Solsticewitch13's BOS: Investigative Report: Exposing the Cordoba Islamic Center of Manhattan

Introduction

For the last several months, I have been covertly investigating the people, power and money behind the proposed “9/11 mega mosque” planned for the old Burlington Coat Factory situated just two blocks from “Ground Zero” in lower Manhattan. In order to provide the most comprehensive and fact-based insight into this issue as possible, I deliberately postponed publishing any reports until my investigation, consisting of direct and indirect inquiries, procurement of records, and the use of operational assets to develop information was complete.

While any person of reasonable sensibilities and a working moral compass could legitimately find the construction of an Islamic center in such close proximity to the graveyard of thousands of innocent Americans of 9/11 objectionable, there are many proponents who argue that its construction will serve as an example of American understanding, tolerance, compassion and respect for a religion that has been maligned by the actions of a minority. The legitimacy of the argument on behalf of its placement should become moot by simply citing two basic but important concepts: historical precedent and the understanding that Islam is more than a religion. If those points fail to convince an ostensibly objective audience as they have to-date, then the results of my investigation should cause anyone with the least bit of intellectual honesty to strongly object to any Islamic structure being built at the intended location.

With regard to historical precedent, the Dome of the Rock could serve as “Exhibit A” and the conversion of the former Byzantine basilica Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey as “Exhibit B” in the symbolism of Islamic conquest. In both instances, the mosques are perceived in the world of Islam as iconic symbols of victory over a beaten, subservient populace. Their importance in Islamic history and current significance relative to the stated objectives of Islam to dominate rather than coexist cannot be overstated, but is unfortunately overlooked or characterized as irrational hyperbole. Such oversight has always had longstanding adverse consequences to nations and their people who have failed to learn from history.

Based on a plethora of historical examples that include the foregoing, it should be clear that the building of a mosque or a mosque within an Islamic center so near the epicenter of the 9/11 attacks will be perceived as a symbol of Islamic conquest in the Muslim world, despite the perpetual denials by so-called moderate Muslims and regardless of modern sensibilities of “well reasoned” Western thought. Much like the Christians in the Ottoman Empire at the time of the conversion of the basilica to a mosque, the building of this mosque will most assuredly be perceived and promoted as a very special humiliation of the West. And as in the cases cited, this will only become clear after it is too late.

Furthermore, one must understand that Islam is not merely a religion, but a combination of theological, political, and cultural imperatives that includes the ultimate objective of imposing Islam and Sharia law worldwide, subjugating all else to Islam. It is critical to understand that a mosque built so near the epicenter of the carnage at the World Trade Center site does not hold the same significance to Americans – under our Western ideology and reason – that it does to adherents of Islam and the Islamic world. Without this full understanding of Islamic doctrine and the significance of Islamic conquests throughout history, proponents of the construction are historically, socially and politically ill informed, or deleteriously misguided. Opponents to the construction of a mosque are often mischaracterized as irrational Islamophobes and xenophobes, even by respected Westerners.

Although the issues identified above should alone be sufficient to cause concern if not alarm, the facts behind the planned “9/11 mega-mosque” only get worse for America and the West. The structure that is being planned for New York is more than the product of Islamic ambition. It will be the conduit for an interfaith center that is intended to unite people under one religious umbrella, using the visible and highly compatible Islamic component as a means to an end.

It would be easy to dismiss the foregoing premise as being too far-fetched until one examines all of the evidence, not just that which is readily accessible. Nonetheless, even the most accessible and obvious information is bad. When the layers of deception are pulled back through bona fide investigation of the individuals and groups involved in this project, the information goes from bad to worse and from rationally objectionable to the unthinkable.

The Proposed Location & Project

On September 11, 2001, two passenger planes hijacked by Islamic terrorists struck the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The landing gear of one of the aircraft was propelled through the roof of the four-story building located at 45 Park Place, which at the time was home to the Burlington Coat Factory retail store. Built in 1857, the building is situated about six hundred feet from the epicenter of Ground Zero. Following the attacks of 9/11, the building has been unoccupied.

