan will appear for a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Orchard Park. If convicted of second-degree murder, he faces up to life in prison.
"He's a pretty vicious and remorseless bastard," Sedita told FOXNews.com Tuesday. "Whether he was motivated by some kind of interpretation of his religious or cultural views, we don't know. We'll look into everything in the case."
Asked if the murder is being probed as an honor killing, Benz replied, "We've been told that there's no place for that kind of action in their faith, but I wouldn't say that there's anything that's being completely ruled out at this point."
But psychologists and some American Muslims said the slaying has all the markings of an honor killing.
"The fierce and gruesome nature of this murder signals it's an honor killing," said Dr. Phyllis Chesler, an author and professor of psychology at the Richmond College of the City University of New York. "What she did was worthy of capital punishment in his eyes."
Following multiple episodes of domestic violence, Aasiya Hassan filed for divorce on Feb. 6 and obtained an order of protection that barred her husband from their home, according to attorney Elizabeth DiPirro, whose law firm, Hogan Willig, represented Aasiya Hassan in the divorce proceeding.
Chesler, who wrote "Are Honor Killings Simply Domestic Violence?" for Middle East Quarterly, said some Muslim men consider divorce a dishonor on their family.
"This is not permitted in their culture," said Chesler, whose study analyzed more than 50 reports of honor killings in North America and Europe. "This is, from a cultural point of view, an honor killing."
Chesler said honor killings typically are Muslim-on-Muslim crimes and largely involve teenage daughters, young women and, to a lesser extent, wives.
But Chesler said the "extremely gruesome nature" of the crime closely matches the characteristics of an honor killing.
"Leaving the body parts displayed the way he did, like a terrorist would do, that's very peculiar, it's very public," Chesler said. "He wanted to show that even though his business venture may have been failing, that he was in control of his wife."
Chesler called on U.S. and Canadian immigration authorities to inform potential Muslim immigrants and new Muslim citizens that it's illegal to abuse women in the two countries.
"As long as Islamist advocacy groups continue to obfuscate the problem, and government and police officials accept their inaccurate versions of reality, women will continue to be killed for honor in the West, such murder may even accelerate," Chesler wrote. "Unchecked by Western law, their blood will be on society's hands."
M. Zuhdi Jasser, founder and chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, agreed with Chesler.
"It certainly has all the markings of [an honor killing]," Jasser told FOXNews.com. "She expressed through the legal system that she was being abused, and at the moment she asked for divorce, she's not only murdered — she's decapitated."
Muzzammil and Aasiya Hassan founded Bridges TV in November 2004 to counter anti-Islam stereotypes, touting the network as the "first-ever full-time home for American Muslims," according to a 2004 press release.
Jasser said he was concerned that Aasiya Hassan suffered such a barbaric death after she and her husband were seen as a couple focused on bettering the "Islamic image" in the United States.
"The most dangerous aspect of this case is to simply say it's domestic violence," Jasser told FOXNews.com.
In a 1,300-word statement, Islamic Society of North America Vice President Imam Mohammed Hagmagid Ali said the organization was "shocked and saddened" by the killing.
"This is a wake up call to all of us, that violence against women is real and can not be ignored," the statement read. "It must be addressed collectively by every member of our community."
Ali called on imams and community leaders to take a "strong stand" against domestic violence, and he denounced the link of shame and divorce among Muslims.
"Women who seek divorce from their spouses because of physical abuse should get full support from the community and should not be viewed as someone who has brought shame to herself or her family," the statement continued. "The shame is on the person who committed the act of violence or abuse. Our community needs to take a strong stand against abusive spouses."
Meanwhile, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, a producer and host for Bridges TV who worked alongside the Hassans, said "now is not the time" to debate the cultural and religious context of the murder that appears to be an honor killing inspired by Aasiya Hassan's desire to divorce her husband.
