Follow-up Report: MOA Parade in Binghamton

Well, the MOA went ahead with their parade in Binghamton on Saturday as promised. The local paper reports (emphasis added):

BINGHAMTON - About 400 people marched through downtown Binghamton Saturday to celebrate the prophet Muhammad's birthday and show their Islamic faith to the community.

They were met by some curious stares from scattered onlookers and two protesters, one of whom was hustled away by Binghamton police after using a portable loud speaker to yell comments at the marchers.

The march was part of a series of activities organized by International Quranic Open University and Muslims of the Americas, a controversial Islamic community headquartered in Hancock.

[...]

"We show it's better to go by information you see than rumors," said Hussein Adams*, deputy director of the International Quranic Open University.

Saturday's event was only the first step, Hasib Qadri said, adding the communities intend to become more visible locally through social programs and community events. "We've decided it's not beneficial for us to stay by ourselves," he said.

*Note: Hussein Adams is a significant member of the JF/MOA/IQOU organization. He holds the rank of Khalifa and is the number two man at the headquarters compound in NY, hence his nickname within the group - "K2". The number one guy is Khalifa Husain Abdallah. Adams' father, Barry Adams aka Tyrone Cole, was one of the Jamaat ul-Fuqra operatives convicted in Canada years ago for plotting a horrific and thankfully unsuccessful terror attack on an Indian theater and Hindu temple. He was released from prison last year and is believed to be in the Caribbean, most likely Trinidad.

The organization has been on a PR blitz for a while after suffering quite a bit of negative publicity. They are attempting to remake their image as one of a charity organization, though there is much that lies beneath this facade.

Here's a slideshow of photos sent in by someone on the ground...



We also received this report (edited for brevity and clarity):

The event was referred to as being first "annual" and a "parade and festival". It was pretty much just the participants from Islamberg with almost no non-Islamic spectators. I counted about maybe 6 average joes watching from the sidewalk...plus a couple local police on each of 3 blocks directing traffic...and 2 local media people...one was from the local Press and Sun-Bulletin newspaper and the other from the local Fox tv station. After the parade, during the speeches, I noticed absolutely no non-Islamic onlookers.

The parade folks walked for several blocks and then over a bridge and a couple more blocks. And then they turned around and walked back to where they started. They sang a song while walking and there were many women and children marchers. There were several banners being held up for organizations: some kind of Islamic scouting group; there was one banner that had Islamberg written on it somewhere; and there was one for the "Hand to Hands" group; also, the first one was for the International Quranic Open University. There weren't any kind of political protesters. I expected the indymedia/progressive types to show up in solidarity since Binghamton has a big progressive presence, but I sure didn't notice anyone like that. I also didn't see [Executive Assistant to the Mayor] Tarik Abdelazim anywhere.

After the parade, they all went and sat down in front of the courthouse. They had a big stage set up for the speakers and a bunch of chairs in front on the right for the women and children and some chairs on the left under a tent for the main men. The "festival" was basically just the speakers plus a couple small tents which I assume featured items for sale underneath.

Now, on to the speakers: they started things off by singing the national anthem accompanied by some drumming. Then someone recited from the Koran and a second person did the same. Then, Matt Ryan, the Binghamton Mayor, spoke about unity between Islam and Christianity for a couple minutes. [After that] was Rev. Douglas Taylor of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Binghamton. He spoke for a while about unity as well.

An English professor at nearby Broome County Community College, Diane O'Heron, also spoke at the event. Candace de Russy at the PhiBetaCons blog on NRO wonders,

What motivates O'Heron and her fellow speakers to join in these suspect festivities? Will other academics or campus groups participate? If so, are they, and O'Heron, aware of the MOA's dubious pedigree? The answers to these questions are not yet apparent.

Indeed.
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More Information:

Additional photos from the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

FOX 40 WICZ TV report (w/video)

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UPDATE: One of our contributors, a Muslim and former member of MOA, writes in to comment:

The Muslim onlookers were from the group. Muslims all over the world know that celebrating the birth of Muhammad is not part of our faith. We also know that in Islamic law there are laws against protesting against gov't and trying to establish a gov't within a gov't -- these people implement Islamic law on their properties all over the USA. For example, if one of the members gets in trouble they may recieve a flogging. For those who do not know this term, it's when you sit in a chair [and receive lashes] or in some cases, like Sekou from Islamberg, they tied him to a tree and whipped him until he just about passed out. How do I know? I myself was victim to a flogging, 10 lashes to be exact . They have broken many laws in the very faith they say they believe in. If they even knew how much negativity they cause by "reaching out" they would stop their nonsense.

