CLARION PROJECT 05/21/2021

 

The Extremism Roundup Promoting Civil Discourse and Marginalizing the Extremes A weekly compilation of the most important developments in the struggle against radical ideologies

Islamist & Anti-Muslim Extremism  Drew Angerer/Getty Images   INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Muslim Brotherhood Thanks Left-Wing Sympathizers The Muslim Brotherhood (of which terror group Hamas is the Palestinian wing) expressed its appreciation for Democratic members of Congress who are criticizing Israel for its response to Hamas’ rocket attacks. The Brotherhood specifically thanked Senator Bernie Sanders and Reps. Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In another example of left-wing sympathy for Hamas, prominent progressive media figure Emma Vigeland tweeted that “Hamas is no more of a terrorist organization than the Israeli or U.S. governments.” CNN fired a Pakistan-based contributor after it was discovered that he repeatedly wrote antisemitic tweets and praised Hitler on multiple occasions. He co-authored at least 54 articles on the CNN website.  CLARION INTELLIGENCE NETWORK Clarion Exclusive: “Islamberg” Cult Leader Dies in Pakistan, Successors in U.S. On May 14, the leader of the Islamist, antisemitic cult known as “Muslims of the Americas” died in Pakistan of natural causes. Clarion Project’s Ryan Mauro first broke the story of Sheikh Gilani’s death before MOA announced it. MOA, also known as Jammat ul-Fuqra, is best known for its 70-acre "Islamberg" headquarters in upstate New York. The group claims to have 22 such “Islamic villages” in North America. According to Clarion’s sources, Gilani’s American wife is now in the U.S. to oversee the succession process. Four of his sons have also moved to the U.S. and Canada to take over the cult. Clarion Project has an entire website to store its fully-documented research into the group at FuqraFiles.com.  LAW ENFORCEMENT Latest Islamist Attacks & Prosecutions Groups of Jews were violently attacked by anti-Israel extremists at a restaurant in Los Angeles. In Manhattan, anti-Israel demonstrators were seen attacking Jews and assaulting police who stood in the way. One person was injured in an apparent terrorist attack in Kissimmee, Fla. A man named Ahmad Jihad Bojeh tried to kill random civilians by shooting at cars in a Wawa gas station parking lot. He was arrested. One person was injured. An ISIS supporter from Jacksonville, Fla. and arrested in Roanoke, Va. pled guilty to providing material support to the group. He sought to assist other jihadists in creating explosives and uploaded an instructional video to the Internet.  An ISIS supporter in Brooklyn was sentenced to 20 years for providing ISIS terrorists with manuals and advice on how to carry out terrorist attacks and urging them to strike in New York City.   An ISIS supporter in Ohio pled guilty to plotting to carry out mass shootings at two synagogues in Toledo.  In Europe, an Afghan migrant stabbed seven people after one of them allegedly said that God does not exist. In France, an Islamist woman stabbed a police officer. And in Germany, a recent convert to Islam beheaded his wife.  The imam of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Detroit, Mich. was questioned at an airport. The imam and his mosque are known for being supportive of the Iranian regime and Hezbollah.    LAW ENFORCEMENT Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Targeting Muslims A man in Tennessee has pled guilty after he harassed two Muslim girls who were walking home from school and then injured their father with a knife. When their mother arrived with their younger sister, he then chased them with the knife. After his arrest, the anti-Muslim extremist admitted to police that he attacked them because, as he saw the girls were wearing hijabs, he knew they were Muslims. Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism Sean Gallup/Getty Images LAW ENFORCEMENT Two Neo-Nazi Extremists Arrested in Florida & New Mexico In Miami, a neo-Nazi member of the Goyim Defense League was arrested after repeatedly harassing Jews and disobeying police officers’ orders. The extremist, originally from Denver, drove a van with his colleagues that had swastikas and antisemitic writing on the outside and protested outside of a Holocaust Education Center.  Separately, a neo-Nazi member of the Aryan Brotherhood in New Mexico has been charged after he discarded three dead bodies, who are believed to be rival members of the same group. The Aryan Brotherhood has an estimated 20,000 members inside and outside of the prison system.  LAW ENFORCEMENT First Active-Duty Military Member Arrested for Jan. 6 Capitol Attack The number of defendants who have been charged for their involvement in the January 6 attack on the Capitol building has risen to 460.  