Who Is Behind The Islamic School Being Planned For West Edmonton?, by Anne Humpheys

Many citizens living in the Lessard district of West Edmonton have expressed their concerns regarding the opening of an Islamic school in their community by the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood was founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna. Itsmotto is: "Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur'an is our constitution. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope".

Shortly after some citizens expressed concerns in the West End News about the background of the promoters of this K-9 school, CTV and the Edmonton Sun reported that the Edmonton chapter of the MAC threatened the local paper with a civil suit. Instead of trying to defuse the concerns of the citizens by explaining how their goals and objectives were compatible with individual freedom, the MAC's leaders in Edmonton are trying to silence their critics.

Point de Bascule (Tipping Point) has been set up to expose the subtle ways used by Islamists to promote their agenda. The text that follows focuses on identifying the objectives pursued by the Muslim Brotherhood and it provides many links towards various statements made by its leaders in the past. Another text will follow in the coming days that will deal more specifically with the tactic of legal warfare frequently used by the Islamists to prevent any discussion about their agenda.

The concerns expressed by the citizens of Lessard are not only justified, they should be taken into consideration by the authorities. Up to now, the government has been silent on the issue. The citizens have no other choice but to challenge the Islamists willing to abuse the legal system in order to shut down responsible inquiry.

Issam Saleh

Issam Saleh, the chairman of the Muslim Association of Canada's Edmonton chapter, told the Edmonton Sun [August 19, 2010] that "a tiny handful of people exhibiting Islamophobia are spreading distortions and outright falsehoods about the organization". "Our lawyers are compiling a case and we're considering legal action," added Saleh.

Saleh holds different positions, including one as an advisor to the City of Edmonton:

City of Edmonton, Community Services Advisory Board - Click [HERE]Edmonton Islamic Academy, Board of Trustees - Click [HERE]From teacher to construction entrepreneur - Click [HERE]Daybreak Painting & Decorating Ltd - Click [HERE]

In his interview with the Edmonton Sun, Issam Saleh admitted that the MAC follows the teachings of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. In this, he conforms to the pledge found on the MAC's website:

"MAC adopts and strives to implement Islam, as embodied in the Qur'an, and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and as understood in its contemporary context by the late Imam, Hassan Albanna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. MAC regards this ideology as the best representation of Islam as delivered by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). "

MAC's website - Click [HERE] MAC's website (Edmonton chapter) - Click [HERE]MAC's description of its own ideology - Click [HERE]

What kind of positions has Issam Saleh taken in his five-year stint as an advisor for the City of Edmonton? How does someone implement Hassan al-Banna's principles while being on the Advisory Board of a major city? Edmonton residents must take a look at this issue.

Hassan al-Banna (1906 - 1949)

A summary of al-Banna's ideology can be found in a 50 point manifesto that he submitted to several Arab leaders in 1947. The manifesto has been added to al-Banna's book Towards the Light. The Muslim Brotherhood republished the manifesto in 2007. It is available on its Ikhwanweb.com website. Ikhwan is the Arabic word for brothers and it is commonly used for identifying the Muslim Brotherhood [Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun].

The manifesto promotes among others the abolition of political parties and the establishment of a single party system which is pure totalitarianism. It also favours the modification of the laws so that they conform to shariah and the multiplication of associations dedicated to promoting the spirit of jihad amongst the youth. Faced with the Egyptian authorities' refusal to implement al-Banna's program in 1948, his organisation launched many acts of terror in Egypt and even assassinated the Prime Minister (New York Times December 29, 1948).

In his essay On Jihad included in the book Five Tracts, al-Banna explains that "it's an obligation for us [Muslims] to fight against them [the infidels] after inviting them [to join Islam], even if they do not fight against us". [Five Tracts, Translated by Charles Wendell, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1978, p. 147]

To inspire his troops, Hassan al-Banna recalled in his essay To What Do We Invite Humanity? that in history many leaders experienced modest beginnings before finally achieving "success and fortune". He mentioned several Muslim warlords who inspired him. Only one of his sources of inspiration was non-Muslim. It was Adolf Hitler.

Beside the terrorist organization Hamas that acknowledges its relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood in the second article of its charter [HERE], the Muslim Association of Canada is more than likely the only other branch of the Brotherhood openly stating its connection with Hassan al-Banna's organization and ideology. The observation is made by the Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report, a website that monitors the activities of the Brotherhood throughout the world.

Youssef al-Qaradawi (1926 - )

Today, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, frequently reminds us through statements made in the Arab media that the Islamist organization is still a fierce enemy of individual freedoms.

In recent years, al-Qaradawi promoted the killing of apostates from Islam [islamonline.net] and the killing of homosexuals [video 5:27], he introduced Hitler as a messenger of Allah who came to punish the Jews [video], he urged Muslims to conquer the West [video], he favoured female genital mutilations and so forth.

When the Islamist militants behind the Edmonton Islamic school project declare that they will "adopt and strive to implement Islam, ... as understood in its contemporary context by Hassan al-Banna", they are announcing that they will devote their efforts to teach and make these principles triumph.

In his book Auspices of the Ultimate Victory, Youssef al-Qaradawi states that the penetration of the Islamist ideology in the West can be explained by the groundwork brought about by the Muslim Brotherhood and by the contributions in petrodollars made by Gulf state billionaires. Al-Qaradawi also expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia for distributing for free all around the world "many millions of copies of the Qur'an ... in model English and French translations".

