'76 Blog

Are many Muslims devoted to a doctrine called jihad, which commands violence against infidels, and another doctrine called sharia, which forbids obedience to the U.S. constitution or any other civil government?  Do many Muslims interpret the Koran to require brutal abuse of women, gays, Jews, and Christians?  Have a number of Muslim charities and mosques in this country been unmasked as fronts for radicalism?  Did a Muslim man from Aurora, Colorado, named Najibullah Zazi, plead guilty in 2010 to a terror bombing plot against the New York subway system? The answer to all four questions is Yes.  But you would never know it from reading the three-part Denver Post series on Muslims in Colorado since 9/11, Aug. 19-21.  Relevant as these matters might seem to be for a serious exploration of his subject, reporter Eric Gorski confronts none of them.  Instead, throughout his lengthy front-page articles, Gorski repeatedly implies that even asking such questions betrays ignorance, intolerance, bigotry, and xenophobia.  As a result, the series reads more like puffery than journalism.  It would be interesting to know what "assistance" the Denver Post received on this project from CAIR, the Hamas-linked Muslim Brotherhood propaganda group that was designated an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism trial in federal court. Regardless, no matter if the series was CAIR-orchestrated or merely a self-deluded exercise in political correctness, it ill serves the public interest.  Coloradans concerned about homeland security, the rule of law, social cohesion, and the trustworthiness of their neighbors deserve "the rest of the story" on the Muslims among us. 

(Centennial Fellow) Nearly flawlessly executing the operation in Pakistan to raid the compound where Osama bin Laden was living – among the military and police leadership of Pakistan by the way – the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six along with elements of other U.S. government assets killed America’s most wanted man.  This is a victory for all of us – no doubt.  A tremendous Bravo Zulu to the men and women who made it possible and gave the operation the best chance of success.  Bin Laden is dead.  What I am hearing from the media, the government, and our President, however, is making me queezy. In announcing the killing of bin Laden, President Obama said we are at war with Al Qaeda.  We killed the head of Al Qaeda – our enemy.  Today, many in the media and elsewhere are making statements that can only be considered irrational, naive, and simply wrong with regards to the war in which we are engaged.  I fear America will refocus its energy on Al Qaeda, while the enemy’s main focus of effort, the Muslim Brotherhood Movement in the United States, will continue to move forward at light speed unimpeded by anyone in the U.S. National Security apparatus. Let's review the Muslim Brotherhood’s objectives and doctrine: - “The Muslim Brotherhood is an International Muslim Body, which seeks to establish Allah’s law in the land.”   MB By-Laws - MB Goals: “Insist to liberate the Islamic nation from the yoke of foreign rule…the need to work on establishing the Islamic State…the sincere support for a global cooperation in accordance with the provisions of the Islamic Shariah.”   MB By-laws - “…Jihad is our way and martyrdom in the way of allah is our highest aspiration.”   MB Creed - “Against them MAKE READY your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies…”    MB Logo – 2 crossed swords under a Quran with the phrase “Make Ready” under it.  MB has openly said/written it refers to the above quote (Quran 8:60) - “Jihad is an obligation from Allah Almighty on every Muslim and cannot be ignored.”   Founder of MB Hassan al Banna from “Book of Jihad” - “Jihad means to war against non-Muslims.”   Islamic Law, Umdat al Salik, certified by key MB entities IIIT and Fiqh Council of North America as MB doctrine - “The Islamic nation must be fully prepared to fight the tyrants and the enemies of Allah as a prelude to establishing the Islamic state.”    MB By-laws - “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”  MB Founder Hassan al Banna (quoted in the Hamas Covenant (1988) - “The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine.”Hamas Covenant (1988) - “The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind the stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslim, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.” Hamas Covenant.  Remember, Hamas IS the Muslim Brotherhood. - “The Process of Settlement is a “Civilization-Jihadist Process” with all the word means. The Ikwan (MB) must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying 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.”    An Explanatory Memorandum. MB strategic document for North America. -  From the “Underground Movement Plan” – the MB’s 5 Phase plan“Phase One: Phase of discreet and secret establishment of elite leadership.Phase Two: Phase of gradual appearance on the public scene…establishing a shadow government.Phase Three: Escalation phase, prior to conflict and confrontation with the rulers.Phase Four: Open public confrontation with the Government through exercising the political pressure approach.. Training on the use of weapons domestically and overseas in anticipation of zero hour. It has noticeable activities in this regard.Phase Five: Seizing power to establish their Islamic Nation.” - “Lying is permissible if the goal is permissible…and obligatory is the goal is obligatory.” Islamic Law, Umdat al Salik, certified by key MB entities IIIT and Fiqh Council of North America as MB doctrine From the overwhelming evidence entered at the US v Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development trial (HLF) it was revealed that the Muslim Brotherhood Movement in the United States has significant infrastructure here and that the most prominent Islamic Organizations in the U.S. are controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood to include the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the Fiqh Council of North America, and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Hamas entity. We know from the MB itself and from a large amount of evidence, to include the US v Sabri Benkhala case, that the Muslim American Society (MAS) is a significant MB organization founded by three key MB leaders. Because they are ALL Muslim Brotherhood entities, the aforementioned doctrine is what these organizations hold as their objectives and doctrine.  So why are they (1) allowed to operate in the United States and (2) why would any government entity at the state or federal level meet or work with them?  Why would leadership of our National Security apparatus seek guidance from them, speak at their conferences, or in any way give them credibility – since they seek our destruction. As a reminder, the Muslim Chaplain program was founded by an Al Qaeda operative (Alamoudi) and the current certifying agency for Muslim Chaplains in the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Prisons (ISNA) was revealed to be a Hamas support entity, which is why they are an un-indicted co-conspirator at the largest successfully prosecuted Hamas trial in U.S. history – US v HLF. Why do we have Muslim Brothers representing the above groups sitting on advisory committees for DHS?  Why are Directors of ISNA meeting with and advising the Secretary of State? Why is the MAS primarily meeting with and advising the DHS Secretary? Why is the FBI giving senior Muslim Brothers awards at FBIHQ? Osama bin Laden is dead, but this stuff is making me quite ill.  

