Imam W. Deen Mohammed Endorses Joint Statement on Kabbani
CAIR
Imam W. Deen Mohammed Endorses Joint Statement on Kabbani
27 February 1999
Alhamdu-lillah, today Imam W. Deen Mohammed expressed his support for and added his organization
to the list of signatories of the statement issued by major Muslim organizations two days ago
regarding Mr. Hisham Kabbani's recent allegations about extremism in the Muslim community. The
support of leadership such as that of Imam Mohammed adds even more weight to the organizations'
common stand and the sense of concord in the community on this issue.
At a State Department presentation, Mr. Kabbani, Chairman of the self-styled "Islamic Supreme
Council of America," had made a number of statements that painted a picture of American Muslims
as an extremist community that poses potential dangers for the rest of society. The Muslim
organizations demanded retraction and apology.
Meanwhile, local groups are displaying a lot of support for the joint statement, forwarding it,
distributing copies of it, and endorsing it. Those groups who seek to express public support for
the Joint Statement can do so by sending the following statement to the American Muslim
Political Coordination Council (AMPCC) by fax to (202) 879-6728 or by e-mail to MPA...@aol.com.
"We fully support the Joint Statement of Major Muslim Organizations of February 25 condemning
Mr. Hisham Kabbani's irresponsible remarks. Please add our name to the national list of Muslim
organizations who are standing up to defend Muslim integrity and interests".
Name:
Signture:
Title:
Organization:
Address:
Phone:
Fax:
Email Address:
May Allah always guide us all to the path of righteousness.
Signatories (in alphabetical order):
American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC)
[American Muslim Alliance (AMA), American Muslim Council (AMC),
Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) & Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)]
Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Muslim Students Association of USA & Canada (MSA)
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In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
MAJOR MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS CONDEMN KABBANI'S STATEMENTS
American Muslim leaders demand retraction and apology
It is with heavy hearts that we, the undersigned national American Muslim organizations, feel
compelled to defend our community and its representatives from false and defamatory allegations.
In a January 7, 1999, presentation to a State Department Open Forum, Mr. Hisham Kabbani,
Chairman of the self-styled "Islamic Supreme Council of America," made a number of
unsubstantiated allegations that could have a profoundly negative impact on ordinary American
Muslims.
In the State Department forum, Mr. Kabbani:
1) Alleged that the "ideology of extremism has been spread to eighty percent of the [American]
Muslim population." Having also stated that "extremists" gained control of American mosques
through elections, Mr. Kabbani further strengthens the impression that the Muslim community as a
whole is extremist.
2) Claimed that "there are many, many Muslim organizations, that they speak on behalf of the
Muslim community, but in reality they are not moderate, but they are extremist...These people
are very well supported, very well affiliated with outside regimes, that they have been
sponsored by billions of dollars to be active within the United States..."
3) Claiming that the main national Muslim student organization is "being run mostly by extremist
ideology," Mr. Kabbani raised the bizarre specter that the Bin Laden organization was "able to
buy more than 20 atomic weapons, atomic nuclear heads, from some Mafias in the ex-Soviet
Union...and now they are hiring thousands of scientists from the ex-Soviet in order to make
these atomic warheads into smaller partitions, smaller particles, in order to be, like small
chips to be put in any suit case, even in a handbag, and be shipped anyplace, anywhere in the
world...If these small nuclear atomic warheads reach these (U.S.) universities, you don't know,
these students, what they are going to do, because their way of thinking is brainwashed and
limited."
Adding insult to injury, Mr. Kabbani even promoted and generalized an allegation that Muslim
women in Europe "who are during the day, covered from top to bottom and, during the night, have
dates. They are dating high officials in many countries around the world to take the information
>from them and to give it to the extremists."
Through outrageous statements such as these, Mr. Kabbani has put the entire American Muslim
community under unjustified suspicion. In effect, Mr. Kabbani is telling government officials
that the majority of American Muslims pose a danger to our society. Additionally, Islamophobic
individuals and groups may use these statements as an excuse to commit hate crimes against
Muslims of the kind witnessed following the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma
City when Muslim-bashers, Steven Emerson and others, offered similarly unsubstantiated claims
that Muslims were behind the attack.
We therefore ask Mr. Kabbani to promptly and publicly retract his statements, to apologize to
the American Muslim community, and to exert his utmost effort to undo the damage these
statements have done.
The issue is not that of a mere difference of opinion within an American religious community,
but involves the irresponsible act of providing false information to government officials. This
false information can jeopardize the safety and well being of our community and hurt America
itself by damaging its values of inclusiveness, fairness, and liberty.
Signatories (in alphabetical order):
American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC)
[American Muslim Alliance (AMA), American Muslim Council (AMC), Council on American Islamic
Relations (CAIR) & Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)] Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Muslim Students Association of USA & Canada (MSA)
Jeremiah McAuliffe
On 1 Mar 1999 22:07:50 -0800, CAIR <ca...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>mdu-lillah, today Imam W. Deen Mohammed expressed his support for and added his organization
>to the list of signatories of the statement issued by major Muslim organizations two days ago
>regarding Mr. Hisham Kabbani's recent allegations about extremism in the Muslim community.
Unfortunately, it would appear as if not one of these organizations
actually reviewed Kabbani's speech..... and so have signed onto a
statement that quite obviously appears to have willfully twisted
Kabbani's ideas and statements to mean what they do not mean when read
in the context of the whole speech.
Can't wait to hear the apologies....... "action alert!"
But after six years in the ummah I know not to hold my breath waiting
for them. :-/