According to real estate transaction records, the property for the planned Islamic center was purchased by SME Acquisitions Corporation, c/o SOHO Properties LLC, 552 Broadway, Suite 6N, New York, NY for $4.85 million in cash in July, 2009. The CEO of SOHO Properties, which was established in 2003, is Sharif EL-GAMAL. According to published reports, the proposed construction would involve razing the existing 153 year-old structure and build a 13-story Islamic center named the Cordoba House. Initial plans call for the center to house a 500-seat auditorium, a swimming pool and a mosque that would overlook Ground Zero. Plans for the Cordoba House were made public by Feisal Abdul-Rauf, the imam of a mosque currently located about 12 blocks from the proposed location, and a reported investor in SOHO Properties with respect to this transaction. According to published reports, the ambitious project is estimated to cost between $100-$150 million dollars.

Based on a review of financial statements and reports, the non-profit Cordoba Initiative has less than $20,000 in assets. Nonetheless, the new Islamic center is expected to be completed and unveiled on September 11, 2011.

Resource: Articles of Incorporation: The Cordoba Initiative (PDF file)

The Parties Involved

Although the actual move was made to build the Islamic center near the Ground Zero site last year, the project has been in the works since the attacks of 9/11 by individuals and organizations who laid the groundwork long before the new millennium. The timing of this project is not accidental or coincidental. The parties involved in the project are keenly aware of the social and political climate in the U.S., and launched their project in the fertile environment created by an administration that is openly conciliatory toward Muslims and willing to subjugate the U.S. to a globalist agenda.

The following will provide clear documentation that the parties involved are not only Muslims, but disciples of Saul Alinsky, Margaret Sanger, George Soros and other proponents of global governance and the unification of religion under a global umbrella. This explains how and why many prominent socialists and progressives, Christians and Jews, Republicans and Democrats are proponents of this project.

The Cordoba Initiative/Cordoba House

It is important to understand the importance of the name Cordoba, as in the Cordoba Initiative and Cordoba House, which is the name associated with this New York project. Cordoba is a direct reference to the city in Spain that was the center of Islamic culture, Islamic proselytizing and Muslim education during the Middle Ages. It was recognized as the seat of an Islamic caliphate under which all non-Muslims, especially Jews and Christians, were subjugated to Islam.

Under the “new age philosophy” of Abdul-Rauf and his associates, however, the Cordoba initiative is an attempt to create the illusion in the West that Islam, Judaism and Christianity share the same spiritual origins. An attempt is being made to convince an unwitting public that Islam, Christianity and Judaism are not only compatible, but all three religions worship the same God. While further explanation of this concept is outside the scope of this investigation, it must be identified and exposed within this report as the most critical element of deception that will facilitate the advancement of this project. Simply put, it will be under this false umbrella of unity that the “deal” will be sealed.

Imam Feisal Abdul-Rauf

The point man for the Islamic center near Ground Zero is Feisal Abdul-Rauf. He is the Imam of Masjid al-Farah, an existing mosque located at 245 West Broadway, New York, NY. He is also the founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), and the director and board chair of the Cordoba Initiative, a non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Colorado in 2004. According to the articles of incorporation filed with the Colorado Department of State on 26 May 2004, Feisal Abdul-Rauf used an address of P.O. Box 7376, North Bergen, New Jersey 07047 at the time of incorporation. Three-(3) other directors of the Cordoba Initiative are listed as Daisy KAHN (wife of Feisal Abdul-Rauf), former mayor of Aspen, Colorado John S BENNETT, and Julia JITKOFF. An exemplary expose on Abdul-Rauf was published on 14 May 2010 by Alyssa A. Lappen in an article titled The Ground Zero Mosque Developer: Muslim Brotherhood Roots, Radical Dreams, which is required reading for the background on Rauf, his associations and more importantly, his contradictions.

