Tag Archives: Turkey

A Turkish Pall Over The D-Day Celebrations

As the current leaders of the Allied Powers in World War II commemorate the 75thanniversary of D-Day’s launch today, the ceremonies will have a prominent subtext: For seventy years, a different alliance, NATO, has been instrumental to keeping the peace on the liberated European continent.

The dignitaries will surely note the transformation of former enemy Germany into a longtime contributor to NATO’s success. Probably unmentioned, however, will be the evolution in recent years of Turkey, a nation that sat out the Second World War, from important NATO pillar to an ally no more.

Under the Sharia-supremacist regime of Recep Tayyep Erdogan, the Turks have been aligning with the alliance’s  enemies, notably, Russia, China and Iran. Islamist Turkey is also casting a pall on today’s festivities by ramping up the construction of mosques in Europe to recruit and radicalize Muslims there and subvert the West.

The Domestic Insurgency of the Islamic Movement

The Domestic Insurgency of the Islamic Movement PDF

As the 2020 election cycle gets underway with candidates announcing presidential campaigns and respective platforms, the Muslim Brotherhood agenda for the United States demonstrably seeks through subversive infiltration of American institutions the triumph of shariah. The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), a political umbrella group for the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, represents a leading edge of the jihadist movement in this country. While the USCMO seeks to cloak itself in red, white, and blue, it is only for the purpose of accomplishing what can aptly be described as “Star Spangled Shariah”. The ‘Civilization-Jihadist Process’ set in motion by the Muslim Brotherhood decades ago now has been operationalized to specifically political objectives through the establishment of the USCMO. The formation of the USCMO in 2014 marked the first U.S. Muslim Brotherhood political party, and indeed the first religious identity political party, in the history of this country.

USCMO senior leadership led by Secretary General Oussama Jammal and Council on American Islamic Relations Executive Director Nihad Awad has pledged its fidelity to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has neither concealed his support for HAMAS, nor been slow to act when HAMAS has called upon AKP leadership and required his assistance. Alarming as this should be for U.S. national security as HAMAS is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Department of State, the recent election of USCMO-backed Ilhan Abdullahi Omar to the U.S. House of Representatives is even more troublesome. She not only demonstrates openly her affiliation with CAIR (the U.S. HAMAS branch) and other Muslim Brotherhood front groups represented in the USCMO,   but also has established a political relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party at a time when Erdoğan is running hostile foreign influence operations against the U.S. government.

Turkey and USCMO member organizations support the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, which was issued and adopted by the Nineteenth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers on 5 August 1990 in Cairo, Egypt. As stated in the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam[1], the Muslim world defines human rights exclusively in terms of shariah (Islamic Law). Note especially Articles 24 and 25 which declare as follows:

“ARTICLE 24:25 All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari’ah” and “ARTICLE 25: The Islamic Shari’ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration.”

Recall that, as a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Turkey was an original signatory to this document that advocates for strict adherence to shariah and represents, in fact, an abrogation of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The alliance between the USCMO and Turkey attests clearly to the counter-Constitutional agenda of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. Important to note, in the summer of 2014, USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal and top leadership from the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S. traveled to Turkey to observe the functions of Turkish “democracy.”

This data point about the USCMO’s study of Turkish “democracy” is crucial to understand the chain of events, developing direction, and operational plans of the USCMO. Both recently elected U.S. Representative Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (Democrat, MN-5thcongressional district) and senior USCMO Muslim Brotherhood leadership have held meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior leadership from the Diyanet Center of America, which is owned by the Presidency of Religious Affairs[2], an official state institution of the Turkish government.

According to the USCMO[3], in April 2019 a “Record Number of Muslims Attend Congressional Meetings on National Muslim Advocacy Day” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Just over five years earlier, a press conference held in Washington, DC, on 12 March 2014 officially announced the formation of the USCMO, the first Muslim Brotherhood political party in the United States, which is openly associated with jihadist organizations. USCMO members gathered for the 5thAnnual Muslim Advocacy Day from 1-2 April 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC as described on the USCMO website[4]: “USCMO hosted a civic engagement and congressional advocacy training seminar for Muslim delegates in the Capitol Visitor Center’s auditorium. Later that day, members of Congress and their staff joined Hill day participants for an evening reception at the House Visitor Center. On Tuesday, Muslim delegates were hosted at the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.” This USCMO delegation included more than 500 leaders and activists from 28 states who met with over 250 elected members of Congress and staffers. Concern is warranted for multiple reasons, as lawmakers in the Nation’s capital and senior members of the Trump administration are not adequately educated regarding the true intentions of either the Muslim Brotherhood or the USCMO. The Center for Security Policy (CSP) has delivered numerous warnings about the threat of shariah and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Civilization Jihad[5] during the presidential terms of both Barack H. Obama and now the current administration of Donald J. Trump.

