Sunday, April 27, 2008

ESCAPE FROM A BROOKLYN MOSQUE

ISN'T THIS KIDNAPPING?


Thanks to Michael for sending this in.

By
Bos Smith






Don't snap a photo of the Masjid At-Taqwa in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn unless you want to be hauled away by a group of angry Muslims in Islamic attire to the basement of the facility where a group of twenty "security guards" in karate suits will interrogate you.

This might sound preposterous.

But it happened on Saturday, April 24, at 3:00 in the afternoon.

Ali Kareem, the head of security for Siraj Wahaj's mosque, conducted the grilling. A small, muscular man with a wispy black beard that has been dyed red with henna, Kareem demanded to know the reason why a trio of kafirs had dared to photograph the building on a public street without securing his permission.


He further insisted on securing our identities and obtaining our motives for such a violation of Islamic space.

Being surrounded by a group of militant guards in a mosque basement from which there is no means of escape is not a comforting place to be for a Wall Street financier.

We tried to explain that we found the neighborhood with its halal meat vendors and food stores; Islamic dress shops, featuring the latest styles in burqas and hijabs; Muslim souvenir outlets, replete with bumper stickers stating "Don't Be Caught Dead Without Islam"; and Middle Eastern restaurants offering a variety of goat dishes to be rather quaint and interesting.

This explanation was not sufficient.


Kareem was impatient and did not want a detailed explanation of the reason for our excursion (simple sight-seeing) or a graphic account of the sights we had seen and photographed.


"I ask the questions here," he said, "and you provide the answers."

Realizing that we were in a bit of a pickle, my companion explained that we were interested in various religions and knew Siraj Wahaj, the imam of the mosque, was a prominent Muslim figure whom we would like to interview for a news outlet.

This didn't work too well since we could not produce a business card from a wacko blog, let alone credentials from a national publication.

At last, we blurted out that we were admirers of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) and wanted to obtain information about conversion. We were even knowledgeable enough to blurt out "Salaam" and "Allahu akbar."


The last utterance seemed to be the "Open Sesame" that got us out of the basement and back to Bedford Street, where we managed to take a picture of the mosque before hailing a cab and making a getaway.


The experience was disconcerting. Surely, anyone who takes a picture of St. Patrick's Cathedral or the Riverside Church is not hauled off to a basement for questioning by a threatening figure in a karate uniform and a band of Ninjas.


What is taking place within Masjid At-Taqwa?


And what about Siraj Wahaj, the celebrated imam of this mosque who claims to be a moderate?


Masjid At-Taqwa at 1226 Bedford Street was an abandoned clothing store, which Wahaj purchased at an auction in 1979 for $30,000 with cash from oil-rich Saudis. The interior is divided into spacious, windowless rooms that have been painted green and beige.


At Friday afternoon prayers the meeting room is crammed with hundreds of congregants. Some show up in do-rag stocking caps and Sean John sweatshirts; others wear finely embroidered, authentic-looking Muslim caps and flowing robes of crimson and gold. About half of the attendees are African-Americans. The others are immigrants from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. Worshipers range from Brooklyn street bums to the local celebrities, such as former heavy-weight champion Mike Tyson.


The place has played host to a number of notorious exponents of radical Islam, including Clement Rodney Hampton-El (Dr. Rashid), a key player in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Mr. Hampton-El is presently cooling his heels in a federal slammer since he was found guilty of seditious conspiracy. Mr. Hampton-El, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, fought as a mujahadeen under Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the holy war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.


Upon his return, Hampton-El was hailed as a hero by members of the mosque. Imam Wahaj has said that he was sought out by young and old alike for spiritual advice as an "elder" in the community. Wahaj, in fact, appeared as a character witness for Hampton El when the former mujahadeen stood trial before Judge Michael Mukasey in New York's Federal District Court on charges of seditious conspiracy and attempted bombing.


Hampton-El is currently serving thirty-five years in a supermax prison for America's most dangerous inmates.

Blind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman visited Masjid At-Taqwa on many occasions while serving as the imam of the nearby Masjid al-Fooqra at 554 Atlantic Avenue, several blocks from Masjid At-Taqwi. On the second floor of Rahman's mosque, al Qaeda had opened an office under the name of the al-Kifah Refugee Center. It became a favorite haunt for members of Wahaj's congregation.

