More Problems At The Islamic Saudi Academy

Previous Northern Virginiastan postings about the Islamic Saudi Academy are HERE.

The problems with the school just keep adding up!

Photo Credit: the Washington Post
From this June 27, 2008 article by Patrick Poole at Pajamas Media (via Jihad Watch):

The controversial school funded by the Saudi Embassy had its corporate charter revoked in 2004 and has never filed required tax forms with the IRS.

...[A] review of the corporate records on file with the Virginia State Corporation Commission finds that the Islamic Saudi Academy’s corporate charter was terminated by the state on December 27, 2004. There is no indication from state records that the incorporation has been revived or renewed, and the last corporate report the school has filed with the state of Virginia that we could find was 2004 — the same year its corporate charter was terminated. A check of corporations in neighboring District of Columbia and Maryland found nothing for the academy.

[...]

...As the academy has forfeited its Virginia incorporation and is now operating as a d/b/a of the embassy, and considering that the school is funded by the embassy, operates on property owned and leased by the embassy, the embassy speaks publicly on its behalf, and it uses Saudi government curriculum, it seems impossible to conclude anything but that it is solely an entity of the Saudi government controlled entirely by the Saudi Embassy in Washington DC — a position directly in opposition to the present claims of the State Department.

Our investigation also found that at no time has the Islamic Saudi Academy ever filed an IRS Form 990, which is required of every tax exempt organization, including private schools. And according to IRS Publication 78, at no time has the school ever requested or received a tax exemption letter from the IRS. Nor, apparently, has it ever filed corporate taxes with the US government as would be required if it were an entity independent from the Saudi embassy, as it has no recognized tax exemption.

If the school was a separate corporation as State Department officials have repeatedly claimed, it would have to have an active corporate charter (which it doesn’t appear to have since December 2004), and it would either have to file IRS Form 990s if it were operating as a tax exempt organization, or file tax returns if it were operating for-profit. That has not happened in either case according to our investigation. Rather, all evidence indicates that the Saudi Embassy is in full corporate control of the school, and it is operating entirely under its agency, which makes the school subject to the Foreign Missions Act and under the authority of the State Department. If it isn’t part of the Saudi Embassy, it seems that the academy is operating illegally.

This new evidence doesn’t give much leeway to the State Department to shirk the matter.

Read the entire article.

Apparently, in addition to the school's other problems, the school's charter was revoked and some required IRS filings were not done. Surprise, surprise! NOT!

Meanwhile, go HERE to see the MEMRI clip of Al-Jazeera's report on the Islamic Saudi Academy. At marker 2:28 on the clip, you will hear the word "madrassah," defined as follows by the American Heritage Dictionary:

A building or group of buildings used for teaching Islamic theology and religious law, typically including a mosque.

Those who have read this web page by Daniel Pipes, also know about other connotations for the word "madrassah."

The Islamic Saudi Academy (a madrassah) is coming under long-needed scrutiny. At this point, a Google search of the school yields over 9000 hits, and the number of hits increases every day.

Predictably, Moslems are complaining about the scrutiny of the school, never mind ISA's broken promises about revising the offending textbooks as well as various other problems at the school. From the MEMRI transcript for the above-linked video:

[T]his is a nightmare for the families of the students enrolled in the academy. This pressure is exerted by several Congressmen, known for their great hostility towards Arabs and Muslims.

[...]

What should be said about a commission that some say is unconstitutional and contradicts the very meaning of its name? This commission [which recently issured the report on the textbooks] calls upon all countries of the world to respect freedom of religion there, while the commission itself violates this freedom on its own land.

Um, ISA supporters, remove the beam from your own eye before trying to remove the speck from another's eye.

Weekly Radio Show: June 20 - Authors Bosch Fawstin and Steven Bradley

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Friday, June 27 (60 minutes): Our guests today will be two authors — Bosch Fawstin and Steven Bradley.