In the spring of 2018, CSP published the book “Ally No More: Erdoğan’s New Turkish Caliphate and the Rising Jihadist Threat to the West”[6] and explained how USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal had long prepared logistics to begin tactical work for the Muslim Brotherhood with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AK Party). This alliance marked a strategic step forward for the Muslim Brotherhood in America. Some of its key leadership figures had not only joined together to create the USCMO, but also to align with the increasingly jihadist government of Turkey that was itself in open alignment with HAMAS and the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood.

In a 20 December 2017 CSP article, “Turkey’s Erdoğan Declared Ummah Leader at DC Muslim Brotherhood Rally Condemning Trump Recognition of Jerusalem,” leadership of the Brotherhood’s USCMO umbrella group, the  openly hailed[7] Erdoğan as “My President, your president, president of the ummah Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”[8] Erdoğan’s own cousin, Halil Mutlu, who was a keynote speaker at the rally, called for fidelity of all Muslims (including American Muslims) to Erdoğan as the leader of the ummah. As has been noted in these spaces before, USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal and other U.S. Brotherhood leaders such as CAIR Executive Director, Nihad Awad, have developed a close strategic relationship with President Erdoğan and AK Party leaders, who likewise are HAMAS-Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

Previously, in the late summer of 2015, CSP published the book entitled “Star Spangled Shariah: The Rise of America’s First Muslim Brotherhood Party”[9] and issued a warning that these Muslim Brotherhood organizations which make up the USCMO posed a clear and compelling threat to U.S. national security and the U.S. Constitution. Evidence acquired by American and foreign security agencies documents that the Muslim Brotherhood engages in hostile intelligence collection against U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and seeks to conduct influence operations (IO)[10] against them and American policymakers. Such activities on the part of these groups constitute a direct threat to the security of the nation’s secrets, as well as the independence of its domestic and foreign policy. The gathering under one U.S.-based umbrella organization of jihadist Brotherhood entities, closely aligned with the equally jihadist Muslim Brotherhood regime in Turkey, has developed into just the sort of national security threat both foreign and domestic that the Center foresaw.

The following details[11] were reported on the USCMO website about its 2014 meetings in Turkey: “The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) was invited to attend a conference by the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The USCMO delegation also attended elections of a new AK Party chairman and was able to witness Turkish “democracy” at work.The conference, considered to be an extraordinary event by members of the AK Party, was held in honor of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, its founder and chairman, to bid him a special farewell after his election as President of Turkey. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu was elected the new chairman of the AK Party. The USCMO was represented by Oussama Jammal, Secretary General; Naeem Baig, ICNA president; and Osama Abu-Irshaid, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) National Director. The developing nexus post-2018 elections in the U.S. among the USCMO, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, Erdoğan, and the AKP should serve as a red flag warning for not only elected officials in Congress, but also U.S. national security and intelligence leadership.

More than a year before her election in November 2018 to the United States Congress, then-Minnesota state legislator, the Somali-born Ilhan Abdullahi Omar met in a closed door meeting[12] in September 2017 with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York City at the beginning of the 72ndsession of the United Nations General Assembly.A year prior, as reported[13] by the pro-AKP Turkish press agency Yeni Şafak, Erdoğan was in New York City for the 71stsession of the United Nations General Assembly on 13 September 2016, on the sidelines of which he received a delegation of prominent Muslim Brotherhood leadership who are now supporters of U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.Among the USCMO members represented at that meeting were the following (as pictured here): Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR); Osama Abu Irshaid, the national director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP); Mazen Mokhtar, the national executive director of the Muslim American Society (MAS); and Oussama Jammal, the secretary general of the USCMO.During this same timeframe, Nihad Awad welcomed an AKP delegation and the Turkish Ambassador to CAIR National headquarters in Washington, D.C.


Photo Credit: Haberler.com

Omar’s endorsement[14] by the Democrat Party to replace retiring Congressman Keith Ellison, now Minnesota Attorney General (a supporter[15] of the USCMO and speaker at its events[16]), was a calculated decision stemming from her work as a legislator in state district 60B. A careful study of Omar’s history and associations[17] not only expose the troubling patterns indicative of her world view, but the antisemitism[18] of the USCMO cloaked in Star Spangled Shariah, whose members approve and financially[19] back her initiatives. As noted[20] at the USCMO website on 11 September 2018: “Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar joining the floor of United States Congress is an important step in the right direction for the Muslim American community. The USMCO congratulates these strong, vibrant leaders on their monumental, historic achievements.”


Picture Credit: U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations[21]

In 2012, Omar tweeted[22], “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel,” and she quickly defended[23] her statement: “I don’t know how my comments would be offensive to Jewish Americans…My comments precisely are addressing what was happening during the Gaza war, and I am clearly speaking about the way the Israeli regime was conducting itself in that war.”  Neither the record of her continuing controversial actions and statements as a freshman serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, nor her Global Islamic Movement supporters should be regarded as unpredictable. Omar is not only demonstrating a loyalty to the narrative about HAMAS that is held as well by the USCMO, but also by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party.