Rahman also spoke on occasion at Masjid At-Taqwa. In one speech, the fiery sheikh suggested that Muslims should rob banks to benefit Islam.

In 1995, Sheikh Rahman was hauled into court as the alleged architect of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and for planning to blow up the United Nations, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge, and buildings throughout Manhattan. At his side was his good friend Siraj Wahaj who provided testimony of the sheik's sterling character.


In a Feb. 2, 1995, letter to defense lawyers in the landmarks-bombing case, then-U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White named about 170 people as "un-indicted persons who may be alleged as co-conspirators." Imam Wahaj was on the list.

Other infamous characters reportedly have made their way to the Bedford Street mosque, including Imam Gulshair el-Shukrijumah, whose son Adnan has been singled out by the Justice Department as "the next Muhammad Atta." Gulshair, it turns out, served a stint as imam at another radical Brooklyn mosque - - the now defunct Masjid Nur a-Islam, at 21 Church Street.

Another visitor, according to informed sources, was Sheikh Gilani, the founder of Jamaat ul-Fuqra, who served as the imam of yet another Brooklyn mosque - - the Yasin Masjid at 777 Saratoga Avenue. This infamous mosque is now a beauty salon. From 1980 to 1995, it served as a recruiting center for the jihad and for paramilitary Islamic compounds that remain in existence throughout the country.

Since the time of its inception, Jamaat ul-Fuqra has been responsible for more terror attacks on American soil (30 and counting) than all other terrorist groups combined. Members of ul-Fuqra, which maintains headquarters in Pakistan, have been convicted in US courts of such crimes as homicide, conspiracy to commit murder, firebombing, gun smuggling, grand theft, counterfeiting, and workers' compensation fraud. Others remain leading suspects in criminal cases throughout the country, including ten unsolved assassinations and seventeen fire-bombings. Some of the better-known adherents of ul-Fuqra are Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, and John Allen Muhammad, the Beltway sniper.

But what of Wahaj? Is he an exponent of radical Islam - - a man who poses a threat to millions of Americans?

He is a well-known and welcome figure in Washington DC. He was the first Muslim cleric to offer the invocation at the opening session of Congress. He has dined with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and serves on the boards of no less than five major Muslim organizations. He has received commendations from the Brooklyn police for eradicating crime from the Bedford-Stuyvesant area. In 2003, Siraj Wahaj Day was celebrated in Brooklyn in recognition of what one borough official called a "lifetime of outstanding and meaningful achievement."

But the proof of the real Wahaj is in the proverbial pudding.

In one of his sermons, Wahaj announced that the "real terrorists" are the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency. In another, he said, "In time, this so-called democracy will crumble, and there will be nothing. And the only thing that will remain will be Islam." He proclaimed that a society governed by strict Islamic law, in which adulterers are stoned to death and apostates beheaded, would be vastly superior to American democracy.

To a Muslim audience in New Jersey, Wahaj advocated the idea of Muslims forming a coup to take control of the federal government. "If we are united and strong," he said, "we'd elect our own emir [leader] and give allegiance to him. Take my word for it, if six to eight million Muslims united in America, the country will come to us."

His so-called "moderate" interpretation of the Qu'ran became clear by this remark: "If Allah says 100 strikes, 100 strikes it is. If Allah says cut off their hand, you cut off their hand. If Allah says stone them to death, through the Prophet Muhammad, then you stone them to death, because it's the obedience of Allah and his messenger -- nothing personal."

Wahaj informed an audience of black women wearing Muslim head coverings in Orlando, Fla., that Islam condones a man's marrying up to four wives, and that this rule, when introduced in the seventh century, served as a restriction on arrangements involving even more wives per husband.

And there are the national organizations to which Wahaj remains affiliated. He served as emir (president) of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which has been charged with funneling millions to terror groups, and as an advisory board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been labeled by author and counter-terrorism expert Steven Emerson as a "radical fundamentalist front group for Hamas."

