[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Alt.muslim responds

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
Alt.muslim responds
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1164820516.shtml


   Yesterday on Dean's World I posted about the lessons [1]we should have
   learned from the assassination of Meir Kahane.

   One thing we should have learned: to be aware of the extremist groups
   that exist within our own borders - like [2]Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya,
   [3]Al Muhajiroun (the "Islamic Thinker's Society") and [4]Jamaat
   Al-Fuqra. We should also be aware of which mosques or community
   centers are associated with them.

   In the post, I asked the web-based interactive news and discussion
   site, [5]alt.muslim.com why:

     "...they call the terror-cell hosting al Farooq [mosque] "Another
     very accessible masjid in good location on main strip amongst
     Muslim businesses" and why do they give it three stars?

   Thanks to the response of Shahed Amanullah, alt.muslim.com's editor,
   the Al Farooq masjid (mosque), which was once headed by the leader of
   the first attack against the World Trade Center, [6]no longer rates
   three stars - it rates zero out of five.

   While the comment recommending the mosque remains, here's the revised
   description:

     The Al-Farooq masjid has a controversial and troubled history in
     the Brooklyn area, starting with fundraising for Afghan mujahedeen
     that may have been associated with Osama bin Laden. In the early
     90's, FBI investigators linked several members with the 1993 World
     Trade Center bombing, one of whom (El-Sayyid Nosair) later murdered
     Jewish radical Meir Kahane in New York in 1990. In 2003, federal
     investigators linked members of the mosque to $20 million in
     alleged fundraising for Al Qaeda, though little evidence of direct
     support was linked to the mosque itself. Other allegations include
     the use of Saudi-funded literatureand extreme sermons by some of
     its imams. Many members maintain that they are kept in the dark
     about any illicit activity that may be taking place and that the
     relatively poor community can barely keep the mosque functioning.
     Other members dismiss the allegations and say they are against
     terrorism and extremism, though deep cultural customs remain.

   Shahed also pointed out the less-than-favorable description of the
   Illinois [7]Bridgeview mosque (also rated zero out of five)

   The automated and fairly anonymous nature of alt.muslim's
   Mosque/School finder ([8]salat-o-matic) could be a great resource for
   people who want to express their feelings about extremist political
   activism within their places of worship. Vocal critics of extremism,
   like Tulsa's [9]Jamal Miftah and [10]Asra Nomani are often shunned by
   other members of their mosques. Web-based anonymity gives people who
   don't want to risk an unkind response a chance to speak out. It would
   be encouraging if people would take advantage of that.

   Thanks to Shahed and to Ali Eteraz for notifying him about it. And, as
   a techie note, that was the best web-page customer response I've seen.

References

   1. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1164733241.shtml
   2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Abdel-Rahman
   3. http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1161876995.shtml
   4. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/jamaat-ul-fuqra.htm
   5. http://www.altmuslim.com/
   6. http://www.salatomatic.com/_details.php?mosque_id=3225
   7. http://www.salatomatic.com/_details.php?mosque_id=3734
   8. http://www.salatomatic.com/
   9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbkrKH7SCio&eurl=
  10. http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2005/12/asra_nomani.html