D.C.-Based Mosque's "Cause Célèbre" Holiday

By Madeleine Gruen

The day after Thanksgiving, Muslims begin the celebration of Eid al-Adha, or "Festival of Sacrifice," which commemorates the end of the Hajj season, and the willingness of the Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son to demonstrate his devotion to Allah. The morning starts with prayers, followed by visits to family and friends. During the festivities, those who can afford to, sacrifice an animal as a way of paying tribute to Abraham. The meat is then distributed amongst friends and family, and a generous portion is given to the poor.

As-Sabiqun, a Washington, DC-based extremist group, plans to divert the focus of the festivities away from the themes of generosity and sacrifice by distributing a leaflet at morning prayers that portrays Major Nidal Hasan (who opened fire on soldiers at Ft. Hood, killing 13 and wounding 30 others) as a victim of the "Zionist American" government that is employing a program of "psychological warfare" to "oppress Muslims."

This is a clear example of what the Center for Terrorism Research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies has termed "Cause Célèbre Islam."

Cause célèbre Islam forecasts an inevitable violent revolution between American Muslims (particularly African American Muslims) and the U.S. government. As-Sabiqun is one of the most visible and vocal groups that typifies cause célèbre Islam. Publicly, As-Sabiqun's founder, leader, and imam, Abdul Alim Musa, does not appear to share religious wisdom or guidance. Rather, his constant theme is that of threats and harassment against Muslims by the U.S. government. The most recent issue of the CTR Vantage covers cause célèbre Islam; its origins and its current manifestations.

The leaflet As-Sabiqun intends for distribution at holiday celebrations tomorrow refers to President Obama as "Judas Goat" - suggesting that he is a puppet who leads Muslims to the slaughterhouse. The leaflet also declares that As-Sabiqun charges the U.S. government with "high crimes and treason." The ultimate purpose of the leaflet is the raise money for As-Sabiqun to transform its old masjid facilities into the "Islamic Institute for Counter Zionist American Psychological Warfare" - framing it as something of a headquarters from which they can launch a counter-attack on the U.S. government in the war they perceive is being waged against them.

As-Sabiqun is not a large organization. Its adherents are American; mainly African American. Many are former convicts who converted to Islam while in prison. It is unlikely As-Sabiqun itself will launch an attack, but it is possible that someone who is influenced by Musa may take his thinly-veiled provocations to heart and act. Musa's rhetoric is reminiscent of former UK-based clerics, such as Abu Hamza al-Masri, Omar Bakri Mohammed, and Abdullah al-Faisal, all of whom played a direct role in radicalizing individuals who committed terrorist attacks, and some who played roles in major terrorist plots. Unfortunately, the U.K. government did not act to remove these clerics from positions where they could influence young British Muslims until they had already planted a seed, which continues to spread. Many in the U.K. dismissed al-Masri, Bakri Mohammed, and al-Faisal as buffoons who had marginal influence and little credibility. As-Sabiqun and its leader Abdul Alim Musa could be viewed in much the same way. However, Musa travels around the country to speak at mosques and student organizations at large American universities. The distribution of the Eid al-Adha leaflet may be a small drop in the bucket among many cumulative drops.