All this may be well and good, save for the fact that Wahaj and his mosque retains a small army not of brown-shirts but black-belts who now claim the right to collar ordinary citizens on the sidewalk and to haul them off for interrogation.

You're only safe in Brooklyn at this writing if you say your prayers - - meaning, of course, the Basmalah.

(Bos Smith holds a law degree from Wake Forest University. He serves in the securities division of a major Wall Street investment bank. The research for this article was conducted in preparation of his soon to be released book; Within the Belly of the Beast: Jihad in America. Questions and comments may be directed to
mail@bossmith.org).

27 comments:

Christine said...

Wasn't there a crime committed here? No, not the taking of pictures, but being held in the basement against their will.

I do hope that New York's finest haven't been completely taken in by this group.

And another thing, where is Obama's ties to this entanglement? I know damn well there is one.

Pastorius said...

Good point, Christine. That is kidnapping, isn't it.

Michael Travis said...

Hmmmmm...let's see, bin Laden, Mohamed Ata, Adnan El Shukrijuma, the Blind Sheik Rahman, and many others have been or are associated with those two hate-filled mosques...seems logical that B.Hussein.O' would be also!

Pastorius said...

Just for the record, Obama has now been linked, via his wife, to Hatem el-Bady who, apparently, raised money for Hamas.

That being said, I don't know that we can say, with any intellectual dignity, that Obama is linked to the al-Farooq Mosque.

;-)

But, what the hell.

Michael Travis said...

Would you give money to Hamas? Of course you, and I, and every citizen has......from our taxes and contributions to charity. (Really? Yep!)

Every penny sent to Gaza goes to Hamas!

Christine said...

See Pastorius, I new there was a link. And it wasn't that difficult.

Look at it this way, how easy would it be to link a handful of other people to this group? Can you link McCain? Bush? Clinton? Rice? Powell? Any other Democrat or Republican you can think of?

I'm willing to bet the answer is no. Anybody on either side of the fence, who is clean, should not be linked by contributions to any of these groups.

Pastorius said...

Christine,
I understand your point, and I agree with it to a large extent, so I don't want to sound like I'm arguing with you. But, consider this,

George Bush is friends with the Saudis, or so it appears, and they fund the Wahabbist mosques which have incited and recruited the terrorists who kill us.

Pastorius said...

Yes, I agree, Christine.

And, it is duly noted that you are afraid of Obama's "package".

Christine said...

;-D

Epaminondas said...

I am going to be a pin in the ass and apply to this story the same rigor that I do when the arabs start posting stories about marines raping muslimas and shooting ambulance drivers.

Has anyone looked at Bossmith.org?

Has anyone put Bos Smith in quotes and googled? There's NOTHING except a few blog citations for this, and they all go back to rightruth, with one from atlas. Even better search the name of the masjid, brooklyn, and bos smith. 10 hits. Again all back really to one story.

If this happened to you (and it's KIDNAPPING...period) where would you be the next freaking moment?

How loud would you be ringing the bell, that right in Brooklyn we have the makings of a paris suburb?

So why didn't they?

A book?

Where's Smoking Gun?

The veracity of this story makes the muslims at this masjid arrogant fools. I'd organize a picture taking TOUR by a busload of counter jihadis, and these guys would be in a lineup. But there's no police story. NYC papers have reporters that do nothing but watch the blotters.

WHY NOT?

Just asking.

Michael Travis said...

EPA- It is a true story, I was there.

A blogger tour of the Jihadi mosques, camps, and playgrounds is a nice idea...Pastorius should join us on one of our excursions.

On a serious note....."Bloggers" such as Always on Watch, Debbie Hamilton, and a few others are doing the work that the Feds and Police will not, or cannot do. These Patriots have kept track of the Jihadis for a long time.....and when the Feds ask people like Spencer or Williams for information, (and they do!) they get referred to a list of blogsters who are doing the work that Law Enforcement is paid to do.

Bos is a lawyer who watched the WTC fall in 2001....that is his motivation....he wants to expose the Jihadis in our midst, and is willing to take a few risks to do so.

Peace............

Always On Watch said...

I am, by nature, a skeptic. But I've come to the conclusion that many implausible events and trends related to Islamification and Islamic infiltration are occurring; therefore, I don't find Bos Smith's story impossible.