"There will be time for that later," Hirschfield said in a statement obtained by FOXNews.com. "I will only say to those who leap to the conclusion that this kind of thing is intrinsic to Islam, ask yourselves if you think that drunkenness is intrinsic to Irish Catholics, or cheating in business is to Jews?" Source: Fox NewsBrad Hirschfield
Latest recipient of the Retarded Rabbi Award
 By Arthur Waskow A new presidential policy on religiously defined terrorism should act in three directions: (1) Work to strengthen those in every religious community -- beginning with those in American mosques and Muslim organizations -- who oppose religious violence; (2) Treat terrorism as a crime to be policed and punished, not through "war' that breeds more terrorists by destroying civilian life; (3) Heal the political canker-sores (such as conflict over Kashmir and over Israel-Palestine) that have festered into motivations and excuses for terrorism Right away -- not waiting till January 20 -- President-elect Obama should start visiting mosques, speaking in mosques. It is shameful that he did not do so even once during the entire election campaign. At these mosques, he should praise those Muslim organizations -- by name, including the Islamic Society of North America, CAIR, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council -- for their forthright and vigorous public statements denouncing the Mumbai attacks, and others in the past. He should make clear that of course they were doing no more than is their responsibility, but it is especially incumbent on the American media to let the public know about these statements, and that he is mentioning them to to aid in that process. He should be clear that the serious adherents of ALL religions should be condemning the use of violence in the name of their own as well as other religions, and that this should be true when Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists use violence in the name of their faith. He should praise the efforts at Jewish-Muslim inter-education by the Union for Reform Judaism and ISNA, and urge churches and mosques to pursue the same kind of efforts. Read more of this nonsense ...Source: NewsweekArthur Waskow
Latest recipient of the Retarded Rabbi Award
 When Muslims criticize Jews chances are it's Islamists. You rarely see moderate (an I do mean real moderate, not Islamists like CAIR who claim to be moderate) Muslims saying unflattering things about the Jews. So, normally, when I see the Jews do dumb things i.e., supporting an Islamist congressional candidate because of partisanship (American Jewish World's support for Keith Ellison) or providing utilities to a terrorist enclave (Gaza), I try to keep my mouth shut. For obvious reasons. But not this time. I thought I've seen everything: Cuban missile crisis, fall of Berlin wall, 9/11. Until recently, I thought that the father of modern terrorism getting awarded a Nobel Peace Prize was the most peculiar event in my lifetime. But a recent, largely unnoticed event, could take the cake in peculiarity contest. On December 15, Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, the president of the Union of Reform Judaism (one of the largest Jewish organizations in America), gave a sermon in San Diego in front 5,000 Jews in which he announced URJ's alliance with Islamic Society of North America (ISNA - one of the largest Muslim organizations in America). As a part of the sermon, Rabbi Yoffie stated that "[ISNA] has issued a strong and unequivocal condemnation of terror, including a specific condemnation of Hizbollah and Hamas terror against Jews and Israelis. It has also recognized Israel as a Jewish state and supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." But has it really? The statement Rabbi Yoffie refers to reads: "ISNA rejects all acts of terrorism, including those perpetrated by Hamas, Hizbullah and any other group that claims Islam as their inspiration." While there appears to be forward progress in this statement, there are several problems with it: - ISNA does not say it condemns but says it "rejects" acts of terrorism. What does reject mean? Why not say "condemn"? Rejection is not synonymous with condemnation. - Yes, ISNA seems to be acknowledging that Hamas and Hizballah carry out acts of terrorism but nowhere do they say come out and say that Hamas and Hizballah are terrorist groups. Only the other day we saw witnesses on behalf of the Holy Land Foundation in Dallas claim that Hamas can be divisible by its "military (terrorist) wing" and its "social-humanitarian wing." The failure to unequivocally condemn Hamas or Hizballah as a terrorist group is like me saying that I reject the tactics used by anti-abortion doctors who "claim to be inspired by Christianity." The use of the term "claim Islam as their inspiration" is another attempt by ISNA to deny the unequivocal fundamental Islamic basis for groups