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Seth Wenig / AP file
Zuhdi Jasser takes part a news conference in front of police headquarters in New York, on March 5. Jasser was there with dozens of activists to demonstrate support for the NYPD and its surveillance of Muslim groups across the Northeast.
One way to elicit a collective groan among established American Muslim leaders: Mention Zuhdi Jasser. The U.S. Senate did just that recently when it appointed the Arizona physician and activist to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
On Thursday, a coalition of 64 groups representing American Muslim lawyers, students, Arab Americans and mosques and an array of advocacy organizations called on the legislators to rescind the naming of Jasser – a controversial figure who many American Muslims see as a shill for anti-Muslim bigots.
The stated mission of the commission is "to promote the freedom of religion and belief, and it seeks to combat religious extremism, intolerance, and repression throughout the world."
In the letter of protest delivered Thursday, critics said Jasser’s "consistent support for measures that threaten and diminish religious freedoms within the United States demonstrates his deplorable lack of understanding of and commitment to religious freedom and undermines the USCIRF’s express purpose." The letter was delivered to Senate leaders including Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who chose Jasser.
McConnell’s office did not respond to calls for comment on the appointment.
The commission has a backroom role in U.S. foreign policy by putting together reports for the president, the State Department and Congress on violations of religious freedom and designating "countries of concern." Appointments for the commission's 10 slots are divided among the president and the two parties in each chamber of the legislature. In this case, the appointment was made by Senate minority leader McConnell.
"There are a myriad of American Muslim scholars, lawyers and activists who have demonstrated clear commitments to the principles of religious freedom and tolerance and would easily qualify for this position," said Farhana Khera, executive director for the nonprofit civil rights group Muslim Advocates and former counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
"Since Jasser has no such commitment and is not qualified, Sen. McConnell should rescind his appointment," she said.
Jasser, a U.S.-born Muslim of Syrian descent and physician in Phoenix, takes the position that many of the groups and mosques considered "mainstream" Muslims in the United States are actually breeding a type of political Islam that aims to convert and control other Americans.
The American Islamic Forum for Democracy, a nonprofit Jasser founded in 2003, "advocates for the preservation of the founding principles of the U.S. Constitution, liberty and freedom, through the separation of mosque and state," according to the group's website.
Jasser has been sought by the media and others to represent moderate Muslims, and at times pitted against leaders of more-established Muslim groups in the United States.
He gained a national spotlight at the first of the controversial hearings chaired by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., on the threat from radicalization in the U.S. Muslim community. While many civil rights and Muslim groups argued that the premise of the hearings was biased, Jasser testified that the threat of domestic extremists was real.
Jasser supported an Oklahoma referendum that would ban the consideration of "Shariah law" in courts, one of many such measures around the country that are being challenged for their constitutionality.
He recently applauded a surveillance program run by the New York Police Department that broadly targeted the Muslim population based on religion without evidence or suspicion of wrongdoing.
On March 5, Jasser led a small demonstration in New York aiming "to put an end to the one-sided international media coverage of attacks against the most successful and legal counter-terrorism programs of the NYPD."
"In fact, our anti-Islamist Muslims are often the primary targets of radical groups," said Jasser in a press release on the event. "As a silent majority of American Muslims, we thank God every day for the NYPD."
Jasser had not yet responded to requests from msnbc.com for an interview about the protest, but he commented to a publication in the nation's capital when the critics were still circulating their petition among American Muslim groups.
"They want to publicly tar and feather me so if our Commission has any interactions with foreign governments where they’ve been working with Islamists and other groups I’ve criticized … they can publicly say, 'He doesn’t represent us,'" Jasser told the Washington Free Beacon. "They’re trying to marginalize the relationships we could have with their allies abroad."
One of the Muslim groups that Jasser asserts has a concealed Islamist agenda is the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a large nonprofit civil rights organization.
Corey Saylor, legislative director for CAIR, suggests the opposite is true.
"It is unfortunate that anti-Muslim forces are propping up Jasser because he says what they want to hear and gives them cover for their activities," said Saylor. "It’s troubling."
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Leave a Comment:
Ha Ha Ha! The 'Religion of Peace" has ANOTHER EXCUSE TO BECOME ENRAGED !!!!!
Too bad,,, Muslims in Sacramento just held Christian Easter Services at a mosque & everyone had a great time....
Must be something badly wrong with the message Christians receive in other parts of the USA ----- Like their Christian right wing message of religious intolerance & hate
Muslims have every right to be p-ssed off at this choice. They also have every right to migrate back to the land of their ancestors to have their every whim accommodated. The best I can recall no slave ship brought them to this Country.
So they are mad. They won't do anything unless we burn their book. I wish they would just stay in their own country and try and push their religion of " peace" on people who care. I think it is time to start deporting these rude and inconsiderate people back to where they came from. Welcome to America, if you don't like it we will be happy to see you leave.
Amen...DPY...send every one of them back to the sand...
