Friday, January 11, 2013

Illinois Swears in Three Legislators Facing Criminal Charges

Illinois Swears in Three Legislators Facing Criminal Charges

Illinois’ newest General Assembly began Wednesday with the swearing into office of not one, but three Democrat legislators facing criminal charges. One might expect in a state with such a history of sending governors to prison, there would be a real initiative underway to stop the corruption, or at least to stop electing the corrupt. But in Illinois, there is no such luck, or sense.



Rep. Derrick Smith was arrested and charged for accepting a  $7,000 bribe last year, just before the February 2012 primary election; however that didn’t stop him from winning that primary. And despite being removed from office by the legislature, Smith still won the general election handily this past November, sending him back to Springfield.


AP reports that state law prevents Smith from being expelled from the legislature again for the same charges.


Rep. La Shawn Ford faces bank fraud charges for allegedly making false statements to get an increase in a bank credit line. Ford Allegedly used the funds to buy a car and run his 2006 campaign, instead of rehabbing investment properties as he claimed he would.


And having the toughest gun laws in the country, what kind of state would Illinois be without having politicians who get in trouble for illegal possession of a firearm? Sen. Donnie Trotter was arrested for trying to bring a gun through airport security. Trotter claims to “work in security” and said he forgot his gun in his bag.


All three of the legislators have pleaded not guilty.


The AP also reports that Chicago has the most public convictions of any federal jurisdiction nationwide, with more than 1500 in the northern district of Illinois since 1976. On a statewide level, Illinois only falls short to California and New York with 1800 convictions in that same time.


With such a high conviction rate, look on the bright side—they are catching some of their crooks. With the corrupt reputation that the state truly deserves and one of the nations worst pension crisis, is it any wonder why United Van Lines reported just yesterday, that 60% of their business is moving people out of Illinois?

2012 Executive Orders Disposition Tables Barack Obama - 2012

2012 Executive Orders Disposition Tables
Barack Obama - 2012


Executive Order 13597
Establishing Visa and Foreign Visitor Processing Goals and the Task Force on Travel and Competitiveness
  • Signed:   January 19, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 3373, January 24, 2012

Executive Order 13598
Assignment of Functions Relating to Certain Promotion and Appointment Actions in the Armed Forces
  • Signed:   January 27, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 5371, February 2, 2012

Executive Order 13599
Blocking Property of the Government of Iran and Iranian Financial Institutions
  • Signed:   February 5, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 6659, February 8, 2012
  • See: EO 12957, March 15, 1995; EO 12170, November 14, 1979; EO 12281, January 19, 1981; EO 13628, October 9, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13600
Establishing the President's Global Development Council
  • Signed:   February 9, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 8713, February 14, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13601
Establishment of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center
  • Signed:   February 28, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 12981, March 5, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13602
Establishing a White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities
  • Signed:   March 15, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 16131, March 20, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13603
National Defense Resources Preparedness
  • Signed:   March 16, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 16651, March 22, 2012
  • See: EO 11858, May 7, 1975; EO 12472, April 3, 1984; EO 12656, November 18, 1988
Top of Page

Executive Order 13604
Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of Infrastructure Projects
  • Signed:   March 22, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 18887, March 28, 2012
  • See: EO 13563, January 18, 2011; EO 13580, July 12, 2011; EO 13616, June 14, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13605
Supporting Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources
  • Signed:   April 13, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 23107, April 17, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13606
Blocking the Property and Suspending Entry Into the United States of Certain Persons With Respect to Grave Human Rights Abuses by the Governments of Iran and Syria via Information Technology
  • Signed:   April 22, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 24571, April 24, 2012
  • See: EO 12957, March 15, 1995; EO 13338, May 11, 2004
Top of Page

Executive Order 13607
Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members
  • Signed:   April 27, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 25861, May 2, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13608
Prohibiting Certain Transactions With and Suspending Entry Into the United States of Foreign Sanctions Evaders With Respect to Iran and Syria
  • Signed:   May 1, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 26409, May 3, 2012
  • See: EO 12938, November 4, 1994; EO 12957, March 15, 1995; EO 13224, September 23, 2001; EO 13338, May 1, 2004
Top of Page