Ilhan Omar with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Photo Credit: TGRT Haber)

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar has received continued support as seen on the official Twitter accounts from the senior leadership of the USCMO including Secretary General Oussama Jammal[24], Nihad Awad[25], and HAMAS dba the Council on American Islamic Relations.[26][27]

The evolution of the AK Party relationship and the solidification of its ties with USCMO leadership in combination with the growing strategic role of the Turkish government’s Diyanet Center of America in Lanham, Maryland should be concerning at a minimum to the senior leadership of U.S. national security. Erdoğan and the AKP are now directing initiatives and programs through the Diyanet Center of America, which is a command headquarters for advancing the Muslim Brotherhood and its Civilization Jihad on U.S. soil. Unfortunately, U.S. President Donald J. Trump and his administration seem unaware of the paradigm shift in insurgency operations against the U.S. government led by the pro-HAMAS, hostile foreign government of Turkey in a full-fledged Islamic jihad partnership with the North American Muslim Brotherhood and USCMO.

While this strategic relationship between the USCMO and a pro-HAMAS, hostile foreign state actor was yet in its nascent stage, President Erdoğan and the AKP were already calculating their next steps to benefit the Muslim Brotherhood’s operations in the U.S. To any observant national security practitioner, Erdoğan’s goal seemed clear: to establish the Diyanet Center of America as an operational hub for Turkey to direct Muslim Brotherhood influence operations against the U.S. government in collaboration with the USCMO.

Remember that Erdoğan himself[28] officiated at the 2 April 2016 opening ceremonies[29] for the DCA[30], located on a large 16-acre site in Lanham, Maryland. The Diyanet Center, also known as the Turkish American Cultural Center (TACC), is a wholly-owned facility of The Presidency of Religious Affairs[31], an official state institution of the Turkish government. Likewise, the relationship between the USCMO and the Turkish government is an open one, as is their use of the DCA as a hub for joint operations. Even before the official opening of the DCA in March 2016, Turkish influence became evident when the Turkish American Cultural Society (TACS) became a member of the USCMO.This strategic partnership between the USCMO and Turkish government comes into even clearer focus when this relationship is viewed through the lens of the domestic Muslim Brotherhood’s longstanding mission found in its 1991 Explanatory Memorandum[32]: “The general strategic goal of the Group in America … is the “Enablement of Islam in North America, meaning: establishing an effective and stable Islamic Movement led by the Muslim Brotherhood which adopts Muslims’ causes domestically and globally … presents a civilization alternative, and supports the global Islamic State wherever it is.”

Nihad Awad, Executive Director for CAIR, did not miss the opportunity to embrace President of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Professor Dr. Mehmet Görmez when he was in the U.S. to inaugurate the DCA. Görmez paid a special visit in April 2016 to the CAIR National office in Washington, D.C., where he received a warm reception and plaque from Muslim Brotherhood leadership representing USCMO member organizations.

While Görmez praised the work of CAIR National’s role in the U.S. and around the world, he also noted in the meeting with USCMO representatives that “there are times when humanity goes through some tough phases. Today humanity is going through such a period. There is no doubt that in these hard times it is the religion of Islam that will teach human beings peace, security, justice and the truth.”[33] Unfortunately, as we know, Islamic history is replete with countless examples where humanity has learned the hard consequences that belie the meaning of the terms ‘peace’, ‘security’, ‘justice’, and ‘truth’, because their Islamic definitions are different in legal application for Muslims versus non-Muslims.

In reply to Görmez’s remarks, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad stressed that Turkey is viewed as source of “hope” by so many countries. He also stressed the Muslim Brotherhood’s understanding of its role through the USCMO working with Turkey:

“[T]he timing of the opening of this center is of great importance in view of the rising anti-Islamic trend in the U.S.This facility will be the center of civilization and culture. Turkey is of great importance for us. It is a source of hope for humanity. Turkey has become a symbol of justice. I am a Palestinian and I feel deep gratitude for what Turkey has done for the Palestinians. My Egyptian and Syrian colleagues are also sharing these feelings. This is a sentiment that is being shared in all corners of the Ummah.”[34]

Interestingly, Awad is not only acknowledging Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party; he also identified the significant role of the Diyanet in Lanham, Maryland, purported to be a gift to America, as a place of operation for the Turkish government and Muslim Brotherhood to combat the forces of freedom that challenge Islamic supremacism.

Additionally, under the Trump administration, the USCMO is especially concerned[35] with legal issues, as calls were heard during the 2016 campaign urging that the 2008 Holy Land Foundation (HLF) HAMAS terror funding trial[36] be re-opened to pursue possible cases against the more-than-200 unindicted co-conspirators named by the U.S. Department of Justice. Apparently concerned over possible vulnerability should the books of mosques, Islamic Centers, and Muslim Brotherhood front groups come under renewed official scrutiny, CAIR and other members of the USCMO therefore engaged the services of the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), itself a founding member of the USCMO.

