A Response to Gilani's Claims

As noted in a recent post, Sheik Mubarik Ali Gilani, widely known as the founder of Islamist militant group Al Fuqra and its front organization Muslims of America (MOA), has issued a response to the investigative report that was released last month by the Northeast Intelligence Network and myself.

In his rambling 14-page diatribe, Gilani makes numerous ridiculous claims and merely reinforces the radical label that has been placed upon his name. If his attempt was to deflect attention away from the accusations against him, he failed miserably. By publicly releasing this report, he has surely placed himself under even more scrutiny. Notoriously secretive, silence was likely his best policy up to this point.

His claims of having “mystical powers” do not particularly appeal to most rational people. That tends to set off the majority of tinfoil hat detectors. To quote Jack Nicholson from a movie years ago, “Go sell crazy somewhere else. We’re all stocked up here.”

If you didn’t take time to read the entire "editorial", or just got bored and couldn’t finish it, I’ll recount some of the more ridiculous claims “Pir” Gilani makes.

First, the very title of this editorial is “Exposing Roots of Terrorism in USA”. It is ironic that this comes from someone who is himself widely attributed to be one of the very first terrorist organizers in the United States.

He claims that by publishing our investigative report, both I and the Northeast Intelligence Network are “the actual perpetrators of international terrorism, and racial and religious bigotry and their ceaseless campaign of hate, is more damaging to the U.S. than any other country.” That is just absurd.

He points to Islamberg in New York as an example of his organization’s patriotism and peacefulness. The sheikh could not have suggested a worse example. One significantly unhelpful reason for this is that several Islamberg-affiliated members were convicted in the 1993 NYC Day of Terror plot. I’m sure his answer to this would be that they were framed by “Zionist agents”.

Islamberg also does not have a good reputation among its neighbors as is claimed. In January of this year, two guys working for a phone company were physically assaulted by Gilani’s thugs while working near the compound. The neighbors are given menacing looks if they so much as slow down when passing by. The frequent automatic gunfire coming from the compound does not encourage them, considering members of the group guard the grounds with AR-15s and years ago used to march up and down the road in camouflage and ammo belts. If Gilani is so sure of his followers being law-abiding citizens, he might want to find out why the mayor of Islamberg has failed to pay some $350,000 in business taxes. If any location in the US has made people question Gilani’s true methods, it is this one.

Another of Gilani’s talking points involves a ridiculous conspiracy theory about the events of September 11th, saying

“…some 4000 Jews employed at the WTC were conveniently absent on the 11th of September. The glaring question arises: How is it that they all came to be absent on that fateful day? Who were those people arrested on the New Jersey side by the FBI while videotaping the crash of the airplane? [He claims these were Mossad agents] Why did building No. 7 collapse when it was clear that it was not hit by any airplane?”

No rational person believes that anyone was responsible for 9/11 other than Osama bin Laden. Conspiracies about the Jews or the US government being behind it have no credibility whatsoever. Such theories have only found a home among the radical fringe elements of world opinion.

The conspiracies continue as he blames the FBI in the Daniel Pearl case.

“…there is some speculation that it was the FBI who released a computer-generated video depicting Daniel Pearl being killed. Up till today, no one believes that video and its authenticity has yet to be proven. The whole hoax was arranged to set up a few people so the CIA could move against them.”

Again, this is a wild and baseless theory. He also denies any knowledge of Richard Reid, as naturally he would want to do.

The following paragraph should give readers an idea of the mind we are dealing with here:

“Once again, it was not in the interest of the US to become involved in the insurgency in Afghanistan. The U.S. was manipulated by the Masons whose sinister scheme was to free Jews from USSR, facilitating their immigration to Israel. In this, both Masons and Mossad played a major role. One can cite dozens of such examples but a few will be sufficient to expose the evil, inhumane designs of hidden hands wherein lie the roots of terrorism.”

What does that even mean? I must, once again, borrow a movie quote that seems rather apropos to this.

“[Sheikh Gilani], what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I’ve ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response did you say anything that could even be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

He accuses the “hidden hands” guiding the US, he says, “Their hope, to bring about a clash of civilizations, in order to realize their global empire, failed. And so too, their aim to blame the Muslims, will fail.”

I read a columnist recently who said accurately, I believe, that we are not involved in a clash of civilizations, but between civilization and the lack of it.

Gilani has preyed upon the poor and disillusioned, recruiting them to his cause. Then, he pushes them into even more poverty, taking a hefty portion of what income they might have as they live in trailers without basic utilities and provide their children with a poor education. Sounds like a regular Shangri-La!

In all seriousness, let me make one thing clear, I do not hate Muslims. Believe it or not, Sheikh, it is against my own religious beliefs. Even though I do not adhere to their beliefs, I do not have a problem if they wish to practice theirs - peacefully.

What I am against are people like you, Gilani, that preach hate, deceit, and violence. You say you are peaceful in public, but in private, you say something else. You support those who are indeed not peaceful. You have deceived and stolen from your own followers. I do believe that many of your followers are sincerely religious people and I believe you have done them a disservice. You say that you advocate education, but your arguments are far from intellectual. You act as if you speak for the majority of Muslims, but I am certain that you do not.

Also, let me clear up one other thing. Not everyone who opposes you is an agent of Mossad, or even the Masons whom you oddly mentioned. Your paranoia of Israel is pretty far-fetched. I’m sure this will come as a shock to you, but most people in a free society who aren’t brainwashed by people like you, are able to come to their own conclusions as I have done. Considering your hatred of the Jews, you certainly give their intelligence service a lot of credit. A bit ironic, I think.

In your public response, you mention Stephen Paster (aka Javed Atif) and attempt to distance yourself from him. It is obvious you would want to do this as his actions paint him as somewhat of an “American Taliban”. However, do you deny that he ever worked for you and that he committed violent acts while doing so?

You say your followers live rurally to be away from the crime and drugs of the city and that you have also instructed them not to accept welfare. Either these are loose rules which are not enforced, or your American followers haven’t been fully honest with you. Because, in fact, many are on welfare, they are selling drugs, and numerous criminal fugitives have been arrested at your own villages. We would all like to know how you can explain away these facts.

Also, to be head of such a “humble” group of Sufis as you say, you speak pretty highly of yourself and your “healing” powers and of your group’s apparent exclusive access to divine miracles. I tell you, we have such men in Christendom as well and they too, are not well regarded.

I suppose it is too bad if you feel that your character has been maligned, but in all honesty, you haven’t done yourself many favors.

You claim the social services of your organizations as evidence of your benignity, but you will have to go further than that. This is certainly useful as propaganda, but even Hamas makes such claims, and we know of their aims. Do you renounce organizations like Hamas? Will you speak out against their violence toward civilians? Will you advocate the dismantling of such radical militant organizations wherever they operate?

I’m not holding my breath.

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See the response from the Northeast Intelligence Network - HERE.

Check out The Canadian Sentinel's response - HERE.

Peakah has some thoughts as well - HERE.

And don't miss the new blog, "Shedding Some Light", written by an ex-Fuqra member and Gilani follower - HERE - [UPDATE] This blog has been removed.