U.S. Islamist Leader Asks To Be Taken Off No-Fly List
by THE GLOBAL MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD DAILY REPORT
January 10, 2012
Radwan Masmoudi.
The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) has posted an online petition addressed to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano requesting that its director Radwan Masmoudi be removed from the “No Fly” watch list. The letter begins:
Secretary Janet Napolitano Department of Homeland Security U.S. Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528
Dear Secretary Napolitano,
We – the signatories of this letter of appeal – are writing out of concern for the treatment of a colleague and friend for whom we have great respect. Dr. Radwan A. Masmoudi, a dual citizen of the United States and Tunisia, has been struggling since 2005 to get his name removed from the “No Fly” Watch list. As he wrote to you in 2009, Dr. Masmoudi flies domestically and internationally an average of 2-3 times a month. As he has described it to us, without fail, he is subjected to a delay of approximately 1 hour each time before his boarding pass can be printed and he is allowed to board the plane”
CSID was founded in 1998 largely by the efforts of Georgetown University academic Dr. Esposito who during the 1990′s served in the State Department as a “foreign affairs analyst” and who has at least a dozen past or present affiliations with global Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas organizations. Many members of the early CSID board were associated with the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) the American Muslim Council, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), all parts of the US Muslim Brotherhood. For example, past CSID board members included Jamal Barzinji and Taha Al-Alwani, both associated with IIIT and both important leaders in the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood who helped to establish many of the most important U.S. Brotherhood organizations. Antony Sullivan, the current CSID Vice-Chair, has many ties to U.S. Brotherhood groups including the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), the United Association for Studies and Research (USAR), and the Circle of Tradition and Progress (COTP), a group whose other founding members included Youssef Qaradawi, the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood. From its inception, CSID has argued that the U.S. government should support Islamist movements in foreign countries and has received financial support from the U.S. State Department, the National Endowment for Democracy and the United States Institute of Peace.
Related posts:
- CSID Mischaracterizes U.S. Position On Muslim Brotherhood
- Al Taqwa Leader Loses Bid To Be Removed From Swiss Terror List
- CORRECTION: Hamas Members Not Removed By U.S. From Terror List.
- Documents Posted On January Meeting Between US DHS And US Muslim Brotherhood
- CSID Holds Workshops In Morocco and Tunisia
Tunisian media reported that Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood leader Rachid Ghannouchi traveled to Qatar in early January where he was hosted by Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi. According to a tunisialive.net report:
03 January 2012 Rached Ghannouchi, leader of center-right Islamist party (Ennahda), traveled to Qatar last week on a two day visit. According to Zoubair Chhoudi, the personal assistant of the Ennahda leader, Ghannouchi’s visit was unofficial. Chhoudi explained, “Ghannouchi went to Qatar for personal reasons; he did not go as a leader of Ennahda. It was an informal visit.” According to the Tunisian news site “Business News,” Ghannouchi was hosted by Youssef Al-Qaradawi, the well-known Egyptian Islamic Cleric. It was reported that the two men discussed the latest developments in Tunisian politics, and the challenges facing the new government during the “post-transitional phase.” They also discussed the Tunisian Government’s compensation of families whose loved ones were killed during the Tunisian revolution. Ghannouchi wants the interim government to focus increased efforts on achieving political, economic, and social development in Tunisia. He reiterated that cooperation with Arab countries, and Qatar in particular, will ensure that Tunisia will become, “an example of progress and true democracy, on the basis of the values of Islam and its teachings.”
Rachid Ghannouchi (many spelling variations) is the leader of the Tunisian Islamist movement known as Nahda (aka Ennahda, Al Nahda) and can best be described as an independent Islamist power center who is tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood though his membership in the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) and his important position in the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), both organizations led by Global Muslim Brotherhood Youssef Qaradawi. An Egyptian news report has identified Ghannouchi as a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood “abroad.” Ghannouchi is also one of the founding members of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), a Saudi organization closely linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and dedicated to the propagation of “Wahabist” Islam throughout the world. Ghannouchi is known for his thinking on the issue of Islam and citizenship rights. Earlier posts reported on the return of Mr. Ghannouchi to Tunisia following his long exile in the UK. Other posts have detailed his extremist background.
Qaradawi, a virulent anti-Semite is often referred to here as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide. Based in Qatar, Sheikh Qaradawi has reportedly amassed substantial wealth through his role as Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were instrumental in the development of the phenomenon. A recent post has discussed a video compilation of Qaradawi’s extremist statements.
Related posts:
- Rachid Ghannouchi Joins Hamas/Qaradawi To Seek Release Of Hassan Turabi
- Rachid Ghannouchi Identified As Muslim Brotherhood Foreign Leader
- MIDEAST CRISIS: Hamas Prime Minister Congratulates Ghannouchi On Return To Tunisia
- MIDEAST CRISIS: Rachid Ghannouchi Says He Will Return To Tunisia
- Ghannouchi Says Reconciliation The Way To “Liberate The Palestinian Lands”
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