Here are my notes from a briefing by Dr. Bruce W. Assaf on “Understanding Radical Islam,” presented by the Centennial Institute on the campus of Colorado Christian University, March 9, 2011.  An audience of about 100 students and community members attended. 1.  Islamic Jihadists exist within Islam. Islam is not purely a religion but also a political program for world dominance.  Jihadist leaders and their followers are sworn enemies of Western civilization. They seek to destroy the US especially because we represent the supreme achievement of Western/Judeo-Christian civilization, expressed in freedom and capitalism. They also seek our destruction because we are Israel’s principal supporters. The 9-11 attack was the Jihadists’ de facto declaration of war. 2. Islamic Jihadists want to impose Shariah law worldwide (“Triumphalism”).- Sharia law encompasses Mohammed’s views on God and government, not separable.- Unlike our religious tolerance, Islamic Fundamentalists do not tolerate any other religious practitioners, not even other Muslim sects.- All non-Muslims are infidels, to be eradicated.- Even moderate Muslims must be corrected. 3. Mohammed introduced Islam to unify and motivate Arabs,- Before Mohammed, Arabs were tribal and pagan, those tribes engaged in constant internecine battles and worshipping numerous local deities.- He recognized that a single compelling religion, defining all others as enemies, would unify them.- In those times, people expected/needed strong, unquestionable leadership, which continues to be Muslim cultural tradition. 4. Jihadist Muslims detest Jews and Christians.- Jews and Christians are Islam’s religious competition.- Jewish and Christian traditions promulgate individual freedom and democratic governments.- Jews and Christians share the same historic roots but gleaned a different outcome.- Jews and Christians share the same scriptural tradition but derived a different world-view.- Americans, Europeans and Israelis experience freedom and prosperity.- Islam 5. History documents Islam’s Anti-Western jihad. a. After Mohammed, Islam overran the non-European lands from West Africa to north-central India, plus much of Spain. b. The Islamic takeover of Europe was halted in northern Spain and in the Balkans. c. Recently Jihadists have resumed their assault.- Amin al-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, encouraged Hitler’s “final solution.”- Yasser Arafat, a protégé of al-Husseini, instructed Arabs to vacate Israel upon its establishment, thus creating the persistent refugee problem which he then used (through his PLO) for leverage in the UN.- In 1991 GHW Bush tried for peace by pressing for recognition of Palestinian territory, but the PLO and its supporters want dominance, not peace.- Clinton and GW Bush have also tried, even compelling Israel to leave Gaza.- Now Obama (pro-Muslim whether intentionally or through naivete) openly proclaims his preference for the Muslim perspective and demands that Israel capitulate.- Because European nations host huge Islamic populations (see below), these nations’ policy-makers have become pro-Muslim, and thus UN decisions favor Muslim demands. - Appeasement a la Chamberlain only encourages bullies.- Jihadists use our tolerance and our freedom of speech to undermine us.- d. Current Mideast turmoil repeats the pattern of Iran in 1979.- Muslim Brotherhood and related Jihadist groups promulgate revolt, inviting media coverage (always hungry for “crises”).- Then they intensify the turmoil by haranguing protesters about their grievances and promising them freedom and prosperity if they follow these “leaders.”- Once the established government collapses, the fundamentalists (e.g., Khomeini, Taliban, Muslim Brotherhood) take control to restore order but do so through totalitarian oppression.- The objective is dominance of the oil and gas fields and the Suez Canal, crucial for commercial shipping and naval maneuverability, thereby crippling Western economies. e. Additionally, Muslim leaders encourage large families.- In impoverished regions, the resultant hunger fuels resentment.- Overpopulation motivates migration - “Fatwa” = immigration/infiltration as a technique for surreptitious conquest. 6. Quote from Omar Ahmad, Chairman of Council on American-Islamic Relations: “Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith but to become dominant.” – San Ramon Valley Herald, July 4, 1998. 7.  Quote from then-Senator Barack Obama, “America is no longer a Christian nation.” – email to CBN News Senior National Correspondent David Brody, July 2007. Born in Canada of Lebanese Christian parents, Bruce Assaf now lives in Atlanta. For more on his work, and to order his book, Behind the Veil of Radical Islam: The Coming War, go to www.blowthetrumpetintl.com.