1. Bosch Fawstin's web site is HERE, where he states the following about his work: I'm a cartoonist who's currently working on my second graphic novel, THE INFIDEL, about twin brothers whose Muslim background comes to the forefront of their lives on 9/11. One responds by creating a counter-jihad superhero comic book called PIGMAN, as the other surrenders to Islam and becomes a Born Again Muslim, following the faith to wherever it leads him. Mr. Fawstin is also a contributor to Infidel Bloggers Alliance, where he uses the following avatar:



2. Steven R. Bradley is the author of novel Nimrod Rising. According to Amazon, Have you ever felt that the world was guided in ways that are beyond man’s control? The constant changes in the world since the time of Nimrod 4000 years ago until today and all the events that have shaken the world have been to bring the universe back into the hands of the Prince of Darkness, Lucia, a world that he had ruled with his Watchers before it was all ripped from his grasp when man was created. Nimrod Rising paints a diabolical picture of how the Prince of Darkness executes his evil plot to take the world back by force and destroy civilization in the process. From the Great Builder Nimrod in 4000 BC to today, 666 generations later, you can ride the storm of Nimrod Rising and experience the death of a world and the birth pangs of another. You will swear it is really upon us! Mr. Bradley's Amazon blog is HERE. One trailer for the novel Nimrod Rising:



YouTube Link

You can listen to the June 27 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show live or later by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS
July 4: Warren, Beakerkin, and possibly Mr. Beamish for a special Independence Day show.
July 11: Jungle Mom

The Islamic Saudi Academy: Fairfax County Backpedals On The Lease (Updated June 25)

Photo Credit: the Washington Post

Background: Previous Northern Virginiastan postings about the Islamic Saudi Academy are HERE.

From this article in the June 24, 2008 edition of the Washington Post:

Fairfax County leaders asked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday to determine whether the county should continue leasing property to the Islamic Saudi Academy following controversy surrounding the school's teachings.

With unanimous support from the county's Board of Supervisors, Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) sent a letter to Rice "formally requesting" that the State Department provide direction regarding the county's one-year lease renewal, approved last month, with the Saudi Arabian government for operation of the academy.

You might recall from earlier postings about the Islamic Saudi Academy that previously the County supervisors voted unanimously to renew the school's lease and called citizens who voiced concerns about the school "bigots engaged in slander." You can watch the May 19 pro forma hearing at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors HERE; select "Public Hearings" from the May 19 links.

Continuing now with the above-cited Washington Post article:

At issue are recent reviews of teaching materials concluding that some textbooks used by the Islamic school in Fairfax contain language intolerant of Jews and other groups as well as passages that could be construed as advocating violence.

Read the entire report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom HERE. The report is damning!

Please watch this NBC 4 video of June 23, 2008. The video is approximately three minutes in length.

(Crossposted to Always On Watch and Infidel Bloggers Alliance, and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS)

UPDATE FROM THIS ARTICLE IN THE JUNE 25, 2008 EDITION OF THE WASHINGTON TIMES:

Federal officials unable to act
State cites lack of authority

The State Department has no authority to close a Saudi-supported school criticized for violent teachings, a spokesman said Tuesday, despite an official request for guidance from the Northern Virginia county that leases space for the school's main campus....

[...]

"My understanding at this point is that this doesn't come under State Department jurisdiction," Mr. McInturff said. "It would have to be credentialed by the State Department as an embassy or as a consulate. That to my knowledge has not happened to this school."

However, the commission contends the act could give the secretary of state authority to take action to close the school. The act defines a foreign mission in part as "any mission to or agency or entity in the United States which is ... substantially owned or effectively controlled by a foreign government."

Read the entire article at the link for this update.

Weekly Radio Show: June 20 - Bill Warner, Ellen R. Sheeley, and Ted Shoebat

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Friday, June 20 (90 minutes): Our guests today will be Bill Warner of Political Islam, author Ellen R. Sheeley, and Ted Shoebat of the blog The Tedland Daily; he is the author of In Satan's Footsteps and the son of Walid Shoebat. Ted will discuss with us his book and his experiences with and observations on the educational system's whitewash of Islam.
-------
1. Bill Warner is the director of the Center for the Study of Political Islam and also writes articles for his web site Political Islam. He will discuss with us slavery and Islam; his Front Page Magazine article about this topic is HERE.

2. Ellen R. Sheeley is the author of Reclaiming Honor in Jordan: A National Public Opinion Survey on "Honor" Killings. She will discuss with us her findings pertaining to the Jordanian public's attitudes, opinions, and beliefs about "honor" killings and for a sustained marketing campaign to change hearts and minds. Ms. Sheeley's Red Room Author Profile and blog are HERE.

3. Ted Shoebat of the blog The Tedland Daily is the son of Walid Shoebat and the author of In Satan's Footsteps. Video about Ted Shoebat's book In Satan's Footsteps:



YouTube link

UPCOMING SHOWS
June 27: Bosch Fawstin and Steven Bradley
July 4: Warren, Beakerkin, and possibly Mr. Beamish for a special Independence Day show.
July 11: Jungle Mom

You can listen to the June 20 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show live or later by CLICKING HERE.