Of important note the first major event[37] co-sponsored by the USCMO, Turkish American Cultural Center (TACC), and the MLFA during the beginning of the Trump presidency was the Muslim Non-Profit Leadership Conference[38], held on 13 May 2017 at the Diyanet Center of America. Among the program topics were Safeguarding 501(c)3 status; Board fiduciary responsibilities; record keeping and disclosure requirements; Fundraising regulations, state registrations, unrelated business income; and Banking regulations, FDIC, DOJ, Watchlists, international charitable giving.

Not surprisingly, newly sworn in Congresswoman Ilhan Omar met with Diyanet Center of America leadership, which also coincided with a CAIR National Community Congressional Reception in January 2019. Strangely, while this meeting was not recognized on any of Omar’s social media platforms, the Diyanet Center of America prominently featured both her and this event. According to the Diyanet Center of America[39] website: “DCA Board Members Kevser Ozer,Sibel Ozkan, and Ahmet Aydilek as well as community members Zeyneb Aydilek, and Selva Ozer, attended the CAIR Community Congressional Reception on January 10, 2019. They [DCA Board Members] met with Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN), and Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN). The DCA congratulates the two new Muslim members of Congress and is looking forward to fostering a relationship between our institutions.”


Photo Credit: Diyanet Center of America[40]

As acknowledged on the Twitter accounts of both U.S. House of Representative IlhanAbdullahi Omar[41] and the USCMO[42], senior Muslim Brotherhood leadership including USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal met on 2 April 2019 in the congressional office of Omar during the 5thAnnual Muslim Advocacy Day[43] on Capitol Hill.

The December 2017 National Security Strategy[44] of the United States boldly declared that our first “fundamental responsibility is to protect the American people, the homeland, and the American way of life.” This document also speaks of defeating our jihadist enemies: the Islamic Movement, dedicated to replacement of the U.S. Constitution with shariah and represented by the Erdoğan regime, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the USCMO, is waging civilization jihad against us here in the homeland. In theNovember 2018 report “The Rise of American Muslim Changemakers: Political Organizing in the Trump Era”[45] published by CAIR National’s Research and Advocacy Department, the following quote regarding Muslim voters must be recognized as red flag warning: “This new political class is aggressively non institutionaland represents a broader trend in American politics of an engaged political insurgency.”

We are now witness to the institutional development by the USCMO and global Islamic Movement through U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar as one of its operatives to advance the Brotherhood’s Civilization Jihad and process of settlement that utilize the gradualist framework set forth by the influential Brotherhood theoretician Sayyid Qutb in his seminal 1964 book, ‘Milestones.’ The U.S. Muslim Brotherhood/USCMO is moving into an ever-closer jihad alliance with pro-HAMAS Erdoğan and his AKP to advance the global Islamic Movement. That relationship is brazenly pursued on American soil with the Lanham, Maryland Diyanet Center of America as its base for insurgency operations against the U.S. government, whose purpose is openly declared: to advance the establishment of a global Islamic State under rule of Islamic Law (shariah).It is time for President Donald J. Trump and his administration to call out, confront, and vanquish this threat.

 

[1]University of Minnesota, Human Rights Library, “Cairo Declaration”, http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/instree/cairodeclaration.html

[2]Facebook, Diyanet Center of America, https://www.facebook.com/diyanetenglish/

[3]US Council of Muslim Organizations, “Record Number of Muslims Attending Congressional Meetings on National Muslim Advocacy Day”, 3 April 2019 https://uscmo.org/index.php/2019/04/03/record-number-of-muslims-attend-congressional-meetings-on-national-muslim-advocacy-day/

[4]Ibid

[5]Center for Security Policy, “Center Releases Team B II Report: Shariah: The Threat to America”, 15 September 2010 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2010/09/15/center-releases-team-b-ii-report-shariah-the-threat-to-america-3/

[6]Center for Security Policy, New Book Ally No More Details Jihadist Threat from Turkey”, 17 April 2018  https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2018/04/17/new-book-ally-no-more-details-jihadist-threat-from-turkey/

[7]Center for Security Policy, “Turkish President Erdoğan Declared Ummah Leader at Washington, DC Muslim Brotherhood Rally Condemning Trump Recognition of Jerusalem”, 20 December 2017 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2017/12/20/turkish-president-erdogan-declared-ummah-leader-at-washington-dc-muslim-brotherhood-rally-condemning-trump-recognition-of-jerusalem/

[8]Ibid

[9]Center for Security Policy, “Book Release: Star Spangled Shariah: The Rise of America’s First Muslim Brotherhood Party”, 15 September 2015 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/09/15/book-release-star-spangled-shariah-the-rise-of-americas-first-muslim-brotherhood-party/

[10]Documents entered into evidence in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation HAMAS terror funding trial are available at the website of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas. http://www.txnd.uscourts.gov/judges/hlf2.htmlSee also Appendix 1 for a description of the “Global Project for Palestine” prepared by the MB in Amman, Jordan. The document instructs the MB to establish intelligence

capabilities that include counterintelligence, intelligence collection, and surveillance. Appendix 1 also includes citations from the Charter of the Center of the Studies, the Intelligence and the Information, a document uncovered by Federal Law enforcement at the home of convicted Palestinian Islamic Jihad organizer and Muslim Brotherhood member Sami al-Arian.

