Mosque At Quantico

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

From Paul Sperry's June 13, 2006 article in Front Page Magazine:

"Last week, military brass -- along with representatives from the terror-tied Council on American-Islamic Relations -- dedicated the first Muslim prayer center for the Marines as a symbol of the military's 'religious tolerance' and 'respect' for the faith the enemy uses to attack us. Already, plans are in the works to build by 2009 a bigger mosque at the Marine base in Quantico so Muslim service members can have a 'proper place' to worship, and one that 'honors their religious heritage,' officials say, not realizing that the mosque can also be used by the enemy to build a Fifth Column inside the Marines.

"The idea for the center came from Navy Lt. Abuhena Mohammed Saifulislam, a young, smooth-talking Muslim chaplain, who wanted a permanent place of worship -- and 'education' -- for the growing number of soldiers who are interested in -- and converting to -- Islam.

"Quantico has only 24 Muslims on base..."

Twenty-four Muslims justifies having an Islamic prayer center on the Marine base? And there is already a mosque not too far away from Quantico--in Springfield, I think.

And who is the imam at the new center on the Marine base? His name is Navy Lt. Abuhena Mohammed Saifulislam. From the aforementioned article, a bit of background on Saifulislam:

"Saifulislam is clean-cut with a Colgate smile. The Pentagon gives him great latitude because he claims to be moderate.

"However, Saifulislam studied Islam at a hardline Wahhabi school in Virginia that was raided by federal authorities after 9-11. And one of his mentors is Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, an unindicted co-conspirator in the Sami al-Arian terror case. Federal court records allege he gave at least $50,000 in jihad money 'to support suicide bombings' in Israel.

"Saifulislam, born in Bangladesh, insists he is only a Sunni Muslim and does not adhere to the faith's more orthodox and militant Wahhabi sect practiced by Osama bin Laden and his ilk. Still, his pro-jihad academic background should raise flags at the Pentagon."

The article concludes with the following:

"Several military officers chose to sit out the Quantico ceremony than hear deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England mouth 'salaams' to the Muslims in attendance. They think the mosque is misplaced, and don't trust its imam.

"'I have great concern about this young Muslim chaplain,' said Lt. Comm. Gary P. Stewart, also a Navy chaplain. 'I don't trust him.'

"The Pentagon's over-the-top gesture is only the latest sign that political correctness is running amok inside the military. Chief chaplains for the Navy, Army and Air Force routinely meet with top leaders from the Islamic Society of North America for PC powwows, even though ISNA is a Saudi-backed group with ties to terrorists. No matter, the Pentagon distributes ISNA literature on Islam and Muslims to help increase troops' 'sensitivity' toward Islam.

"The first principle of war is knowing your enemy and what motivates him. The PC-addled Pentagon seems to have forgotten that rule."