Fair and Balanced

Barack Obama mightily displeased major portions of his base of support by bringing in the intolerant, homophobic Rick Warren for the official inauguration prayer. In order to balance out the obvious sop to the far right, extra chromosome, evangelical Christian whacko set, he has also tapped another "prayer leader" for the rites. The International Herald Tribune reports that Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, is also scheduled to speak at the prayer service at the National Cathedral. That should smooth over some ruffled feathers, and offer just the right tone of conciliation, tolerance, and open-mindedness that the chosen One needs for the era of enlightenment and at-one-ment into which he will guide the nation--and the world.

But perhaps someone should have pointed out that the Justice Department lawyers who prosecuted (and won) the Holy Land Foundation case in Dallas listed the Islamic Society of North America as co-conspirators in that prosecution. According to terrorism expert Steven Emerson, quoted by David Horwitz's Discover the Networks site,

ISNA "is a radical group hiding under a false veneer of moderation"; "convenes annual conferences where Islamist militants have been given a platform to incite violence and promote hatred" (for instance, al Qaeda supporter and PLO official Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi was invited to speak at an ISNA conference); has held fundraisers for terrorists (after Hamas leader Mousa Marzook was arrested and eventually deported in 1997, ISNA raised money for his defense); has condemned the U.S. government's post-9/11 seizure of Hamas' and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's financial assets; and publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Islamic Horizons, that "often champions militant Islamist doctrine." Adds Emerson: "I think ISNA has been an umbrella, also a promoter of groups that have been involved in terrorism. I am not going to accuse the ISNA of being directly involved in terrorism. I will say ISNA has sponsored extremists, racists, people who call for Jihad against the United States." (read the whole sickening thing here)

It should be pointed out that both the Clinton and Bush adminisrations have also been duped or corrupted into allowing the Saudi-funded Wahabbist camel into the tent--Obama is not breaking any new ground here. (But it is another reason for concern surrounding the hundreds of Arab millions flowing into the Clinton Inc. coffers). But still--showing this kind of weakness to our enemies will not satisfy them, or the domestic or international left.

We'll see which group has access after the Immaculate Inauguration--conservative evangelicals or Wahabbist Muslims.