A few years ago, I'd have exclaimed, "No way could this happen in the United States!" Having needed security for the one time I put my face and body out there to speak about Islam and its inroads here in the United States AND having needed security--at the insistence of the organization and a police officer friend of mine--I find Mr. Smith's story to be a real possibility.

I wonder what would happen to me if I took a drive out to the southern campus of the Islamic Saudi Academy and started snapping photos?

Pastorius said...

Epa,
This story is true, unless Michael is lying to me. I have no reason to believe he would lie.

And, if he did lie to me, he set the lie up pretty well, with a bunch of surrounding trivialities.

Pastorius said...

Epa,
I had an incident once where my sister was going out with a guy who was connected to the mafia. He got mad at her and threatened to burn down her house. That would be the house that she lived in with my parents.

I didn't make a police report because, well, it wouldn't have done any good against such a threat, would it.

Muslims have proven themselves willing to work as a kind of mafia, haven't they. They certainly have a code of Omerta.

Incidentally, the word mafia comes from Arabic. And, the Moors spent a lot of time in Sicily.

Food for thought, huh?

Epaminondas said...

OK good.

Except...since this public, and going to be book, a police report would not exactly put anyone in more danger.

More, these goons are still walking the street. I would think that the arrests for kidnapping are PRECISELY what the object should be. NOT A BOOK. Capische? Am I wrong? No arrests will lead to vigilantism, and we all know where that can lead.

Michael, I think Pastorius is on the other coast.

However, for an organized tour, preferably walking I could be coaxed off the lake.

Both Fox and ABC might be interested.

Haven't been in Bed-Sty since the late 70's. Looked like Berlin in 45 then.

jillosophy said...

OUTLAW ISLAM IN THIS COUNTRY NOW.
THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE.

Pastorius said...

Epa,
I certainly don't want to seem like I'm arguing with you, because I think your points are valid.

However, I have no faith the police would actually consider this kidnapping.

Hell, even in the title of the story, I pose it as a question, because I don't think I could convince anyone with any authority that what my friends experienced here was, indeed, a kidnapping. And yet, that's what it was, was it not?

Point is, while it would make more sense that these guys would be arrested, tried, and convicted for kidnapping, it is very doubtful that event would play out that way.

What we are fighting is an ideology. The ideology is not being convicted on its criminal ideas and methodolgy, therefore, I think a book is a better way to fight the ideology than one single report on one single crime.

Also, as this is going to be a book, they are not finished with their research. Were Michael to go public now, any further research would be impeded, wouldn't it.

Michael Travis said...

This sort of thing happens daily.

Also, since we do these things for a living.....we'd be daft to end our careers just to satisfy the curiosity of someone or other, or to prove our allegiance to the State. The State isn't going to protect you when your name and address is plastered all over the Internet.....which is why there are Noms de Guerre...i.e. Pastorius, Always, Epa, W.C., etc. Why should Paul, Bos, Spencer, Wafa, or anyone else put themselves in danger to satisfy another person who is shielded by a Nom de Guerre?

Let's see you publish your details first! (Pastorius, WC, Always, Atlas, Schlussel, Malkin, Kaufman, and Spencer have Paul Williams telephone number, and mine also...and we trust them not to publish them....which is entirely different from trusting some lard-ass, NYPD cops and Bloomberg's courts)

Anyone who doubts this story is more than welcome to visit Al Taqwa themselves...and see what happens.

Epa----Just who's side are you on anyway? I'll give you Siraj's phone number if you wish.....maybe you can join his "community".

Epaminondas said...

Michael,

Whose SIDE am I on?

F
U
C
K

Y
O
U


For asking VALID QUESTIONS?
What the fuck kind of dictatorial, intolerant, don't question me or what I say, response is that?

How do I know you?

You just validated your total INTOLERANCE to the kind of questions which ONLY MAKE SENSE.

If I question - its now reasonable to ask which side I am on?

How many death threats do you have, you little twit?

How many of the KKK have you faced at night?

Just consider the content and manner of pastorius' VALID criticism vs. your response

We're here to discuss, not sing a unisong tune.

