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The Brussels-based Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) has announced that over 100 European parliamentarians have signed its petitions on Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. According to the CEPR announcement:
Brussels/London – May 10, 2012 After the first week of the CEPR petition to implement human rights standards in Israeli jails for Palestinian prisoners, there are now over 100 parliamentarians from different parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, and from the European Parliament that have become official signatories, such as:
Barbara Lochbihler – Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) – Greens/EFA
Joanna Senyszyn – Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), Vice-President of the Polish SLD party – Socialists & Democrats
Willy Meyer - Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) - GUE/NGL
Sir Robert Atkins – European Ccnservatives and Reformists (ECR)
Ivo Vajgl – Alliance of Liberals and Democrats of Europe (ALDE)
Martin McGuiness – Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, MLA, MP
Gerry Adams – Teachta Dála (TD)
Joe Costello – Minister of State, TD
Jan O’Sullivan – Minister of State, TD
The campaign comes as a result of the ongoing hunger strike of a growing number of Palestinian prisoners over the past month. At the end of 2011 there were a handfull of prisoners on strike, now there are over 1,500. The campaign aims to address the undemocratic treatment of civilians who are detained without charge or trial for indefinite amounts of time, often secluded in solitary confinement in cramped cells with little to no sunlight or food. After the release of 1 Israeli soldier in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners last autumn, there are still approximately 5,000 Palestinians detained in Israeli jails – a majority of which are civilian women and children. Apart from the illegal nature of the Israeli military occupation under international law, the treatment of these prisoners in particular must be addressed so they are allowed proper medication, food and family visits – that is what the Palestinian hunger strike is about. This is not the first time Palestinian choose the non-violent method of hunger strikes, but it is the first time that there is such international support to see their treatment improved. The petition also calls upon HRVP Catherine Ashton to intervene and put pressure on Israel to treat the prisoners according to international law. The CEPR is grateful to the parliamentarians who have signed the petition to implement human rights in Israeli jails and encourages others to join.
A post from earlier this month reported that a European Muslim Brotherhood initiative described as a “broad campaign in solidarity with the prisoners in occupation jails” was launched at the recent Palestinians in Europe conference held in Denmark.
The CEPR Web site describes the organization as follows:
The Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) is an independent not-for-profit organisation which has been established to promote dialogue and understanding between European, Palestinian and Arab parliamentarians and policy-makers. It seeks a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on justice and the restoration of Palestinian rights in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law.
The CEPR appears to operate largely as a lobbying group at the EU and has accompanied EU lawmakers on trips to Gaza.
Despite its claim of independence, the CEPR is headed by Dr. Arafat Shoukri (aka Arafat Madi, Arafat Madi Shoukri) who is also the executive director of the Palestine Return Centre (PRC) in the U.K. The PRC has strong ties to the global Muslim Brotherhood and two PRC directors are also directors of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), generally regarded as part of the UK. Muslim Brotherhood. The PRC is also listed as an affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) dominated by UK. Muslim Brotherhood groups. PRC activities are frequently promoted by the MAB, MCB, and other U.K Brotherhood organizations. PRC director Ghassan Four is also a Trustee of INTERPAL, a key member of the Union of Good and part of the Muslim Brotherhood Hamas fund-raising network . PRC director Zaher Birawi is a Trustee of Education Aid for Palestine (EAP), also a part of the Union of Good. Mr. Birawi is also head of programming for Al-Hiwar TV which frequently features MB/Hamas individuals and organizations and was founded by Azzam Al-Tamimi, a U.K Muslim Brotherhood leader and close to Hamas. An Israeli web site, known to be close to Israeli military intelligence, has reported that Mr. Birawi, along with another PRC Trustee are “past Hamas operatives who found refuge in Britain in the early nineties.” Dr. Shoukri is also the chairman of the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG) which was the main organizer of the unsuccessful Second Gaza Flotilla and which operates from the same address and has the same telephone as the PRC.
In March, a post reported that the CEPR issued a statement condemning Israel’s latest military actions in Gaza.