The latest arrests include the first active-duty member of the U.S. military, a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Marine assaulted police officers who were attempting to guard the entrance to the building. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING D.C. Police Document: Antifa “By Far the Most Violent” Group in Recent Years A leaked training document from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department states that the Antifa movement is “by far the most violent we have dealt with over the years.”   It also states: “As you all are aware during the Inauguration of President Trump this was the group that destroyed property, assaulted any Trump supporter they ran into includ[ing] the elderly. They have no moral compass on who they go after… . If you do not believe in what they [Antifa] believe in, you are a target of violence." The document was leaked after a Russian-speaking ransomware group hacked the police department and threatened to release 250 GB of data if its demands were not met. The police did not give in. It is unclear if the Russian government is connected to the cyber attack. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Black Lives Matter Organization Sides with Hamas The Black Lives Matter organization has reacted to Israel’s military actions to try to stop Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israeli civilians by siding with Hamas. The group’s May 17 tweet, which fails to mention the rockets fired by Hamas, essentially characterizes the Islamist terrorist group as freedom-fighters. “Black Lives Matter stands in solidarity with Palestinians. We are a movement committed to ending settler colonialism in all forms and will continue to advocate for Palestinian liberation. ( always have. And always will be [sic]),” it says. Hostile Foreign Influence Operations Alex Wong/Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING China Increases Influence Ops in U.S. by 500% The Communist Chinese regime has increased its spending on lobbying in the U.S. by about 600 percent in recent years, rising from $10 million in 2016 to $64 million in 2020.  The data about registered foreign agents indicates that China is now the top peddler of foreign influence in the U.S. Qatar came in 2nd place with $50 million in declared spending, and Russia came in 3rd place with $42 million.  The real amount is likely much higher, as these figures are only based on what’s publicly acknowledged. For example, a new Associated Press investigation uncovered a massive CCP campaign to use “an Army of fake fans” to amplify its propaganda on Twitter.   INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING U.S. Army Green Beret Sentenced for Spying for Russia A former Army Green Beret in Gainesville, Va. was sentenced to 15 years for spying for Russia. He claimed that the Russian GRU intelligence service blackmailed him by threatening to expose his homosexuality, but prosecutors argued that he had become bitter against the U.S. Army and described himself as a “loyal son of Russia.” He was recruited by the GRU in 1996 when he visited Russia as a student. He later told Russia about U.S. Special Forces activity in Georgia and Azerbaijan.  Prosecutors say Russia didn’t pay him much, and he even refused a $1,000 payment. He did, however, accept a payment in the form of a bottle of Cognac and a Russian military uniform. Other Ideological Extremism Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Communist Chinese Regime Promoting Antisemitism Israel is condemning the Communist Chinese regime’s promotion of “blatant antisemitism” on state-controlled television. The coverage of the fighting between Israel and Hamas suggested that “wealthy Jews” are controlling U.S. policy. Earlier this month, China’s embassy in Japan tweeted a ferociously anti-Israel and anti-American cartoon. It was then deleted. Last year, the Chinese embassy in France tweeted the same cartoon and then deleted it, claiming it was accidentally posted. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING NYC Church Vandalized, U.S. Flag Burned & Jesus Statue Broken An unknown extremist vandalized a Catholic church in Brooklyn by breaking a statue depicting the crucifixion of Jesus and then burning the church’s American flag. Law enforcement sources have told Clarion Project that acts of vandalism against churches have steadily risen in recent years. The sources expressed concern that the anti-Christian hatred is a precursor to eventual violence. QUOTABLE “The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.” -George Washington, Farewell Address, Sept. 17, 1796   NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked.

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