Regular readers to this site probably remember the name Abdullah Omar Naseef. He is the founder of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs (IMMA), the organization at which Huma Abedin served as an assistant editor for approximately twelve years. During the controversy that involved Abedin and letters sent by Michele Bachmann to various Inspectors General that expressed concerns about Muslim Brotherhood infiltration – Fox News noticeably went out of its way to avoid the story, except when coverage of it was helpful to the deputy chief of staff to Hillary Clinton.
One very big reason for that might just be found in an article by Diana West.
While it’s common knowledge that Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is the second largest shareholder of News Corp., Fox’s parent company, perhaps not as widely known is Murdoch’s ownership stake in a media company owned by Alwaleed.
West reports:
The channel is Al Risala, which translates into “the (Islamic) message.” It was launched in 2006 by Saudi prince Talal bin Alwaleed, the nephew of the King of Saudi Arabia and a Murdoch business associate who also owns a 7 percent stake in Murdoch’s News Corp., the parent company of Fox News and other U.S. media outlets.
Murdoch co-owns Al Risala through his acquisition of an 18.97 percent stake in Rotana, Al Risala’s Arabic media parent group, which is owned by Alwaleed.
West links to another find as well. None other than Abdullah Omar Naseef is one of six members who serve on the Advisory Committee of Al Risala:
The Members of the Supreme Advisory Committee of AlResalah channel include:
1. Sheikh Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al Manai, Member of Senior Ulema Commission in Saudi Arabia
2. Dr. Abdullah Naseef, President of World Muslim Congress
3. Dr. Hamed Al Refaie, Secretary General of the Muslim World Congress and President of the International Islamic Forum for Dialogue
4. Dr. Abdullah Al Meslih, Commission of Scientific Signs of Qur’an and Sunnah
5. Sheikh Ali Al Nashwan Religious Advisor to HRH Prince Alwaleed
6. Dr. Abdulaziz Al Askar, Former Head of Media Department at Al Imam bin Muhamed University
When John McCain defended Abedin and smeared Bachmann, Fox News covered it. When John Boehner did the same, Fox News covered it. When former Bachman Campaign Chief Ed Rollins ripped Bachmann and defended Abedin, Fox News covered it. When it came to an opposing view, Fox News ignored it. In one case, host Megyn Kelly insisted that David Horowitz be shut down when he brought it up as a guest on her show.
Any argument put forth that Horowitz was shut down because he went off topic is short-circuited because of the network’s bald-face avoidance of the story absent pro-Abedin reports.
As Abedin fades from public view (at least for the time being) because of Clinton’s decision to step down as Secretary of State, her relevance may subside as well but what is absolutely relevant is the role of Naseef. As the founder of the IMMA, his plans are extremely clear; they include a very real propaganda campaign designed to transform non-Muslim lands into Muslim lands until all lands have Muslim majorities. That’s what the Institute for Muslim Minority Affairs (IMMA) was specifically founded to do.
An individual whose name has come up in the controversial story involving the sale of Al Gore’s Current TV to Al Jazeera is Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who has his own program on Al Jazeera and lives in the country where that network is based – Qatar. This reality rightfully warrants criticism of Gore’s judgment but how about criticism of Murdoch’s judgment?
Consider that Naseef, the man who sits on the Supreme Advisory Committee of Al Risala – a company Murdoch has a substantial stake in – has a history with Al Qaradawi. In 2004 – 2005, both Qaradawi and Naseef sat on the Board of Trustees of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS). Huma Abedin’s brother Hassan was a fellow at the time.
The sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera will mean that the Jihadist network will attempt to further its agenda actively in the United States. Alwaleed’s ownership stake in News Corp. has already been demonstrated to mean that Fox News will actively avoid exposing Jihadist agendas. Murdoch’s stake in Al Risala appears to mean he benefits when Jihadist agendas are furthered in both Muslim Majority lands…
…and Muslim Minority lands.
Read West’s entire piece.