[11]Center for Security Policy, “New Book: Ally No More Details Jihadist Threat from Turkey”, 17 April 2018 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2018/04/17/new-book-ally-no-more-details-jihadist-threat-from-turkey/

[12]Center for Security Policy, “Photos Surface Revealing 2017 Closed Door Meeting between Representative Ilhan Omar and Turkish President Erdoğan,”12 April 2019 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2019/04/12/photos-surface-revealing-2017-closed-door-meeting-between-rep-ilhan-omar-and-turkish-president-erdogan/

[13]Yeni Şafak, “Erdoğan meets with representatives of Muslim Community in the US”, 23 September 2016 https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/erdogan-meets-with-representatives-of-muslim-community-in-the-us-253581323

[14]Associated Press, “Democratic Party endorses Ilhan Omar in congressional race”,  18 June 2018 https://www.apnews.com/dcb1a6ee0aa74b6ea3191690c80d5ad6

[15]Center for Security Policy, “Burn This Book” Exposes Keith Ellison’s Anti-American, Marxist and Islamist Associations and Agenda”, 25 September 2018 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/tag/keith-ellison/

[16]Muslim Link Paper, Community News, “Leaders Say Coordinating Council Needed for Muslims of the Western World”, 21 February 2016 http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com/community-news/4106-leaders-say-coordinating-council-needed-for-muslims-of-the-western-world

[17]PJ Media, “Photos Surface Revealing 2017 ‘Closed-Door’ Meeting Between Rep. Ilhan Omar and Turkish President Erdoğan,” 11 April 2019 https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/photos-surface-revealing-2017-closed-door-meeting-between-rep-ilhan-omar-and-turkish-president-erdogan/

[18]Center for Security Policy, “US Muslim Brotherhood Political Party Protests in Chicago against Israel and Jews”, 28 July 2014 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2014/07/28/us-muslim-brotherhood-political-party-protests-in-chicago-against-israel-and-jews/

[19]Middle East Forum, Islamist Money Watch, “Recipient Name: Ilhan Omar Donations History”, https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/money-politics/recipient/682/

[20]United States Council of Muslim Organizations, “USCMO Celebrates Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar: Two Democrats Set to Become First Muslim Women in Congress”, 11 September 2018 https://uscmo.org/index.php/2018/09/11/usmco-celebrates-rashida-tlaib-and-ilhan-omar-two-democrats-set-to-become-the-first-muslim-women-in-congress/

[21]Ibid

[22]Yeni Şafak, “US Congresswoman Omar Defends Tweet Criticizing Israel”, 18 January 2019 https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/us-congresswoman-omar-defends-tweet-criticizing-israel-3472108

[23]Ibid

[24]Twitter Account, Oussama Jammal, 5 March 2019 https://twitter.com/ojammal/status/1103076112245145600

[25]Twitter Account, Nihad Awad, 12 February 2019 https://twitter.com/NihadAwad/status/1095504437685161986

[26]Twitter Account, CAIR National, 15 April 2019 https://twitter.com/CAIRNational/status/1117886864105435136

[27]Twitter Account, CAIR National, 9 April 2019 https://twitter.com/CAIRNational/status/1115579085412081664

[28]Muslim Link, “Thousands Gather as Erdoğan Official Opens Diyanet Complex”, 15 April 2016 https://issuu.com/muslimlink/docs/04_15_2016_web

[29]WTOP, Dick Uliano, “Maryland Mosque Opens Its Doors to the Faithful”, 2 April 2016 http://wtop.com/local/2016/04/dicks-turkish-mosque-story-photos/slide/1/

[30]Diyanet Center of America, https://diyanetamerica.org/

[31]Facebook, Diyanet Center of America https://www.facebook.com/diyanetenglish/

[32]Center for Security Policy, “An Explanatory Memorandum: From the Archives of the Muslim Brotherhood in America”, 25 May 2013 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2013/05/25/an-explanatory-memorandum-from-the-archives-of-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-america/

[33]Yasin Aktay, “Greetings and a message from Western Muslims,” Yeni Şafak, 6 February 2016

https://web.archive.org/web/20160211043643/http://www.yenisafak.com/en/columns/yasinaktay/greetings-and-a-message-from-western-muslims-2026629/

[34]Ibid

[35]Center for Security Policy, “NATO Ally Turkey Working with U.S. Muslim Brotherhood”, 3 April 2017 https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/tag/uscmo/

[36]United States Department of Justice, “Federal Judge Hands Downs Sentences in Holy Land Foundation Case Holy Land Foundation and Leaders Convicted on Providing Material Support to Hamas Terrorist Organization”, 27 May 2009  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-judge-hands-downs-sentences-holy-land-foundation-case/

[37]Ibid

[38]Muslim Legal Fund of America, “Event: Muslim Nonprofit Leadership Conference Maryland”, 13 May 2017 https://www.mlfa.org/event/muslim-nonprofit-leadership-conference-maryland/#.WOFlZBvysb4

