Islam and Islamism in America in 2015: Part I
January-March 2015

by Soeren Kern • January 23, 2016 at 5:00 am

Representative André Carson (D-Indiana), a convert to Islam, was appointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Carson has extensive ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Officials at the Rocky Heights Middle School in Littleton, Colorado, ignited controversy when they told female students to dress according to Sharia law while visiting a mosque during a field trip.
Islamic politics "advocates the world's greatest double standard: if you come to our country, we won't let you worship the way you want, we won't let you say what you want to say... However, we have come to your country, therefore we have the right to do whatever we want to do, including kill you if you make us mad." — Former US President Bill Clinton.
Fouad ElBayly, an Egyptian-born imam who in 2007 said that Somali-born activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali should receive the death penalty for her criticism of Islam, is now a Department of Justice contractor hired to teach classes to Muslims who are in federal prison. – The Daily Caller
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under Allah...." – Arabic rendering of the Pledge of Allegiance, Pine Bush High School, New York.
Breitbart News revealed the existence of what is believed to be the first official Sharia law court in the United States, in Irving, Texas. The so-called Islamic Tribunal settles civil disputes among the growing Muslim population.

Left: Rep. André Carson (D-Indiana), a convert to Islam, was appointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Carson has extensive ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Right: Christopher Lee Cornell, a convert to Islam, was arrested in Cincinnati, Ohio, for plotting to "wage jihad" by attacking the US Capitol. Cornell planned to detonate pipe bombs and gun down lawmakers.

The Muslim population of the United States surpassed 3.5 million in 2015, according to demographic projections compiled by the Pew Research Center. In percentage terms, Muslims currently comprise roughly 1% of the US population.

As in Europe, Islam was an ever-present topic in American newspaper headlines during 2015. Most news items involved terrorism-related issues — including many cases of lone-wolf terrorists — closely followed by articles about Muslim integration and assimilation.

JANUARY 2015