Centennial Review, the monthly speech digest from Centennial Institute, welcomes comments and concerns from our readers.  The current issue on "Sharia Law or the Constitution? America Must Choose," by Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, US Army (Ret.), drew adverse reactions from James Moore of Lakewood, Colorado, on a side issue in the discussion (polygamy) and from Karen Stein of Dakota Dunes, SD, on the General's main argument about limits to religious freedom.  Col. Moore's letter regarding who is a Mormon and what Mormons believe or permit, is posted here. Moore Disputes Boykin Feb2011 Ms. Stein's remarks were as follows: Just as Islamic extremists pervert Islam, Boykin perverts both US Constitutional Law and the commands of Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves.  His calls to prosecute Islamic leaders and imams for advocating Sharia law and to investigate Mosques and "find" violations of law, because of their rhetoric, are shocking travesties of fundamental rights of free speech and free exercise of religion that should make all freedom loving Americans gag in revulsion.   If we turn his comments around and say that churches should be investigated and closed (or at least have their tax exempt status forfeited!)  for advocating, say a ban on gay marriage based on moral law, his anti-American, anti-US Constitution bent becomes clear.  We don't prosecute people in this country for advocacy. We don't investigate organizations for rhetoric.  We don't go searching for "violations of law" in order to find reasons to close meeting places.  The solution to wrongful advocacy is advocacy for moral truth and reason.  The solution to hateful rhetoric is preaching the love and truth of Jesus. The solution to violations of law is even-handed law enforcement.  If we no longer can rely on those truths, then the cliche really will apply: the terrorists have won. (Contact her at ellesmere@astound.net) John Andrews, director of Centennial Institute and editor of Centennial Review, commented: "I thank Col. James Moore, who happens to be a personal friend as well as a former member of the Colorado General Assembly, for his civil and military service to our country and his clear statement of official LDS policy.  In Gen. Boykin's defense, it should be noted that "Mormon" is indeed a nickname or informal description for a varied spectrum of Joseph Smith's followers, including not only the main church body of Latter Day Saints whose stand against polygamy is clear, but also some splinter groups and fundamentalist sects that do in fact advocate and undertake plural marriage, legal or not." Andrews continued: "I also thank Karen Stein for her heartfelt and closely reasoned objection to the Boykin recommendations on legal sanctions against Sharia.  Her hypothetical example involving (once again, interestingly) marriage -- specifically, legal sanctions against religious objection to same-sex marriage -- should indeed give us pause.  Centennial Institute's Kevin Miller similarly warns against the two-edged sword of "virtue politics" in his new book, Freedom Nationally, Virtue Locally - or Socialism.  In my view, however, Boykin is not advocating the sort of virtue cram-down against which Stein and Miller have written.  Rather he is challenging us to think hard about the manifest incompatibility between a Koran-mandated legal-political-governmental-judicial system of Sharia and our U.S. Constitution.  As I put it in the sidebar article alongside Boykin's essay, the central and unavoidable (though painful) question is whether a good Muslim can be a good American.  Ms. Stein seems to think the answer is yes.  I remain unconvinced."          

In light of recent events in Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, and elsewhere, it is important to understand that the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is at the root of these events, and is simply following their strategic plan.  The Global Islamic Movement (led by the MB) is now seizing power in these countries according to their World Underground Movement Plan (see below).  What we are witnessing in Egypt is simple to understand when done so in light of the Brotherhood’s stated objectives, documents, and the writings/speeches of their key leaders. These are the facts surrounding the events in Egypt that may be helpful in understanding what is actually happening there: The Muslim Brotherhood was created in Egypt in 1928 as a global revolutionary Sunni Islamic Movement to re-establish the Global Islamic State (Caliphate) under which Shariah (Islamic Law) is the law of the land All authoritative Islamic Law mandates Muslims to wage “Jihad” - only defined in Islamic Law as “warfare against non-Muslims” - until the world is claimed for Islam The MB’s Creed is:  “Allah is our goal; the Messenger is our guide; the Koran is our law; Jihad is our means; and martyrdom in the way of Allah is our inspiration.” The Muslim Brotherhood has published strategic documents detailing how they infiltrate societies and replace the governmental systems (non-adherent Islamic systems and non-Muslim governments) with Shariah (Islamic Law) The MB’s document, “Phases of the World Underground Movement Plan” defines five (5) phases of the MB’s infiltration into a society: o I.     Discreet / Secret establishment of elite leadership o II.   Gradual appearance on the public scene & utilizing various public activities o III.  Escalation phase, prior to conflict/confrontation with rulers, utilizing mass media o IV.  Open public confrontation with the government through political pressure approach o V.   Seizing power to establish the Islamic Nation In October 2010, the international leader (Supreme Guide) of the MB, Mohammed Badie, accused Arab & Muslim regimes of not following Islamic Law, and called for Jihad against Israel & the U.S. On January 8, 2011, Dr. Imad Mustafa (Al Azhar) issued a fatwa calling for “offensive jihad” January 15, 2011:  Tunisia in turmoil as the President flees January 24, 2011:  Protests break out in Egypt February 2, 2011:  Jordan’s King fires his Cabinet following public protests February 2, 2011:  Yemen’s President Saleh says he will step down in 2013 The “unrest” in Egypt is being orchestrated by the Muslim Brotherhood Egypt is in Phase 5 of the MB’s Plan The Muslim Brotherhood’s overt/violent operation in Egypt seeks to replace the current government with one which will fulfill the MB’s objective – to ensure the full implementation of Shariah (Islamic Law) in Egypt In 1980, the Egyptian Constitution was amended to make Shariah (Islamic Law) the primary source of legislation in Egypt, therefore, Egypt is already an Islamic State The greatest friction point between the MB and the Mubarak regime has been the regime’s failure to support the full implementation of Islamic Law in Egypt per the Constitution Senior U.S. leadership has stated Egyptians “want what we want.”  Western media portrays the demonstrators in Egypt as people who want “democracy” and “freedom.”  The Egyptians themselves, however, overwhelmingly support Shariah, and many support terrorist organizations (see below) A 2010 Pew Research Poll revealed the following about Egyptians views: o 95% believe Islam should play a “large role in politics”o 49% believe Islam only plays a “small role” in Egypt todayo 84% believe apostates from Islam should face the death penaltyo 82% believe adulterers should be stonedo 77% believe thieves should be flogged or have their hands cut offo 54% believe men and women should be segregated in the work placeo 49% have a favorable opinion of Hamaso 30% have a favorable opinion of Hizbollaho 20% have a favorable opinion of Al Qaeda The aforementioned poll indicates a vast majority of Egyptians do not, in fact, believe in Western principles of individual liberties, human rights, or governance. Egypt is a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the second largest international body in the world - the UN is the largest.  The OIC member states include all 57 Islamic States in the world, including Egypt The OIC officially served the “Cairo Declaration” to the UN in 1993 which specifically defines “Human Rights” as those rights defined by “Shariah” Critical Linkage:  It can be demonstrated that many Muslim advisors to the U.S. government are Muslim Brothers or sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood cause.  The most prominent Islamic organizations in the United States, with which the U.S. government outreaches, are all controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood.  These include hundreds of groups, but specifically all of the Islamic organizations working with the U.S. government including, but not limited to: o Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)o Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)o Muslim Student Association (MSA)o Muslim American Society (MAS)o Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)o Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA)o North American Islamic Trust (NAIT)o International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)o Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) This document is meant to put the current events around the world in a new light for those who read it.  What we are witnessing may be the overt revolutionary overthrow of governments around the world by the International Muslim Brotherhood and their collaborators.  This is the same Muslim Brotherhood advising the U.S. National Leadership and our National Security apparatus on how to respond to the events in Egypt and elsewhere.  John Guandolo is vice president of the Strategic Engagement Group in Washington DC (www.StrategicEngagement.com), a former counter-terrorism expert for the FBI, and a Centennial Institute Fellow  

Eric Metaxas gave a talk on his book "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" on Tuesday night at the John Paul II Center here in Denver. An overflow crowd of over 300 people showed, including Bill Armstrong, the President of CCU, John Andrews, the head of the Centennial Institute, Charles Chaput, the Bishop of the Arch Diocese of Denver, as well as a representation of Orthodox Priests and others. Metaxas was funny, profound, and made many points that hit home!  It is clear to me that the relation of Bonhoeffer to the German church in the 1930s, which accommodated the growing evil of Hitler with rationalizations and willful blindness, is the SAME relationship WE have to our secular society! Our secular government treats the growing evil of the vicious totalitarian Salafist Islam with the same politically correct rationalizations and willful blindness!   Many churches indulge in the same moral relativist reluctance to name and stand up to evil, glossing over everything with the bland "loving forgiving God" that requires nothing of us: what Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace"! It's clear to me that we in the Counter Jihad are called to follow in Bonhoeffer's footsteps in his uncompromising stand against the growing evil and to work to defeat it.  Bonhoeffer's prominent family had many Jewish friends. He was aware of the (then secret) "Final Solution" in progress, and helped Jewish friends and their families escape, as well as participating in the plot to kill Hitler. He was hanged by the Gestapo three weeks before the end of the war. Interesting: one man stood up and demanded to know how Bonhoeffer, as a Christian, could countenance the killing of Hitler?  The answer was superb: "was it right for David to kill Goliath?"  The question was a perfect example of the formalist church rationalizing its inaction in the face of evil. Two books highly recommended:  "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy" by Eric Metaxas. "The Cost of Discipleship" by Bonhoeffer himself

So Muhammad Ali Hasan,twice an unsuccessful Republican candidate (treasurer this year, legislature in 2008) says he is done with the GOP and now getting chummy with Nancy Pelosi. "GOP Loses Hasan," the headline says. No, I would say a better term would be the GOP has finally gotten rid of the man! In light of world-wide Islamic Jihadist violence, Mr Hasan's continual whining about Muslim "persecution and discrimination" has worn a little thin. To disagree with him in any way is to trigger shrieks of "racism", which is no more than meaningless name calling. After all, Islam is a belief attribute, NOT a biological one. He says the GOP doesn't "work for immigrants and Muslims". If he means we object to flooding our country with illegal immigrants, and fail to continually kow tow to "Muslim sensibilities", which means the implementation of their Shari'ah Law to our own detriment, then Mr Hasan is correct. For him to say he has no knowledge of Muslim persecution of gays or the Qur'anic concept of Taqqiya (permissible lying) is beyond belief! Does Mr. Hasan really think that if he ignores it, it will go away? The release of the information about Mr McInnis' business dealings with the Hasan family was precisely timed to destroy Mr McInnis' bid for Governor and throw the race to the Democrats.  It's hard to see how the Hasan family has been much of a Republican asset. Here is the story in full:Colorado GOP loses Hasan Colorado Independent by John Tomasic on 12/9/10http://coloradoindependent.com/69449/colorado-gop-loses-hasan Muhammad Ali Hasan, a member of the wealthy and influential ColoradoRepublican Hasan family and a past state House and treasurer candidate,said he is switching parties. Speaking at the University ofColorado-Boulder on his experience growing up Muslim in the AmericanWest and later in conversation with the Colorado Independent, Hasansaid he is ending his affiliation with the party for the bigotry hebelieves has shaped Republican politics over the last year. The FOXNews regular and founder of Muslims for Bush said he met recently withHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the controversial Democratic leader wonhim over. “I met her in Los Angeles. For a Republican that’s like He-Man [meetingwith] Skeletor,” he said, referencing the Masters of the Universecartoon arch-enemies. “I am impressed by her vision. She convinced methat the Democrats will work to protect and further the interests andopportunities of minority Americans. That matched with the politics ofReagan for me. He was a champion of the American dream, the idea ofAmerica as a shining city on a hill. He expanded opportunities throughsmall business credits and amnesty for immigrants. It was all aboutopportunity. “I have three top political heroes: Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush andnow Nancy Pelosi. She has such a spine, like Reagan and Bush, they allhave that in common: a spine of steel that comes from conviction.” Major financial backers of conservative causes and candidates in thestate and friends to national GOP leaders and successive Republicanpresidential administrations, the Hasans have publicly struggled withthe post-Bush Palin-era GOP. Matriarch Seeme Hasan during the “GroundZero Mosque” debate said she didn’t recognize the party. Ali Hasan’sdefection comes in the wake of news that state GOP lawmakers willintroduce tough Arizona-style immigration legislation and held a highprofile hearing on the topic with a slanted roster of experts thatfeatured almost no immigrant rights groups but several with ties towhite supremecist organizations. A hardline fiscal conservative and champion of Constitutional equality,Hasan says Republicans have merely paid lip service to the former andhave effectively come to oppose the latter. “Look at what the state Republican party thinks of Doug Bruce,” he saidreferring to the controversial anti-tax crusading author of Colorado’sTaxpayer Bill of Rights. “And there is no record of fiscalconservativism on the federal level. So that’s one side and then Ithink ‘I believe in the American dream for everyone and which party isfighting for immigrants, gays, Muslims?’ The GOP has attacked them.Democrats want to work for them. ” State convention whisper campaign Hasan said he felt alienated between national Republican leaders on oneside railing against the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” and gays andillegal immigrants and, on the other, state Republican delegatesconvinced that as a candidate for treasurer he was angling to installsharia finance laws. He said the GOP convention in May was a low point. “You experience bigotry sometimes but I often just think it’s probablymy personality that the person doesn’t like. At the convention, though,that was the first time I felt the real thing. It was the worstexperience of my life.” Hasan suspects a whisper campaign swept the convention, sounding awarning against placing a Muslim in charge of investing the state’srevenues. “Some goons were telling people that there’s a passage in the Koranthat encourages Muslims to lie, that lying is considered a good thingin the service of advancing a Muslim or sharia agenda. I don’t know whowas behind the rumor, but I’ve read the Koran, and I don’t know whatthey were talking about.” Hasan said in the run up to the convention he personally called the3,500 delegates and talked to roughly 1,500 who said he could count ontheir vote. He said he ran this “informal survey” through his pollster and thenumbers made sense because Hasan was getting heavy support from theWestern Slope where he lives and has been active while his opponent,J.J. Ament, was pulling well from the eastern Front Range districts. “In the end, we guessed we’d get 40 percent support at the conventionas a basement estimate.” That didn’t happen. Hasan drew roughly 20 percent of delegate support,missing the cut off to make the ballot by 10 percent. He said the weekend of the convention he watched hundreds of supportersfall away. Delegate after delegate approached him and mentioned theKoran and said in so many words that they weren’t sure they could trusthim. “It hurt. People who had said they were voting for me were now comingup to me and saying ‘You know, I hear you could be lying to us.’ I wasshocked. I got the courage to approach some of them, people I hadtalked to and who said they were voting for me. Here they were wearingJ.J. Ament stickers. I was like, you know, wow, and they said ‘But howdo I know you’re not going to assert some form of sharia law againstColorado?’” Hasan said he was deflated after talking to one woman at length. “I told her I started Muslims for Bush. I’m proud of that. I told her Ihave been a vocal fiscal conservative for years. I said I’ve given toRepublican candidates on the federal and state level. I helped getRepublican candidates elected to House seats in 2008 when Democratswere winning everything… Finally I asked her ‘There’s nothing I can sayto win your vote because my name is Muhammad, am I right?’ and she said‘Yeah, that’s probably right.’” Hasan said he met time and again with Republican voters and leadersacross the state in campaigning for treasurer and that “in groups of20, the fact that my name is Muhammad was never a bad thing, but at theconvention, there were 5,000 people who were all suddenly suspicious ofMuslims.” As the Colorado Independent reported at the time, the Ament campaignclearly traded on anti-muslim sentiment or at least on domestic fearsof Muslim rule in the Mahgreb. Ament claimed in campaign literature,for instance, that Hasan would lift Colorado overseas investrestrictions and put taxpayer cash to work for the “genocidal regime inSudan” and to further Iranian nuclear ambitions. Yet Hasan said he doesn’t blame Ament for what happened at theconvention. The thing that got him, he said, was that GOP delegateswere so willing to believe the ridiculous rumors. In fact, he said, he shouldn’t have been surprised. Muslim cowboy Hasan said that when he was considering running for House District56three years ago, an adviser told him that his being Muslim was muchless an issue than the fact that he was a filmmaker and not a rancher.“You gotta go work on a ranch to be able to relate to these people,”the adviser told him. So Hasan did. Dressed in a suit, cowboy boots andmatching turquoise bolo tie and enormous belt buckle, Hasan said he isproud of the work he did just bringing salt licks out to the animalsand watching the weather. “What I learned is that a cowboy is a person who says the same thing nomatter the setting. I also learned that nature is the same way, honest.” In 2008, Muhammad Ali the Rancher won the support of lots of voters onthe Western Slope. He lost to Democrat Christine Scanlan by a fewpercentage points, and the problem, he said, was Republicans. “I would have won if not for Republicans. Polling was through the roofwith independents and we made huge inroads with Democrats. But we neverbroke 65 percent with Republicans, who cast between 90 percent and 95percent for [U.S. Senate candidate Bob] Schaffer and [presidentialcandidate John] McCain. You need that 90 percent to win. “Republican voters cost us 56. I should have learned from that.” The “Ground Zero Mosque” Hasan said that although his experience at the convention wasdispiriting, it wasn’t actually a turning point. He said he’s forevergrateful to the 20 percent delegates who voted for him and who woreHASAN tee-shirts around the convention and notes that in the weeksafter the convention he enthusiastically endorsed GOP primary winnerWalker Stapleton and gave generously to GOP candidates across the state. It was national politics that set him over the edge. “When Bush left, it seems like a vacuum opened up and into it rushedbigotry.” He ticks off topics that have shaped national GOP politics this year:Support for anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 in California; Arizona’stough SB1070 immigration law; support for repealing the naturalizedcitizenship granted by the 14th Amendment; and what he calls “theMosque issue.” He said he couldn’t believe the way the plans to build the CordobaCenter Mosque escalated. “I dismissed it as a joke. It was crazy people. Then it was oneRepublican leader after another looking to strip Constitutional rightsout of just bigotry.” He pointed out the change that had come over leaders like Newt Gingrichand Sarah Palin, onetime Muslim defenders, he said, whom he now sees onthis topic as the worst kind of pandering politicians. “The ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ was never about the mosque, which was reallyjust a health club, a swimming pool…. That was all about rallying thebase.” He eventually wrote a popular blog on the topic for the Huffington Postcomparing the move to ban the mosque to so-called red-lining racistzoning laws in the pre-Civil Rights era. “I was okay after the convention. I decided all that was just anaberration and that I would just let it fade. But the 14th Amendmentdebate, the ugly mosque politics, that just killed my hopes.”   The Polis-Pelosi connection In the wake of the mosque flap, Hasan said he emailed his friendCongressman Jared Polis, a man he said he has admired for years. “If you want to convince me to become a Democrat, you have your chance.” Polis said he had someone he wanted Hasan to talk to and then he set upthe meeting with Pelosi. “I thought to myself, ‘Well, I’m not a socialist, so I don’t think Ican be a Democrat,’” Hasan said, joking. “But Nancy Pelosi’s peoplecalled me up and said she wanted to meet with me and I talked about itwith my mom. She said ‘Baby, when the third most powerful person in theworld asks you to join her party, you better think about it.’” Hasan said his mother said she was committed to the Republican partybecause she wants to work to change it but she told Hasan that hisopportunities lie with the Democrats. “You can’t win office as aRepublican,” she told him. “You deserve a chance to win.” Hasan said he knows he has to put in the same “blood and sweat” for theDemocratic party now that he has put into the Republican party over theyears. He’s looking at running again for office in six to eight years.He said he’s “thinking in election cycles.” His first step is going tobe to form a group to fight to protect the rights of and expandopportunities for minorities. “If we fight on a Constitutional basis and not on emotion, we willwin,” he said. “I don’t defend Muslims because I’m Muslim. I’m not evena good Muslim. I’m a sinner. I’m a political hack and an interfaithpractitioner…. I defend Muslims because I stand against bigotry,because I don’t want bigotry to exist.” [        

Centennial Institute assisted Bill Armstrong, president of Colorado Christian University, in presenting a world religions panel for a half-day workshop of all CCU faculty and staff at the Lakewood campus on Friday, Dec. 10.  With a theme of "This I Believe," thought-leaders of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and atheism offered summations of their faith and sparred amicably with each other in response to audience questions. The panel was one in a series of CCU Strategic Objectives Workshops, designed to help everyone in the community stay on track with the institution's 13 core values, spelled out here.  John Andrews, Centennial Institute director, said that three of those in particular would be served by the Dec. 10 program, including: *  Be seekers of truth  *  Honor Christ and share the love of Christ on campus and around the world;  *  Teach students to trust the Bible, live holy lives, and be evangelists.  The panel was moderated by Dr. Sid Buzzell, Dean of the CCU School of Theology.  The panelists were Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, editor of the Intermountain Jewish News; Ryan Murphy, CCU Assistant Professor of Christian Thought; Imam Karim Abuzaid of the Colorado Muslim Society; and Dan Barker, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Madison, Wisconsin. For the opening round of comments, each panelist was asked to address some or all of the following questions: 1- What core beliefs define your overall faith or worldview? 2- What variations of belief characterize the major subgroups? 3- What is the most serious misunderstanding of you by outsiders? 4- What collective self-criticism could be made by you and fellow believers? 5- What is the most important ongoing contribution of your belief system to mankind's wellbeing? 6- Is your belief system more in coexistence, competition, or conflict with other systems? Ryan Murphy's position statement comparing and contrasting Christianity with the other three belief systems will be posted here in full, next week.  A complete video record of the program will be up on CCU.edu in January 2011. Below: CCU's Murphy, atheist Barker, and Rabbi Goldberg listen as Imam Abuzaid states, "We eagerly await the second coming of Jesus, who will return as a Muslim."

('76 Contributor) As the Republicans take the House and try to regain control of those issues so many Americans felt were detrimental to the country, many conservative Christians are awaiting the political and financial rebound. As we watch the exchange on Capitol Hill and stay updated on issues, it is important to keep a cautious eye out for enemies of the state and of the church hidden within the Conservative party. One of those worthy of a weathering eye is Suhail Khan. I would like to take this time to encourage readers not to give him a “pass” just because of his seemingly spotless resume. There are several examples of individuals dangerous to the state that have made their way up the political chain of command in Washington; it is our responsibility to keep these individuals in check. In times of such grandiose corruption of language and abuse of flattery within the American political sphere, a vivacious vetting process is necessary. With a wide array of experience on the Hill in DC, Mr. Khan holds a very impressive, and pubic resume. He is former Policy Director and Press Secretary for U.S. Congressman Tom Campbell (R-CA), and White House Office Public Liaison as a religious outreach leader. He was the Assistant to the Secretary for Policy under U.S. Secretary Mary Peters with the Department of Transportation where he received several metals. He is on the boards of several non-profit organizations and political action committees, including: the American Conservative Union, the Islamic Free Market Institute, the Muslim Public Service Network, the Indian American Republican Council, and the Buxton Initiative Advisory Council. He is known for his wide involvement in senior political and social organizations, including the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Council for National Policy, the Harbor League, and the National Press Club. He is also an occasional contributor to the Washington Post and Newsweek Forum on Faith. He is a vocal advocate for freedom of religion, for free market economies, and the Republican Party, and is currently the Chairman for the Conservative Inclusion Coalition. The beginning of Khan’s suspicious activity begins with his fellowship for the Christian-Muslim Understanding at the Institute for Global Engagement. I encourage you to explore the website, you will find that IGE is a direct partner of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talaal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Bin Talaal is the millionaire Saudi Prince, famous for wealth, and known more specifically for his offering of $10million to the city of New York just after the attacks of September 11, 2001. In 2003 it was found that bin Talal gave a $500,000 gift to proven Hamas entity, the Council on American Islamic Relations. As Hamas is a registered terrorist organization by the United States, and there is proof that Talal gave financial aid, he is an entity with hostile intentions toward the United States. Khan’s association with bin Talal is made clear through his deep involvement with IGE. Mr. Khan was a representative and a board member for the Islamic Free Market Institute, founded by Grover Norquist, and supported by convicted terrorist, Abdurahman Alamoudi. Alamoudi was arrested in Heathrow airport after he was found with $340,000 meant to aid the assassination of the former Saudi Arabian prince. He was found to be an al Qaeda operative, with dangerous influence inside the White House and influential political circles. Norquist has similar associations, being tied to Alamoudi through political and business circles, yet Norquist has another factor of the story, as told by Frank Gaffney. Khan’s work with either of these men severely taints his reputation as a credible source; his declination of distance between himself and these alarming individuals is a red flag, especially due to their very public record of associations with jihadists. Khan has supported other known terrorists in recent years; Sami al Arian was another example of a seemingly friendly face on the conservative front on Capitol Hill with hostile intentions for the United States. Throughout his investigation and trial, it became known that he was the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in North America, and a secretary of the PIJ Shura Council. On a more personal front, Khan’s mother, Malika Khan, was an executive committee member for the California branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, giving him yet another tie to the terror organization, Hamas. On his father’s side, Mahboob Khan was a founding member of the Muslim Student Association in America, another branch of the terror support system for Hamas. He also founded the Muslim Community Association in California, where #2 al Qaeda operative, Aman al-Zawahiri, attended. Mahboob also served on