GlobalMB @ May 16, 2012
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Once again illustrating the close relationships within the U.S. and Global Muslim Brotherhood, the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) has announced that it has organized a held a panel on ‘Constitutionalism and Democratic Transition in Tunisia’ at its headquarters in Herndon, Virginia on Saturday, May 5th, 2012. According to the announcement, senior members of theTunisian Constituent National Assembly participated and the event was facilitaed by the head of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID):
May 10, 2012 :: 49 Views The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) organized a panel on ‘Constitutionalism and Democratic Transition in Tunisia’ at its headquarters in Herndon, Virginia on Saturday, May 5th, 2012. Senior members from the Tunisian Constituent National Assembly participated in the panel, including: Merherzia Laabidi, Vice-President of the National Constituent Assembly; Zied Daoulatli, member of the National Constituent Assembly and member of the Executive Committee of al-Nadha Party; Mouldi Riahi, member and leader, Attakattol Bloc at the National Constituent Assembly; and Badreddine Abdelkafi, member and Deputy President, National Constituent Assembly, in charge of relations with civil society organizations. The event was facilitated by Dr. Radwan Masmoudi, Founder and President of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), who introduced the members of the delegation and thanked IIIT for organizing the panel. Dr. Jamal Barzinji, Vice President of IIIT welcomed the distinguished guests from Tunisia and pointed to the pioneering role and the great burden of responsibility that the makers of the new Tunisian constitution bear, particularly in view of the sweeping changes towards democracy in the Arab world. He emphasized the connection between political reforms in Tunisia and the region and the greater need for reform of Islamic Thought at all levels, a mission that IIIT has dedicated itself to since its inception in 1981. Ms. Meherzia Laabidi, Vice President of the National Constituent Assembly, explained the primary roles of the National Constituent Assembly, namely: 1) writing the constitution, 2) legislative function or writing the laws that would facilitate the transition to democracy, and 3) supervision or oversight over the executive branch of government. Ms. Laabidi reminded the audience that writing charters and founding documents is a legacy in the Tunisian and Muslim history. She pointed to the important principles in the constitution of 1956 such as equality between all citizens. Unfortunately, the 1956 was not implemented; otherwise it would have changed Tunisia into a modern state. Ms. Laabidi emphasized that the constitution derives its legitimacy from the will of the people and lays the foundation for building institutions of the modern state in Tunisia. This is why, she added, all the people of Tunisia should contribute to the writing of the constitution. The final document will be a reflection and a product of the national consensus of all peoples of Tunisia.
Read the rest here.
The announcement identifies 3 of the 4 Tunisian participants as members of the Nahda movement, representing the Muslim Brotherhood of Tunisia.
A Hudson Institute report details how the IIIIT was founded in the U.S. in 1980 by U.S. Muslim Brotherhood leaders including Jamal Barzinji and Hisham Altalib who wished to promote the Islamization of Knowledge as conceived by Ismail Al-Faruqi and who were also early leaders of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). IIIT was associated with the now defunct SAAR Foundation, a network of Islamic organizations located in Northern Virginia that was raided by the Federal government in March 2002 in connection with the financing of terrorism and both organizations had been under investigation at that time by the U.S. Justice Department until at least mid 2007. The organization appeared to have withdrawn from public view following the 2002 raids but seems to be enjoying a renaissance of late. IIIT has a network of affiliates located in Europe, Africa, the MIddle East, and Asia. Although little is known about the activities of these IIIT affiliates, posts have discussed plans by IIIT to construct colleges in Bosnia and Lebanon.
The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) was founded in 1998 largely by the efforts of Georgetown University academic Dr. Esposito who during the 1990′s served in the State Department as a “foreign affairs analyst” and who has at least a dozen past or present affiliations with global Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas organizations. Many members of the early CSID board were associated with IIIT, the American Muslim Council, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). For example, past CSID board members included Jamal Barzinji and Taha Al-Alwani, both associated with IIIT and both important leaders in the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood who helped to establish many of the most important U.S. Brotherhood organizations. Antony Sullivan, the current CSID Vice-Chair, has many ties to U.S. Brotherhood groups including the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS), the United Association for Studies and Research (USAR), and the Circle of Tradition and Progress (COTP), a group whose other founding members included Youssef Qaradawi, the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood. From its inception, CSID has argued that the U.S. government should support Islamist movements in foreign countries and has received financial support from the U.S. State Department, the National Endowment for Democracy and the United States Institute of Peace.
