The Islamist Agenda

Friday, January 9, 2004
By: Tashbih Sayyed

Muslims, according to Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) are angry with President George W. Bush and want to defeat him in the coming elections. CAIR says that many American Muslims will vote for ABB - anybody but Bush. He, according to the Wahhabi and Saudi supported groups has betrayed them. In 2000, Muslims endorsed George W. Bush for president, citing his outreach to the Muslim community and his pledge to end the use of so-called secret evidence in immigration deportation hearings. He, according to Islamists, had also promised to address Muslim concerns on domestic and foreign policy issues but reneged.
Free Muslims do not understand as to where did the U.S. president go wrong?
One of the very first things that President George W. Bush did following the attacks on the United States of America on September 11, 2001, was to declare that Islam is a religion of peace. He impressed upon everybody that the lives and properties of the American Muslims are as sacred as that of any other American citizen. Bush insisted that the Islamist terrorists waging jihad on Western civilization "are evil people who have hijacked a great religion." Quoting from the Koran, Bush said, "in the long run, evil in the extreme will be the end of those who do evil. For that they rejected the signs of Allah and held them up to ridicule." He declared that the radical Islamists do not represent Islam and the war on terrorism is not a war against Islam.

President Bush spoke out strongly against Americans who have discriminated against Muslims, "Americans who mistreat Muslims should be ashamed," the president said at Washington's Islamic Center. The United States counts millions of Muslims amongst its citizens, he pointed out, and they are making "an incredibly valuable contribution to our country." He said, "the face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war." Experts believe that Bush administration's unequivocal support for the Muslims did save many Muslim lives.

To rehabilitate the image of American Muslims in the community, President Bush started a White House tradition of Iftaar (ramzaan fast breaking). He went out of his way to dispel the perception that the Muslims have perpetrated an unending pattern of catastrophic terrorism against the United States. Mr. Bush said Muslim leaders have asked him: "Why do Americans think Muslims are terrorists?" He answered, "That's not what Americans think. Americans think terrorists are evil people who have hijacked a great religion."

Hearing President Bush and watching Americanism in action, my hopes were that the Islamist leadership will reciprocate Bush's sentiments by convincing Muslims that the U.S. is not anti-Islam. But the attitude and conduct of the radical Islamists working in the guise of Muslim advocacy groups clearly proved that they had a different plan. Bush administration's respect for Islam went against their designs to prepare ground for a psychological war against the American freedoms.

Communal harmony and tranquillity did not suit Islamist agenda. They needed a polarized society to advance their programs. They required an environment of tension and hate in which American Muslims would feel insecure. Advocacy groups hoped to attract scared Muslims, looking for protection. This would have provided them with opportunities to recruit a good number of them for their extremist causes.

To achieve this goal, they did not allow Bush's message of peace to reach the hearts and minds of the Muslims. And for those who understand radical Islam, the anti-American agenda was always on display. First, the Islamists leaders took their time in condemning the Tuesday terror. First they encouraged the conspiracy theories. The attack on the World Trade Center towers was the job of Mossad or CIA, one of such theories said. Another rumor pointed out that the U.S. needed a pretext to attack Muslim lands. So, it orchestrated the whole thing. And when they finally did condemn the atrocity, they also used the occasion to insist that U.S. foreign policy contributed to the anti-American fervor that led to the September 11 attacks.

They echoed Osama bin Laden that the U.S. bestrides the world like a colossus. They told the Muslim street that the US giant is trying to re-arrange the world in its own interest. The U.S., they insisted, is controlled by Jews and Christians and wants to control the natural resources of the Muslim world. That's why, they said, Washington is sending troops to every corner of the globe and bombing Afghanistan and Iraq unilaterally. They brainwashed Muslims into believing that U.S. has put its weight behind Israel's "illegal military occupation" of the West Bank and Gaza.

