What The Blogosphere Can Do (With Addendum From The WaPo

Check out this news at The Center for Vigilant Freedom. Excerpt:

...Esam Omeish of the Muslim American Society will step down from the Virginia Commission on Immigration, to which he was appointed by [Virginia] Governor Tim Kaine....

Read the whole thing.

Addendum: Article from the September 28, 2007 edition of the Washington Post (emphases mine). Be sure to watch the videos!

A prominent Northern Virginia surgeon and Muslim activist appointed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to a state immigration commission was forced to resign Thursday after videos surfaced of him referring to the "Israeli war machine" as well as statements he made seven years ago in support of the "jihad way" in the Middle East.

Last month, Kaine (D) appointed Esam S. Omeish, chief of the division of general surgery at Inova Alexandria Hospital, to a 20-member panel that is spending six months examining whether Virginia needs to do more to curtail illegal immigration.

On Thursday, videos surfaced showing Omeish, who is also president of the Muslim American Society, giving speeches about Israel's relationship with its Arab neighbors.

After reviewing the videos, which were brought to Kaine's attention by a caller to his live monthly radio program, Kaine asked for Omeish's resignation from the Virginia Commission on Immigration.

"Dr. Omeish is a respected physician and community leader, yet I have been made aware of certain statements he has made which concern me," Kaine said in a statement. "Dr. Omeish indicated he did not want this controversy to distract from the important work of the commission."

The resignation could be embarrassing for Kaine as he tries to respond to calls to do more about illegal immigration. Republicans are using the overall issue to try to win votes in this fall's campaign for control of the General Assembly.

Kaine has taken a measured approach, placing blame on the federal government's failure to secure the borders and enact immigration reform. He has said he wanted the 20-member immigration commission, which the General Assembly created this year, to develop recommendations. House and Senate leaders appointed 10 members of the committee; Kaine appointed the other 10.

Omeish, of Fairfax County, is also on the board of directors of the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church. He graduated from Georgetown University. He was unavailable for comment.

In one of the videos,...Omeish is shown speaking in August last year at a rally on the Mall in opposition to Israel's invasion of Lebanon that summer. Omeish demands that Israel release Lebanese political prisoners and condemns President Bush's use of the phrase "Islamic fascism."

"The invasion of Lebanon, the destruction of its infrastructure and the deliberate targeting of civilians during the barbaric and disproportionate Israeli war machine is indeed criminal and must end now," Omeish says on the video.

In another video,...Omeish is speaking at a "Jerusalem day" rally in Lafayette Square. In the clip, dated Dec. 22, 2000, he urges the crowd to stand with Muslims fighting in the Middle East.

"We, Muslims of the Washington metropolitan area, are here today in subfreezing temperatures to tell our brothers and sisters that you have learned the way, that you have known the jihad way is the way to liberate your land," Omeish says. "And we, by standing here today despite the weather, we are telling them we are with you. We are supporting you." The clip shows 38 seconds of Omeish's speech, so the context of his remarks about jihad are unclear.

The Washington-based Investigative Project on Terrorism, which tracks what it thinks are radical Muslim groups, posted both videos on YouTube.

Omeish told the Associated Press late Thursday that his comments in the videos were taken out of context and that his reference to "the jihad way" was not a call for violent attacks.

"In Islam, jihad is a broad word that means constant struggle -- struggling spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, physically -- in all respects. So my words were in support of people who are resisting occupation and people who are trying to . . . remove oppression from their land," Omeish said.

Kaine appointed Omeish to the immigration panel because the governor wanted the group to be diverse and include a Muslim representative, administration officials said. The legislation establishing the panel also required that at least one member be a medical professional. Kaine said he will replace Omeish with another Muslim.

Omeish is on the board of directors of the Dar Al Hijrah center, one of the Washington area's oldest and largest mosques. It was scrutinized after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At Inova Alexandria, Omeish was the surgeon on call after the Pentagon attack.

The FBI and the federal 9/11 commission concluded that two of the Sept. 11 hijackers briefly worshiped at the mosque after one of them befriended its imam in San Diego. FBI officials have said they found no evidence that the imam, who has since resigned and left the country, had prior knowledge of the attacks.

In 2005, Omeish joined a group of moderate Muslim clerics in the United States in denouncing Islamic terrorism overseas.

The Islamic center is closely affiliated with the Muslim American Society. Several of the group's founders had been active in the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement that started in Egypt in the 1920s and advocates a purer, more restrictive form of Islam in the Middle East.

Before the videos surfaced, Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) had written a letter to Kaine on Tuesday expressing concern about Omeish's links to the Muslim American Society.

