The Cultural Jihad blog has a roundup of speakers scheduled for this years annual joint convention of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Muslim American Society (MAS). The report begins:
May 18 Baltimore, MD will be hosting the 40th Annual ICNA/MAS convention Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25, 2015.
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is part of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) network in the U.S., and was listed as an affiliated organization in the seized MB document, ‘An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America’. The Muslim American Society (MAS) claims to have no affiliation with the MB, but in 2004 then-Secretary General of MAS, Shaker Elsayed, was quoted as saying, ‘Ikhwan [Brotherhood] members founded MAS…’
This years convention is listing 26 featured speakers to include:
Imam Siraj Wahhaj – Vice President of ISNA and the Imam of Masjid Al-Taqwa in Brookyn, New York. Wahhaj has also held positions with the following Muslim Brotherhood (MB) organizations: North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), the American Muslim Council (AMC) and the Muslim Alliance of North America (MANA). Wahhaj was an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Naeem Baig – President of ICNA and the chairman of the American Muslim Taskforce (AMT), an umbrella body of 10 national American Muslim organizations. According to the Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Watch (GMBDW), ‘The AMT today is comprised of the most important U.S. Muslim Brotherhood organizations including the Muslim American Society (MAS). Council On American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle Of North America (ICNA), Islamic Society Of North America (ISNA), Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and the Muslim Student Association (MSA).’
Read the rest here.
However, the GMBDW wonders about how this could be the 40th such annual convention since the MAS has only been in existence since 1993 and since last year’s convention was said to be the 13th such event. ICNA itself says it was established in 1968 so it may be attempting to enhance the credibility of the partnership by crediting the event with its own history.
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Muslim American Society (MAS) have been holding joint annual conventions for a number of years. The MAS is a part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and known to be close to the Egyptian organization while ICNA is generally thought to be tied to the Jamaat-e-Islami organization of Southeast Asia, itself known to be allied with the global Muslim Brotherhood. ICNA is particularly close to the MAS.
In January 2015, the GMBDW reported on the 2014 ICNA/MAS conference.
For the 2015 convention page, go here.