Executive Order 13609
Promoting International Regulatory Cooperation
  • Signed:   May 1, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 26413, May 4, 2012
  • See: EO 12866, September 30, 1993; EO 13563, January 18, 2011
Top of Page

Executive Order 13610
Identifying and Reducing Regulatory Burdens
  • Signed:   May 10, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 28469, May 14, 2012
  • See: EO 12866, September 30, 1993; EO 13563, January 18, 2011
Top of Page

Executive Order 13611
Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Yemen
  • Signed:   May 16, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 29533, May 18, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13612
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture
  • Signed:   May 21, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 31153, May 24, 2012
  • Revokes: EO 13542, May 13, 2010
Top of Page

Executive Order 13613
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Commerce
  • Signed:   May 21, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 31155, May 24, 2012
  • Revokes: EO 13242, December 18, 2001
Top of Page

Executive Order 13614
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Environmental Protection Agency
  • Signed:   May 21, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 31157, May 24, 2012
  • Revokes: EO 13261, March 19, 2002; EO 13344, July 7, 2004
Top of Page

Executive Order 13615
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Office of Management and Budget
  • Signed:   May 21, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 31159, May 24, 2012
  • Revokes: EO 13370, January 13, 2005
Top of Page

Executive Order 13616
Accelerating Broadband Infrastructure Deployment
  • Signed:   June 14, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 36903, June 20, 2012
  • See: EO 13604, March 2, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13617
Blocking Property of the Government of the Russian Federation Relating to the Disposition of Highly Enriched Uranium Extracted From Nuclear Weapons
  • Signed:   June 25, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 38459, June 27, 2012
  • See: EO 12938, November 14, 1994; EO 13085, May 26, 1998; EO 13159, June 21, 2000
Top of Page

Executive Order 13618
Assignment of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions
  • Signed:   July 6, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 40779, July 11, 2012
  • Revokes: EO 12472, April 3, 1984
  • Amends: EO 12382, September 13, 1982
  • See: EO 12333, December 4, 1981; EO 13526, December 29, 2009
Top of Page

Executive Order 13619
Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Burma
  • Signed:   July 11, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 41243, July 13, 2012
  • Amends: EO 13448, October 18, 2007; EO 13464, April 30, 2008
  • See: EO 13047, May 20, 1997; EO 13310, July 28, 2003; EO 13448, October 18, 2007; EO 13464, April 30, 2008
Top of Page

Executive Order 13620
Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency With Respect to Somalia
  • Signed:   July 20, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 43483, July 24, 2012
  • See: EO 13536, April 12, 2010
Top of Page

Executive Order 13621
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans
  • Signed:   July 26, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 45471, August 1, 2012
  • See: EO 13532, February 26, 2010
Top of Page

Executive Order 13622
Authorizing Additional Sanctions With Respect to Iran
  • Signed:   July 30, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 45897, August 2, 2012
  • Amended by: EO 13628, October 9, 2012
  • See: EO 12957, March 15, 1995; EO 13628, October 9, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13623
Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls Globally
  • Signed:   August 10, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 49345, August 16, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13624
Accelerating Investment in Industrial Energy Efficiency
  • Signed:   August 30, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 54779, September 5, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13625
Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families
  • Signed:   August 31, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 54783, September 5, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13626
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration
  • Signed:   September 10, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 56749, September 13, 2012
  • See: EO 12777, October 18,1991; EO 13554, October 5, 2010
Top of Page

Executive Order 13627
Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal Contracts
  • Signed:   September 25, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 60029, October 2, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13628
Authorizing the Implementation of Certain Sanctions Set Forth in the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 and Additional Sanctions With Respect to Iran
  • Signed:   October 9, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 62139, October 12, 2012
  • Amends: EO 13622, July 30, 2012
  • See: EO 12957, March 15, 1995; EO 12959, May 6, 1995; EO 13059, August 19, 1997; EO 13599, February 5, 2012; EO 13622, July 30, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13629
Establishing the White House Homeland Security Partnership Council
  • Signed:   October 26, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 66353, November 2, 2012
Top of Page

Executive Order 13630
Establishment of an Interagency Task Force on Commercial Advocacy
  • Signed:   December 6, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 73893, December 11, 2012
  • See: EO 13534, March 11, 2010
Top of Page

Executive Order 13631
Reestablishment of Advisory Group
  • Signed:   December 7, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 74101, December 12, 2012
  • See: EO 13544, June 10, 2010; EO 13591, November 23, 2011
Top of Page

Executive Order 13632
Establishing the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force
  • Signed:   December 7, 2012
  • Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 74341, December 14, 2012
Top of Page

Iraq Protests Present Muslim Brotherhood With Opportunity

Iraq Protests Present Muslim
Brotherhood With Opportunity

Protesters take part in a demonstration in Ramadi, 100 km (62 miles) west of Baghdad, Jan. 9, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Ali al-Mashhadani)


 




From 2010 until now, the Iraqi scene has grappled with a paradox that does not align with the Arab Spring protest movements. The Muslim Brotherhood, which rose to power in countries swept by the Arab Spring, found itself left out of the political game in Iraq since then. They lost the 2010 elections as their popular bases swept the al-Iraqiya list, which is led by a secular Shiite. Some of the leaders of this coalition are former members who withdrew from the Islamic Party, which represents the Brotherhood in Iraq.

About This Article

Summary :
The Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq has for years struggled to find a footing amongst many sectarian parties, but recent protests in Sunni cities have given them an opportunity, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Original Title:
Iraq Protests Present Muslim Brotherhood With Opportunity
Author: Mustafa al-Kadhimi
Translated on: January 9 2013
Translated by: Sami-Joe Abboud
Categories : Originals Iraq  
Not only does this scene reveal the state of frustration plaguing the Brotherhood in Iraq after they dimmed while their counterparts rose in the Middle East, but it also largely explains why the party is clinging to the demonstrations that recently broke out in the Sunni cities. These protests started to demand specific rights, but they soon started to include slogans and ideas that took on a sectarian dimension. Tribesmen and politicians stopped addressing the protesters, and cleared the way for clerics who, for the most part, belong to the Iraqi Brotherhood.
The year 2009 was a turning point in the political fate of the Islamic Party. That year brought signs of the end of the party’s influence in Sunni cities, which the party used to represent in local governments and parliament.
The same year also saw the losses for the  party in local elections and ended with the split of a group of senior leaders. Chief among these was the former leader of the party and Vice President of the Republic, Tariq al-Hashemi, who is currently sentenced to death, as well as another group from the Accordance Front, which cleared the way for the Iraqiya List led by Iyad Allawi.
The fact that the party joined Allawi's list following the election results was a sort of declaration of defeat and a way of yielding to political work under secular, liberal and tribal leaders.
The Islamic Party's hopes soon rebounded with the start of the Arab Spring revolutions and the Brotherhood's political victories. The party’s desire to make up [for its previous failure] may be the main reason behind its support — or even embrace, as some suggest — of these demonstrations.
This is the only way to approach the nature of the recent Sunni demonstrations and talk about three kinds of demands that they are calling for:
First, a demand adopted by the liberal leaders of the al-Iraqiya List. This focuses on achieving national reconciliation and establishing closer connections with the Shiite Iraqis rather than moving away from them.
Second, a demand adopted by the Brotherhood leaders of the demonstrations focuses on starting an Iraqi version of the Arab Spring revolutions with the aim of monopolizing Iraq's Sunni constituency, if not changing the entire political system.
Third, a demand adopted by al-Qaeda militants and Baath organizations believes that the reality of the situation in Iraq, as well as the nature of the regime and the constitution, do not make room for a chance to overthrow the political process. This was voiced by the recent speech by the leader of the banned Baath Party, Izzat al-Duri.
In any case, this conflict does not rule out the fact that these demands are trying to join the legitimate demands of the demonstrators, most of whom are ordinary, downtrodden and unemployed people who are seeking to ensure social justice, criticize the security and judicial systems or complain about corruption and the country's failure to invest its budget in construction. Most of those demands are almost shared by all of the other Iraqi cities, and the Shiite ones in particular.
However, Iraq's official authority did not take this conflict seriously. It chose to use one of its facets (Baath and al-Qaeda) and decided to rely on a specific form of slogans and speeches which accompanied the demonstrations in order to justify its inefficiency in addressing the imbalances that led to these demonstrations and address them in a radical way.
The truth is that the Iraqi equation is extremely complex and includes historical, doctrinal, national and regional considerations that prevent the start of another version of the Arab spring in Iraq. This truth may be extremely dangerous because it sets the stage for a closed circle of future conflicts and paves the way for a bloody conflict that may not be limited to Iraq alone.
Mustafa al-Kadhimi is an Iraqi writer specializing in defense of democracy. He has extensive experience in documenting testimony and archiving documentaries associated with repressive practices. He has written many books, including "Humanitarian Concerns," which was selected in 2000 by the European Union as the best book written by a refugee.