[39]Diyanet Center of America, “DCA Board Members Met Congressman and Congresswomen”, 11 February 2019 https://diyanetamerica.org/news/dca-board-members-met-congressman-and-congresswomen/

[40]Ibid

[41]Twitter Account, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, 3 April 2019 https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1113451955102408704

[42]Twitter Account, United States Council of Muslim Organizations, 3 April 2019 https://twitter.com/USCMO

[43]Twitter Account, United States Council of Muslim Organizations, 2 April 2019 https://twitter.com/USCMO/status/1113064447768027139

[44]Homeland Security Digital Library, “December 2017 National Security Strategy”, 20 December 2017 https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=806478

[45]Council on American Islamic Relations, “The Rise of American Muslim Changemakers: Political Organizing in the Trump Era”, 15 November 2018 https://www.cair.com/cair_mpower_change_and_jetpac_release_report_on_muslim_political_mobilization_in_the_trump_era

Potential Shifts on US Strategy in Syria

The Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs is denying a Wall Street Journal report that claimed at least 1,000 US troops would remain in Syria. Gen. Joseph Dunford released a statement calling the claims “factually inaccurate” and assured the public of the Pentagon’s commitment to a steady withdrawal: “We continue to implement the president’s direction to draw down U.S. forces to a residual presence.” President Trump made waves across the national security community when he announced his original plan in December of the complete withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops from Syria. Later, the administration announced that 400 troops would most likely stay in southern Syria to monitor possible Iranian arms shipments to Lebanese-based terror groups such as Hezbollah. No specific estimates have been made as to the number of troops, although Pentagon officials have confirmed that any new amount will almost certainly will be lower. Although the President initially supported shifting troops from Syria to Iraq, concerns from Iraqi politicians about the US using its regional presence to spy on Iran have negated any support for such an initiative.

For many in the international security community, maintaining a large enough presence to combat further ISIS operations must be the cornerstone of any future US strategy in Syria. ISIS remains a threat despite having its territorial control reduced to pockets of southwestern Syria. U.S. officials estimate that ISIS still controls as many as 20,000 armed fighters around the world, including sleeper cells in the Middle East and possibly in the West. Suicide bombings and attacks on coalition forces have demonstrated that despite their precarious position, ISIS remains a deadly enemy whose capabilities should not be discounted. US strategy towards ISIS must now shift from airstrikes to counterinsurgency in order to prevent remaining ISIS fighter from slipping away into local populations.

In addition, the U.S. must make use of its allies in the region to ensure long term stability once American troops have left. Negotiations with Turkey on the establishment of a “safe zone” within Syria for refugees and displaced persons have broken down over questions of security. With Turkey already displeased about the US providing funds and training for Kurdish militia groups, the question remains as to whether Turkish President Erdogan might launch an attack on Kurdish forces in Syria. Turkey has long viewed the militias as terrorists and a national security threat. As such, the results of the talks might be the determining factor for the future of the Kurdish minority in Syria.

The endgame for the U.S. is to preserve long term stability in the Middle East. With so many forces in play in Syria such as Iran, Russia, Turkey, ISIS, and the Kurds, the U.S. must carefully manage its allies and not be sucked into another unending, bloody, nation-building quagmire. The lessons learned from the Iraq war must inform policymakers to make the decisions that best safeguard the interests of the U.S.

Clare M. Lopez: Turkey Is Key Player in US Withdrawal From Syria

Originally published by Newsmax:

As National Security Advisor John Bolton heads to Turkey today for discussions about President Trump’s announced decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syrian battle spaces, he might question Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about his expressed intent to re-establish the Ottoman Empire and how Erdogan calculates U.S. policy in the region to figure into that ambition.

He might cite from Erdogan’s February 2018 assertion that “modern Turkey is a ‘continuation’ of the Ottoman Empire,” or ask exactly what Erdogan meant when, in November 2018 he declared that “Turkey is bigger than Turkey; just know this. We cannot be trapped inside 780,000 kilometers [Turkey’s total area].” He might perhaps ask also what exactly Erdogan meant by threatening the U.S. with an “Ottoman Slap,” in reference to American support for Kurdish forces fighting against the Islamic State.

Then there was the November 2018 “International Islamic Union Congress,” held in Istanbul. Headed by Erdogan’s chief military advisor, Adnan Tanriverdi, the event’s participants endorsed the aim of “unity of Islam” through establishing the “Confederation of Islamic Countries.” It was not entirely clear how or if such a “Confederation” would differ from a Caliphate or Islamic State.

Clearly, U.S. objectives for the region are not the same as Turkey’s.

In the areas of the former Syria closest to the Turkish border, it has been obvious for some time that Ankara intends to carve out a sphere of influence and control, aimed specifically at annihilation of Syrian Kurdish forces operating there. Turkish planes, tanks, and troops first invaded northern Syria in Operation Euphrates Shield in August 2016 and expanded that offensive with Operation Olive Branch in 2018. Turkey now controls an area of some 3,500 square kilometers, encompassing hundreds of towns and villages. There is no indication that Ankara intends to withdraw from this territory any time soon.

