CLARION PROJECT 06/04/2021

 

Islamist & Anti-Muslim Extremism  John Moore/Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Pentagon Advisers Includes U.S. Muslim Brotherhood Allies A leaked Pentagon document reveals that the Defense Department has formed a Counter-Extremism Working Group that relies on outside advisers that includes two representatives from the Southern Poverty Law Center and two from the American Civil Liberties Union. The two groups are key allies of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood lobby and demonize those who stand against Islamism, including reformist Muslims. Two of these advisers have defended the Muslim Brotherhood, including one who advocated on behalf of the Holy Land Foundation, which was prosecuted for being a Brotherhood front for financing Hamas.  The list also includes a representative from Emgage, a Muslim-American political group that is close to Linda Sarsour. She is an inflammatory activist condemned by Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. However, the list includes two representatives from organizations that do stand against Islamism, the First Liberty Institute and Middle East Media Research Institute.   INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING California Imam Lauds Hamas in Wake of Antisemitic Attacks Sheikh Tara Arik of the Orange County Islamic Foundation in Mission Viejo, Calif. praised “our brothers and sisters defending Jerusalem” who are “willing to sacrifice their blood.”  Although he claimed he wasn’t telling anyone to “spill their blood to attack anyone,” he didn’t discourage it and praised those who are violently fighting Israel. He did not condemn Hamas, while essentially calling for the destruction of Israel by calling it a “Nazi-like apartheid” and “child-killing Zionist entity.”  Sheikh Arik’s influence goes far beyond the single mosque. He is on the board of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, an umbrella organization that oversees 74 mosques and organizations.   INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING K-12 Teachers Union in San Francisco Endorses BDS Movement The United Educators of San Francisco have responded to the fighting between Israel and Hamas by passing a resolution endorsing the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a movement with extensive links to Islamist terrorists, extremists and antisemites.     A similar resolution calling for boycotting, divesting and sanctioning the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip or its state sponsors like Iran and Qatar has not been passed by the K-12 teachers union. The union fails to acknowledge the abuse of Palestinians by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, despite polling data showing that a strong majority view both as corrupt.  LAW ENFORCEMENT Latest Islamist Attacks & Investigations A woman in Las Vegas was indicted for conspiring to illegally send computer and electronic components to Iran using middlemen in Hong Kong.   In Europe, two jihadist attacks occurred. In Germany, police shot and killed an attacker threatening motorists with a knife while yelling “Allahu Akbar.” In France, an Islamist extremist on a terrorist watch list stabbed and seriously injured a police officer and was then shot to death. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING N.J. Palestinian Community Center Receives Threats of Violence The Palestinian American Community Center in Clifton, N.J. received seven threatening phone calls from someone claiming he was nearby and was going to bomb them. Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism Brandon Bell/Getty Images   INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Rally of Antifa and Black Supremacists Features Calls for Violence Alt-Left extremists groups rallied in Tulsa, Okla. on the anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and militant rhetoric was heard, including one black supremacist reportedly stating that “everything white in sight” will be violently targeted if their demands are not met. Black supremacist participants included the New Black Liberation Militia, New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and the Panther Special Operations Command. Antifa-linked groups included the Fred Hampton Gun Club, Huey P Newton Gun Club and Elmer Geronimo Pratt Gun Club.  INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING BLM Co-Founder Called for Destruction of Israel in 2015 Co-founder of the Black Lives Matter organization, Patrisse Cullors, called on activists to pursue “the end of the imperialist project that’s called Israel” in 2015. Cullors has previously boasted of being a “trained Marxist.” She recently resigned as the executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation after her lavish spending was revealed.  LAW ENFORCEMENT Neo-Nazi Mass Shooting at Walmart Foiled A neo-Nazi terrorist in Texas was arrested as he planned to carry out a mass shooting with Walmart as his likeliest target. In addition to weapons, police found neo-Nazi and white supremacist propaganda in his home. The material also included a Saudi flag and Quran. It is unclear why he possessed those items, but some white supremacist terrorists have previously sought to blame their violence on Muslims and other adversaries. He also had a Russian Orthodox flag, perhaps reflecting the pro-Putin beliefs of many white supremacists. His online group had over 250 subscribers. His circle included members of a white supremacist group in Europe led by a 15-year-old boy in the U.S. and another group in Estonia linked to bomb plots on U.S. soil that is led by a 13-year-old boy. LAW ENFORCEMENT More Alt-Right Arrests and Investigations A Republican Party county meeting in Nevada was canceled due to violent threats from extremists linked to the Proud Boys. The extremists also reportedly discussed running campaigns to take over the Clark County Republican Party.   Four more members of the Oathkeepers militia group have been indicted for their involvement in the January 6 attack on the Capitol building. At least 16 members of Oathkeepers have now been arrested for participating in the riot.  In Idaho, an extremist former comedian who defends Hitler is developing a compound with a gun range. He said that previous comments about having his own “paramilitary force” was a joke, but has said that he is “friends with, basically a paramilitary group in Idaho.”  Hostile Foreign Influence Operations ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Book Exposes Communist Chinese Influence on U.S. Media & Hollywood A new book by Alex Marlow, “Breaking the News,” shows how the Communist Chinese regime influences the U.S. news media by shaping their coverage with business opportunities. For example, China provides the struggling newspaper industry with millions of dollars in advertising revenue. The book revealed that former Democratic presidential candidate and New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s business colluded with the Communist Chinese regime.  Most recently, actor John Cena apologized profusely to China for referring to Taiwan as an independent country.  INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Russia’s Lobbyists Thwart U.S. Actions to Stop Pipeline Project A watchdog that covers potential political corruption is pointing out that the Biden Administration is failing to take decisive action to stop Russia’s construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, despite the U.S. position that it is a threat to NATO. Companies tied to the pipeline, including special interests linked to Putin, spent over $1 million over three months on lobbyists to influence U.S. policy on the issue. The lobbyists deployed influential Democratic Party donors for the cause. Separately, actor Steven Seagal became an official member of a pro-Putin political party in Russia. He has been a Russian citizen since 2016 and has advocated in the media on behalf of Putin’s dictatorship.  Other Ideological Extremism Lucy Nicholson-Pool/Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Prosecution of Accused Rapist Reveals Scientology Abuses Four women who say they were raped by actor and Scientologist Danny Masterson have testified about how the Church of Scientology attempted to protect him by intimidating them into silence. The judge also heard how the Church prohibits the reporting of members to law enforcement. Those who violate the rule face expulsion, harassment and worse.  A new expose by a former member of the Church also revealed how Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard worked with a Nazi propagandist on a screenplay. The Church of Scientology also has close ties to the Nation of Islam, an antisemitic Islamist extremist group that has justified acts of terrorism. QUOTABLE “Let me … warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party generally … . A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.” - George Washington’s Farewell Address, September 19, 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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