RECOMMENDED READING: “Ten Biggest Terror Finance News Stories Of 2012″

RECOMMENDED READING: “Ten Biggest Terror Finance News Stories Of 2012″

The Money Jihad blog has posted an article titled “Ten biggest terror finance news stories of 2012″, some of which was based on GMBDR reporting. The post begins:
1. Taliban funding remains intact despite international sanctions
Reports in 2012 revealed that the Taliban’s funding remains intact, that none of the Taliban’s assets have been blocked by U.S. sanctions, that the Taliban retains its taxing authority over Afghans, and that the UN sanctions only 18 percent of the Taliban’s provincial shadow governors in Afghanistan
2. Islamic charities remain top terror financiers
It’s questionable to even call this ‘news,’ but understanding the role of Muslim charities in funding jihad, of which we saw multiple examples throughout 2012, is the Rosetta stone to bankrupting terrorism. Instances of Muslim charities behaving badly cropped up, and in some cases have worsened, in both in the Middle East and in the West this year.In the Islamic world, the Saudi charitable foundation IIRO, whose branches in Indonesia and the Philippines were previously blacklisted by the U.S. for funding terrorism, is opening seven new branch offices. In Bangladesh, the chief of the terrorist organization Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) revealed that Muslim Aid, WAMY, the Muslim World League, the Qatari Charitable Society, and the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, are among the primary donors to his jihad. In Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba’s charitable front group used Ramadan this year as an opportunity to raise funds in public for its terrorist enterprises. We have also learned that Muslim Lebanese charities don’t just fund Hezbollah, but Hamas too.
Read the rest here.

Kuwaiti MP Warns Of Muslim Brotherhood “Sleeper Cells”

Kuwaiti MP Warns Of Muslim Brotherhood “Sleeper Cells”

Gulf media is reporting on comments by a Kuwaiti MP warning of Muslim Brotherhood “sleeper cells.” According to a Gulf News report:
January 3, 2013  A Kuwaiti lawmaker has called upon the interior ministry to ensure that the country will not be used as a platform by Muslim Brotherhood sleeper cells. MP Abdullah Al Tamimi made the appeal days after authorities in the UAE said that they had uncovered an Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood cell recruiting members in the country and collecting sensitive military information. ‘We must be vigilant to ensure that we are immune to the threats of these cells,’ the lawmaker said. ‘Kuwait must not be turned into an open field for such cells, especially that we have a large community of Egyptians. They are our brothers, but we categorically reject all sleeping terror cells that might infiltrate the Kuwaiti society and state institutions,’ he said. Al Tamimi said that the arrest of three cells in the UAE meant that Kuwait was not immune to their presence in the country.”
post from last week reported that that the UAE had arrested 10 people described as the leadership of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in that country.
post from November 2012 reported on further comments by the Dubai police chief accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of creating unrest in the UAE. As noted in that post,  Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan also said that UAE Muslim Brotherhood members who had been arrested had met with Kuwaiti Brotherhood “mentors”  including Kuwaiti Brotherhood leader Tariq Al-Suwaidan. In March, a post reported that that Tariq Al-Suwaidan had added his voice to the conflict between the UAE and the Global Muslim Brotherhood by warning that if the UAE followed through on its threat to arrest Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi, “it would be a disaster” for the UAE.
A post from October reported on comments by the United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister in which he said that Gulf Arab countries should work together to stop the Muslim Brotherhood from undermining governments in the area. A post from late September reported that the Muslim Brotherhood in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had denied setting up an armed wing with the goal of seizing power. A post from late September reported on the trial in Abu Dhabi of what are described as “activists belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood” and who reportedly admitted that they have engaged in financial actives and communicated with “the international organisation of the Muslim Brotherhood and other bodies.” A post from April reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had detained six members of the local Muslim Brotherhood whose citizenship had been revoked on the basis of belonging to groups that fund terrorists. Earlier posts reported on allegations by the Dubai police chief that the Muslim Brotherhood is using social media to attack the UAE and his threat to arrest Qaradawi who criticized the UAE for revoking the visas of Syrians demonstrating against the regime in Damascus. Other posts have discussed comments by Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood leader Tariq Al-Suwaidan who appeared to threaten the UAE with “disaster” if Qaradawi was arrested.

