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US Muslim Youth Leader: Terrorists? We Say Resistance
Rami Kawas, the youth director of the Muslim American Society's Brooklyn-Staten Island chapter, has made Facebook posts that state that the U.S. is as evil as the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) and that criticize the description of Osama Bin Laden as a terrorist.
On September 25, Kawas shared a post that accused the U.S. of being at least as evil as ISIS:
That same day, he posted an article about Osama Bin Laden. Beneath an image of the former Al-Qaeda chief is the caption, “The Difference Between a Terrorist and a Freedom Fighter is a White Man’s Opinion.”
This was not the title of the article he linked to. Kawas chose that title to make a point against labeling Bin Laden as a terrorist. The screenshot is below:
On September 10, he accused President Obama of waging war against ISIS to “cash more checks for war lords and expand corporate interests abroad:”
In August, a video was posted of Kawas preaching at a New York mosque in favor of violent jihad. His radicals statements included:
• “If they say ‘terrorists,’ we say ‘resistance.’ If they say ‘You guys are killing unjustly,’ we say ‘we are fighting.’ ”
• “It is prescribed upon you to fight.
• “Let me make this clear: Muslims are obligated to fight—anybody, anywhere, anytime—for their justice and their freedom.”
• “We will fight. We have no qualms about it.”
• “We don’t want peace in the land [Israel]. We don’t want a peace process.”
• “The American people are given a load of garbage about ‘We are fighting for our freedom around the world.’ What kind of garbage is that?”
• “I know there are informants in here. I know there are people recording our sermon. I know there are a couple of Benedict Arnolds in the house.”
His Facebook profile identifies him as the youth director of the Muslim American Society’s Brooklyn-Staten Island chapter.
MAS has a radical history. This includes an episode where a 2011 press release praised for Bin Laden as an “Islamic visionary” and endorsed his goal of turning Afghanistan into a sharia state. MAS later retracted the press release.
Federal prosecutors said in 2008 that “MAS was founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.” Convicted terrorist and U.S. Muslim Brotherhood member Abdurrahman Alamoudi testified in 2012 that “Everyone knows that MAS is the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Kawas is in a position to widely spread his radical views, especially among Muslim youth. He is a guest speaker at mosques, and his chapter is involved with numerous Muslim groups in the area.
His chapter lists its event and activity locations as the MAS Youth Center, MAS Staten Island Center, MAS Sheepshead Bay, Masjid Dawood, Masjid Taqwa, Masjid Musaab and the Muslim Community Center. It also says it has a presence on Brooklyn College and Fort Hamilton High School.
If MAS were genuinely moderate, it would make Kawas resign. And if these mosques and Islamic centers that host Kawas are aware of his radicalism and continue to have him, then they also cannot be considered moderates. Only Islamist radicals would accept such extremist and violent teachings, especially to their youth.
Moderates would not only reject Kawas’ messaging, they’d reject Kawas. They would not host him and present him as a credible preacher. The last thing moderates want is congregants and impressionable youth being influenced by teachers like Kawas.
Advocates of violent jihad, anti-Americanism and defenders of terrorists should be shunned, not given a stage and microphone.
Ryan Mauro is ClarionProject.org’s national security analyst, a fellow with Clarion Project and an adjunct professor of homeland security. Mauro is frequently interviewed on Fox News.
Copyright © 2013 Clarion Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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