that carry out acts of terrorism. This is in line with ISNA's statement which claims the use of the term "Islamic terrorist" is racist. Now, how can one be said to condemn Hamas or Hizballah while simultaneously denying the existence of "Islamic terrorism"? ISNA's statement "condemning terrorism" from http://balancedIslam.org quotes approvingly the European Council of Ifta and Research. This is a council that has justified suicide bombings by Hamas. One of its leaders is Yousef Al-Qardawi who has issued fatwas calling for the killing of Jews (not Israelis) and Americans in Iraq. We all remember bogus fatwa issued by Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA). The same FCNA whose chairman, Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, is an unindicted co-conspirator in the case against Sami al-Arian, the North American leader of Palestinian Islamic Gihad (PIG). Is ISNA's rejection of terrorism any different? Prior to his praise for ISNA, Rabbi Yoffie stated the following: " Islamic extremists constitute a profound threat. For some, this is a reason to flee from dialogue, but in fact the opposite is true." I am a bit confused. Does this mean that the Rabbi realizes that ISNA is an extremist organization? And if he does, why does he go on to praise it. And regardless whether or not he realizes that ISNA is an extremist organization, who in their right mind would propose to have a dialog with extremists while acknowledging that they constitute a profound threat? Why don't we sit down with bin Laden and see if we can make him stop murdering the sons of monkeys and pigs? Haven't we learned anything from recent history, i.e., providing a forum for Ahmadinejad? Doesn't the Rabbi understand that legitimizing extremists is the dumbest possible strategy (which also has a side effect of marginalizing moderates)? On January 2, 2008, several prominent moderate Muslims published a column in the Jewish Week titled " Attention Rabbi Yoffie: Please Speak To Moderate Muslims" in which they expressed their dismay with the URJ's decision. These moderate Muslims explained why ISNA is anything, but moderate, and appealed to Rabbi Yoffie to reconsider URJ's association with ISNA. On behalf of Muslims Against Sharia, I also wrote a letter to Rabbi Yoffie, which was ignored by the URJ. So, let's examine what ISNA really is. Is it really an extremist organization or is it just a delusional rant of crazy moderate Muslims? On its website ISNA claims that it "was founded by Muslims in North America for the purpose of establishing ... outreach programs and fostering good relations with other religious communities", but North American Muslim Brotherhood Memorandum states that its purpose is to wage Gihad until "God's religion [Islam] is made victorious over all other religions." It claims that "ISNA is not now nor has it ever been subject to the control of any other domestic or international organizations including the Muslim Brotherhood", yet the aforementioned Memorandum lists ISNA is #1 on the list of creators of North American Muslim Brotherhood. According to the Investigative Project on Terrorism, the world's foremost anti-terrorism NGO, The Islamic Society of North America was founded in 1981 and is the largest Muslim organization in the U.S. Incidentally, Sami al-Arian of the PIG helped established ISNA. "ISNA serves as an umbrella group for hundreds of Islamic organizations in North America, some of which promote the Islamic fundamentalist doctrines of Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Gihad. ISNA publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Islamic Horizons, which often champions militant Islamist doctrine, and it convenes annual conferences where Islamic militants have been given platform to incite violence and promote hatred. ... The president of Board of Directors of ISNA until 200 was Muzammil Siddiqui. ... He remains on the ISNA board of directors in addition to serving as chairman of he ISNA affiliated North American Islamic Trust (NAIT). ... In his public role, Siddiqi has built a colorful history of doublespeak - expressing seemingly welcome statements about terrorism yet praising the violent jihad waged in Israel and elsewhere. ... Siddiqui has made statements supporting the violent ideology of radical Islam and shunning the West. In glorifying the jihad in Afghanistan and its spread to other places in the world, Siddiqui wrote, "I can see there is already some impact of jihad in Afghanistan, in the intifadah movement in Palestine ... insha'allah, you will see, in a few years, we will be celebrating, insha'allah, the coming victory of Islam in Palestine. ... We will be celebrating, insha'allah, the coming of Jerusalem and whole land of Palestine, insha'allah, and the establishment of the Islamic state throughout that area. (Muzammil Siddiqui, "The establishment of the Islamic Government in