EXCLUSIVE: Group Aimed At Electing Chicago Muslims To Local Governments; Leaders Tied To U.S. Muslim Brotherhood

EXCLUSIVE: Group Aimed At Electing Chicago Muslims To Local Governments; Leaders Tied To U.S. Muslim Brotherhood

Islamic media has reported on a newly-emerging organization whose leaders are tied to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and which is designed to help elect Muslims to local governments in the Chicago area. According to an OnIslam report:
07 January 2013  CAIRO – Reclaiming their political rights, an increasing number of American Muslims is running for local elections, creating a new generation of future leaders within the Chicago area Muslim community. ‘I think (Muslims) are awakening because we made this our home, so we need to get involved,’ Nazneen Hashmi, who is running for one of three Hanover Township trustee seats, told the Daily Herald. Engaging in the political live as early as in the 1980s, Hashmi, a single mother with two children in college, decided it was time to give back to her community of Streamwood. An information technology professional, Hashmi was appointed to the village’s Community Relations Commission where she worked to promote diversity and organized a forum on marriages around the world. Hashmi is among several Muslim candidates running for elected office in the suburbs this spring who have caught the eye of the group Project Mobilize. The project aims at fostering a greater civic involvement and helps the political campaigns of first-time candidates through training, networking, fundraising and providing resources to reach target demographic. ‘We wanted to be the vehicle to help those individuals gain leadership skills,’ group co-founder Reema Ahmad said. ‘Project M is a tool that they can wield. We do not have any political agenda beyond helping communities that are politically marginalized have a voice.’ Working previously with the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago, Ahmad began to recognize the potential for growing future leaders within the Chicago area Muslim community. ‘It was time for the Muslim community to kind of take the next step and take ownership of the political process and run ourselves for political office,’ she said. ‘That was the motivation for starting Project Mobilize, which was founded in May 2010. Our goal was to build our leadership from the bottom up.
Read the rest here.
In November, a post reported on another one of the innumerable front groups of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, this one calling itself the Muslim American Citizens Coalition and Public Affairs Council (MACCPAC). 
According to its website, the following individuals are members of the board of Project Mobilize and are known to have ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood:
  • Safaa Zarzour (Secretary-General of the Islamic Society of North America who has extensive ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood)
  • M. Yaser Tabbara (former Executive Director of Council on American Islamic Relations Chicago chapter)
  • Oussama Jammal (Vice President of the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, Illinois, known to have been a center for terrorism fundraising)
In addition, the online c.v. for Reema Ahmed indicates that she did more than “work with” the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). She was in fact the Government Affairs Coordinator for the Chicago chapter. In addition, she is currently a director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee where Salah Sarsour serves as the Religious Chair as well as being the registered agent for the Wisconsin chapter of the Muslim American Society (MAS), a part of the US Muslim Brotherhood closely tied to the Egyptian organization. The Sarsour family in Milwaukee is known to have many ties to the Hamas infrastructure in the US.
Her c.v also indicates that she is a Fellow at the American Muslim Civic Leadership (AMCLI) Institute which serves as home for Project M. According to its website, the AMCLI  is:
 …housed at the University of Southern California’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC), and works in partnership with the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding (ACMCU) at Georgetown University.
In 2005, Saudi prince Alaweed bin Talal, a financial supporter of the global Muslim Brotherhood, donated $20 million to the Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown which is headed by Dr. John Esposito who has espoused views consistent with Brotherhood doctrine and during the 1990′s was known for his claims that Islamic fundamentalism was, in fact, democratic and posed no threat to the U.S. Dr. Esposito has at least a dozen past or present affiliations with global Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas organizations including having served on the advisory board of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought in the U.K. headed by Azzam Tamimi, a leader in the U.K. Muslim Brotherhood and often described as a Hamas spokesman. Dr. Esposito has also served with global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi on the Steering Committee of the Circle of Tradition and Progress and enjoyed a close relationship with the United Association For Studies and Research (USAR), part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee and part of the Hamas support infrastructure. The AMCLI website indicates that the organization is funded by a group of liberal foundations that includes the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundation (George Soros), and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Also serving as an AMCLI Fellow was Department of Homeland Security Adviser Mohamed Elibiary who has numerous ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.
Documents released in the Holy Land Trial have revealed that the founders and current leaders of CAIR were part of the Palestine Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood and identified the organization itself as being part of the US. Muslim Brotherhood. A recent post discussed an interview with the Deputy leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in which he confirms a relationship between his organization and CAIR. Investigative research posted on GMBDR determined that CAIR had origins in the U.S. Hamas infrastructure and CAIR and it leaders have a long history of defending almost all individuals accused of terrorism by the US. government, frequently calling such prosecutions a “war on Islam.” In 2009, a US federal judge ruled ”The Government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR, ISNA and NAIT with HLF, the Islamic Association for Palestine (“IAP”), and with Hamas.