A post from earlier this month reported that Abdulaziz Sachedina, a former CSID board chairman, was appointed as the IIIT Chair in Islamic Studies at the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies, George Mason University.
A post from yesterday reported that Nahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi will be speaking at ISNA’s 49th annual convention to be held at the end of August.
GlobalMB @ May 16, 2012
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An Israeli journalist has reported further details on the treatment of women under the Hamas regime in Gaza. According to the report:
05/15/2012 10:59 For the first time in Gaza, since Hamas seized control in 2007, a woman has been allowed to work as a waitress in a restaurant, serving men food and drinks. Ranad al-Ghozz, 24, from Gaza City recently made local media headlines in Gaza when she began working at the coastal A-Salam restaurant last month. The majority of Gaza women cannot be found in the workplace as traditional norms are against women working out of the house. If women do work, it is in the public sector specializing in education and health fields. Hamas, the religious Palestinian Sunni Islamic political party rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood, basing its governance upon Islamic fundamentalism, has passed laws that curb women’s status and rights since its takeover of Gaza. Women are not allowed to ride motor scooters and hairdressers for women are banned in Gaza. In January, Hamas rulers shut down the Palestinian version of American Idol, known as New Star, banning residents from participating in the popular reality show, calling it ‘indecent.’ Twenty-year-old Asmahan Nasser also works as a waitress at the upscale Al-Deira hotel, where she must wear a hijab uniform. According to a report in Haaretz, Nasser says she must deal not only with disapproving male patrons, but also disapproving women as well. In one incident, a woman patron left in protest of the hotel’s employment of a waitress and refused to allow Nasser to bring her coffee. Al-Ghozz says she ignores comments made by patrons critical of her status as a woman worker. She began working in waitressing when her father fell ill in order to help her family. ‘But from the start I enjoyed the work, and I decided on my own volition to continue in this profession,’ she said. She previously worked at a restaurant where she was allowed to serve only women. In the past, Hamas’ Islamic Endowment Ministry has deployed a special committee known as the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to enforce Muslim codes of behavior. Members preach at public places to warn of the dangers of immodest dress, card playing and dating. In 2009, Bloomberg reported that Hamas legislator Yunis Al-Astal, explained that Hamas especially targets young people ‘to be more correctly Islamic.’ According to an article in Beirut’s Al Akhbar, the Islamic dress code of veil or hijab is imposed on Gaza’s women who are considered weak, both in class and gender. The author Doha Shams, writes that ‘in plush neighborhoods, where the wealthy live, only religious women need to wear the hijab.’ Furthermore, even Christians female students attending Gaza’s Islamic University must cover their heads and wear the ‘jelbab’ a full-length gown. Those who do not comply can face hostile consequences. It remains to be seen if Hamas will attempt to stop the small number of female professionals working in non-traditional fields such as restaurants.”
In March of 2011, the U.K. based Daily Telegraph published an article titled “”Gaza’s Elected Islamist Rulers Crack Down On Secular Community” which reported on the Islamization of Gaza under Hamas rule:
After nearly four years of Hamas rule, the Gaza Strip’s small secular community is in tatters, decimated by the militant group’s campaign to impose its strict version of Islam in the coastal territory.Women with face veils, once rarely seen in Gaza, are now a common sight. Hamas has bullied men and women to dress modestly, tried to keep the sexes from mingling in public and sparked a flight of secular university students and educated professionals. Most recently, it has confiscated novels it deems offensive to Islam from a bookshop and banned Gaza’s handful of male hairdressers from styling women’s hair. Some argue that the case of Gaza could also be a warning sign for those pushing for quick democratic reforms in the region. Hamas rose to power in part by winning internationally backed parliamentary elections held in 2006. Hamas officials say claims that they are trying to Islamise Gaza are meant to help deter the international community from recognising their rule. “This isn’t true,” said Yousef Rizka, a senior Hamas government official. “We respect freedom.” Gaza, a tiny sliver of land squeezed between Egypt and Israel, always had a significant Islamic flavour, but once tolerated bars and cinemas, especially during Egyptian rule from 1948 to 1967. A conservative religious movement began to take hold in the 1980s, as part of a larger, region-wide religious awakening. The trend accelerated with the first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in 1987, which coincided with the founding of Hamas. In June 2007, Hamas seized control of Gaza after ousting forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The trend toward religious fundamentalism preceded the Hamas takeover. In recent years, hardliners have burned down the cinemas. Their charred remains are still visible in Gaza City. Militants blew up the last bar in 2005. Gaza women, whose attire once varied from Western pants and skirts to colourful traditional embroidered robes, began donning ankle-length loose robes. Women with face veils, once rarely seen in Gaza, are now a common sight. After winning the 2006 election, Hamas vowed it wouldn’t impose Islamic law. But within two years, bureaucrats began ordering changes that targeted secular Gaza residents. Today, plainclothes officers sometimes halt couples in the streets, demanding to see marriage licenses. Last year, the Interior Ministry banned women from smoking water pipes in public. Islamic faith does not ban women from smoking, but it is considered taboo in Gaza society. “In the end, the people who think differently are leaving,” said Rami, a 32-year-old activist in one of Gaza’s few secular groups. He refused to give his last name, fearing retribution.