Director Of The Islamic Saudi Academy Arrested

The Islamic Saudi Academy is a school in Northern Virginia and is operated by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.

From this source (hat-tip to Radio Free Dar al Harb):

Islamic Saudi Academy Director Arrested for Obstruction of Justice
June 16, 2008
Fairfax, VA

On June 9th, Fairfax County Police arrested the Director General of the
Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA), Mr. Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan, on the charges of
Obstruction of Justice without Force (VA Code 18.2-460). Charged and released on
the same day, Mr. Al-Shabnan is out on his own recognizance as he awaits his
first hearing at Fairfax County General District Court on August 1, 2008, at
9:30 a.m.

Mr. Al-Shaban’s arrest stems from an investigation into the ISA’s alleged failure to comply with State requirements for reporting child abuse. According to authorities, instead of reporting the child abuse, Mr. Al-Shabnan deleted the report, contacted the student’s parents, and recommended psychological counseling for the young victim. Mr. Al-Shaban’s June 9 arrest comes after a May 23rd police search of the ISA where they gathered evidence that has contributed to the charges against Mr. Al-Shabnan.

Years of Controversy Continue

The ISA has been at the center of controversy for many years. A 2007 United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report promoted members of Congress to call for the closure of the school. The 2007 USCIRF report prompted a coalition of concerned grassroots organizations to request the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to delay the renewal of the ISA lease until a Federal investigation into the ISA was completed. During the hearing, County Supervisors dismissed concerns as slanderous, bigoted, and unfounded. During the course of the hearing, Fairfax County Chairman, and Democratic Candidate for the 11th Congressional District, apologized to Mr. Al-Shabnan for what he deemed slanderous accusations that impugned the integrity of the Islamic Saudi Academy.

Since that May 19 hearing, the Mr. Al-Shabnan has been arrested and the USCIRF has confirmed ISA textbooks justify murder as an Islamic right.

Only Supervisor Gross has responded to the issue, and she continues her support for the ISA, and its textbooks that contain passages filled with hate and incitement to violence. Chairman Connolly has yet to retract his apology to the ISA and Mr. Al-Shabnan. Supervisor Hyland has not yet commented on whether the texts cited in the USCIRF report are the similar to those he identified as “texts of concern” during his independent and undocumented investigation of the ISA.

These hateful passages remain despite a 2006 US State Department request for the ISA to remove all insensitive and offensive content from textbooks. The ISA’s non-compliance with the 2006 US State Department request has not been accounted for and raises concerns about what the ISA, as an extension of the Saudi government, considers offensive, and the level of accountability they have to their local hosts and Federal government.

Since the US Treasury Department still considers Saudi Arabia as one of the leading financiers of terrorism, and USCIRF reports identify Saudi Arabia’s education as filled with incitements to murder as a religious freedom, the US State Department has not commented as to whether they will extend this policy and allow Iran and North Korea to open official schools in the US as well.

The ISA’s has run afoul of Virginia law before in hiring a bus driver, Abdelrazeg Abdalla, who had a suspend license, seven traffic violations, a misdemeanor for kidnapping his wife and child at knife point, and a six month detainment by Homeland Security. Nevertheless, the ISA hired Mr. Abdalla as a bus driver. Mr. Abdalla, operating a faulty ISA, bus was responsible for a 2005 multi-car accident.

Additionally, the ISA winner of the superlative Most Likely to Be a Martyr, and 1999 class valedictorian, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, has been convicted on charges of terrorism and attempting to assassinate President Bush.

As a result for the a May 19 hearing, the ISA’s lease of Fairfax County property continues as the Board of Supervisors unanimously supports the ISA as a model school beyond reproach.

A video of the complete May 19 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Hearing on the Islamic Saudi Academy can be found at: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cable/channel16/vod.htm

Select “Public Hearings” from the May 19 links.

Of Note:

42:58 Fairfax County Chairman Connolly charges of slander remarks

49:35 Supervisor Gross: Latin can be violent and Parochial Schools contain material as equally offensive as the ISAs.

1:02 Supervisor Hyland begins testimony about why and how they’re is no documentation on his investigation.

Previous Always On Watch postings on the Islamic Saudi Academy are HERE and HERE.

Previous Northern Virginiastan postings on the Islamic Saudi Academy are HERE.

Previous IBA postings on the Islamic Saudi Academy.