EXCLUSIVE: Further Global Muslim Brotherhood Ties Of Chicago-Area U.S. Muslim Brotherhood Political Group

EXCLUSIVE: Further Global Muslim Brotherhood Ties Of Chicago-Area U.S. Muslim Brotherhood Political Group

Project Mobilize, a group identified in yesterday’s post as an organization tied to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood that is attempting to elect Chicago-area Muslims to local government, has even more extensive connections to the Global Muslim Brotherhood than first reported. Project Mobilize President M. Yaser Tabbara, a former executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), was also part of the Syrian National Council (SNC), a group that until recently had been the largest Syrian anti-government coalition. As a post from August reported, Mr. Tabbara was identified as a third individual tied to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood that was also a part of the SNC, a group described on its website as “ …a council that includes competent national figures to serve as a political umbrella for the Syrian Revolution in the international arena and support the just cause of the Syrian people, who yearn to be liberated from tyranny and create a civil democratic state.” According to a Middle East Forum  report, Mr. Tabara promoted many causes close to the heart of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood while heading CAIR-Chicago:
CAIR has its own man in the SNC: Yaser Tabbara, a founding member of the Syrian resistance group. After helping launch CAIR’s Chicago office, Tabbara served as its executive director until 2006; he currently sits on its board. Tabbara’s time at the helm of CAIR-Chicago was marked by multiple controversies. He played a major role in the successful drive to get Thomas Klocek dismissed from his post as an adjunct professor at DePaul University, following an out-of-classroom argument in which Klocek defended Israel against the smears of pro-Palestinian students. Tabbara also led CAIR-Chicago’s efforts to circle the Islamist wagons when the family of an American teenager murdered by Hamas sued U.S. charities believed to fund such terrorists. He called the trial a ‘lynching and a mockery of justice,’ but a jury awarded the plaintiffs $156 million. Around the same period, the FBI accused CAIR-Chicago of having ‘compromised or impeded’ an investigation into an alleged hate crime by ignoring the bureau’s request not to issue a premature press release about it.”
The SNC website confirmed that Tabbara was a council member. Previous posts had noted that the SNC included at least two other known members of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood- Louay Safi, a leader in the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and Najib Ghadbian, a board member of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID). The relationship between the SNC and Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi should also be noted. A post from November reported that despite the SNC’s efforts to thwart the move, the group was swallowed up by a new, broader-based Syrian opposition group that included SNC members.
In addition to Mr. Tabara’s former position at the SNC, it should also be be noted that he is a principal at the law firm of Zarzour, Khalil, & Tabbara LLC, indicating an even closer relationship to Saffa Zarzour, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Society of North America and who, as indicated in the original post, has extensive ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood).
Finally, the OnIslam report that was the original source of yesterday’s post identified one of the Project Mobilize candidates for local office as Zuhair Nubani, a local attorney who represented Abdelhallem Ashqar.  A post from October 2009 reported that Ashqar, part of the Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas support network in the U.S and a co-defendant with Hamas operative Muhammad Salah, lost his appeal of his 11-year prison sentence for refusing to testify before a U.S. grand jury in 2003 that was investigating Hamas. In September 2003, the Chicago Tribune reported that Nubani had said that Ashqar considered the grand jury’s activities “a witch hunt” and a “selected prosecution of Muslims and Palestinians for their religious and political beliefs.” A post from November 2007 discussed the background to the conviction of Dr. Ashqar.
According to the OnIslam report, Project Mobilize has already had an impact on area elections:
Mobilizing American Muslims during congress elections, Project M officials proved success after they managed to defeat the re-election bid of US Rep. Joe Walsh in the 8th Congressional District after he made anti-Muslim comments. ”(Asian-American and Muslim) communities in the Northwest and Western suburbs are becoming more politically involved increasingly in a strategic and intentional way,” Ahmad said. ”We sent over 9,000 mailers to Muslim American voters in the 8th Congressional District, basically highlighting some of the hateful and reprehensible stances that he holds.” The group plans to support Muslim candidates running in suburban races in the April elections.