"There are many of our fellow Muslim citizens who value our democratic institutions and constitutional guarantees," Gilbert wrote. "The origins, affiliations and goals of the Muslim American Society, however, should be a matter of grave concern to all Virginians."

Before he saw the videos, Kevin Hall, Kaine's spokesman, dismissed Gilbert's letter as xenophobic. After Omeish resigned, Gilbert praised Kaine for acting swiftly to remove him.

"I would hope that the governor's staff was vetting candidates for state commissions a little better, but I am certainly pleased the governor himself has taken action," Gilbert said.

Hall said the governor's office carefully scrutinizes appointees to state commissions. "But I think it is fair to say that YouTube was not part of the vetting process in this case," Hall said. "It certainly will be from here on out."

Dr. Omeish will be holding a press conference today, September 28, 2007, at 11:00 AM. Taquiyya alert!

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Esam Omeish

Esam Omeish has, of course, lost his bid for the Democratic Party's nomination for a seat in the Virginia Assembly.

A short while before this loss at the polls this week, Hillary Clinton accorded him a kind of honor - as a Muslim leader worthy of her attention:

A Muslim leader invited by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to participate in a conference call after President Obama's speech in Cairo last week once told a crowd that "the jihad way is the way to liberate your land."

Esam Omeish, a surgeon and community leader who is running for Virginia state assemblyman, made the statements in 2000 at pro-Palestinian rally where he spoke out against Israel and urged Muslims to support the Palestinian liberation movement.

[...]

The State Department has not replied to questions as to whether it was aware of Omeish's past comments when he was selected as one of approximately 100-200 invitees to participate in the conference, which included academics and Muslim leaders....

How could the State Department be unaware of Omeish's background? The Washington Post has provided ample coverage of Omeish's jihad-loving ties.

The battle may be over ...

but The Long War continues.

By now, readers of Northern Virginiastan should know that Esam Omeish placed 3rd of four candidates running to be Democratic candidate for the 35th District Virginia House of Delegates.

Atlas Shrugs cheers the defeat of Esam Omeish, but Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch cautions:

If a candidate like Esam Omeish can get 16% of the vote despite his Islamic supremacist statements and connections, imagine what a stealthier jihadist could do.

Indeed. I am more and more inclined to believe that Barack Obama (NMP) is a stealth Muslim in the highest office in the U.S., particularly, given his recent speech in Cairo and the fact that he hasn't identified a church to attend in Washington, DC.

During the primary race, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had invited Esam Omeish to participate on a conference call on President Obama (NMP)'s Cairo speech. Rick Moran calls Clinton's invitation "the logical, insane conclusion" of Obama (NMP)'s outreach to Muslims.

On another front of The Long War, the Islamic Saudi Academy is back in the news. Always on Watch has covered the Islamic Saudi Academy extensively on this blog. On Thursday, June 11 (that's tonight!), the Fairfax Planning Commission will vote on building additions, site modifications, and increase in enrollment (hat tip ACT Northern Virginia/Richmond/DC Metro Chapter).

Dhimmi Kaine

lgf: Outrage of the Week: Leader of Muslim Brotherhood Front Group Appointed to Virginia Commission on Immigration

The Democratic governor of Virginia, Timothy M. Kaine, has appointed Dr. Esam Omeish of Muslim American Society to the Virginia Commission on Immigration.

Google information about Dr. Esam Omeish's medical practice.
Do a people search on "Esam Omeish" at SuperPages.com

More On Esam Omeish And Mahdi Bray

Article from the October 23, 2007 edition of the Northern Virginia Daily:

Gilbert, Athey criticize Kaine: Delegates - Ties too close

By Garren Shipley -- Daily Staff Writer

Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is far too close to a Muslim group that allegedly has ties to Islamic terrorism and espouses radical views, according to two local delegates. But a group leader says the charges are founded in racism.

Kaine should move to put some distance between his administration and the Falls Church-based Muslim American Society, said Dels. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, and Clifford L. "Clay" Athey Jr., R-Front Royal.

It all started when Kaine appointed Dr. Esam Omeish, the president of the society, to the Virginia Commission on Immigration. Gilbert wrote to Kaine, asking him to reconsider the appointment after seeing online videos of Omeish accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians and exhorting Muslims to "the jihad way."

Omeish resigned less than a day later under pressure from Kaine.

But after some investigation, the delegates say the connections between Kaine and MAS appear to be deeper than just one appointment.

Kaine was the keynote speaker at the society's Freedom Foundation "Standing for Justice Dinner." He was photographed with leaders of the group, including Imam Mahdi Bray, the executive director of the foundation.