Spearheading this psychological war against the U.S. was Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR, to many Muslims is a front for the Arab terrorist groups like HAMAS and Hezbollah. The fact that CAIR has never condemned HAMAS and Hezbollah leadership or the imams who defy Quraa'n's teachings by preparing young and innocent Muslims to become homicide bombers, supported this impression.

CAIR that is always on the lookout for an opening to condemn U.S. policies, has never used its influence to condemn Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, Aiman al Zwahiri and their ilk. CAIR has never used its control over the hearts and minds of the American Muslims to refute the Muslim belief that the United States of America's war on terror is not a crusade against Islam. Instead it demanded of the American Muslims to oppose the war against Saddam Hussein and Taliban.

Even when it welcomed the capture of Saddam Hussein, it betrayed its real feelings by expressing its opposition of Iraq war that resulted in the tyrant's capture. CAIR said, "As we continue to oppose the war in Iraq, we hope the capture of Saddam Hussein creates a window of opportunity for peace and reconciliation."

CAIR also tried to remind its audience that the U.S. is an invader and an aggressor. "Hussein's capture should also facilitate the rapid transfer of sovereignty to a representative Iraqi government and the swift withdrawal of American military forces. It is now time for the Iraqi people, free of despotic rule or foreign occupation, to take control of their own destiny." Muslims wondered as to why CAIR did not care about the control of the destiny of Muslims by supporting our war effort.

Another proof that CAIR is waging a psychological war against the U.S. is its reluctance to condemn Osama bin Laden's hate filled messages. Muslims are convinced that CAIR agrees with Osama bin Laden's mission, who said in his new year's message, "this crusade war (U.S. war on terrorism) is primarily targeted against the people of Islam. Regardless of the removal or the survival of the socialist party or Saddam, Muslims in general and the Iraqis in particular must brace themselves for jihad against this unjust campaign and acquire ammunition and weapons."

"There will be no harm if the interests of Muslims converge with the interests of the socialists in the fight against the crusaders, despite our belief in the infidelity of socialists. The fighting, which is waging and which will be waged these days, is very much like the fighting of Muslims against the Byzantine in the past. And the convergence of interests is not detrimental. The Muslims' fighting against the Byzantine converged with the interests of the Persians. And this was not detrimental to the companions of the prophet."

Another evidence of CAIR's psychological war against the U.S. in the garb of a "Muslim advocacy group" is its latest campaign to defeat George W. Bush in the coming elections. American Muslims, according to CAIR are angry with President George W. Bush. CAIR says that many American Muslims will vote for ABB - anybody but Bush. He, according to the Wahhabi and Saudi supported groups, has betrayed Muslims trust. They said that George W. Bush did not keep his word of protecting the Islamist interests. Therefore, he must be defeated.

Independent Muslims are at a loss to appreciate CAIR's logic. They want to find out as to where did George W. Bush let the Muslims down? Did he fail the Muslims by going after Taliban, who were destroying the image of Islam? Or, did he hurt Islam by removing Saddam Hussein who was making fun of Allah and his messenger Muhammad by ridiculing "Allah O Akbar" sign on his flag? Is President George W. Bush destroying Islam by empowering the Muslims who are persecuted by Wahhabis and radical Islam?

Free Muslims are convinced that the CAIR controlled Muslims are mad at Bush because he did not allow the Islamists to control or guide his foreign and domestic policies. Here too, like in France, Islamists want to use their growing numbers to control the United States of America's direction. CAIR, as the front of the radical Islam, wants to stop the U.S. administration from going after jihadi mentality. It wants Washington to support the homicide bombers and assist radical Islam in undermining the democratic societies like Israel. It wants Washington to applaud HAMAS and Hezbollah for their achievements in destroying the Middle East Road Map. And it wants the U.S. to become a society where non-Wahhabi Muslims and Jews are discriminated against and persecuted.

Bush's failure to satisfy CAIR's agenda has made him an enemy of Islam. The fact is that when CAIR says that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the U.S., it means that radical Islam is getting ready to take control of the White House.