On mosque, beware the Saudis

In 2006, British filmmakers went undercover at London’s Central Mosque, a prominent center of worship that had long cultivated a moderate image. The resulting footage instead showed imams saying that God orders the faithful to kill homosexuals, that women should not have the same rights as men, and that followers should limit their contact with non-Muslims.

The documentary noted that the mosque — whose public outreach masked a private hate — was funded by Saudi Arabia.

While the debate regarding the mosque at Ground Zero has focused primarily on the sensitivity of the survivors versus the constitutional rights of Muslims, the real question is who will be funding the $100 million Islamic center.

If it is the Saudis, as seems likely considering their wealth and influence, then America should be concerned.

The Saudis, in addition to being the rulers of one of the world’s most intolerant societies, are active sponsors of international terrorism, opponents of Middle East peace, and the main exporters of radical Islam. The kingdom already funds mosques around the world, including many in the United States.

Imagine whatPresident Obamaand other supporters would say if they learned that clerics at Park 51, the mosque and cultural center planned for an area two blocks from Ground Zero, are repeating the words of Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayyis, imam of the Al-Haram mosque in Mecca, who regularly preached that Allah turned Jews into monkeys and pigs. He has also said, “It is quite evident that most of the news agencies and satellite television channels are controlled by Zionist organizations, and are dummies in the hands of the Zionist lobby.”

In 2003, US Ambassador to Saudi ArabiaRobert Jordansaid, “We have noticed lately in influential mosques the imam has condemned terrorism and preached in favor of tolerance, then closed the sermon with ‘Oh God, please destroy the Jews, the infidels, and all who support them.’ ”

What if the mosque uses a version of the Koran that a Saudi prince paid to have distributed in California and was banned by the Los Angeles school system because of its anti-Semitic commentaries? Moreover, how will Americans feel if the following teachings from Saudi textbooks are found to be disseminated in courses at the center:

“The Jews and Christians are enemies of the believers, and they cannot approve of Muslims.”

“The punishment for homosexuality is death.”

“The apes are Jews, the people of the Sabbath; while the swine are Christians, the infidels of the communion of Jesus.”

The Center for Religious Freedom report on Saudi textbooks notes that “Wahhabi teachings . . . are murderously intolerant toward the Shi’a, Jews, Baha’i, Ahmadiyya, homosexuals, apostates and ‘unbelievers’ of all kinds, and horribly repressive with respect to everyone else, especially women . . . These are essentially the same basic beliefs as those expressed by al Qaeda.”

This would be the ultimate victory for al Qaeda: to have its views taught to American Muslims at the site of its greatest strike. Keeping Saudi influence out of the new mosque is more important than keeping the mosque out of Ground Zero.

Mitchell Bard
Mitchell Bard
Dr. Mitchell Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and director of the Jewish Virtual Library. An authority on U.S. Middle East policy, Dr. Bard has appeared on international, national, and local TV and radio outlets, and his articles are published in major newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. He is the author of 22 books. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA, a master’s degree in public policy from Berkeley, and a B.A. in economics from UC Santa Barbara.
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