RECOMENDED READING: “Iraq Protests Present Muslim Brotherhood With Opportunity”

RECOMENDED READING: “Iraq Protests Present Muslim Brotherhood With Opportunity”

Al-Monitor has posted an articled titled “Iraq Protests Present Muslim Brotherhood With Opportunity ” that looks at the prospects for the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq. The article begins:
By: Mustafa al-Kadhimi for Al-Monitor Iraq Pulse. posted on January 9. From 2010 until now, the Iraqi scene has grappled with a paradox that does not align with the Arab Spring protest movements. The Muslim Brotherhood, which rose to power in countries swept by the Arab Spring, found itself left out of the political game in Iraq since then. They lost the 2010 elections as their popular bases swept the al-Iraqiya list, which is led by a secular Shiite. Some of the leaders of this coalition are former members who withdrew from the Islamic Party, which represents the Brotherhood in Iraq.   Not only does this scene reveal the state of frustration plaguing the Brotherhood in Iraq after they dimmed while their counterparts rose in the Middle East, but it also largely explains why the party is clinging to the demonstrations that recently broke out in the Sunni cities. These protests started to demand specific rights, but they soon started to include slogans and ideas that took on a sectarian dimension. Tribesmen and politicians stopped addressing the protesters, and cleared the way for clerics who, for the most part, belong to the Iraqi Brotherhood. The year 2009 was a turning point in the political fate of the Islamic Party. That year brought signs of the end of the party’s influence in Sunni cities, which the party used to represent in local governments and parliament.
Read the rest here.
The Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) has always been known to be strongly tied to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. According to a profile posted on globalsecurity.org:
The Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), established in 1960, is the major Sunni political organization in the country …The party was suppressed during the regime of former President Saddam Hussein. Many of its members were forced to flee the country. The party returned to public life after coalition forces occupied Iraq. The IIP seeks to preserve the leading role Sunnis have had in running the country starting with the establishment of the modern Iraqi state in the beginning of the 20th century. The Iraqi Islamic Party was formed as an Iraqi Muslim Brotherhood organization, and conducted underground work during the Baathist period. Thee party does not considers itself a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood Group, established in Egypt in 1994, nor a political front for it in Iraq. The Iraqi Islamic Party acknowledges strong ties to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood through political and intellectual alliances.
A post from last September reported that  a delegation openly identifying itself as the Iraqi Muslim Brotherhood visited the party headquarters of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood political party where they met with its leaders. A post from August reported on the election of Ayad Al-Samarra’i as the head of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP). As discussed in a post from May 2009, Usama al-Tikriti had previously been chosen to head the IIP. Knowledgable sources report that Usama Al-Tikriti has also been serving as the General Guide (leader) for the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq and is likely to retain that position. Usama al-Tikriti is also the father of Anas al-Tikriti, the former leader of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and now a leader in the British Muslim Initiative (BMI), both part of the U.K. Muslim Brotherhood.

