Hailed as a global first, a Jewish synagogue and an Episcopal church are co-locating their new worship facilities on a plot of land with a Mosque. They call it the “Tri-Faith Initiative,” and the project has become the darling of the progressive wings of Christianity and Judaism.
The Jewish and Christian participants’ motivations are easily discerned by reading their rather facile statements regarding the project. Standard left-progressive boilerplate about “inclusiveness and social justice” abounds.
Like the Episcopalians, Reform Jews routinely place progressive politics and social justice above doctrine, making them ideal partners for a project like this. From their statements, one gets the impression that this sort of interfaith cooperation is naughtily intoxicating.
The particular form of Islam to be practiced at this new Tri-Faith campus has yet to be revealed, as well as the name of the Imam, or even the sect of Islam from which the Imam will be drawn.
One thing is clear however, the mosque – and those behind it – have distinct ties to groups previously named as “unindicted co-conspirators” in the largest terrorist funding investigation in our nation’s history.
The first of these, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is a well-documented purveyor of Islamism, preaching the supremacy of Islam over not only all other religions, but all nations as well.
Their fellow-traveling co-conspirator, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has similarly well documented ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical Islamic supremacist organizations.
The Tri-Faith Initiative features links to both groups on their website, under the “Resources” and “Recommended Reading” tabs. Considering the security concerns presented by a post 9/11 world, these links are disturbing and warrant a discussion.
Dr. Mark Christian, the Executive Director of the Global Faith Institute (also based in Omaha) has called for the Tri-Faith Initiative to sever ties and disavow connections with all terror-linked Muslim groups.
He raised this issue with the Tri-Faith leadership and has had his concerns summarily dismissed. Perhaps it is only a coincidence, but intimidation efforts toward Dr. Christian subsequently surfaced on social media, coming from CAIR and other similarly freedom-phobic groups.
Dr. Christian is an Egyptian-born convert to Christianity from Islam. His family’s ties to the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood go back to its founding, and his conversion to Christianity has earned him a fatwa of death, should he return to his home country.
Understanding the danger as few others can, Dr. Christian is hosting a pair of conferences in Omaha and Lincoln on the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the heartland, at which the lead presenter will be Robert Spencer, founder of Jihad Watch and favored target of radical Muslims everywhere.
Having already ignored Dr. Christian’s call to disavow CAIR and ISNA involvement, the occasion of Mr. Spencer’s arrival has led local media to further bury their heads in the sand.
In one recent instance, a large radio station has canceled a previously scheduled interview with Dr. Christian and Mr. Spencer, claiming to have done so “on advice of legal counsel.”
This is the station that features Limbaugh, Hannity and Levin as the mainstays of their weekday programming. The largest radio station in the state has expressed interest in speaking with Mr. Spencer, but only if the Tri-Faith Initiative remains undiscussed.
CAIR has been tweeting and speaking against the planned conferences, labeling them “Islamophobic” despite having made no effort to determine their content.
In CAIR’s eyes, the presence of Robert Spencer seems reason enough to launch an attack.
The primary weapon employed by CAIR and ISNA is pre-emption by intimidation. The “co-conspirators” level charges of Islamophobia at the first sign of opposition. They threaten lawsuits and boycotts, doing a 21st-century version of shouting down their opposition.
Attempts to address the concerns raised over the clear links between CAIR, ISNA and the proposed Mosque, have been met with stony silence from the Jewish and Christian legs of this Tri-Faith stool.
Both groups are profoundly leftist in orientation, and as many progressives do when faced with unpleasantness, they figuratively cover their ears and hum loudly.
Consequently, the reform-minded Muslims in Omaha, who wish to practice their faith without the interference of the Muslim Brotherhood, or 7th-century interventions from imported Imams, find themselves with no voice whatsoever.
The media – both local and national – lazily turn to CAIR and ISNA for the “Muslim perspective” on any issue. CAIR then issues statements on behalf of all Muslims and the media accepts it as such, leaving the moderate reform elements of Islam unable to overcome American media myopia.
All Dr. Christian has asked, is that the Mosque organizers eschew the support of, and affiliation with, CAIR and ISNA, as well as any other groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood or terrorism.
This doesn’t seem to be a burdensome request for a group of people who claim to be creating a global model for interfaith cooperation and respect. Their stubborn refusal to separate themselves from radical Islamists is quite disturbing. The slack-jawed and uninterested response from our mainstream media is perhaps worse.