The leader of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) in Jordan has stated that his movement is willing to sacrifice “our lives and money” for the sake of holy sites, referring to a recent Israeli government decision to include two sites on the West Bank as Israeli National Heritage sites. According to a report in the Jordan Times, Ishaq Farhan stated;
“Holy sites are worth more to us than our lives and money, which we are ready to sacrifice for the sake of Islam,” said Ishaq Farhan, secretary general of the Islamic Action Front (IAF). The IAF leader called on the Arab countries to adopt a tough position against Israel during the upcoming summit in Libya. “This action requires an immediate response from Arabs and Muslims from around the world,” said Farhan, calling on the government to sever ties with Israel. “We have to respond in an aggressive and strong way to stop Israel from continuing with their actions and other measures they are taking in the occupied Palestinian territories,” he told The Jordan Times. “People should not be acting softly on this grave action; otherwise Israel will forge ahead with its agenda to take complete control over Jerusalem and other holy sites,” he warned.
The IAF is generally considered to be the political wing of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. IAF Secretary-General Ishaq Farhan is a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, one of the three founders of the IAF, and a former education minister and senator. Mr. Farhan is also listed as a director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), founded in the U.S. in 1980 by important members of the Global Muslim Brotherhood who wished to promote the “Islamization of Knowledge.” IIIT was associated with the now defunct SAAR Foundation, a network of Islamic organizations located in Northern Virginia that was raided by the Federal government in March 2002 in connection with the financing of terrorism. In 2000, Mr. Farhan was denied entry to the U.S. after having had his visa revoked in the prior year without informing him. The New York Times reported at that time that unidentified American diplomats called Mr. Farhan a “moderating force” and that he “as kept a distance from the vociferous opposition to peaceful relations with Israel.” However, in 2003 a media report said that the IAF had “declared a jihad in favor of Iraq and Palestine if the US attacks Iraq.” More recently, after congratulating President Obama on his election, the IAF called his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan “a hostile step against the Arab and Islamic worlds. In 2009, the IAF also called Israeli actions in Gaza “the ugliest crime in history.”
A post from earlier this week reported that the deputy leader of the IAF is scheduled to appear as a featured speaker at the annual conference of the Center for the Study of Islamic and Democracy (CSID) in April. As that post discussed, CSID has many ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.