Radio Discussion Of The Islamic Saudi Academy

Listen to the June 13 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show by CLICKING HERE.

On the air during the first half hour of the show, I brought out some of the problems with the Islamic Saudi Academy. I went back some three years to call to listeners' attention the ISA's cover-up of a driving accident involving an ISA school bus. The driver didn't even have a license to be behind the wheel!

Over the years, ISA has had several problems. Yet, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors refuses to reconsider the school's lease. Excerpt from this source:

Fairfax County supervisors said Wednesday’s report has not made them rethink their decision to renew the lease.

“We are not in a position to determine what is going to go on in a classroom there,” said Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross. “What we were asked to do was consider leasing the land and school to the Islamic Saudi Academy, and that’s what we did.”

Um, Ms. Gross? You did a lot worse than that! You played and continued to play the dhimmi. Or should I say "dhimmi wit"?

Update On The Islamic Saudi Academy

The following posting absolutely requires interested readers to check out the links.

Background information HERE and HERE at two previous postings at Always On Watch.

The Islamic Saudi Academy, owned by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia and a school for grades Kindergarten through Grade 12 here in Northern Virginia, got quite a mention in the Associated Press today. Excerpt:

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — Textbooks at a private Islamic school in northern Virginia teach students that it is permissible for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts from Islam, according to a federal investigation released Wednesday.

Other passages in the school's textbooks state that "the Jews conspired against Islam and its people" and that Muslims are permitted to take the lives and property of those deemed "polytheists."

The passages were found in selected textbooks used during the 2007-08 school year by the Islamic Saudi Academy, which teaches 900 students in grades K-12 at two campuses in Alexandria and Fairfax and receives much of its funding from the Saudi government....

Read the entire article.

Also see the following information:

One

Two

Three

Four

Number Four, by my compadre Pastorius over at Infidel Bloggers Alliance, is a must-read! A thing of beauty, I tell ya.

Spindly terrorist wannabe to get new sentencing hearing

For the past few years, Always on Watch and I have been covering the story of Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, valedictorian of his class at the Islamic Saudi Academy, who was convicted of his role in a plot to assassinate the President. His conviction was upheld; moreover, his case has been sent to lower court, because the 30-year sentence was too lenient.

As I noted, Abu Ali would be a still robust man in early 50s, if he were to serve the entire 30-year sentence. Let's hope he's put away for life. At the same time, the prison system has to give up this nonsense of supplying prayer rugs, Qu'rans, etc. to convicted Islamic terrorists and allowing them to wear prayer caps and grow Islamic beards to enable practice of their religion.

Eating Crow?

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

If the story below turns out to be substantiated, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors might want to reconsider their renewal of the lease to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia for the Islamic Saudi Academy.

Follow-up to this posting about the Islamic Saudi Academy, from NBC4 News in Washington, D.C.:

Islamic School Searched After Abuse Allegations Surface
Authorities Say School's Director Didn't Report Abuse Allegations

POSTED: 3:42 pm EDT June 3, 2008
UPDATED: 6:52 pm EDT June 3, 2008

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. -- Fairfax County police searched the Islamic Saudi Academy's west campus last month in connection with an investigation into child abuse allegations.

A 5-year old girl told a teacher in mid-May that her father was sexually abusing her, News4's James Adams reported. Two teachers and the principal at the west campus put together a report and forwarded it to the school's director general, Adams said.

According to court documents, the school's director, Adalla Al-Shabnan, did not believe the girl's complaint.

He later told investigators that he recommended psychological counseling for the girl after meeting with her parents.

Authorities said Al-Shabnan never reported the allegations of abuse to a child protective or law enforcement agency.

Virginia law requires abuse allegations to be reported within 72 hours.

Related: Watch The Report

On May 23, detectives searched and seized computers, notes and records from the school's Fairfax campus.

According to court documents, Al-Shabnan directed the original report to be deleted from the school's computers.

Calls to the academy's director were not returned.

Fairfax County police declined to comment on the investigation.

No charges have been filed.

Yet.

Surely, the school's director, Al-Shabnan, is aware of the strict laws about suspected child-abuse cases reported to a school! One has to wonder if perhaps he didn't file a police report because of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors May 19 hearing about renewing the school's lease. Did the girl tell of the abuse before the hearing regarding the Islamic Saudi Academy's lease? If so, this case could get very ugly.

How does the Board of Supervisors feel now about their pro forma hearing?

Officially, the Islamic Saudi Academy's lease renews for another year on June 30.