State Dept. Gives Pass to Islamist Imam - Vetting Process Broken This is about more than an ill-advised tweet. It's about a broken vetting process and a view of the Islamism seen through rose-colored glasses.
The State Department has apologized for promoting an article on Twitter by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, a Muslim Brotherhood-linked cleric. In the article, Bin Bayyah condemned Boko Haram's kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian girls. The incident is another example of how the U.S. government's vetting process is broken and its definition of "moderate" is too broad.
The story began when the State Department's Counter-Terrorism Bureau tweeted out Bin Bayyah's condemnation of Boko Haram, highlighting him as an example of a moderate Islamic leader that is taking a stand.