Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, is one of many religious leaders scheduled to speak at the prayer service at Washington’s National Cathedral.
Mattson has been the guest of honor at State Department dinners and has met with senior Pentagon officials during the Bush administration. She also spoke at a prayer service at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
But in 2007 and as recently as last July, federal prosecutors in Dallas filed court documents linking the Hartford, Conn.-based Islamic society to the group Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization.
Neither Mattson nor her organization have been charged. But prosecutors wrote in July that they had “a wide array of testimonial and documentary evidence expressly linking” the group to Hamas and other radical groups.
Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Obama’s inaugural committee, would not discuss the case or say whether the committee knew about it.
“She has a stellar reputation in the faith community,” Douglass said Saturday night.
The existence of the court documents was first reported by Politico.
The Islamic Society of North America, which describes itself as “the nation’s largest mainstream Muslim community-based organization,” is fighting its inclusion on a list of coconspirators in the Dallas terrorism case against the Holy Land Foundation. In court documents, the group says it does not condone terrorism.
Bookmark this :
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:29 pm
For those who are ecumenically minded, they should be happy that nearly all faiths are a part of all the inaugural activities this week. It was tough to accept the role of Bishop V. Gene Robinson on Sunday praying to “the god of our many understandings.” But now it gets worse.
At the Cathedral service on Wednesday, Ingrid Mattson, President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), will have a role. As Brigitte Gabriel’s organization, Act for America says, “It is sufficiently problematic that ISNA, the organization of which Ingrid Mattson is president, was designated an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism trial (which produced guilty verdicts on 108 counts).”
Act for America continues by saying, “Mattson’s words and views beg the question: When there are Muslims in America who have publicly spoken out against jihad, against Shariah Law, and against ISNA, why was Ingrid Mattson chosen for this interfaith prayer service?”
The organization known as Campus Watch further documents that “In 2007 and as recently as July, federal prosecutors in Dallas filed court documents linking the Hartford, Connecticut-based Islamic Society to the group Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization.”
Mattson will likely whitewash her society as a legitimate organization in this nation’s democracy while, in fact, it has terrorist alliances that are especially frightening for our country’s safety. Additionally, she places loyalty to Islam before loyalty to the United States of America; she denies the existence of terrorist cells in the United States; she defends Wahhabism; she equates Christian critics of violent jihad with Osama bin Laden.
Frankly, the list of similar issues is endless.
Mattson is also a professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut..
The Bush administration must also share the blame for her “mainstreaming.” Mattson has been the guest of honor at State Department dinners and has met with senior Pentagon officials during the past eight years.
Where is the outrage?
Other religious leaders participating in inaugural events include T.D. Jakes, Pastor Rick Warren, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Rev. Sharon Watkins, several rabbis, Dr. Uma Mysorekar of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, Bishop V. Gene Robinson previously mentioned, religious Left leader Jim Wallis, and others. You could call it ecumenical stew. But please, could we have an Islamic rep who isn’t affiliated with some of the worst?
Now is the time to pray for President Obama. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: The powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1). Pray that a solid Christian leader would find favor with him and be able to speak into his administration. In that Rick Warren was delighted he chose gay Bishop Gene Robinson to give a prayer “to the god of our understanding,” I am not so sure that he qualifies as a solid Christian leader who would speak the “inconvenient truth” to Obama.
A prominent Web site is asking readers to pray that Obama fails. This is unsound wisdom as America will fall and fail as well.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:30 pm
When it comes to Obama, nothing surprises me anymore. Anytime I pull up the newswires, more of my hair falls out. I will NEVER back a socialist. Never! I back America. I back our freedoms. I served my country to PRESERVE those freedoms. To see some fella come in with NO prior military service becoming Commander In Chief just makes me want to puke.