Afghanistan") ISNA has assisted in the formation of a number of troubling organizations within the United States. One such was the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. Before it was incorporated under the name "The Occupied Land Fund" in 1989, HLF had been a subsidiary of ISNA, using the same mailing address in Plainfield, Indiana. ISNA's Islamic Horizons, which often contains anti-Israel, anti-American, and anti-Semitic sentiments; in has voiced support for fundamentalism in Sudan, Turkey, and Algeria. The editor is Omer bin Abdullah. ISNA and Islamic Horizons have been outspoken in their support for the fundamentalist Islamic regime in Sudan. ... ISNA's annual conferences are usually held in the Midwest. According to figures reported by ISNA, about 10,000 people participated in its September 1997 conference in Chicago, Illinois. These conferences provide fund-raising platform for radical Islamic groups. The Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), and the Marzook Legal Defense Fund all have substantial ties to Hamas and have been among the groups allowed to participate in an active capacity in ISNA conferences. These conferences feature speakers ranging from moderate to radical. ISNA has brought in speakers such as Murad Hofmann, a convert to Islam and a former ambassador from Germany to Algeria and Morocco. In the September/October 1997 edition of Islamic Horizons, Hofmann denied that both Hamas and the Lebanese Hizballah are terrorist organizations: "Perceptions of 'terrorism' are just as warped when countries consider responsible for harboring, training, and financing 'terrorists' are listed, always several supposedly 'antiwestern' Muslim countries are on the list, as are such movements as Hamas or Hizballah. (Now synonyms for 'terrorism'). ... [I]n the letter published in 1997 by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Hamas leader Musa Abu Marzook thanked ISNA for supporting him while he was in prison in the United States awaiting extradition to Israel. ISNA has defended an array of terrorists and terrorist charities. When HLF was shut down in December 2001, ISNA issued a joint statement with seven other Islamic groups: "American Muslims support President Bush's effort to cut off funding for terrorism and we call for a peaceful resolution to the Middle East conflict. These goals will not be achieved by taking food out of the mouths of Palestinian orphans or by succumbing to politically-motivated smear campaigns by those who would perpetuate Israel's brutal occupation. ... We ask that President Bush reconsidered what we believe is unjust and counterproductive move that can only damage America's credibility with Muslims in this country and around the world and could create the impression that there has been a shift from a war on terrorism to an attack on Islam. ... Confounded by Sami al-Arian, ISNA has employed an array of individuals who have been indicted on terrorism-related charges, such as former HLF head Shukri Abu Bakr, and even a terrorist operative - Abdulrahman Alamoudi. ISNA's funding is highly suspect. ISNA provided $170,000 in start-up capital to the Islamic African Relief Agency (IARA), which the US government shut down in October 2004 for funding Hamas and al Qaeda."(Steven Emerson, American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us, 2002; Steven Emerson, Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US, 2006; IPT Profile: Muzammil Siddiqi. On August 28, 2007, just a few months prior to Rabbi Yoffie's announcement, members of Congress Pete Hoekstra, a former chairman of House Intelligence Committee and Sue Myrick, a founder of Anti-Terrorism/Jihad Caucus sent a letter to DOJ about ISNA. They wrote: "[W]e believe it is a grave mistake to provide legitimacy to an organization with extremist origins, leadership and a radical agenda. Establishing a partnership with ISNA is exactly the wrong approach at this critical juncture in history, setting a precedent that radical Jihadists should be the conduit between the U.S. government and the American Muslim population". Justice Department officially labeled ISNA "as a branch of Muslim Brotherhood in the United States ... Almost every single Sunni terrorist organization, including Al Qaeda and Hamas, is derived from the Muslim Brotherhood. The evidence naming ISNA as a leading branch of the American Muslim Brotherhood is overwhelming and its links to U.S. fundraising efforts on behalf of Hamas are equally strong." According to Stephen Coughlin (the Pentagon specialist on Islamic law and Islamist extremism, who was recently fired for refusing to succumb to pressure from Hasham Islam, a Pentagon official who demanded that Mr. Coughlin softened his position on Islamist extremism), Muslim Brotherhood has a plan to subvert the United States using front groups. One of the identified front groups is ISNA, the same ISNA which URJ is so eager to embrace. Evidence submitted in HLF trial shows the connection between ISNA and American branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. "An Explanatory Memorandum On the General Strategic Goal for the Group (that includes ISNA, ISNA Fiqh Committee, ISNA Political Awareness Committee, and 26 other Islamist groups, some of them shout down on terrorism charges) In North America" reads: "Establishment of Islam in North America, meaning: establishing an effective and a stable Islamic Movement led by the Muslim Brotherhood which adopts Muslims' causes domestically and globally, and which works to expand the observant Muslim base, aims at unifying and directing Muslims' efforts, presents Islam as civilization alternative, and supports the global Islamic state [caliphate] wherever it is." Paragraph 4 of the Strategic Goal is the most revealing: "Understanding the role of the Muslim Brother in North America: The Process of settlement is a "Civilization-Jihadist Process" with all the word means. The Ikhwan [Muslim Brothers] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions." If this is not the plan for Islamic takeover, than I don't know what is. "Mary Jacoby and Graham Brink, writing in the St. Petersburg Times, describe ISNA as "subsidized by the Saudi government" and the "main clearinghouse for Wahhabism in the U.S." ... ISNA previously invited Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to speak at its conferences, even though he is well-known for having created the "theological" justification for suicide bombing that appears on the Hamas website. That justification is titled "Hamas Operations Are Jihad and Those Who [Carry it Out and] Are Killed are Considered Martyrs." Al-Qaradawi has issued numerous justifications of suicide bombings as well as a fatwa directing the "faithful" to kill American soldiers and civilians in Iraq (except for the very few who may have lived there before the war.) ISNA has also sponsored Rashid Ghanushi, the exiled leader of the Islamic Tendency Movement in Tunisia, as a speaker. Ghanushi has referred to Jews as a "cancer" and "Satans." ISNA sells his books on their "ISNA Media Store page." On this web page, al-Qaradawi is described as an "outstanding scholar." Al-Qaradawi-penned books for sale by ISNA are: -Fiqh az-Zakat: A Comparative Study, a 600-page book -Priorities of Islamic Movement -Islamic Awakening Between Rejection and Extremism, published by the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) described as "extraordinary work of analysis and advice is highly recommended for students of Islam and activists." -The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam which "presents the wisdom of Islamic rulings behind everyday issues faced by the contemporary Muslim" -The Scholar and the Tyrant." ( Sherrie Gosstett, American Daily) I could go on for another twenty pages providing evidence of ISNA's ties to terrorism and extremism or describing ISNA's plans for Islamic takeover. The Investigative Project's website, among other places, contains tons of it, but I don't want to bore the reader. So, the aforementioned column written to URJ's president doesn't look like a delusional rant of paranoid moderate Muslims, does it? Then I want to repeat my initial question; "What's wrong with today's Jews?" How is it even possible that a major Jewish organization would support Islamic extremists? Does this mean that every single Muslims who belongs to the ISNA mosque supports terrorism or rejects it because the use of Taqiyya is more effective than the use of violence? No. Just as not every single Jew who belongs to the URJ synagogue supports alliance with ISNA. Muslims Against Sharia urge every Reform Jew to contact Rabbi Yoffie (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Union for Reform Judaism, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6778, P. 212.650.4150, F. 212.650.4159, PresURJ@urj.org, http://urj.org/) and to ask him to sever all ties with Islamic radicals of ISNA. And if Rabbi Yoffie wants to have a dialogue with Muslims, there are moderate Muslim organizations to choose from. And if Rabbi Yoffie has difficulties determining which organizations are moderate, we compiled a handy guide that would make his task a lot easier. | Issue | Radical | Moderate |
| Anti-Semitism | Yes | No | | Caliphate | Pro | Against | | Criticism of Islam | No | Yes | | Deceiving non-Muslims | Yes | No | | Democracy | Against | Pro | | Dhimmitude for non-Muslims | Pro | Against | Every deed (and word) of Prophet Muhammad (according