And then turn the sand to glass!
funk their racist sexist fascist book, it has as mu;ch to do with God as my socks, we all need to poop on it, and if they don't like it, l-e-a-v-e.
A Syrian-American Chalabi.
And just as unreliable. They will greet us with roses......
LYou know - I think most Americans are infavor of religious freedom. All of the contorversery regarding freedom of religion and the Muslum faith could be settled by requiring them to submit to the laws of this country or else get out of town. the Christian folks say give to Ceasear what is Ceasor's.
I guess the same could be said about any foreign group or immigrant who wants to reside or prsctice life in this country.
From my limited understanding - the ultimate goal of Islam is to establish Islam as THE state religion - this is directly opposite from what it states in the Constitution - we shall NOT have a state religion.
If the Council on American Islamic Relations is against this guy, then he is okay in my book. CAIR has known terrorist group ties as well as past leadership that has been indicted and convicted of funding terrorists activities.
They are a pack of scoundrels. Let them pound sand up their tail pipes.
TBH, if muslims want a say in this country they can join the army, and then go fight the regimes they claim to hate and have fled. Then, have some family members die, or legs blown off, or maimed or tortured-just like everyone from germany, ireland, poland, hungaria, italy, china, mexico, scottland, and everywhere else had to do.
If you want to whine and complain in this country, please at least do something for it first.
That muslim in the Army part didn't work out so well for our troops down in Texas! Obama and Holder decided it was PTSD; two more for the trip home!
They are pissed because he calls them like he sees them? Oh, yeah I forgot. They keep their real agenda soooo well hidden.
Jasser is the right man for the job. He knows what is going on with the jihadists in this country. Too bad the others don't like that he knows the truth! They want to supplant our laws for sharia law. That is not going to happen if we are smart. These people need to be watched. They are hell bent on overthrowing our country and taking over! There are 35 or more jihadist training centers in the USA. We are in mortal danger!
oh gee...there pissed off..get in line with the real americans who are pissed off at our gov't
Muslims have a severe distrusrt of our law enforcement. Expect to be from to much corruption in their own country. Don't like it here go home. Much better here though..
simply put
Be very careful,your muslim doctor could have put a IED up your @ss LOL
Sharia law would be unconstitutional in this country since we shall not have a state religion. However, if a couple of Muslims want to make restitution to one another provided it is does not entail performing a violent or criminal act, then who are we to get into their business?
That being said, I also feel that the good Muslims do themselves a great disservice by not making a signficant enough effort to distance themselves from the whack jobs among them.
The same should be said for the Christian version of the Taliban; they have no right to force religion on others, but they do. The ultrasound laws proposed by the GOP amount to forcible rape...we as a country need to learn a thing or two about religious tolerance before we start telling other people what to do.
"The U.S. Senate appointed the Arizona physician and activist to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom." What is this? Is the Senate of the United States mixing church and state. Where are the tormented screams of the ACLU? Where are all of the militant athiest mobs with pitchforks and torches? Oh, the shame of it all. And, to think, the Senate is controlled by Democrats. What is this world coming to?
AliPryor, another ignorant reply from the muslim community, yes my man you and every one of your islamist compatriots are responsible for 9-11 and all the hate and killing that is a part of your hideous muslim culture. Appointing this man to a position of responsibility might just prove that every American and every police and legal jurisdiction must watch and monitor the muslim community carefully. The response of Ali simply proves to all Americans the agenda of muslims, if not actually involved in killing and brutality, then quietly approving it and doing nothing to stop the brutality. Those who sit and do nothing as as guilty as the perpetrators..."silence is consent". Every American should do all they can to watch carefully and monitor every single muslim..islam, the scourge of the world.
It seems the group this story began with who was against Jasser does not want anyone who advocates freedom of religion unless it accepts the Islamic doctrine. If that group really wanted freedom of religion to do as they want in the USA they should advocate the same for all religions in Islamic countries. But they will never accept that. They want Sharia law to govern themselves. What they are ignorant of is that our pfractice of religious freedom is separate from our law system. The legal sysem identifies what is a crime and who is responsible for the trial and punishment. In the Islamic system the religious system and the legal system are one, where the religion says what is a crime and who is responsible and anyone who is against that is Satanic.
I realize we have good people throughout our world. This Muslim religion, watching and hearing from the middle east, seems to be a screwed up backward religion. I don't see anyplace of these people in America. Just the way they treat their women is crazy. We have religions already here that I don't like. No religion in America should be exempted from a draft during a war. It ticks me off everytime I see Romney running for president. When as a Mormon he was a draft dodger during the Vietnam war. Running off for Mormon missionary work in France. As a Vietnam war vet, I'm just not fond of people like him. Be it democrat or republician, a draft dodger should never be in American politics.
NAZI's were ALL bad guys. Muslims are NOT all bad guys. By the way, there are PLENTY of active NAZI's right here in the US today. Take a look at The Southern Poverty Law Center's 'Hatewatch Newsletter'.