BUZZ OFF.

Epaminondas said...

Pasto...
You could easily be right...however, if it is right that these guys gave up their identity when held against their will, who they are is well known, unless they were carrying false id (which would be smart).

If this happens all the time, and the cops know, THAT is the story, not the kidnapping. Hello can anyone say NY SUN? I think a fella named Eli Lake might have fun with that

I think in NY the DA office and not the cops would be the place to go. NYC understands the stakes.

More, if these guys were held against their will, CIVIL RECOURSE would be a bitch, and I bet there are PLENTY of lawyers in NY who love to be pro bono plaintiff.

Also a court case, AND a book would go nicely.

Pastorius said...

Epa,
Good idea. Pamela has this story up also. She is friends with Eli Lake. She should put a bug in his ear.

I'll email the story to him also, though he doesn't know me.

Pastorius said...

Michael,
Epa has been writing for us for a long time. I doubt he's a double agent.

:)

One thing that is funny about IBA is that we're made up of Liberals. WC, Epa, Christine, and myself are all lifelong Liberals.

As such, we're probably all retain a lot of scepticism about that which could appear to be rightwing propaganda.

Epa doesn't know you, and you don't know him. Hence the mistrust.

Epa is just doing what he does, which is question the story before he accepts it. He didn't know that I got the story from a friend who was there. I didn't know it was ok for me to post that fact, or I would have done so.

:)

Aukmuntr said...

Pastorius, (And all other readers)

You may rest assured that Michael was telling the truth and that the story in its entirety is true. I can assure all of this because most of this was done on my dime. This adventure and many others like it have taken place over the years, all incognito.

The reason for being incognito is to be able to continue exposing these monsters with some semblance of safety. More good has been done in this fashion than in any police blotter or any DA's office.

Pastorius said...

Aukmutr,
Thanks.

Epaminondas said...

Aukmuntr,

I'd agree with your conclusion except for ONE THING ..we still have NOTHING but these few blogs. Which is precisely the reason for the original questions.

I'm happy to add my 7-8000 unique a day over at Villagers w/Torches, but what is that?

Atlas is big, but only by comparison.

The headline for this story is .. "PARIS SUBURB RIOTS WAITING TO HAPPEN IN BKLYN AS COPS IGNORE KIDNAPPINGS BY MOSQUE"

When that's in Murdoch's paper, EXPOSURE occurs.

This stuff, reinforcing the already convinced (ie us, we few merry men and women), .... nice but it's not what's needed.

We are tiny.
Believe it.

This is not 9/13/01. The is Jeremiah Wright, Bush Lied People died, Apartheid Israel, muslim cabbies have their own rules, madrassah in NYC, flying imams, CAIR is the NAACP, govt bugging and torturing, executive abuse america.

If Muslims are kidnapping people off the street for ANY reason, holding them against their will, OPPRESSING THEM .. the blog exposure is NOT going to work, nor will a book.

It's a mistake.

BIGGER is compulsory.
What has to be done?
What is needed to achieve that?

Anonymous said...

Eighteen months have elapsed since uniformed NY State "Peace Officers" dragged me off the street and held me against my will, causing grievious bodily harm, and giving weight to the suspicion of intended homicide. Two months later they attempted to break into my home to finish me off.

The USDOJ doesn't see it as a prosecutable crime, NYC DAs play "pass the parcel," NYS IG and AG Cuomo ignore it. While the NYPD saved my life on both occasions, there is no "Report Number," or so I was told. "Report Numbers" and "Reports" disappear from the 114th when protected felons are involved. I believe this is the higher ups.

As for lawyers "pro bono" pro Islamic defenders - they would be after the "bones" that Islam throws them - or the publicity. I'll spare you my experiences with lawyers in this case.

Anyway, it was de jure kidnapping. A serious crime/felony was committed and that should be on record somewhere, even if the cowards back out on taking action. I would like to believe it's a case of "keeping enemies closer" but the rumors of de luxe "junkets to Dubai" are strong enough to suggest that our politicians are bought, paid off, silenced or blackmailed and sold us down the river.

Pastorius said...

Why is your name now Ladybard?

How do I confirm that you are actually one of the people involved?