The Hilali-Khan translation of the Koran

The English translation of the Koran being distributed by Saudi Arabia is referred to as the Hilali-Khan translation [Online copy - click HERE]. It is, by far, the most popular in English speaking countries. The translation approved by the MAC's mentor is generally being used in the English schools set up by the Muslim Brotherhood.

One excerpt from this English translation will suffice to illustrate what is being taught in MAC's schools.

After the verse 2:190 that discusses jihad, the translators have added a footnote to prevent any misunderstanding regarding the meaning of the word. Click [HERE]:

"Jihad (holy fighting) in Allah's Cause (with full force of numbers and weaponry) is given the utmost importance in Islam and is one of its pillars (on which it stands). By Jihad Islam is established, Allah's Word is made superior [...] and Islam is propagated. By abandoning Jihad (may Allah protect us from that) Islam is destroyed and Muslims fall into an inferior position; their honour is lost, their lands are stolen, their rule and authority vanish. Jihad is an obligatory duty in Islam on every Muslim and he who tries to escape from this duty, or does not in his innermost heart wish to fulfill this duty, dies with one of the qualities of a hypocrite."

Jamal Badawi

On a 2007 MAC webpage, North American Muslim Brotherhood leader and Canadian national, Jamal Badawi, is listed as a director of the organization. GMBDR reports that Dr. Badawi is a leader in many of the most important organizations of the Muslim Brotherhood including the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Council on American Islamic Relations (Canada), the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), the Muslim American Society (MAS), and the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR).

Before being chosen to be part of the MAC leadership, Badawi had justified Muslim suicide bombings as a legitimate tactic of jihad on a 2006 IslamOnline Internet forum. He had also issued in 2004 a fatwa for IslamOnline that was outlining six conditions in which a wife may properly be beaten " (if she) persists in bad habits".

During the two trials of the Holy Land Foundation that led to the conviction in 2008 of several members of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood network for financing terrorist activities in the Middle East from the United States, the prosecution presented as evidence an internal memorandum of the organization. The original Arabic version of the memorandum and its English translation have been archived by The Investigative Project on Terrorism. Jamal Badawi is identified on page 12 of the English translation as a member of the leadership structure of the Brotherhood in North America.

This internal document also clearly mentions on page 7 the goal pursued by the MAC and all the other organizations affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood in North America:

"The Ikhwan [the Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is kind of a grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions. [...] It is a Muslim's destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes."

The original memorandum in Arabic and its English translation are available [HERE]. The highlights of the memorandum are available [HERE].

Ekrima Sabri

Over the years, the Muslim Association of Canada has endorsed many radical Islamists whose views are completely incompatible with the mission that a school should pursue with the children under its responsibility. One of these radicals is Ekrima Sabri (aka Ikrimah Sabri).

IslamOnline.net (in 2002) and Steve Merley of the NEFA Foundation (in 2009) identified Sabri as the khatib (imam, prayer leader) of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and as the mufti of the city. Merley added that Sabri is a member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) that also includes U.S. Muslim Brotherhood leader Taha Al-Alawani, as well as other members associated with the Brotherhood.

In 2009, IRFAN-Canada invited Sabri to give a lecture at the Centre Culturel Laurentien, one of the MAC's facilities in Montreal.

The poster written in Arabic and produced for the occasion is archived on Point de Bascule. Click [HERE].

IRFAN-Canada is a branch of the American IRFAN (Islamic Relief Fund for the Afflicted and the Needy) also known as the Jerusalem Fund. The Jerusalem Fund was one of many Muslim Brotherhood affiliates that were designated as non indicted co-conspirators in the two trials that were discussed previously. The list of the co-conspirators is available by clicking [HERE].

As for IRFAN-Canada, it was disqualified in April 2010 from issuing donation receipts for income tax purposes after the Canada Revenue Agency had stated that it did not have its books in order and had failed to provide required documents.

Many subtitled videos featuring Ekrima Sabri are available online. Viewing some of them could be helpful to better understand the principles of the MAC who welcomed him in Canada.

Two weeks before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Sabri implored Allah to destroy Great Britain and the United States on Voice of Palestine Radio. Click [HERE].

In October 2000, the Al-Ahram Al-Arabi periodical from Egypt asked a few questions to Ekrima Sabri on various topics, including suicide bombings. The organization MEMRI has supplied an English translation available [HERE].

Here is the transcription of two Q&As:

Question: "What do you feel when you pray [for the souls of the martyrs]?"

Sabri: "I feel the martyr is lucky because the angels usher him to his wedding in heaven. I feel the earth moves under the occupiers' feet."

Question: "Is it different when the martyr is a child?"

Sabri: "Yes, it is. It's hard to express it in words. There is no doubt that a child [martyr] suggests that the new generation will carry on the mission with determination. The younger the martyr, the greater and the more I respect him."

When Sabri alludes to a wedding in heaven, he is referring to various verses of the Koran [44:54 52:20] that promise many young virgins (houris) as a reward to those who died while waging jihad.

When an organization like the MAC wants to open a school and sponsors fanatics who dream of sending children to their death, when an organization pledges to follow the teachings of Hassan al-Banna who was openly advocating for the "promot(ion of) the spirit of jihad amongst the youth", it is the duty of responsible citizens to further their investigation and to do everything they can to stop this cancer from spreading in their vicinity.

This article will be followed in the coming days by another one that will focus more specifically on the Islamists' favourite tactic of suing their critics in order to silence them.

For more information, click on [Pointdebasculecanada.ca]. Point de Bascule [Tipping Point] is an independent organization that promotes individual freedom by exposing the various ways by which the Islamists are trying to implement their agenda.

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