In an online video of a 2000 rally in Washington, Abdurahman al-Amoudi — who would later plead guilty to charges of funneling money from Libya to Saudi militants — took to the podium and declared his support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

Hamas, now the ruling party in the Gaza Strip, started a wave of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians in 1993, according to the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations. Hezbollah, which now holds a quasi-state in southern Lebanon, is thought to be behind the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 servicemen.

"I have been labeled by the media in New York to be a supporter of Hamas. Anybody support this Hamas here?" al-Amoudi says in the video, drawing cheers from the crowd and fist pumps from Bray.

"I wish the added that I am also a supporter of Hezbollah. Anybody supports Hezbollah here?" he asks, drawing more cheers and fist pumps.

The video speaks for itself, Gilbert said.

"The governor shouldn't have been involved with this organization and its leadership," Gilbert said.

That being said, anyone can be the victim of bad staff work, he said.

"If [Kaine] didn't know this stuff, now that he does know it, he should say he rejects what the leadership of this organization stands for and he's going to distance himself from it, and encourage other leading Dem-ocrats to do the same."
Athey was less generous.

"It is clear that Governor Kaine and the Democratic Party sought the support of radical individuals who could turn out votes in his election. According to Mahdi Bray, the governor received that support," said Athey, referring to a story earlier this month in The Washington Times, in which Bray credited the Democrats' success in 2005 and 2006 to his organization.

"Ask Jim Webb what kind of impact we have," Bray said. "Ask the governor of Virginia what kind of impact we have. The Democrats' win hinged on the Muslim vote."

"I am not going to dignify the latest allegations by Dels. Gilbert and Athey with a comment," said Kaine spokesman Kevin Hall via e-mail. He also declined to comment on Bray's election-related statements.

Bray said Monday that he and others at the video weren't cheering for the terrorist organizations.

"The majority of the people they were kind of raising their hands, and kind of cheering, and so on because this was so uncharacteristic of al-Amoudi," Bray said. "We didn't know he had a problem with law enforcement. He was considered the pillar of the American Muslim community."

Bray said his gestures weren't in support of Hamas and Hezbollah.

"You saw me pumping my fists. You didn't see me raising my hands. If they had shown the audience, you would have seen people in the audience raising their hands and falling out laughing," he said. "For him to come and make these kinds of radical rants, no one took him seriously."

Bray said he does not support violence, and would have been more judicious in his reaction had the event happened after Sept. 11, 2001.

He also suggested that Gilbert had racist motives for his statements, noting that the delegate could be a "throwback" to Virginia's racist past.

"There are some throwbacks. And I think that Gilbert and others are throwbacks to the old days" who want to "maintain the status quo. Maybe their district is not as diverse as Northern Virginia."

Gilbert said Bray's charges are typical.

"We're so mired down in political correctness and this feeling that you have to be tolerant of all views that you can't even call somebody out for congratulating suicide bombers, and promoting and supporting recognized terrorist organizations," Gilbert said.

Mr. Shippley also embedded the following video in the online version of the article:

You don't represent me @GerryConnolly

It is my misfortune that I reside in the 11th Congressional District, Virginia, which is represented by Gerry Connolly. Here is a message that I sent to Mr. Connolly:

You don’t represent me, Mr. Connolly

Dear Rep. Connolly, I read with alarm your Statement on the Syrian Refugee Crisis, http://connolly.house.gov/news/connolly-statement-on-the-syrian-refugee-crisis/.

You wrote:

To be clear the SAFE Act is not a moratorium or a pause on the refugee program. It does not harm the vetting process we have in place. It does not demagogue a particular group of people or promote one religious belief over another, as some prominent Republicans have demanded. 

Proud to host 36 new citizens, students of @Cornerstonesva American Citizenship Class, at the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/vvGWGhWOLk

— Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) December 15, 2015

By demagoguing a particular group of people, I take it that you are referring to Muslims. You have been in the pocket of Muslim interests, which are not my interests. Examples:

• You accepted a $1000 donation from Dr. Esam Omeish. Dr. Omeish has had positions of leadership in Muslim Brotherhood fronts such as the Muslim Students Association and the Muslim American Society. He personally hired the late Anwar al-Awlaki to be the imam of Dar al-Hijrah mosque. (Anwar al-Awlaki, as you might remember, was killed in a drone strike in Yemen. He frequently corresponded with Nidal Malik Hasan before the 2008 Fort Hood massacre. He also had contacts with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the “underwear” bomber.)
• You publicly denounced your constituent who opposed expansion of Islamic Saudi Academy as a “bigot” when you chaired the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Audio revealed that you mentioned this denunciation while currying favor with Arabs and Muslims. 
• You accepted money from the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IPAC) to support the Iran nuclear deal, when polls showed that the majority of Americans wanted Congress to reject the deal.

