Ryan Mauro
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has become the first presidential candidate to say that he would support a Justice Department investigation and possible prosecution of Muslim Brotherhood fronts tied to Hamas. He made the remarks in response to a question from the United West, and his unplanned statement could help revitalize his campaign.
“I would support an Attorney General who would look very aggressively at prosecuting any group which supports terrorism or which sends money to terrorism or which encourages terrorism,” Gingrich told the United West. The questioner mentioned that the federal government says that Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) are tied to Hamas. He then asked if he’d support an investigation into these specific groups, to which Gingrich replied, “Sure, absolutely.” He nodded his head as the question was asked, expressing familiarity with the topic.
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Gingrich’s answer made him the first 2012 presidential candidate to support formally investigating these three Muslim Brotherhood fronts, which were labeled as “unindicted co-conspirators” in the trial of the Holy Land Foundation (HLF). The so-called charity was found guilty of being a Hamas fundraiser set up by the Muslim Brotherhood.
A federal court filing in 2007 said, “From its founding by Muslim Brotherhood leaders, CAIR conspired with other affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood to support terrorists” and “the conspirators agreed to use deception to conceal from the American public their connections to terrorists.” The three groups fought to get their designations as “unindicted co-conspirators” lifted with no success. On July 1, 2009, U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis ruled that “[t]he government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR, ISNA and NAIT with HLF… and with Hamas.”
Gingrich has been arguably the most outspoken candidate about the Islamist threat within the U.S. On July 29, 2010, he said, “Stealth jihadis use political, cultural, societal, religious, intellectual tools; violent jihadis use violence. But in fact they’re both engaged in jihad and they’re both seeking to impose the same end state which is to replace Western civilization with a [radical] imposition of Sharia.”
He has also proposed a federal law prohibiting any replacement of U.S. law with Sharia. In an article opposing the Ground Zero Mosque, he listed examples of how Islamist influence had crept into the country. He mentioned how Sharia enclaves were being created in Europe and that “there are strong allegations that the United States now owns the largest provider of sharia financing in the world: AIG.” In February, he called the Muslim Brotherhood a “mortal enemy of our civilization.”
The United West’s brief talk with Gingrich could force other candidates to take a stand on the Brotherhood fronts, or at least familiarize themselves with the issue. It also presents an opportunity for the candidates to contrast themselves with the Obama Administration. Investigative reporter Patrick Poole broke the story that the Obama Justice Department blocked the prosecutions of Omar Ahmed, one of the co-founders of CAIR, as well as Jamal Barzinji of the International Institute of Islamic Thought. Others on the list of 246 “unindicted co-conspirators” were also to be prosecuted. The Justice Department claimed that it was the Bush Administration that decided not to prosecute them, but Poole’s sources say this is a deceitful explanation.
“[A]ccording to my high-ranking DOJ source, the decision made by Ashcroft and his Bush Administration successors not to never prosecute the CAIR officials and other Islamic leaders, but that they would not go after them now, choosing to prosecute the case systematically as they do in many other federal prosecutions,” Poole reported.
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It will take a politician of exceptional courage to stand up to the Brotherhood fronts that will label him or her as an “Islamophobe.” They can quickly put together protests and rally the Muslim vote against politicians by labeling them a bigot that must be feared. They donate to campaigns and are media-savvy. CAIR says that NAIT controls 27 percent of America’s mosques, though others put it as high as 80 percent. As the Center for American Progress’ “Fear Inc.” report demonstrated, the Brotherhood fronts can count on support from left-wing groups to fight on their behalf. Taking on these organizations is a formidable task that could prove lethal to an official’s career.
The United West’s question to Gingrich could add a new element to the presidential race. The economy, health care, social security and even HPV vaccinations have gotten more attention than the Muslim Brotherhood. By championing the cause of the anti-Islamists, Gingrich may inject new life into his struggling campaign, force the rest of the field to take a stand, and wake the American people up to what is happening within their borders.
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