The Islamists’ Allies in Law Enforcement
If you are searching for proof of the success of stealth jihad, then look no further than the Islamists’ success in becoming partners with law enforcement agencies eager to reach out to the Muslim community.
Los Angeles should be particularly embarrassed by an exposé by the Investigative Project on Terrorism published on June 1. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is among the most high-profile defenders of the Muslim Brotherhood’s fronts in the U.S., including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). He stands by the group’s innocence, even though the federal government designated it as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the trial of the Holy Land Foundation, a front set up by the Muslim Brotherhood to finance Hamas. The FBI subsequently ended its use of CAIR as a liaison, but some in law enforcement, such as Sheriff Baca, believe they know better than the agency. CAIR has honored Baca with an award for his support. Los Angeles County Deputy Sherif Morsi received it on his behalf.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Deputy Chief Michael Downing, who is the Commanding Officer of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau, shows some knowledge of the Muslim Brotherhood, but dismisses accusations that it is currently a threat because, in his words, it has “evolved and changed.”
On May 15, 2011, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Muslim Public Affairs Unit held a town hall at the Islamic Center of Southern California, a mosque with Brotherhood origins. It was moderated by the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a group that was founded by Brotherhood ideologues. Tom Trento of The United West held up a copy of Shariah: The Threat to America, authored by top national security experts, and asked if the speakers believe that there is a Muslim Brotherhood presence in Los Angeles County and what is being done about it.
Downing answered the question by conceding that he is “sure” that the Brotherhood is in his county, but did not address its threat potential. Trento approached him after the event and, on videotape, Downing said that “the message is not to demonize the Brotherhood here” because it has “evolved and changed.” He compared it to how there are more moderate and more extreme elements of the Republican and Democratic parties and said it would be wrong to oppose a group like the Muslim Students Association just because it was founded by the Brotherhood.
He then encouraged Trento to study ijtihad, an Islamic concept that permits independent scrutiny of specific interpretations. When Trento responded that, according to mainstream Islamic theology,ijtihad is “closed,” Downing disagreed, only saying, “it’s not.” The United West’s video of the encounter then quotes the 2011 edition of the Encyclopedia Britanica about ijtihad, confirming that it was declared a thing in the past by the Islamic schools of jurisprudence by 1258 A.D. Downing would later use the incident as an example of those who “want to instill fear in the hearts of the American people because they don’t tell the truth.”
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