American Islamist Organizations Vanish

by Daniel Pipes
Sat, 17 Jul 2004
updated Tue, 25 Dec 2007

Send

Comment

RSS

Islamist groups proliferate but they also close down. This entry follows the latter developments.

_________

The first American Islamist organization of any significance to disappear was probably the Quranic Literacy Institute, battered by accusations of connections to terrorism. But the closing of the American Muslim Council, about which I have written extensively (see "[The AMC:] ‘Mainstream' Muslims?" and "United States of America v. Abdurahman Muhammad Alamoudi" in particular) marked a new development. AMC collapsed in late 2003 or so, done in by a combination of an incompetent director and a founder with large legal problems. Its vanishing was established when www.amconline.org, once AMC's website address, was put up for sale by its owner.

Nov. 2, 2005 update: A new American Muslim Council, with a different website (http://www.amcnational.org/ - it had to get a new one, as www.amconline.org now hosts "your online supplies shopping resource, providing links to selected office and janitorial supply stores") and a mostly new cast of characters has sprung to life.

According to the website of the Illinois secretary of state, the United Muslim Americans Association was dissolved on January 22, 2004; its website is also defunct. (UMAA should not be confused with UMMA, the Universal Muslim Association of America.) UMAA was founded by Sabri Samirah, called "an outspoken leader of Chicago's Muslim community who has helped run a group allegedly connected to Palestinian militants [and] has been barred from returning to the United States after visiting relatives in his native Jordan." Samirah's inability to return to the United States doomed UMAA. It's worth noting he was also chairman and had long been a board member of the Islamic Association for Palestine, an organization U.S. government officials have described as the American propaganda arm of Hamas. The UMAA also happened to share office space with the Islamic Association for Palestine. (July 17, 2004)

In an undated letter to "Dear Respected Donors," KinderUSA announces that it is no longer accepting contributions. It blames this development on harassment by the authorities:

in recent weeks we have discovered that the federal government has targeted KinderUSA for investigation. This has taken the form of unwarranted and obtrusive surveillance by the FBI, wiretapping, attempts to bribe and subvert our employees (which has caused them to resign in fear), spreading of malicious disinformation about the organization, and the possible invasion of our office space.

In the current environment, we cannot in good faith continue to solicit donations when there are no safeguards in place to guarantee that the federal government will not seize these funds and divert them from their intended, legitimate destination. … We feel it is in the best interests of the beneficiaries, donors and the foundation to enter into a period of evaluation and review of our options during the calendar year of 2005.

(Jan. 21, 2005) Oct. 6, 2006 update: KinderUSA is not defunct, after all. This evening, it held a Ramadan Iftar at the Holiday Inn Select in La Mirada, California. About 200 people attended the dinner, program, and fundraiser; they just about reached. the fundraising goal of $50,000. Oct. 7, 2007 update: Adam Shapiro headlines the annual fundraiser at the same hotel a year later. It's "for the Children in Palestine," it features a "Special Message from Congressman Keith Ellison," and it costs $40 for adults, $25 for students with ID.

Islamic Association for Palestine is no more, according to a report by Joe Kaufman, drawing on information from Ahmed Rehab, director of communications for CAIR's Chicago chapter. Kaufman could not find out the reasons why, but he asks two good questions: "why is the organization that laid the foundation for CAIR gone? … If the IAP is gone, could CAIR very well be next?" (Feb. 3, 2006)

The Council on American-Islamic Relations may be flourishing but its "Independent Writers Syndicate," launched five days after 9/11 and "designed to offer a Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues" for newspapers has apparently disappeared into thin air. (Mar. 30, 2006)

The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, with which I have a history (see "The U.S. Institute of Peace Stumbles" and "The USIP Responds to My Critique") has received the great majority of its budget from U.S. government sources, including the National Endowment for Democracy. Now, that narrow funding base leaves the CSID in jeopardy, judging by its "Important and Urgent Message":

CSID may be forced to close down in a few months because we do not have money to pay ongoing operational expenses. … PLEASE do not let the dream and promise of CSID die!

(May 14, 2007)

May 15, 2007 update: An e-mail arrived today:

From: Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy
Sender: 42950-return-159-127187502@lb.bcentral.com
To: XX
Sent: May 15, 2007 12:01 PM
Subject: Office Space for Sublease in Washington DC

Dear Friends: Please forward the following information to anyone you know who might be looking for office space in Washington DC.

Shared Office Space Available, 1 to 4 offices, Prime Location, near DuPont Circle, Fully furnished, Flexible Terms, $1,000 to $1,500 per office, call Sami 202-265-1200

Thanks very much for your help.

Radwan

May 31, 2007 update: More signs of CSID's financial problems, from its website:

OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SUBLEASE AT CSID

FURNISHED office space available for sublease at CSID office in DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON DC (1625 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 601,Washington DC). Space available ranges from 1 to 4 office rooms (fully furnished) and rent is between $1,500 and $4,000 per month. Rent includes use of board and conference rooms (from 10 to 80 people). Flexible lease: 3 to 12 months (renewable).

EXCELLENT LOCATION - next to Johns Hopkins, SAIS, Brookings, Carnegie Endowment, and USIP. Close to DuPont Circle metro.

For further information, please contact Sami Bawalsa at (202) 265-1200.

The United Association for Studies and Research and its website, http://www.uasr4islam.com/, have apparently both disappeared. (June 7, 2007)

Related Topics: Muslims in the United States, Radical Islam

TrackBack URL for this post: http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/trackback.php/294/e92e3/582

Reader comments on this weblog entry

Title	By	Date
goodbye good riddance [87 words]	will	Jun 20, 2007 11:28
↔ The American Islamist Party [51 words]	Joe Kaffir	Jul 10, 2007 11:34

Comment on this weblog entry

Name	Email Address (optional) Email me if someone replies to my comment
Title of Comments
Comments:
Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited, before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. Top 25 recent comments Daniel Pipes Blog Homepage

Daniel Pipes Blog Homepage

ADVERTISEMENTS