MOA Cop Killer On Trial in California

Finally facing justice for his crime, Ramadan Abdur-Rauf Abdullah, now 26, went on trial this week in Fresno County, California for killing Deputy Sheriff Erik Telen in 2001. He is pleading insanity in his defense.

Abdullah is originally from Binghamton, NY and was a member of the Muslims of the Americas (MOA). Spread throughout the country, the MOA, made up of primarily African-
Americans, are a cult-like offshoot sect of Sufi Muslims who follow Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani of Pakistan. The organization serves as a religious front for a radical militant group known as Jamaat ul-Fuqra, a secretive network also headed by Gilani. For all practical purposes, the groups are one and the same, though members' knowledge of and/or involvement in illicit activity varies.

We contacted a former follower of Sheikh Gilani with a very extensive knowledge of the group for comment on Abdullah's case. They remembered him from years ago and seemed to confirm the defense's assertion that he did have mental problems calling him "MAD". They continued with some additional background:

He terrorized the land [Islamberg in Hancock, NY]...Yes, he went insane...studying Sufiism. He could not be controlled on the compounds. Shaykh [Gilani] could not heal him with his healing powers, so [the men] were told to drop him off in the nearest township. Ramadan would chase us, jump us, tackle us...very dangerous. He said that he was Jesus, son of Mary, and...that he was the 7th Sultan [successor to Gilani].

But, he's not the first to go crazy. A few have, trying to practise the shaykh's form of Sufiism. He was sick for a year or so in Islamberg. He was sent to the California compound [Baladullah] from New York due to the inability to treat him through the shaykh's method. So, that resulted in him injuring others outside of the community. Well, MURDER isn't exactly an injury. Ramadan was only in California for less than two months. Then [there was] the Gateway scam...then the shaykh shut the village down. The shaykh didn't want Ramadan's name in association with him so much that he allowed 30 odd families w/little funds to go without housing. Even before the Gateway scam, California was already in the process of moving to other states because we were told we couldn't reside in the State of California.

So, according to our source, the boy did have some issues, but this certainly does not excuse what he has done. We mentioned that police noted during the shootout that Abdullah, because of the way he defended himself, seemed to them to have had some sort of training. To this, our source offered a very interesting anecdote:

No matter what, he still had enough of JF teachings in him so at some point he was sane. As a younger teenager he used to teach the younger boys...the basic training all members have. I do know he had excellent rifle training because I would hear his name in reference to that matter.

In fact, the prosecutor said in court of Abdullah's accuracy, "This was a very well-aimed and well-timed shot that was fatal to Deputy Erik Telen hitting him directly in the head." Telen died instantly.
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In Memoriam of Deputy Sheriff Erik Jon Telen



The California Peace Officers' Memorial

The Officer Down Memorial Page








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Meanwhile, local media is all over the Abdullah case.
Here's a sampling...



Continuing Coverage:
Click here to read and watch the latest news reports

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More Background on MOA in California:

The MOA has created quite a high-profile notoriety in Calfornia. The Gateway scam, alluded to above, was a widely-publicized case in which the MOA defrauded the State of California and stole millions of taxpayer dollars through a system of charter schools. Much of the money is believed to have been spirited away to Pakistan. One of the ringleaders of this scam, Khadijah Ghafur, was convicted last year and sent to prison. MOA claims she is a political prisoner.

Also, the state attorney general's office has made mention of the Fuqra organization and its activities in a couple of its reports:
Organized Crime in California - 2004
Organized Crime in California - 2005

WBTV (Charlotte) Visits Islamville

PART 1


PART 2

WSB-TV in Atlanta looks into MOA/JF camps in Georgia

PART I


PART II

CBN News Feature on MOA

The Virginia-based CBN News ran a feature story yesterday on Muslims of America on The 700 Club. They paid a visit to the group's compound in Red House, VA and even interviewed a former member. Erick Stakelbeck and Daveed Gardenstein-Ross, both respected counterterrorism experts, contributed to this piece.

Full disclosure: We were contacted recently by the reporter and cooperated with him on this story.

Click the link above to read the story and watch the video.

UPDATE: Here's the video

New York Post Runs Story on Islamberg

Media attention is indeed increasing on the shadowy network of Jamaat ul-Fuqra and its public front Muslims of the Americas.

A couple of reporters from The New York Post have a story out today after they paid a visit to the group's headquarters compound in the Catskills known as Islamberg near Hancock, NY.

READ IT HERE

[UPDATE] Mark Steyn posted an excerpt and linked the NY Post story at NRO's Corner.

A Mighty Heart Trailer

This is the trailer for the new movie about Daniel Pearl, based on the book by his wife Mariane. I'll be interested to see it, especially to see if they say much about Sheikh Gilani and Daniel's investigation of him. He's mentioned in the trailer. The movie's initial (limited) release in the US is scheduled for June 22.