9/11 Commission’s Executive Director Shared Stage with Al-Qaeda Connected, Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual Leader

Less than three years after the 9/11 Commission released its report in 2004, Philip Zelikow – the Commission’s Executive Director – shared a stage with Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi in Doha, Qatar (yes, AFTER the comprehensive report that should have revealed al-Qaradawi’s connection to al-Qaeda). The occasion was the annual U.S.-Islamic World Forum (US-IWF), an event co-sponsored each year, beginning in 2004, by the nation of Qatar and the Brookings Institute, a prominent U.S. think tank.

Zelikow_Qaradawi

Two years before the 9/11 attacks Zelikow’s Commission was charged with investigating, al-Qaradawi was barred from the U.S. because of his support for Palestinian suicide bombers. In fact, al-Qaradawi was a shareholder with the al-Qaeda connected al-Taqwa Bank which also had connections to Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman (the “Blind Sheikh”), the convicted mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Zelikow: Executive Director of 9/11 Commission.

Zelikow: Executive Director of 9/11 Commission.

Those inclined to dismiss the joint al-Qaradawi / Zelikow attendance as an inadvertent and unfortunate anomaly likely haven’t examined the participant lists at the US-IWF over the years. They are rife with Muslim Brotherhood operatives and sympathizers as well as prominent U.S. politicians like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Senator John McCain, and Secretary of State John Kerry.

Prior to being banned from the U.S., al-Qaradawi was on the list of “Officers, Directors, Trustees, and Key Employees” of the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB). The ISB is a mosque that was attended by the Boston Marathon Bombers.

The ISB Cultural Center, located a short distance from the ISB is led by an imam named Suhaib Webb, who was in attendance at the 2009 US-IWF, identified as an Imam with the Muslim American Society (MAS).

Today, Barack Obama tells us that ISIS / ISIL / Islamic State is not Islamic. Yet, Webb, who is touted as a purveyor and proponent of ‘moderate’ Islam has called for… wait for it… an Islamic State, while speaking at a CAIR event. Note what he says: “Secularism is a radical, lunatic ideology”. Is that not calling for an Islamic State? (h/t Jihad Watch):

Last year, when Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) asked then FBI-Director Robert Mueller if he knew that a convicted terrorist prosecuted and convicted on Mueller’s watch in 2004 – Abdurahman Alamoudi – founded the ISB. Shockingly, Mueller said no:

In 2004, MAS Secretary-General Shaker Elsayed conceded that his organization – represented by Webb – was founded by Muslim Brotherhood members. Elsayed is a close colleague of Bassam Estwani, the former Chairman of the notorious Dar al-Hijrah mosque once visited by al-Qaradawi. This mosque was visited by no fewer than two 9/11 hijackers:

Estwani (background) and Elsayed (foreground) in Honolulu.

Estwani (background) and Elsayed (foreground) in Honolulu.

Qaradawi (L) and Estwani (seated on floor) at Dar al-Hijrah prior to 1999.

Qaradawi (L) and Estwani (seated on floor) at Dar al-Hijrah prior to 1999.

Reasons for McCain’s Strong Defense of Huma Abedin beginning to take shape
The disturbingly close relationship between Qatar and Brookings was explored in some depth by the New York Times last week, as Shoebat.com reported. As a nation state that harbors Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Qatar qualifies as a State Sponsor of Terrorism but is still considered an ally of the U.S.

In 2011, McCain, Hillary, and Huma were all in attendance at the US-IWF, held for the first time in the U.S. Also in attendance was al-Qaradawi’s deputy Abdallah bin Bayyah:

Bayyah: al-Qaradawi Deputy

Bayyah: al-Qaradawi Deputy

Little more than one year later, McCain took to the Senate floor and shockingly delivered a passionate, though unsubstantiated defense of Huma Abedin and an unwarranted, stinging rebuke of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) for raising legitimate questions about Abedin. While pleading his defense of Abedin, perhaps McCain revealed a bit too much when he said he had gotten to know Abedin over “the past decade”. What McCain did not acknowledge was Abedin’s familial connections to Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

Huma served as an editor with the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs (IMMA) from 1996-2008. Serving with her at IMMA was her brother Hassan Abedin. As Shoebat.com reported, while both Huma and Hassan were with the IMMA, Hassan was a fellow at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies (OCIS) and Yusuf al-Qaradawi served on the Board of Trustees. The Chairman of the Board was none other than Abdullah Omar Naseef, a chief al-Qaeda financier, a Saudi, and the man who founded the IMMA.

OCIS_Board

In light of McCain’s coziness with Qatar, his defense of Abedin does make quite a bit more sense. Now that you know why McCain acted a fool in this video below, you might appreciate it a bit more:

In light of these developments, it’s worth pointing out again that when Qatar-based al-Jazeera America kicked off last year, both McCain and Hillary appeared in the promotional video to tout the Muslim Brotherhood propaganda network.

McCain and Hillary embrace.

McCain and Hillary embrace.

Chief Benghazi Investigator attends 2013 US-IWF
Though the Benghazi Accountability Review Board (ARB) didn’t have as high a profile as did the 9/11 Commission, there were similarities between the objectives of its Chairman Thomas Pickering and Zelikow. Benghazi was the second 9/11 attack on the U.S. and Pickering was commissioned by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to head the ARB.

Six months after completing the ARB report, Pickering would also attend the US-IWF, six years after Zelikow.

ARB Chairman Pickering listed as Participant at Muslim Brotherhood-friendly conference

ARB Chairman Pickering listed as Participant at Muslim Brotherhood-friendly conference

Other noteworthy individuals in attendance in 2013 were ISNA President Mohamed Magid and Rashad Hussain, two of six men identified by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) as Muslim Brotherhood infiltrators of the Obama administration. A third man so identified has attended the US-IWF in previous years – Salam al-Marayati, in 2011.

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