Saturday, September 3, 2011

Allen West Hosts “Islamophobic” Anti-Ground Zero Mosque Event


by Ryan Mauro

Rep. Allen West isn’t being deterred by accusations of “Islamophobia,” and will be hosting a screening of the Christian Action Network’s film, “Sacrificed Survivors: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mosque” in Congress on September 7. The event kicks off a screening tour in New York City public parks around the tenth anniversary of 9/11 that is sure to rile up the deniers of the Islamist threat.

The event is being held on the morning of September 7 from 11:30 am to 1:00 PM in Room B-339 of the Rayburn Congressional Office Building, thanks to Rep. Allen West. It is generating significant media coverage and controversy, as is the Christian Action Network’s tour in New York City against the Ground Zero Mosque that begins later that night. West and some of the other participants have been labeled as “Islamophobes” in the Center for American Progress’s “Fear Inc.” report, which specifically mentions this event as evidence of the alleged growing anti-Muslim bigotry in the country.

Rep. West is listed in the report as part of the “Islamophobia echo chamber.” He is called a “loyal foot soldier in the misguided campaign against Sharia.” A Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations recently wrote him a letter asking him to end his relationships with Islamophobic activists. He wrote a one-sentence response: “I am writing to you with regard [to] your recent letter: ‘NUTS!’”

It was an appropriate response given CAIR’s extremist affiliations. Tellingly, one of the authors of the letter is Hassan Shibly, who I interviewed extensively after learning that he was a frequent guest speaker at schools in New York. He defends Hezbollah, supports 9/11 conspiracy theories, and made other very concerning statements.

West is being criticized for his hosting of the film screening in Congress. On FOX News Channel’s The Five, liberal pundit Bob Beckel called West “a politician who knows a good story and how to get in front of the cameras.” He then shockingly said, “We all understand 9/11, but you got to get over this in New York, the rest of us are being affected by it.” He is also being criticized by Americans Against Islamophobia and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Martin Mawyer, President of the Christian Action Network, will be speaking at the event. His organization previously released “Homegrown Jihad: Terrorist Camps Around the U.S.,” described in “Fear Inc.” as “inflammatory.” Of course, not a single bit of the compelling evidence in the film and covered here at FrontPage Magazine is addressed.

There are several other speakers that will anger the Islamism-deniers. The group includes Tim Brown of 911FamiliesForAmerica.com, and first responder on 9/11 and Michael Del Rosso, Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Policy. Tom Trento of the United West and former CIA operations officer Clare Lopez are also on the panel. Both are mentioned in “Fear Inc.”

The Christian Action Network begins its screening tour of the film in New York City on the same night. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation originally hesitated in granting permits and accommodating the tour, but that changed after the American Center for Law and Justice filed a “demand letter” on CAN’s behalf. Four screenings have now been scheduled in Manhattan on the nights of September 7, 9, 10 and 13.

This is the second screening tour by the Christian Action Network of “Sacrificed Survivors.” The first was nationwide and had stops right near speaking engagements by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, one of the pioneers of the Ground Zero Mosque effort.

“We rallied Ground Zero Mosque opponents during his speaking events in Michigan and then again in North Carolina. We wanted to make sure he knew that we would not tire. And now, we are touring in his backyard, right in New York City,” said Martin Mawyer, President of CAN.

The film’s purpose is to give 9/11 survivors and the victims’ family members to express their opposition to the Ground Zero Mosque. It also reviews questions regarding the extremist affiliations of the group behind it and their financing. The chief financial backer of the Ground Zero Mosque, Hisham Elzanaty, has just been hit with a lawsuit for over $5 million from Allstate Insurance for allegedly running a “highly developed and sophisticated kickback scheme.” He is also being sued for millions of dollars by Geico and State Farm. In 1999, he donated $6,000 to the Holy Land Foundation, a front set up by the Muslim Brotherhood to finance Hamas.

The “Islamophobes” who have put together the September 7 event with Rep. Allen West are trying to make a point on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 that goes beyond the Ground Zero Mosque controversy. The anti-Islamist activists being attacked as paranoid bigots are dedicated to protecting the country from its patient enemies, violent and non-violent. They know the price of this commitment is to have their integrity questioned. And this 9/11 anniversary, they want to show it is worth the price.

Ryan Mauro

Source: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/09/02/allen-west-hosts-%E2%80%9Cislamophobic%E2%80%9D-anti-ground-zero-mosque-event/

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

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