It should be noted that Feisal Abdul-Rauf is the public coordinator for the proposed Islamic center, so named as it will be the dominant factor and force within the structure. Investigation tracked numerous other individuals and organizations that are either overtly or covertly, directly or tangentially involved in the project. It is within this subset of globalist facilitators that this project will secure the financing, influence government officials at national, state and local levels, and use the corporate media to sway public opinion.

The American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA)

As already noted, Abdul-Rauf founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) in 1997, which has been run by his wife, Daisy KAHN since 2005. According to a review of financial statements, ASMA is the fiscal agent for the Cordoba Initiative. The Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement share the same infrastructure, space, and other operational assets, making them virtually one in the same, except on paper.

A review of the same financial statements provided interesting insight into the funding of ASMA, International donations included $576,312 from the government of Qatar and $481,942 from the Millennial Development Goals Fund of Holland. Of particular significance noted was a $53,664 contribution from the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA)

The World Economic Forum

As explained on their web site, the World Economic Forum is an independent, international organization incorporated as a Swiss not-for-profit foundation. Their goal is the establishment of a world-class corporate governance system where values are as important a basis as rules. Their motto is “entrepreneurship in the global public interest,” but contends that “economic progress without social development is not sustainable, while social development without economic progress is not feasible.”

Their stated vision, in part, is to build and energize leading global communities, be the creative force shaping global, regional and industry strategies, and be the catalyst of choice for its communities when undertaking global initiatives to improve the state of the world.

It becomes clear that the Cordoba Initiative is integrated within a larger global initiative, including the World Economic Forum. Within the World Economic Forum are other overlapping groups and organizations, including those dedicated to advance the agenda of global warming and climate change, usher in a single world currency, and unite the world under a single religion.

Members of the World Economic Forum include the C-100 group (world leaders, including key Muslim leaders) that is headed by the Saudis, and groups including the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT). Their agenda is to advance Islam under the guise of interfaith dialogue and interaction. Their ultimate agenda, on a larger scale, is the unification of all religions under one global body.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder, Cordoba Initiative; Daisy Kahn, Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement; Sayyed Mirza, Project Manager, Reframing Perceptions of Islam and Muslims, East West Center; and Omar Amanat, Entrepreneur, Technologist, and Philanthropist at New York Foreign Press Center roundtable on the "Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow Forum."

Anyone familiar with the globalist agenda recognizes this as a critical aspect of breaking down our national sovereignty and ultimately expanding the radical social and political goals of the United Nations. It is the implementation of social justice through religious unification, a method to compel Americans to peacefully ultimately accept the UN’s radical agenda through subterfuge. There is no better symbolic location and has been no better time than under this administration for the advancement of such global objectives. And there are no better “emissaries” of the globalist agenda than Imam Feisal Abdul-Rauf and his wife, Daisy KAHN as illustrated here:

The U.S. Department of State under the Obama administration

Support behind Rauf, Kahn, and the Cordoba Initiative not only comes from Muslim counties, but from our own administration. In fact, Abdul-Rauf was sent on an international mission by the U.S. State Department to “build bridges” between the West and the Muslim World.

As quoted in IslamOnline.net, Rauf stated:

“We have developed under this initiative a number of projects which we believe are effective in creating this discourse about these particular arenas,” citing projects in political, religious and cultural arenas.

Deceit & Dawa

As developed by journalist Andrew McCarthy (National Review Online, 24 July 2010 – link), the book written by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, What’s Right with Islam, was originally published in Malaysia under a much different title: A Call to Prayer from the World Trade Center Rubble: Islamic Dawa in the Heart of America Post-9/11.

What’s Right with Islam was published as a “special, non-commercial edition” of the book and by the Islamic Society of North America and the International Institute of Islamic Thought. Both organizations are arms of the Muslim Brotherhood.

This tactic is neither new nor exclusive to Rauf, and is common among various Islamic publications. To understand the significance of this book, one must understand the meaning of Dawa in Islam. Dawa is the spread of Islamic concepts, and not merely the religious concepts. In fact, Dawa is a step in establishing Sharia, the legal aspects of Islam.

Read Mr. McCarthy’s excellent report here.