Previous posts have discussed the Hamas ban on men in women’s hairdressing salons as well as the ban on motorcycle riders from carrying women on the back seat.
The Hamas charter states that it “is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine” and an Israeli TV station has reported that in 2008, Muslim Brotherhood “representatives” traveled to Gaza from Egypt through the open border to meet with Hamas. An earlier media report indicated that shortly after Hamas took over the Gaza strip, Muslim Brotherhood representatives were present to review Hamas military formations. Last June, a Hamas journalist acknowledged the role that the “international Muslim Brotherhood” has played in providing funds for the purchase of weapons.The Global Muslim Brotherhood support Hamas through the Union of Good, a worldwide coalition of charities headed by Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi.
GlobalMB @ May 16, 2012
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The Investigative Report has published a profile of U.S. Muslim Brotherhood leader Jamal Badawi titled “Jamal Badawi: Enduring Link to ISNA’s Radical Past.” The profile begins:
IPT News May 8, 2012 For an organization that has tried to distance itself from its Muslim Brotherhood roots, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) continues to rely on a Muslim Brotherhood official as a key speaker at many of its events. Jamal Badawi is scheduled to speak during three sessions at ISNA’s East Regional Conference in Tampa this weekend. Among them, ‘Understanding Shari’ah: Sacred Principles in Striving for the Human Development.’ Badawi, a member at large on ISNA’s governing board, is deeply rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood’s North American infrastructure, records show. He is listed on the first page of a 1992 telephone directory of Brotherhood members. He also was founding member of the Muslim American Society (MAS), identified as the Brotherhood’s U.S. arm in a 2004 Chicago Tribune story. ’Everyone knows that MAS is the Muslim Brotherhood,’ Abdurrahman Alamoudi testified in a Virginia courtroom last month. Alamoudi, once the nation’s most influential Muslim political figure, acknowledges his own Brotherhood involvement. Brotherhood members also created ISNA in 1981 as an outgrowth of the Muslim Students’ Association. The Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has surged to power in recent Egyptian elections and has a global Islamic state, or Caliphate, as its ultimate goal. Its American arm cited an educational program Badawi ran in 1991 as a foundation for ‘dawa,’ or proselytizing, in America. That same document described the Brotherhood’s work in America as ‘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.’ Badawi’s comments over the years show he views Islam as superior to democracy and that he defends violent jihad, including suicide bombings, as a form of martyrdom. Such statements, in addition to his Brotherhood connections, make it difficult for ISNA to claim that it has shed its radical past and MB ties.
Read the rest here.
Dr. Badawi is a leader in many of the most important organizations of the Global and U.S. Muslim Brotherhood including the Islamic Society of North America ISNA), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR- Canada), the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), the Muslim American Society MAS), and the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR). He recently retired from an academic position at St. Mary’s University in Halifax and continues to be one of the most widely traveled North American Muslim Brotherhood leaders. In 2007, as one of the GMBDR’s earliest posts, we analyzed the role of Dr. Badawi in the leadership structure of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.