You wrote that the SAFE Act does not “promote one religious belief over another, as some prominent Republicans have demanded.” Christian refugees are more likely to assimilate, and I call upon their co-religionists to mentor them in the US. Do I have to tell you that Islamic State has singled out religious minorities for persecution? Most likely, the UN will tell the U.S. to accept refugees from its camps. Lord Carey, the past Archbishop of Canterbury, noted:

Christians are not to be found in the UN camps, because they have been attacked and targeted by Islamists and driven from them. 

For those reasons, I prefer re-settling Christian refugees and refugees of minority religions.

July 13 is final hearing on expansion of ISA

I've set up an account on Digg to share stories about creeping Islamicism in the DC Metro Area and set up a Digg widget to feature the most recent stories on the sidebar to the right.

I decided that I needed to make this news item more visible by posting it on the Northern Virginiastan blog. The final hearing of the Fairfax Co Board of Supervisors on the expansion of the Islamic Saudi Academy on Pope's Head Road will be held this coming Monday, July 13, at 6 PM at:

12000 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035

Get there early to get a seat. ISA will pack the chambers with its supporters.

What else can you do?

Call Sharon Bulova, Chair, and your District Supervisor, to vote "No" on expansion of the ISA. To find your district supervisor, go to the application My Neighborhood, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/gisapps/myneighborhood/myndefault.aspx?fxmResolution=1024x768, select "General Information" and enter your street address. Tell them that you, as a resident of Fairfax County, oppose expansion of the ISA.

I read that U.S. representatives are more influenced by phone calls than letters. It might work the same way with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. You might want to follow up with a fax or e-mail of the flyer issued by the newly formed Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force. I also suggest copying Robert Spencer's Why we fight on this Independence Day and formatting it on 8-1/2" x 11" paper to include in your email or fax.

NOTE Sharon Bulova appeared at the kick-off meeting for Esam Omeish's failed bid for Democratic candidate for the 35th District Virginia House of Delegates. In that way, she's a worthy successor to former Chair and now U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly.

* Share the flyer with others. I'm going to post it on my church bulletion board, even though one of our members was instrumental in getting the ISA established in Fairfax County.

Letter Which Appeared in the WaPo

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

The following letter appeared in the Friday, August 18, 2006 Washington Post:

"When he commented on the arrest of a handful of British Muslims accused of plotting to blow up U.S.-bound civilian aircraft ["Plot to Bomb U.S.-Bound Jets Is Foiled; Britain Arrests 24 Suspected Conspirators," front page, Aug. 11], President Bush said the case was "a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists." The president's use of that term is misleading, unfortunate and unacceptable.

"We, as peaceful and justice-loving Muslims, deeply resent the implication that 'fascism' is an integral part of our faith tradition, or that it is condoned by those of us who practice the religion of Islam. In fact, there is absolutely no evidence that supports the legitimacy of any form of state-sponsored violence and injustice, either in our revealed text, the holy Koran, or in the traditions of Islam.

"Islam is constantly referred to by the news media as the theological basis for terrorism and, now, fascism.

"But the same media never associated the Catholic faith as a root cause of Italian fascism under Benito Mussolini in the 1930s, or the Jewish faith as a religious motivation for the violent, anti-Palestinian conduct of many Israeli settlers in the West Bank and Gaza. Islam, alone among the three major Abrahamic faiths, has been tarred with the brush of legitimized extremism and violence in the name of God. This is an association that has no basis in our faith, and it is an association that we vigorously reject.

ESAM OMEISH

President

Muslim American Society

Falls Church

The following should be taken into consideration:

"....Kill those who join other gods with Allah wherever you find them; besiege them, seize them, lay in wait for them with every kind of ambush...."(Sura 9:5).

"When you encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads, until ye have made a great slaughter among them...."(Sura 47:4).

"....Make war upon such of those to whom the Scriptures have been given as believe not in Allah, or in the Last Day, and who forbid not what Allah and His Apostle have forbidden....until they pay tribute..." (Sura 9:29).

"Say to the infidels: If they desist, what is now past shall be forgiven them; but if they return, they have already before them the doom of the ancients! Fight then against them till strife be at an end, and the religion be all of it Allah's." (Sura 8:39).

"Proclaim a grievious penalty to those who reject faith." (Sura 9:3)."

The Sura, a chapter in the Koran, is supposed to be the last 'revelation' by Allah and, by Islamic definition, abrogates previous verses.