Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison cancelled plans to speak this week at the annual meeting for the Muslim American Society-Islamic Circle of North America (MAS-ICNA) according to The Middle East Forum, an organization that promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western values from Middle Eastern threats.
MAS is a radical Islamic organization that has been criticized by the Jewish civil rights group, The Anti-Defamation League as being anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, and pro-terrorism, states the Middle East Forum.
ICNA is listed among 29 affiliated groups in the Muslim Brotherhood in America’s “Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America.” The Explanatory Memorandum mission statement reads: “The process of settlement is a ‘Civilization-Jihadist Process’ with all the word means. The Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the 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.” (emphasis added).
Ellison was previously listed on the program as a keynote speaker at the MAS-ICNA event that will be held this week in Chicago. Ellison’s presentation, “Our Voice Will Be Heard” was to be given just prior to another presentation, “Standing for Justice: Black Lives Matter” by the executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, Linda Sarsour.
A new program schedule for the convention, released this week, shows that the presentation will now be given by Howard University professor, Atlaf Husain. The description of the presentation says, “American Muslims have a rich history in the United States dating all the way back to the 17th century. Our faith is part of the American fabric and it cannot be erased. Through civic engagement we can continue that rich tradition of contributing to our country.”
The Middle East Forum takes credit on their website for Ellison withdrawing from the convention. The group called attention to several other scheduled speakers at the event who had extremist backgrounds. The Middle East Forum said MAS-ICNA confirmed Ellison’s cancellation from the event.
No explanation was given for Ellison’s withdrawal, but he recently faced sharp criticism for past comments regarding Israel and his ties to Muslim extremists.
The Anti-Defamation League said earlier in the month that Ellison’s controversial past should disqualify him to be the chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Harvard Law Emeritus, attorney and author Alan Dershowitz said recently on the FOX Business Network’s “The Intelligence Report” that Ellison would be the “worst possible person” in the history of the party for Democrats to pick as chair.
Ellison apologized for some of his past remarks and says that he regrets his past support for Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan.
The Middle East Forum reports that other speakers at the MAS-ICNA event include Mohammad Qatanani, an imam at the Islamic Center of Passaic County in New Jersey, who currently faces deportation from the United States because he failed to disclose on his green card application that he was once a member of the terrorist group, Hamas. Jamal Badawi is a founder of the Muslim American Society who issued a fatwa in 2004 saying that husbands may beat their wives under certain circumstances. Other scheduled speakers at the MAS-ICNA convention have made derogatory statements towards gays, women and Israel in the past, according to the Middle East Forum.
Ellison has strong ties to the Muslim American Society, which was reported on by Alpha News in July. Ellison’s $13,000 pilgrimage to Mecca in 2008 was paid for by MAS. Ellison failed to disclose that transaction and the House Ethics Committee investigated it, as Alpha News reported back in November.
In 2009, Ellison headlined a fundraiser for Muslim Activist Esam Omeish, who is a former president of MAS who ran for Virginia State Assembly. Omeish was forced to resign from a Virginia state immigration commission in 2007 after a video emerged where he denounced Israel and called for Palestinians to embrace the “jihad way.” Omeish also has praised anti-Israeli suicide bombers and Hamas.
Despite all the recent news regarding Ellison and his radical Islamic ties, Minnesotans Sam & Sylvia Kaplan, who are major donors to the DNC, wrote an article earlier this month in The Hill in support of Ellison’s chairmanship of the Democratic party. Alpha News revealed in September from information obtained from Wikileaks, The Kaplan’s are among several prominent DFL/DNC donors who were involved in “pay-to-play” activity between the Democratic National Committee, the Obama ‘08 and ‘12 campaign and The Hillary Clinton campaign and major donors. According to the Wikileaks documents, the Kaplan’s bundled $902,206 for the Democrats and the Obama campaign. Sam Kaplan was rewarded with an Ambassadorship to Morocco in 2014. From OpenSecret.org and the Center for Responsive Politics: “Kaplan and his wife have contributed more than $273,100 to federal candidates, parties and committees since 1989, including the legal maximum of $9,200 to Obama last cycle and $2,000 to Clinton since her 2000 U.S. Senate bid. The Kaplans also bundled at least $100,000 for Obama’s presidential campaign.” Sam Kaplan was also a member of the Obama’s Campaign National Finance Committee.
The Kaplan’s wrote in The Hill on December 7: “The Democratic Party is at a crossroads. Voter turnout in this month’s election was at a 24-year low. Nearly 45 percent of voting-age citizens simply failed to show up to vote in the presidential election. As a result, the party lost once-reliably blue states. To reverse our party’s fortune’s, we need a leader who engages and energizes working families – of all colors – who are so central to our country’s success. Keith Ellison is that leader.”
Ellison said he will resign from Congress if he is chosen to lead the DNC.
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