to Ahadith) was noble and is worthy of emulation | Yes | No | | Freedom of (from) Religion | Against | Pro | | Gender equality | Against | Pro | | Gihad | Pro | Against | | Government | Religious | Secular | | Islamic reformation | Against | Pro | | Islamic supremacy | Pro | Against | | Israel | Against | Pro / Neutral | | Koran over Constitution | Yes | No | | Reaction to criticism of Islam or Prophet Muhammad | Anger / Violence | Reason / No reaction | | Religious equality | Against | Pro | | Sharia | Pro | Against | | Terrorism | Pro / Neutral | Against | | Theocracy | Pro | Against | | Universal Human Rights | Against | Pro | | Use of terms such as "Islamic terrorism" or "Islamofascism" | Object | Accept | | Whitewashing terrorism | Yes | No |
I would like to personally thank Steven Emerson and the Investigative Project on Terrorism staff who gathered majority of the evidence used in this article. K.M.Eric Yoffie
Union for Reform Judaism
Latest recipients of the Retarded Rabbi Award
Updates 'Kill the Jews' statements from ISNA websiteIslamic group coming to Columbus in August hosts Pakistani terror leaderMore on the subject: Sleepwalking into enslavement (Spectator, January 7, 2008)
Another example of American Jewish Dhimmitude. A few hours after the attacks on Sept. 11, Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles, was asked on a local radio talk show about suspects. His response, according to a transcript provided by several Jewish organizations: "If we're going to look at suspects, we should look to the groups that benefit the most from these kinds of incidents, and I think we should put the state of Israel on the suspect list because I think this diverts attention from what's happening in the Palestinian territories so that they can go on with their aggression and occupation and apartheid policies."
Yet "Progressive Jewish Alliance" wants to see Salam Al-Marayati as a friend. Source: Progressive Jewish Dhimmi Alliance
 By Joe Kaufman Over time, an obvious rift has formed between members of the Islamic and Jewish faiths, mostly due to an intense hatred of Israel and not-so-subtle anti-Semitism emanating from the Muslim community. One fairly large group of Jews, the Reform Jewish Movement, has sought to change this, by extending an olive branch to its enemies. The result has been a strange partnership between the Jewish group and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), an organization with a dangerous past – and present. On the top of the “Interfaith” section of the ISNA website, one finds a picture of the National Director of ISNA, Sayyid Mohammad Syeed, shaking the hand of the President of the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ), Eric Yoffie. It’s no different than the handshake that took place between Yasser Arafat, the deceased ex-terrorist leader of the PLO, and Yitzhak Rabin, the deceased former Israeli Prime Minister, on the White House Lawn, in September of 1993. And like the ’93 handshake, its purported show of friendship is meaningless, if not offensive and dangerous. In July of 1981, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) was incorporated in the state of Indiana. At the time, it shared its incorporating address with the Muslim Students Association (MSA), a group created by members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in 1963, and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), a Hamas financing center. Read more ...Source: FrontPage MagazineArthur Waskow
Latest recipient of the Retarded Rabbi Award
 As adherents of moderate religious and intellectual trends within the Islamic global community, the signatories of this column view with dismay a report in The Washington Post of Dec. 16, 2007, on a "partnership" between the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). This new alliance was announced by the URJ's president, Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, at his organization’s biennial convention in San Diego. We do not presume to judge the political or theological outlook of Rabbi Yoffie or his organization, except with regard to his and their comments about Islam. We, however, know the Muslim community, worldwide and in North America, and we do not recognize or otherwise support ISNA as a legitimate representative of mainstream Islamic believers in the West. Rabbi Yoffie was cited by the Post in a number of statements with which we disagree. He said, "As a once-persecuted minority in countries where anti-Semitism is still a force, we [Reform Jews] understand the plight of Muslims in North America today." We are Muslims concerned to protect the rights of our communities in non-Muslim societies, but we consider absurd any attempt to equate the situation of Muslims in Western Europe and North America today with historic anti-Jewish prejudice and oppression. Muslims in Western Europe and North America have not been subjected, in recent times, to wholesale denial of civil rights. Free discourse about Islam in the Western democracies is occasionally abrasive, but has never resembled the wholesale libels directed against Jews — including by latter-day Islamists — and has not been embraced by or institutionalized by any government in Western