Ahmed Bedier Exposes the "Illegitimate" Secular Islam Summit and its Funders the Intelligence Summit

Ahmed Bedier Exposes the "Illegitimate" Secular Islam Summit on the Glenn Beck television show. The Secular Islam Summit was organized exclusively by non-Muslims, atheists and known Muslim bashers. The funder and the host of the this false reformation hate-fest is the Intelligence Summit, an anti-Muslim group.

Islamophobic Propaganda Distributed Door-to-Door in Seminole Florida Designed to Scare People into Attending Church

A local reporter called me (Ahmed Bedier) the other day for reaction on a story about the distribution of hateful anti-Muslim flyers in a Seminole, Florida neighborhood. The reporter sent me a copy of a payer flyer cut in the shape of a door-knob handle similar to those used for marketing pizza coupons.

The flyer's - a copy is available here - heading asks in bold caps "ARE YOU READY?", followed by a list of lies. Here are some of them:

-Muslim Extremists have been stockpiling anthrax in this country for years

-Several suit-case sized nuclear bombs are thought to have been smuggled across the Mexican border into our country.

-Within 3 days over 100 million Americans could die of Anthrax Poison

Then it asks the QUESTION "Are you ready for eternity? Do you know for sure that you're going to heaven?

Wait a minute, I thought this was about securing the country from the anthrax and nukes. The flyer goes on to say:

Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world. He suffered a horrible death for us and took our punishment so we wouldn't have to go to hell. There is only one unpardonable sin, rejecting Jesus as our Savior. Terrorism is a real tragedy, but eternity without Christ is the greatest tragedy.

The newspaper learned about this bigoted trash from a couple who got a copy of this flyer on their door. The informed the paper that the entire neighborhood was flooded with this junk.

It's unfortunate that we live in a time where individuals and groups (including religious) are exploiting existing fears to promote their own cause.

PRESIDENT'S PORTRAYAL OF 'THE ENEMY' OFTEN FLAWED

Last night I joined other folks from the Tampa Bay area at the Television Studios of WFLA NBC 8 to watch and react to the President's State of the Union Speech. It was like dejavu since I spent the previous year doing the same thing at the same place.


I remember saying last year that I was concerned about the president's use of loaded labels to describe the enemy. Lat year it was radical Islam. I felt the same way this year about the president's use of "Sunni Extremists" and "Shia Extremists."

Watch other comments by watching the below YouTube clip:




For more on the President's portrayal of "The Enemy" check out the below Wash Post article.

Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, 1/24/07

In his State of the Union address last night, President Bush presented an
arguably misleading and often flawed description of "the enemy" that the United
States faces overseas, lumping together disparate groups with opposing
ideologies to suggest that they have a single-minded focus in attacking the
United States.

Under Bush's rubric, a country such as Iran -- which enjoys diplomatic
representation and billions of dollars in trade with major European countries --
is lumped together with al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the Sept.
11, 2001, attacks.

"The Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian
threat," Bush said, referring to the different branches of the Muslim
religion. Similarly, Bush asserted that Shia Hezbollah, which has won
seats in the Lebanese government, is a terrorist group "second only to al-Qaeda
in the American lives it has taken."

Bush is referring to attacks nearly a quarter-century ago on a U.S. embassy
and a Marine barracks when the United States intervened in Lebanon's civil war
by shelling Hezbollah strongholds. Hezbollah has evolved into primarily an
anti-Israeli militant organization -- it fought a war with Israel last summer --
but the European Union does not list it as a terrorist organization.

At one point, Bush catalogued what he described as advances in the quest
for freedom in the Middle East during 2005 -- such as the departure of Syrian
troops from Lebanon and elections in Iraq. