Islamic Radicalism in Our Nation's Capital
March 16, 2007
On the heels of our recent, um, unsuccessful encounter with Honest Ibe Hooper and the rest of the "moderate" gents from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), we here at CBN News thought we'd seek out another Muslim voice in the Nation's Capital to discuss the relevant issues of the day. I've often driven by the Islamic Center on Massachusetts Avenue in D.C.on Friday afternoons only to see a charismatic, middle-aged man leading a large congregation of Muslims in prayer on the sidewalk in front of the mosque. His name is Mohammed al-Asi, and it's obvious that he has a loyal following. Intrigued, I decided to look into Al-Asi's background and views and see if he'd be up for an interview with CBN News about Islam in America.
My first thought was this: why the heck is this guy leading prayers on the sidewalk--sometimes in inclement weather and always with noisy traffic rumbling by--when he could be doing it 50 yards away, inside the warm and cozy confines of the Islamic Center mosque? I wish I could say that the answer I found was shocking--but after my previous experiences at American mosques in Tulsa, Dearborn and elsewhere, I know all too well the formidable reach of radical Islam in America. So when I discovered that al-Asi was a rabidly anti-American and anti-Semitic fire-breather who's openly supported suicide bombings and pledged allegiance to the Iranian regime, let's just say it didn't throw me for a loop.
Al-Asi was banned from the Islamic Center back in 1983 by the mosque’s Saudi-dominated board of directors. Now, usually, when someone has beef with the Saudis, I’m on board. But not in this case. Contrary to his claims on his website , I'm told that Al-Asi and his followers were kicked out of the mosque for pushing a radical, pro-Iran agenda. In fact, a chilling 2003 Washington Post article said that the goal of al-Asi and his minions was to turn the Islamic Center into a hotbed for the viciously anti-American teachings of the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Al-Asi’s pro-Iran credentials are beyond dispute. The Post article stated that:
"For the past two decades…federal agencies have kept close tabs on (al) Asi and and this collection of groups through court-approved wiretaps, searches of offices, surveillance of (al) Asi and others and the tracking of visiting Iranian officials."
According to the Post, federal officals--who are apparently monitoring al-Asi--also say that he's traveled to Tehran and met with top, hard-line Iranian clerics. In a 1994 letter reprinted on a pro-Iran website, al-Asi pledged allegiance to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khameini. He even supports the Iranian regime’s death sentence against author Salman Rushdie.
Al-Asi may have lost his position as the leader of the Islamic Center, but he still matters. For one, he’s got plenty of clout in DC’s Muslim community. And believe it or not, al-Asi actually served in the U.S. Air Force. He’s spoken at universities nationwide-even at MIT. Plus, he’s an articulate, charsimatic presence. Which comes in handy when he delivers lines like this (from the 1994 PBS documentary, Jihad In America)
"…if the Americans are placing their forces in the Persian Gulf, we should be creating another war front for the Americans in the Muslim world -- and specifically where American interests are concentrated. In Egypt, in Turkey, in the Indian subcontinent, just to mention a few. Strike against American interests there."
Given his hostility for America, it’s no surprise that al-Asi says the U.S. government was behind the 9/11 attacks.
For more, watch my above report from the Islamic Center.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to interview al-Asi today as I had planned due to nasty weather here in D.C. (remember, he leads prayers outdoors). But look for a follow up to this blog in the coming weeks in which I hopefully can get some on-the-record comments from him.
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