What is the Islamic Society of North America?

Part 19 of a serialization of Shariah – The Threat to America, the report of Team B II of the Center for Security Policy. This section introduces the main Muslim Brotherhood components in the United States and Canada, discussing the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and its role as an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism-funding trial.

ISNA and the Terror Funding Trial. As the Team B II report discusses elsewhere, the trial of the Texas-based “Holy Land Foundation” was the largest involving Hamas and terrorism financing in U.S. history. In the course of its proceedings, the Justice Department established ISNA’s role as a leading Muslim Brotherhood organization and its hostility to U.S. interests.

In particular, thanks to evidence of financial transactions between ISNA and Hamas that the government introduced, along with scores of Muslim Brotherhood documents, it became clear that the Islamic Society of North America directly supports Hamas and its operations. On the basis of such evidence, ISNA was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation (HLF) terrorist-financing trial.

ISNA, along with the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT, see part 20 of this serialization), filed a motion with the court to be removed from the un-indicted co-conspirator list. On July 10, 2008, the government filed a response to ISNA/NAIT’s request. It is worth citing relevant parts of that response at some length:

“Although the indictment in this case charges the seven named individual defendants and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, it will be obvious that the defendants were not acting alone…. The defendants were operating in concert with a host of individuals and organizations dedicated to sustaining and furthering the Hamas movement. Several of the individuals who hold leading roles in the operation of Hamas are referenced by name in the indictment.

“A list of unindicted coconspirators is attached to this trial brief. (Attachment A).

“The object of the conspiracy was to support Hamas. The support will be shown to have taken several forms, including raising money, propaganda, proselytizing, recruiting, as well as many other types of actions intended to continue to promote and move forward Hamas’s agenda of the destruction of the State of Israel and establishment of an Islamic state in its place. (p. 5)

” Attachment A to the Trial Brief listed 246 different individuals and organizations as either unindicted co-conspirators and/or joint venture partners under one or more headings:

“(1) individuals/entities who are and/or were part of the Hamas social infrastructure in Israel and the Palestinian territories;

“(2) individuals who participated in fundraising activities on behalf of HLF;

“(3) individuals/entities who are and/or were members of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee and/or its organizations;

“(4) individuals/entities who are and/or were members of the Palestine Chapter of the International Muslim Brotherhood;

“(5) individuals who are and/or were leaders of Hamas inside the Palestinian territories;

“(6) individuals who are and/or were leaders of the Hamas Political Bureau and/or Hamas leaders and/or representatives in various Middle Eastern/African countries;

“(7) individuals/entities who are and/or were members of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood;

“(8) individuals/entities that are and/or were part of the Global Hamas financing mechanism;

“(9) individuals/entities that [Hamas official Mousa Abu] Marzook utilized as a financial conduit on behalf and/or for the benefit of Hamas;

“(10) individuals who were HLF employees, directors, officers and/or representatives; and

“(11) Hamas members whose families received support from the HLF through the Hamas social infrastructure. (p. 5)

“ISNA and NAIT are listed in the attachment under the seventh heading, individuals/entities who are and/or were members of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. (p. 6)

“During the trial, the Court entered into evidence a wide array of testimonial and documentary evidence expressly linking ISNA and NAIT to the HLF and its principals; the Islamic Association for Palestine and its principals; the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States and its Palestine Committee, headed by Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook; and the greater Hamas affiliated conspiracy described in the Government’s case-in-chief.” (p 7)

“The evidence introduced at trial, for example, established that ISNA and NAIT were among those organizations created by the U.S.-Muslim Brotherhood. (p 12)

“ISNA and NAIT, in fact, shared more with HLF than just a parent organization. They were intimately connected with the HLF and its assigned task of providing financial support to Hamas. (p 13).”

The judge ruled against ISNA and NAIT, left them on the list of Unindicted Co-conspirators in the HLF trial and permitted the public release of that list.

The Facts Create Questions that Demand Answers

Based on the facts presented herein, several questions demand answers: Why are ISNA and its leadership still given access to the U.S. government at the highest levels, to include the White House, the intelligence community, the military, and other obvious targets for Muslim Brotherhood influence operations?

For example, ISNA President Ingrid Mattson was invited to attend President Obama’s 2010 Iftar dinner where he announced his support for the Ground Zero mega-mosque.

Why are ISNA subsidiaries still the certifying authority for all Muslim Chaplains at the Department of Defense and within the U.S. Bureau of Prisons? Why was ISNA selected to provide training for U.S. Army senior enlisted men and officers to orient them about Islam prior to their deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan?

Why has ISNA become the U.S. government’s leading partner for “outreach” to the Muslims of America – including for the FBI and DHS, the very organizations mandated by law to protect and defend us from domestic enemies?

Part 20 of this Team B series on shariah continues with the Muslim Brotherhood network in the United States, exploring the National American Islamic Trust (NAIT).