Bombings, murder & mayhem by 'Christians' in the name of 'God'?: Northern Ireland for 800 years, although that has calmed down recently. The 'Inquisition' although that officially ended around 150 yeas or so years ago. The Holocaust. Yes Hitler claimed and his followers (the vast majority of whom were Protestant and Catholic) believed that he was "doing 'God's' work". The KKK etc. The point being that NO religious faith has a monopoly on the violence and mayhem of lunatic fringe, psychopathic elements & none has a monopoly on kindness and righteousness.
Even in the Old Testament/Torah 'God' exhorts his people to "rip the children from the wombs of un-believing women and kill them". 'He' also made it a death penalty offense to wear clothing made from any blended fabric (ie. cotton & wool). Now THAT is INSANE.
diver - Quit comparing Christian and Jewish holy books to the Koran b/c the most important thing is that Christians and Jews (except for some kooks) stopped following those books literally long ago, as opposed to most Muslims TODAY, and you damn well know it.
I dont know anything about this guy and am not really interested. All i want to say is while i do i have faith i am not a fan of religion at all, because religion always tries to deprive people who offend them from say access to healthcare. Also because religion has always been the primary excuse for murdering innocent people via wars. I believe that on average human beings would be much more peaceful and much closer to God without religion. Oh and violent groups born out of specific populations does NOT represent the entire population, people who think that violent groups represent an entire population are just stupid.
This is the United States of America. Any other ideology does not apply to our country except the Constitution of the United States of America. If you do not like the freedoms and protections of the greatest document to establish a government you have the right to move to a place that embraces other ideals. The Muslim community, The African American community, The Italian community, they are all superseded by the Constitution of the United States of America. Until we unify under that standard and avoid all the other standards we will be a country divided. If you are convinced that your community is more important please move back to that community and make a difference there. Only those who want to live in the greatest country and embrace its freedoms and responsibilities need to remain.
Placing one ethnic group above another or one religion above another is un-American and divisive. Multiculturalism is a failure...the melting pot of America is the only route to success. Martin Luther King had a dream...live the dream and take the risks with us. All others need not apply for citizenship in this country.
America is not founded on selfish interest but the common good.
You are thinking of the Bible's Martin Luther dream.... Don't confuse the two, study & do your homework
Our US Constitution's author & signers took great efforts to keep religion OUT OF THE CONSTITUTION
notsossure10 i hope what you just said ends this internet argument because it is just so true. Oh and by the way, over 100 Muslims died on 9/11(not including hijackers) so stop using it as any argument against a religion and us it against a fanatic group.
thewise,,,,,Don't count on it amigo
The same people who still think Obama was born in Kenya & is a Muslim, & Iraq caused 9/11 also think the US Constitution was written just for White Socially Intolerant Christians
I know jim but if there people like you can see the truth i can have hope that some day i can can count on it.
Anyone who opposes the imposition of sharia law gets my vote of confidence. Muslims that want to impose their religious beliefs on us should go back to the backwater countries of their ancestors where they are free to beat and denigrate women and raise fear among the sheep population.
You still listening to Bachmann & Glenn BecK?
Dude, if you think that would happen you have no faith in the strength of your own faith or the nature of the USA
Get off the right wing craziness --- That & Romney has cost republicans swing states as well as around 30% of the republican vote if not more
Dude- I have faith in myself and our constitution. Sharia law is trash that compromises our constitution. Where do you stand?
Nope,,, Our Constitution actually prevents any religion from taking over our laws & country.... Try reading it
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
(second attempt)
I know Jim but if there are people like you who can see the truth i can have hope that some day i can count on it.
Caught it the 1st time, thanks.... I just pay attention & what doesn't make sense I try to find out. I learned the hard way after being a Reagan Republican & a Southern Baptist having to listen to the Hell & Damnation crap
Now proudly I am neither a republican or a Southern Baptist ---- "I'm Free At Last!"
Wish there was more people like you, keep it up.(way of thinking not spending time to try and sift through the carnage that is my grammar.)
I suspect you two can count on each other; we'll see how that works out for you!
Works better for me than the old "Fire & Brimstone" nonsense --- That came out of the time of Martin Luther. Bloody Christian wars continued for several hundred years & was even carried over into the settling of our own country when European people brought religious persecution with them
Wise? What truth are you talking about? You and Jim should visit a country like the sudan. Just for kicks tell them your are a christian and see what happens. Its easy to be a religious critic or believer in this country. I want to keep it that way.
No thanks,, I'm not fond of the food or the sand... But you know what? People no matter what country they are in want the same thing you & I do & without the nonsense
I have been all over most of the Asian countries... 20 years in the Navy & you get around
I cant say i live in the political hell of the south(no offense) but live in north western PA, so i feel your pain.
The whole problem with the south is it it is too far north --- It should be in the southern hemisphere
lol. so should PA.
well Jim good night.
One nation under Allah
Too much Bachmann & Beck for you Buck ---- Take a lime & a coconut an aspirin, shake it all up drink it all down & call me in the morning
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.