the Majlis a’Shura Council for the Islamic Society of North America. Moreover, at an ISNA event in 2008, Jamal Barzinji, known Muslim Brotherhood leader and al Qaeda supporter, was presented with an award named after Mahboob Khan. All three Khans, Suhail, Malika and Mahboob, have all been involved in events sponsored or hosted by that same organization, the Islamic Society of North America, the umbrella organization created by the Muslim Student Association for the Muslim Brotherhood in America. With connections like these, intentions can be difficult to determine. Khan‘s influence is impossible to deny, especially among policy makers, and his pedigree is questionable, at best. Khan politics on Capitol Hill for conservative ideals, claiming his stand for true American values including freedom, justice and peace; values not so different than those the Centennial Institute and Colorado Christian University proclaim. Khan’s affiliations and history draw a clear line where his loyalties truly lie.  We have seen the effects of people like Suhail Khan within the American policy making arena before, with a gracious presentation of hostile information campaigns; these influences are deadly. It will be wolves such as these, dressed in sheep’s clothing, that will destroy our great republic. I encourage you to do your own research on Mr. Khan to fully understand his intellect. He is currently very active on Capitol Hill among conservative circles; make your representatives known of his past affiliations and keep his power limited.  Susan Brown is a Washington-based investigative reporter specializing in Muslim subversive activities here and abroad.  

(CCU Faculty) In a speech on Nov. 7 during his recent trip India, President Obama stated: “The phrase jihad has a lot of meaning within Islam and is subject to a lot of different interpretations, but I will say that first Islam is one of the world's great religions.  More than a billion people practice Islam and an overwhelming majority view their obligations to a religion that reaffirms peace, fairness, tolerance. I think all of us recognize that this great religion, in the hands of a few extremists, has been distorted by violence.” President Obama’s assertion that Islam is a great religion demands further consideration.  Most importantly, what makes a religion “great”?  Before turning to that specific question, two caveats: first, President Obama delivered his speech just a few days before moving on to Indonesia, a Muslim nation.  In the political context, he may very well have simply been making an overture to the next stop on his Asia trip.  Second, this is not meant as a partisan questioning of Obama.  In a speech on September 17, 2001, President Bush stated: “The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam.  That's not what Islam is all about.  Islam is peace.”  A few days later, in a meeting with American Muslim leaders, Bush stated that “the teachings of Islam are the teachings of peace and good." Let’s return to our central question: what are the qualities of a “great” religion?  There are two approaches to this question: one from a Christian perspective and the other from a political one. First, consider the Christian approach to this.  Christian faith teaches that there is only one way to salvation and eternal connection to God: a personal faith in Jesus Christ.  Any religion that teaches otherwise is false.  Can a Christian recognize another religion as “great”?  If the followers of other religions are destined to eternity in hell and permanent separation from God, then the answer is obviously no. The second, geo-political, approach to considering whether Islam is great is a bit more complicated.  It is estimated that there are over between ¾ and 1 ½ billion Muslims in the world. If we were to measure greatness based solely on numbers, then with approximately 20% of the world’s population, Islam would be considered a “great” religion.  However, if we are simply using popularity as our standard, then we can agree that “popular” does not always coincide with “right” or “great”. If we look at the countries who have Islam as the official religion and those that are governed by Islamic rulers, there are approximately 25 countries.  When we add to that number those countries where Islam is the predominant religion, the number rises to 47.  Again, this suggests that Islam is indeed popular and influential in many countries.  But does popularity and influence translate into right and great? Does size and influence equate with greatness?  While it certainly does make the religion impactful, we obviously need to measure the impact to determine greatness.  No American can deny that racism was a widely held belief in American history, and that the racism that existed was significantly impactful on American culture.  However, we would certainly not describe it as “great”. Finally, we must consider what some of the political mandates of Islam and Sharia are so that we can better judge the impact.   The list of Muslim political mandates is often quite disturbing, including: the second class citizenship of non-believers, women  and homosexuals; a Fatwa against Salman Rushdie and of cartoonists who dare to draw Mohammad; the harboring, encouraging and sanctioning of violent terrorist attacks against innocent civilians; etc.  A study done by the Pew Research Center in 2005 of Muslims around the world found widespread support for terrorism and of Osama bin Laden.  For instance, Muslims in Jordan, Indonesia and Pakistan supported suicide bombings and violence against civilians at a rate of 57%, 15% and 25%, respectively.  For the same countries, confidence in bin Laden was 61%, 36% and 52%.  Does this behavior translate to a “great” religion? Not only is Islam associated with great wrongs, but the accomplishments of the faith also need to be questioned.  James 1:27 states: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Are the deeds of Islam “great”?  When horrible natural disasters occur around the world, is Islam the first to respond?  When terror reigns, do they condemn?  When women are oppressed, do they step in and stop?  When people of other faiths dare to worship their God, do they fight for this right? President Obama owes the public an explanation of exactly what it is that makes Islam “great”.