1070. The Engine of Shariah: The Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood’s role in the spread of Shariah

This is the fifth article in a series on Shariah. Click here for the first article.

The commitment of the MB to employ whatever tactics are most expedient was expressed back in 1966 by one of the Brotherhood’s seminal ideologues, Sayyid Qutb, in his influential book, Milestones: “Wherever an Islamic community exists which is a concrete example of the Divinely-ordained system of life, it has a God-given right to step forward and take control of the political authority….When Allah restrained Muslims from jihad for a certain period, it was a question of strategy rather than of principle…:”

Other, more contemporary affirmations of the Brotherhood’s commitment to stealth jihad can be found in the words of some of the Ikhwan’s most prominent operatives in America today. For example, Louay Safi, a leader of two Brotherhood fronts – the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), has declared that, “The principle of jihad obligates the Muslims to maintain and achieve these objectives [i.e., the triumph of Islam and the institution of the caliphate]. The best way to achieve these objectives and most appropriate method upholding the principle of jihad is, however, a question of leadership and strategy.”

A particularly telling indication of the stealth jihad agenda comes from Omar Ahmad, one of the founders of the Brotherhood’s Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and an unindicted coconspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial for funding international terrorism from the United States. “I believe that our problem is that we stopped working underground. We will recognize the source of any message which comes out of us. I mean, if a message is publicized, we will know…, the media person among us will recognize that you send two messages: one to the Americans and one to the Muslims.”

In short, it is the enemy among us, disguised by deceit, that poses the greater long-term threat to our legal system and way of life. As this report (SHARIAH: The Threat to America) demonstrates, many of the most prominent Muslim organizations in America are front groups for the Muslim Brotherhood. New Brotherhood entities are added each year. The fact that so hostile an entity enjoys such a large footprint and dominant position within our society speaks volumes about the Ikhwan’s organizational and financial reach. The fact is that no other Muslim group in the United States has been able even remotely to rival the Ikhwan’s resource base, organizational skill or financial resources.

Multiculturalism, political correctness, misguided notions of tolerance and sheer willful blindness have combined to create an atmosphere of confusion and denial in America about the current threat confronting the nation. Of particular concern is the fact that political and military leaders in the United States find it difficult and/or distasteful to explain the true nature of the enemy to the public. Even when presented with detailed factual briefings and voluminous information about the essential linkage between shariah and violent acts of terrorism, most simply refuse to speak candidly about that connection. In fact, to the contrary, U.S. national intelligence, law enforcement and security leadership seems determined to hide the Islamic origins of jihadist terrorism from the public. Through internal policy as well as public statements, U.S. officials have devised and seek to impose purposefully obscure and counterfactual language, evidently selected to divert American attention away from the Arab/Muslim origins of shariah and the Islamic doctrine of jihad.

 Particularly worrying is the fact that, as counterterrorism expert Patrick Poole has put it: “Senior Pentagon commanders have labored to define the threat out of existence.” Despite the rapidly expanding incidence of jihadist attacks and plots inside this country – whose perpetrators readily explain their Muslim identity and motivation – officials persist doggedly (and implausibly) in insisting on “lone wolf,” “homegrown radical,” or “isolated extremist” descriptions of our foes. A typical example of this phenomenon was the Pentagon’s final after-action report on the Fort Hood massacre.

Why would those sworn to support and defend the Constitution behave in a manner so detrimental to national security? Perhaps it is out of fear and perhaps out of recognition that they have abdicated their professional duty to develop an appropriate national security response. Perhaps, as Poole says, “Pretending that the threat is random and unknowable gives them license to do nothing.” Ikhwan pushback and allegations of racism and bigotry make it professionally difficult to challenge the Muslim Brotherhood’s propaganda and operations.

This is the fifth article in a series on Shariah. Click here for the first article.