The Assassination of Russia (2002

The Assassination of Russia (2002) (english).mp4 [FULL]: http://youtu.be/Kug-fRun560 via @youtube

Kerry’s words on Assad certain to draw scrutiny

Kerry’s words on Assad certain to draw scrutiny



WASHINGTON — Sen. John Kerry has held up Syria as a country that could bring peace and stability to the Mideast and predicted that the now-disgraced government of President Bashar Assad would pursue a legitimate relationship with the United States. Those assertions are certain to draw scrutiny at Kerry’s confirmation hearing to be secretary of state as Assad’s brutal crackdown has plunged his country into civil war.
Conservative websites have mocked the relationship as a Kerry-Assad “bromance,” seizing on comments the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman has made in speeches and during his six visits to Syria.
The politically tinged criticism of President Barack Obama’s nominee fails to capture the context of Kerry’s words, his more recent statements and what has been a complicated outreach to a mercurial and defiant leader. Both Republican and Democratic administrations also have struggled to fathom the Assad family, which has kept a tight grip on power for four decades and at times has cooperated with the West.
Syria supported the Persian Gulf War in 1991 to force Iraq out of Kuwait after President George H.W. Bush’s secretary of state, James A. Baker III, made a dozen trips to Damascus, the Syrian capital. Syria was an outcast for years and the U.S. pulled its ambassador in February 2005 after the assassination of Lebanon Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syria was widely accused of involvement in the killing, which Damascus has denied.
The nearly two-year civil war in Syria and the anger and frustration of some Republican lawmakers with Obama’s response is likely to produce several questions for Kerry. One of the newest committee members and a Kerry friend, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been the most vocal critic of Obama on Syria, complaining that the president’s policies have proved futile in stopping the bloodshed.
The United Nations recently estimated that at least 60,000 have been killed in the war and that millions have fled their homes.
The Massachusetts senator, tapped by Obama to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is on track for a smooth confirmation by his colleagues. His hearing could come as early as the week of Jan. 21.
Kerry summed up the uncertainty in the region when he said in a speech on March 16, 2011, that the “modern Middle East has long confounded American foreign-policy makers.”
The friend-or-foe conundrum for past administrations can be found in a series of photos.
There’s one of President Ronald Reagan’s envoy, Donald Rumsfeld, shaking hands with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 1983, a decade before the United States and an international coalition went to war against him. In 2008, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat down with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who three years later was killed by rebels backed by the United States.
Kerry’s observation came during an appearance before the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in which he spoke optimistically about the Syrian government and the United States making progress with Assad.
“President Assad has been very generous with me in terms of the discussions we have had,” Kerry said. “And when I last went to — the last several trips to Syria — I asked President Assad to do certain things to build the relationship with the United States.”
Kerry ticked off six requests for Assad, including purchasing land for a U.S. Embassy in Damascus and border assistance with Iraq, and said the Syrian president fulfilled all of them.
“So my judgment is Syria will move; Syria will change, as it embraces a legitimate relationship with the United States and the West and economic opportunity that comes with it and the participation comes with it,” he said.
He was quick to add, “I take nothing at face value in any relationship.”
Toward the end of the same month, and after Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., had led a congressional delegation to Syria, Clinton said that “many of the members of Congress of both parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe he’s (Assad) a reformer.”
Her remark was in the context of comparing Syria and Libya.
Officials for Kerry and Shelby say neither ever referred to Assad as a “reformer.”
A few days after Clinton’s remarks, Kerry said at a hearing on Syria that “violence against peaceful protesters is unacceptable” and took Assad to task for failing to promise significant reforms.
A month later, he backed Obama’s imposition of penalties against Syria and said “what is clear is that we need to increase the political and economic pressure so President Assad understands that he must end the violence and embrace reforms.”
In August, Kerry echoed Obama’s call for Assad to step aside.
The hard-line response was a clear reflection of the international outrage over Assad’s unceasing violence against his people. He stood in contrast to previous Kerry’s statements.
Shortly after Obama took office, Kerry traveled to Syria in February 2009 to push for Assad to honor Lebanon’s independence, to gain Syria’s help in getting Hezbollah to disarm and to make inroads in ending its close relationship with Iran. Kerry met with Assad and later said, “We are going to renew diplomacy but without any illusion, without any naivety, without any misplaced belief that, just by talking, things will automatically happen.”
In April 2010, Kerry met with Assad in Damascus and described Syria as “an essential player in bringing peace and stability to the region.”
Daniel Byman, a Georgetown University professor and a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, said the criticism Kerry might face in the hearing “will be couched in `the administration is screwing this up, how will you fix it,’ rather than — my impression is Chuck Hagel’s (nomination to be defense secretary) will be much rougher. `You’re part of the problem, you’re not part of the solution.’ With Kerry, I think it’s going to be we’re delighted you’re coming to fix this problem.”