JNS NEWS SERVICE
by Sarah Stern
September 2, 2014

On Labor Day weekend, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder welcomed thousands of Muslims to Detroit for the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). As someone who grew up as the sole Jewish kid in my neighborhood school, I have always cherished our tradition of welcoming religious minorities to our shores, and our constitution that enshrines the protection of religious minorities. But when one looks at the roster of radical Islamic speakers highlighted in the ISNA program, one wonders about the wisdom of Snyder, a U.S. state’s top official, speaking at such an event and therefore bestowing a state’s legitimacy upon the host organization. This occurred during the same month in which we witnessed pictures of the gruesome beheading of James Foley by the Islamic State terror group, and in which many Americans have abruptly woken up to just how lethal and brutal Islamic fundamentalism can be.

These charismatic speakers are influencing the hearts and minds of many young Muslims throughout the United States today. Now that it has been widely recognized that more than 100 young American Muslim recruits have volunteered to fight and die alongside their comrades with Islamic State, some of the following speakers may potentially be creating future recruits for members of Islamic State, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, al-Shabab, or al-Qaeda. Among those who spoke this past weekend were:

Jamal Badawi, a Canadian-Egyptian who was removed by former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano from a “no-entry list” to the U.S. He has often praised suicide bombings against Israelis and Jews. He has close ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, is deeply rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood, and is the founder of the Muslim American Society, which is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Zaid Shakir, who was born Ricky Mitchell and converted to Islam in 1977. He believes America has a “brutal and genocidal legacy that drives its current policies.” He has not claimed outright that Muslims were not responsible for 9/11, but he is quick to recommend an author who does. Shakir wrote in 2007, “This article will not examine what actually happened on 9/11, although the glaring weaknesses and inconsistencies in the official narrative call for such an examination. For those seeking greater clarity concerning the events of that day see David Ray Griffin’s ‘Debunking 9/11.’” He has also said, “Muslims are not to blame for 9/11, but America’s genocidal policies [are].”

Yasir Qadhi, president of the Islamic Circle of North America and dean of the Memphis-based Al Maghrib Institute, the largest American-Muslim academic institution that has the capacity to reach impressionable young Muslims. Qadhi is a graduate of the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia and spreads Wahhabaist Islam. He speaks frequently on podcasts and the radio and has denied the Holocaust, saying that Hitler “never intended to mass-destroy the Jews.” He has called accounts of the Holocaust “false propaganda.”….

We all know about the high number of Muslims living in Michigan, and we are also aware that politicians need votes to remain in office. But a representative of the U.S. state’s government has no business whitewashing these ISNA conference speakers and what they stand for. It is about time that we take our heads out of the sand and realize that if we are not careful, someone else’s nightmares may soon become our own. 

READ MORE ABOUT THE OTHER INVITED SPEAKERS

http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2014/9/2/a-weekend-of-whitewashing-radical-islam#.VAcD1K3wupp=