Illustrating once again the close relationship among U.S. Muslim Brotherhood organizations, the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) has announced that Iqbal Unus, one of IIIT’s long-time leaders, recently received the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) 2011 Lifetime Service Award at a recent banquet. According to the announcement:
Once again this year, the Annual Banquet of the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) brought together Muslim leaders and activists to hear about CAIR’s progress in protecting the civil rights of Muslim Americans and to generate funds for its continuing work. Imam Siraj Wahhaj urged those present to donate generously. Congressman Jim Moran addressed the problems of prejudice against, and ignorance about, the Muslim community, and advised increased participation in the political process. Dr. Iqbal Unus, Director of The Fairfax Institute at IIIT received CAIR’s 2011 Lifetime Service Award at this well-attended event in Arlington, Virginia, on October 15. Dr. Unus was recognized for his 41 years of service and leadership in the local, regional and national American Muslim community.
An earlier post discussed a Washington Post profile of Iqbal Unus, one of the important figures of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. That profiles identifies his role in launching the Muslim Student Society and the Islamic Society of North America as well as his position at IIIT. A Hudson Institute report identifies the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) as important parts of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and also identifies Iqbal Unus as one of the original incorporators of ISNA.
The same Hudson report also details how the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) IIIIT was founded in the U.S. in 1980 by U.S. Muslim Brotherhood leaders including Jamal Barzinji and Hisham Altalib who wished to promote the Islamization of Knowledge as conceived by Ismail Al-Faruqi and who were also early leaders of ISNA. 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 and both organizations had been under investigation at that time by the U.S. Justice Department until at least mid 2007. The organization appeared to have withdrawn from public view following the 2002 raids but seems to be enjoying a renaissance of late. IIIT has a network of affiliates located in Europe, Africa, the MIddle East, and Asia. Although little is known about the activities of these IIIT affiliates, recent posts have discussed plans by IIIT to construct colleges in Bosnia and Lebanon.
Documents released in the Holy Land Trial have revealed that the founders and current leaders of CAIR were part of the Palestine Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as identifying the organization itself as being part of the US. Brotherhood. A recent post discussed an interview with the Deputy leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in which he confirms a relationship between his organization and CAIR. Investigative research posted on GMBDW had determined that CAIR had it origins in the U.S. Hamas infrastructure and CAIR and its leaders have a long history of defending almost all individuals accused of terrorism by the US. government, frequently calling such prosecutions a “war on Islam.” In 2009, a US federal judge ruled “The Government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR, ISNA and NAIT with HLF, the Islamic Association for Palestine (“IAP”), and with Hamas.”