Because the Trump administration to date has declared the mission of U.S. troops in Syria to be only the defeat of the Islamic State, other (arguably equally important) national security objectives including standing by our Kurdish allies, re-evaluating where Turkey is headed, and blocking aggressive Iranian expansion that directly threatens Israel have been less well-articulated. President Trump’s withdrawal announcement thus caught many by surprise, both in the region and apparently even among his own senior advisors. His decision followed a December 14, 2018, phone call with Erdogan in which Trump reportedly agreed that Turkey should take over the fight against the Islamic State as well as management of territory seized from it. In view of Turkey’s unambiguously jihadist neo-Ottoman agenda, alarm bells began to go off. For just these reasons, then, Bolton’s 4-day trip to Israel and Turkey this week will be critical as has been the apparent willingness of the president to reconsider the timetable for any troop withdrawal.

As Center for Security Policy President Fred Fleitz wrote on New Year’s Day, “the President did the right thing by adjusting his plan to quickly withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. This shows that he is listening to experts, members of Congress and foreign leaders.”

Speaking on Sunday, January 6, to reporters accompanying him on his trips to Israel and Turkey, Bolton said that Trump will not withdraw American troops from northern Syria until and unless the Turkish government guarantees it won’t attack the Syrian Kurdish troops who’ve been at our side fighting against the Islamic State. Bolton also indicated that any withdrawal timetable will be conditioned on U.S. priorities for the region, saying, “Timetables or the timing of the withdrawal occurs as a result of the fulfillment of the conditions and the establishment of the circumstances that we want to see.”

A comprehensive U.S. strategic policy for the Middle East has long been wanting. Indeed, a thorough overhaul of the entire post-9/11 understanding of the enemy we fight and that enemy’s threat doctrine has never been more urgent. There may be no better juncture than this turning point in U.S. ME policy and no better team of advisors now on board the Trump administration to address this most critical of policy priorities.

Clare M. Lopez, a former CIA officer, is Vice President for Research and Analysis at the Center for Security Policy.

U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Requires Strong and Active Israeli Involvement In Arab Internal Dynamics

The U.S withdrawal from Syria is a very scary step. Even more frightening is the fact that President Donald Trump made that decision after receiving assurances from Turkish dictator Recep Tayip Erdogan that he will “finish off ISIS”. Erdogan’s pledge of course is far from credible, as he has enabled the sale of ISIS stolen oil through Turkish territory and is an enemy of the Syrian Kurds, who have been instrumental in defeating ISIS.

The ruthless dictatorship of Bashar Al Assad is very close to recovering a large portion of the territory and authority it had lost during the last seven years of civil war, owing its survival to Russia and Iran. Russia’s presence has served as an important deterrent force against U.S and Western intervention, while Iran has provided Assad with fighters, expanding its activities in Iraq and Yemen. Its proxy, Hezbollah, has managed to build tunnels that make Israel vulnerable to attacks.

Therefore, it’s no wonder that Russia, Iran and Turkey joyfully welcomed Trump’s decision.

Now, Turkey can easily crush the Kurds in Syria, who represent the worst nightmare for Turkey. Ironically, the Kurds have been at the forefront of the fight against the Islamic State, the group that has most worried the U.S. The Kurds, rather than being rewarded for their efforts, will now be exposed to Turkish aggression, which could easily turn into a bloody war.  If Turkey attacks Kurdish fighters, the only beneficiary will be the Islamic State. In addition, the Kurds control about one-third of Syria’s territory, and Kurdish autonomy is a strategic asset to U.S interest in the region. The Kurds may lose that as well.

An Israeli newspaper reported that Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria was made after the U.S, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel cut a deal with Vladimir Putin, where the Russian president agreed to restrain Hezbollah in Syria and allow Israel to continue military operations against Iran and its proxies in Syria.

This arrangement is deeply flawed. Putin’s behavior does not offer any guarantees that he will restrain Iran, and in fact, Russia has resented Israeli strikes on Iranian bases in Syria.  Iran and Russia have increased their trade, and Russia has provided weapons to the Iranians. It’s not clear why Israel would rely on Russia to restrain Iran and likewise, why the Sunni Arab states would think that Russia would try to stop Iranian subversive activities in various Arab states.

To take Russia’s assurances at face value would be foolish to say the least.

In order to curb Iranian, Russian and Turkish influence in the region, Israel and the Sunni states (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf states) now have no choice but to cooperate.

This alliance should now be expanded into a coalition with larger strategic goals. The dangers in the region are coming not only from an expanding Iranian subversive force in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, but also from an ambitious Islamist Turkey that could possibly become a Sunni version of Iran. Turkey, a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and adversary of Saudi Arabia, has maintained tense relations with these two countries. Likewise, Erdogan has de-normalized the good relations between Turkey and Israel, making vicious anti-Semitic statements, openly supporting Hamas, and strengthening relations with Iran.

