An
Egyptian magazine has claimed that six American Islamist activists who
work with the Obama administration are Muslim Brotherhood operatives who
enjoy strong influence over U.S. policy.
The December 22 story was published in Egypt`s Rose El-Youssef magazine
and was translated into English for the Investigative Project on
Terrorism. The story suggests the six turned the White House “from a
position hostile to Islamic groups and organizations in the world to the
largest and most important supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood.” The
story is largely unsourced, but its publication is considered
significant in raising the issue to Egyptian readers, IPT said.
The
six named people include: Arif Alikhan, assistant secretary of Homeland
Security for policy development; Mohammed Elibiary, a member of the
Homeland Security Advisory Council; Rashad Hussain, the U.S. special
envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference; Salam al-Marayati,
co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); Imam Mohamed
Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA); and
Eboo Patel, a member of President Obama`s Advisory Council on
Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.
Alikhan
is a founder of the World Islamic Organization, which the magazine
identifies as a Brotherhood “subsidiary.” It suggests that Alikhan was
responsible for the “file of Islamic states” in the White House and that
he provides the direct link between the Obama administration and the
Arab Spring revolutions of 2011.
Elibiary,
who has endorsed the ideas of radical Muslim Brotherhood luminary
Sayyid Qutb, may have leaked secret materials contained in Department of
Homeland Security databases, according to the magazine. He, however,
denies having any connection with the Brotherhood. He also played a role
in defining the Obama administration`s counterterrorism strategy, and
the magazine asserted that he wrote the speech Obama gave when he told
former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to leave power but offers no
source or evidence for the claim.
According
to Rose El-Youssef, Rashad Hussain maintained close ties with people
and groups that it says comprise the Muslim Brotherhood network in America.
This includes his participation in the June 2002 annual conference of
the American Muslim Council, formerly headed by convicted terrorist
financier Abdurahman Alamoudi. He also participated in the organizing
committee of the Critical Islamic Reflection along with important
figures of the American Muslim Brotherhood such as Jamal Barzinji,
Hisham al-Talib and Yaqub Mirza.
Regarding
al-Marayati, who has been among the most influential Muslim American
leaders in recent years, the magazine draws connections between MPAC in
the international Muslim Brotherhood infrastructure.
Magid
heads ISNA, which was founded by Brotherhood members, was appointed by
Obama in 2011 as an adviser to the Department of Homeland Security. The
magazine says that has also given speeches and conferences on American
Middle East policy at the State Department and offered advice to the
FBI.
Rose
El-Youssef also said that Patel maintains a close relationship with
Hani Ramadan, the grandson of Brotherhood founder Hasan al-Banna, and is
a member of the Muslim Students Association, which it identifies as “a
large Brotherhood organization.”
Despite the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt was voted into power on an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel platform, it is about to receive 20 F-16 fighter jets from the U.S.
The jets were ordered by Mubarak, but the Muslim Brotherhood will take
over the inheritance. The Obama administration has also indicated its
willingness to help Egypt
relieve $1 billion of its debt, as part of an American and
international assistance package intended to bolster its transition to
democracy.
A
video released last week showed that in 2010, current Islamist
President Mohammed Morsi called to boycott products made in the United States because of its support for Israel. At the time he also rejected negotiations between Israel
and the Palestinian Authority and referred to Jews as “apes and pigs.”
Previously exposed videos show that during his election campaign, Morsi
reiterated that “Jihad is our path” and “the Koran is our constitution”.
Sheikh Mohammed Badie, the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood and the person who some say is the true president of Egypt, has called for a jihad (holy war) to liberate Jerusalem from Israeli rule.
