Federal authorities say a high-level Muslim Pentagon aide, who led a
campaign to silence a Pentagon intelligence analyst for taking a hard
line against Islam, is running an "influence operation" on behalf of
U.S. Muslim groups fronting for the radical Muslim Brotherhood.
Hesham H. Islam, a special assistant to Deputy Defense Secretary
Gordon England, recently criticized Maj. Stephen Coughlin, one of the
military's leading authorities on Islamic war doctrine, for making the
connection between the religion of Islam and terrorism.
After Islam lodged complaints, Coughlin's contract with the chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon was not renewed.
Islam also was upset with briefings Coughlin recently prepared for the
U.S. military warning that major U.S. Muslim groups were fronting for
the Muslim Brotherhood, a worldwide jihadist movement based in Egypt.
Islam, who was born and raised in Egypt, is heavily involved with one
of the groups – the Islamic Society of North America, which U.S.
prosecutors last year named as a member of the U.S. branch of the
Muslim Brotherhood and an unindicted co-conspirator in a major
terror-funding case.
Islam has persuaded his boss, England, to conduct various outreach
with ISNA, including hosting the group's leaders in the Pentagon and
speaking at its annual convention.
Speaking during ISNA's 2006 opening ceremonies, England proclaimed,
"There is no contradiction between the peaceful religion of Islam and
America's values and principles."
Coughlin reached the opposite conclusion in a 329-page report
submitted to the National Defense Intelligence College, in which he
warns that Islamic law sanctions violence. That finding, among others,
has put him at odds with Islam, whom England describes as "my personal
close confidante."
"I take his advice," England said, "and I listen to him all the time."
WND has learned that Islam is closely associated with a Muslim
military chaplain trained at a radical Islamic school that federal
agents raided after 9/11 in connection with terror-financing.
As WND reported, the chaplain, Abuhena M. Saifulislam, studied Islam
at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Virginia.
Recently declassified FBI documents reveal its sister organization, an
Islamist think tank known as the International Institute of Islamic
Thought, or IIIT, is involved in a Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy to
wage a cultural and political jihad to eventually take over America
from within – most notably, through infiltration of government agencies.
Islam works closely with Saifulislam (Arabic for "sword of Islam") on
Pentagon outreach projects involving Middle Eastern embassies and the
so-called Wahhabi lobby in Washington.
"He's a Muslim brother," an FBI official said of Islam. "He's a bad
actor. He's well-positioned to be where he is, and that doesn't do us
any good."
He also said Saifulislam is "definitely Muslim Brotherhood," while
noting that Islam "is a lot smoother than Saifulislam," who as a
chaplain at Gitmo lobbied for special meals and other privileges for
al-Qaida detainees.
The official hastened to add that, at this point, belonging to the
Muslim Brotherhood is not criminal, and neither Defense Department
employee is the subject of a formal counterterrorism or
counterespionage investigation. Both men have refused interviews, and
the Pentagon had no comment.
However, the FBI official warned that the Muslim aides are part of a
conspiracy by Muslim Brotherhood fronts to run "influence operations"
against the U.S. government.
"Their M.O. is to make nice for the very purpose of penetrating us,"
he said, "and we just roll over for them, at least at the top levels."
He says England, who also recently dedicated an Islamic prayer center
at Quantico on the advice of Saifulislam, is blind to the threat.
"England doesn't know it's an influence operation that's been laid at
his door," he said. "His lack of awareness is irresponsible."
A senior U.S. official who has met with England says he was not even
aware that a convicted terrorist and al-Qaida fund-raiser created the
Pentagon's Muslim chaplains corps.
Adurahman Alamoudi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader and founder of the
American Muslim Council, placed Muslim chaplains throughout the
military. He is now in jail on charges of terrorism. However, most of
the chaplains he trained and sponsored are still in their current
positions.
"The Islamic chaplains who serve were trained by a known terrorist,"
said terrorism expert Steve Emerson.
Emerson says Islam, like Alamoudi, has invited "subversive" elements
into U.S. military headquarters.
"Hesham Islam is an Islamist with a pro-Muslim Brotherhood bent who
has brought in groups to the Pentagon who have been unindicted
co-conspirators," he said.
Emerson said a "Trojan horse" of subversives and potential spies have
penetrated deep inside the Pentagon, and they are now bearing fruit
with the ouster of Coughlin. Sources say Islam has high security
clearance.
A former Pentagon colleague of Coughlin described Islam as a
"gatekeeper," who at a minimum, is blocking candid discussion of the
religious nature of the threat posed by Muslim terrorists. Such
action, William Gawthrop says, thwarts the U.S. war effort, because it
denies military brass and rank-and-file the information they need to
effectively fight the Islamist enemy.
"We still do not have an in-depth understanding of the war-fighting
doctrine laid down by (the Muslim prophet) Muhammad, how it might be
applied today by an increasing number of Islamic groups, or how it
might be countered," Gawthrop told WND.
He says Coughlin was trying to bridge that gap before being pushed out.
Supporters of the respected contractor say Islam had a direct hand in
his firing. They say that on Jan. 3 Coughlin was told his contract,
which ends in March, would not be renewed because his message had
become too "politically hot."
They say that in a meeting late last year between Coughlin and a
member of England's staff, which Islam unexpectedly attended, Islam
asked Coughlin to "soften his message" regarding Islamic war doctrine.
Coughlin refused.
Islam was heard referring to Coughlin as a "Christian zealot with a
poison pen." The conflict resulted in his contract being terminated.
A well-placed Pentagon insider described it differently, however.
Islam and Coughlin were present at the briefing, but there was no
direct confrontation between the two. It was not until Hesham returned
to England's office suite that he remarked that Coughlin had a "poison
pen."
"He clearly doesn't like him," the source told WND.
Also, Coughlin was let go in part because his contract was up, and at
$440,000, it was too steep to justify renewing, the insider says. And
though he had written a 329-page thesis on the subject, he was not
effective at briefing the J-2 intelligence staff of the Joint Chiefs.
"He's brilliant, and he knows his stuff, but he couldn't teach it,"
the source said. "It went over everybody's head."
Still, England has not properly vetted his long-time aide, Islam.
"Gordon is so trusting of this guy because he's worked for him for so
long," the same official said. "But he's got questionable contacts,
and he (England) needs to have his antennae up."
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