As documented in a Hudson Institute report, ISNA grew directly out of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. Contrary to its claim that ISNA has a “long record of fighting hate, extremism, and bigotry, including anti-Semitism”, the organization actually has a long history of fundamentalism, anti-semitism, and support for terrorism and during the recent Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial, ISNA was named as an unindicted co-conspirator as a result of what the government called “ISNA’s and NAIT’s intimate relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Palestine Committee, and the defendants in this case.” Although it is true that recently ISNA has issued condemnations of terrorism which for the first time identify Hamas and Hezbollah by name, there is no indication that the organization has ever addressed or acknowledged its history of support for terrorism. Also, as the Hudson Institute report observes, almost all of the ISNA founders remain active in the organization and ISNA maintains close relations with all other components of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. A previous post discussed the ties between the ISNA Secretary-General, a former leader of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago chapter, and an Illinois school with close links to the Mosque Foundation, itself tied to fundraising for Hamas.
Despite it’s long history of association with fundamentalism, terrorism, and anti-Semitism, ISNA has been successful of late in building alliances with Jewish leaders and organizations. Former ISNA officials such as Muzammil Siddiqi, Sayyid Syeed, and Mohamed Magid have been particularly active in promoting Holocaust awareness, including participating in a trip last August to concentration camp sites in Europe.
A post from October 2011 reported on a controversial conference associated with ISNA that was accused by a critics of being sponsored by organizers who made of anti-Semitic and anti-gay remarks.
GlobalMB @ May 15, 2012
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Arab media is reporting that the Saudi-based International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO)is planning to open overseas chapters in various countries in the Middle East and Africa. According to an Arab News report:
The International Islamic Relief Organization-Saudi Arabia (IIROSA), a major Saudi-based charity with a mandate to provide necessary aid and relief globally, plans to open overseas chapters in various countries, Adnan Khalil Basha, IIROSA secretary-general told Arab News on the sidelines of a reception hosted for foreign diplomats based in the capital here on Tuesday. The recepion was organized to highlight the IIROSA programs and projects being carried out in different countries. The IIROSA aims to identify impoverished areas and the needy population across the world, especially in countries where Muslims are in minority and to lend them support on priority basis. The event was addressed by Abdullah bin Abdulmohsin Al-Turki, secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL). Diplomats from the Arab region, Islamic countries, Africa, Europe and Americas attended the conference. A number of foreign envoys and diplomats praised the IIROSA activities saying the organization has been delivering aid in different parts of the world adhering to the international rules that govern charities. Referring to the expansion plan undertaken by the IIROSA, Basha said his organization was planning to open new chapters in Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, India, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Angola and a few other countries. About the dangers posed to aid workers in countries such as Tunisia, where the situation is still volatile, he said that ‘this is the time to open IIROSA offices in countries like Tunisia and at places where there are uprisings, unrest, natural disasters and poverty.’ ‘Every year, the IIROSA plans to open five or six chapters across the world, but sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don’t because of stricter regulations in those countries or tight licensing regulations,’ said the IIROSA chief. ‘In fact, we are working to open a chapter in India,’ said Basha, adding that the IIROSA is doing its best to bring home to Indian officials that it is a transparent organization. He said the IIROSA wanted to boost communication with different societies across the world to promote greater understanding and friendship. ‘Our work is purely humanitarian and we do our best to serve the needy around the world without any discrimination.’
Read the rest here.
A post from July discussed the influence of Saudi Arabia on Pakistan including the IIRO.
The IIRO is an affiliate of the Muslim World League (MWL) which was established in 1962 as a means for the propagation of Saudi “Wahabbi” Islam. Muslim Brothers played an important role in its founding and, to date, the League has been strongly with the Brotherhood. The MWL, together with the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), are Saudi organizations believed by U.S. government officials to have helped to spread Islamic extremism around the world as well as sponsoring terrorism in places such as Bosnia, Israel, and India. In 2006, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the Philippine and Indonesian branch offices of the IIRO as well as one of its executives in connection with fundraising for al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda affiliates. Previous posts have discussed the history of the IIRO in the US, its ties to the US Muslim Brotherhood as well as the recent registration of its new US office in Florida, and its new international image campaign.
GlobalMB @ May 14, 2012