Europe or North America. Rabbi Yoffie continued, "Islamic extremists constitute a profound threat. For some, this is a reason to flee from dialogue, but in fact the opposite is true." We do not understand the intent of this statement. It appears that Rabbi Yoffie believes dialogue is possible with extremists. We do not agree. We believe that dialogue between mainstream Muslims, Jews, and Christians is necessary, but that the defeat of Islamist extremists is necessary for such interfaith efforts to succeed. We do not support "dialogue" with Islamist and other apologists for violence, or proponents of restrictions on freedom under the pretext of religion. We also disagree with Rabbi Yoffie's statement, "There exists in [the Jewish] community a profound ignorance about Islam, along with a real desire to learn about what moves and motivates Muslims today. We must respond to this desire with serious programs of education." If Rabbi Yoffie believes that Jews are ignorant about Islam, he should be recognized as speaking only for himself. In reality, we and other Muslims recognize the contribution of numerous Jewish scholars to the understanding of Islam by Westerners. Most educated Muslims know the name of Ignaz Goldziher, the pioneering 19th century Jewish scholar on Islam. Sufis are aware of the historical writings of Gershom Scholem, one of the greatest 20th-century Jewish figures, on the relationship between Kabbalah and Sufism. Further, numerous Jewish community leaders and public intellectuals have commented soberly on the problems of Islamic extremism, in a manner we wish were more commonly visible in the ranks of Muslim believers. ISNA, which URJ has accepted, apparently uncritically, as a "partner," has a long history of association with extremist trends in Islam. ISNA has served as a front group for Wahhabism, the official sect in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the jihadist ideologies originating in Pakistan with the writings of a certain Mawdudi and the Deoband schools in that country — the latter of which produced the Afghan Taliban, and the Ikhwan al-Muslimun, or Muslim Brotherhood. Ingrid Mattson, president of ISNA, revealed the style of radical rhetoric with which the organization is saturated when, in addressing the URJ's recent convention, she declared that in the current U.S. presidential primaries, "we see candidates being asked to prove that they comply with an ever narrower definition of what it means to be a Christian — forget about being a Muslim or a Jew." This is an inexcusably irresponsible, inflammatory charge. Although Christian affiliations have been a topic among some presidential candidates, none has been compelled to "comply" with a Christian religious test and no such criterion is reasonably possible in the American electoral process. Many Islamic mosque congregations, Sufi orders, and Muslim personalities have called for intelligent and sincere discussion with Jewish individuals and groups, to further interfaith civility and cooperation. This noble goal, to which we as Muslims are called by our revelation and our traditions, cannot be served by flattery toward groups like ISNA, in which radicals are camouflaged as moderates. We therefore appeal to Rabbi Yoffie and other Jewish leaders to conduct a serious and thorough survey of the situation in Western Islam, identifying authentic moderates, and enabling them as interlocutors with Jews and other non-Muslims. We do not believe that ISNA qualifies for such a role. We fear that heedless acceptance of ISNA as an ally of URJ does harm to both our communities, by legitimizing a radicalism that, regardless of ISNA's rhetorical claims, is fundamentally hostile to Jews and suppresses the intellectual and social development of Muslims. Nawab Agha, president, American Muslim Congress Omran Salman, director, Aafaq Foundation Kemal Silay, president, Center for Islamic Pluralism Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, executive director, Center for Islamic Pluralism Salim Mansur, Canadian director, Center for Islamic Pluralism Jalal Zuberi, Southern U.S. director, Center for Islamic Pluralism Imaad Malik, fellow, Center for Islamic Pluralism M. Zuhdi Jasser, president, American Islamic Forum for Democracy Sheikh Ahmed Subhy Mansour, president, International Quranic Center Source: The Jewish WeekMore on the subject: • Rabbi Eric H. Yoffee's speech • Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President of ISNA, speech • Muslim Brotherhood' strategy for Islamic takeover of North America / ISNA is a part of American Muslim Brotherhood [.pdf] • Members of Congress to DOJ: ISNA is a radical group [.pdf] • ISNA - Saudi/Terrorist links • ISNA is a front group for Muslim Brotherhood • Sami Al-Arian (convicted on terrorism charges) helped establish ISNAEric Yoffie
Union for Reform Judaism
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