NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PHOENIX (February 18, 2010) –The American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) is decrying remarks made by the nation’s leading terrorism advisor to President Obama, John Brennan at the recent White House Office of Public Engagement’s, “Dialogue on our Nations Security” at NYU on February 13, 2010. Brennan’s comments demonstrate extreme negligence and a complete lack of understanding of the complexities of political Islam and the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood. AIFD is horrified that the nation’s leading expert on counterterrorism would allow himself to become a shill for the very political movement (Islamism) which ultimately fuels the radicals from which he is expected to protect the United States.

Defeating the ideology of Political Islam (Islamism) needs to be the focal point of the United States efforts at ending Islamist extremism. Yet again we see a highly placed government official unable to identify and discuss the root of the threat. Brennan was more focused, if not obsessed, on appealing to the narrative of victimology that is being perpetuated by well-funded Islamists in the American Muslim communities. His inability to even mention the words “political Islam” speaks volumes on the administrations capability to confront the radicals the United States is increasingly facing.

“As an American Muslim, John Brennan’s apologies deeply offend me and set back true efforts at reforming my faith” said Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, President and Founder of AIFD. “Brennan and the Administration may as well register as publicists and promotional agents for the Muslim Brotherhood and their ideology.”

At the NYU event, Brennan spoke for 30 minutes and took questions for approximately one hour. His remarks centered on downplaying the prevalence of Islamist extremism and apologies for what he emphasized as “the actions of our own government [that] have at times perpetuated [ignorance, prejudice and discrimination].” In the speech Brennan articulated that the President’s approach to confronting violent extremism included “three main components, defeating Al Qaida and its allies, confronting the broader challenge of violent extremism generally and safeguarding our homeland in a manner that both protects our security as well as our values.” There is negligently no mention of political Islam and the global Islamist narrative in the President’s approach.

“How can we possibly confront Islamist radicalization if the President’s principal advisor on counterterrorism cannot appropriately identify political Islam as the problem?” said Jasser. “Al Qaida is merely one of many tools of militant political Islam. It is the ideology that they adhere to that we must be at war with and counter frontally in the public sector, because it is at war with us.

As we have seen over the past year, the common thread of theo-political Islam is what drives militants around the world. Mr. Brennan and the President must provide leadership in articulating the real threat and addressing the root cause of Islamist terror. The Muslim Brotherhood and Islamists can speak for themselves.”

About the American Islamic Foundation for Democracy

The American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. AIFD’s mission advocates for the preservation of the founding principles of the United States Constitution, liberty and freedom, through the separation of mosque and state. For more information on AIFD, please visit our website at http://www.aifdemocracy.org/.

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Source material:

Video of Brennan NYU Speech provided by WhiteHouse.gov

Video of Q&A after Brennan NYU Speech provided by WhiteHouse.gov