With regard to Israel, despite the country’s military strength, its main security policy agenda has been based on protecting its own borders and trying to contain Iran. Thus, Israel has returned fire and directed military operations against Hamas and Hezbollah after these groups have attacked or endangered Israeli towns and populations. Israel decided to engage in a campaign to destroy Hezbollah’s underground tunnels only after the terrorist group had already penetrated Israeli territory. This defensive and shy approach is the result of the fact that Israel does not want to be perceived in the Arab world as a troublemaker. Thus, Israel has tried to avoid being targeted by Arab propaganda, which usually translates into international condemnation, a result that seems to occur regardless of Israeli actions.

Therefore, Israel has avoided taking sides in the Syrian civil war, so far dealing mainly with Russia for the purpose of restraining Iran and Hezbollah. With America’s withdrawal from Syria, the time has come for Israel to reconsider its defensive security policy and turn to a grand pro-active strategy.

The Arab Spring has challenged the traditional forms of Arab authority and the regional order. New actors are emerging and maps are being redrawn. This is particularly true in Syria, where even if the Assad regime succeeds in reestablishing its authority, it will not do so over the entire Syrian territory. The Arab World is engaged in a number of disparate internal conflicts that have taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and created millions of refugees. None of these conflicts, and the resulting Arab suffering, has any connection to Israel whatsoever. Those in the Arab world seeking to alleviate their suffering or enhance their freedoms would welcome any help, including help from Israel (as has been demonstrated by the gratitude expressed by Syrian refugees who received medical attention in Israel)

So far In Syria, Israel has supported 12 rebel groups, but only in order to push Iran-backed forces and ISIS fighters away from its borders. Israel could move beyond humanitarian help and limited cooperation with rebels and establish alliances with selected rebel forces, and above all, the Kurds, with whom Israel has a long tradition of cooperation, particularly in Iraq. Israel has not established connections with rebels beyond the southern border, although it has provided remarkable humanitarian aid to Syrians seeking help along the border.

Israel could provide aid to the Syrian Kurds, who have courageously and successfully fought ISIS. Kurdish autonomy could also lead to another liberal oasis in the Middle East that could counterbalance both the Assad regime and Turkey.

In other words, despite Israel’s small size it has no choice now but to think of itself as a larger power.

There are also reasons to believe that many elements in the Arab world could revise the traditional Arab narrative of Israel being the source of all its troubles. Israel now has an opportunity to create alliances, not only with conservative status-quo Arab countries, but also with emerging groups– so long as they support positive changes and are not associated with any radical or Islamist group.

U.S withdrawal from Syria was ill-conceived and a bad move overall. However, it now leaves Israelis and Arabs an opportunity to seek creative resolutions in the Middle East. Perhaps, this cooperation could even lead to a final Israeli-Arab peace.

Turkey on the Brink: Erdogan Takes a Swing at Trump, Aligns with ‘Global Jihad Movement’

Originally posted at CBN News:

With Turkey’s currency crashing, the government’s response has been to blame outsiders and double down on a bad economic policy that is only making it worse.

The Turkish lira had lost 44 percent of its value against the dollar this year before recovering slightly overnight. And there are already signs that it’s dragging down markets in Asia.

The crisis accelerated last Friday after President Trump promised to double tariffs on Turkish exports because of Turkey’s continued detention of American Pastor Andrew Brunson.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday his nation is under siege, accusing the US of stabbing an ally in the back. Today he announced a boycott of US electronics.

Turks who have seen their buying power cut in half are worried. Yasar Subasi, an Istanbul resident said, “For real, right now we think about the dollar when we go to sleep and when we get up.”

Making matters worse, President Erdoğan continues to say that the lira’s crash has no economic basis and has ruled out the possibility of higher interest rates, which is exactly what economists say is needed.

Burak Kanli, chief economist at QNB Finansinvest said, “Structural problems…plus the problem with the US, all came together and created a perfect storm.”

Having already detained or arrested a quarter million Turks since the July 2016 coup attempt, Erdoğan now wants to arrest so-called “economic terrorists on social media”; that’s anyone who says negative things about the economy.

Some say Turkey is already a de facto dictatorship. And by virtue of its location, sitting between the Middle East and Europe, it is one of the most strategically important nations in the world.

There is concern that it may turn its back on the US and NATO and become an ally of Russia or China. Foreign policy analyst Dr. Christopher Hull believes it’s already happened.

“Erdoğan himself is proving that he’s hostile to America, he’s hostile to the West, he’s hostile to our values,” Hull said. “He is much too closely aligned to the global jihad movement. He’s creating an Islamic state.” [Emphasis added]

And Turkish journalist in exile Abdullah Bozkurt says Erdoğan will never leave office because he would lose his immunity to prosecution in two corruption scandals, including giving aid to radical jihadists in Syria.

“So he’s very much afraid of those investigations getting reopened in the judiciary,” Bozkurt said.

Turkish citizens could be in for a rough ride, as a combative Erdoğan clings to power, takes swings at the United States, and the Turkish currency continues to get battered.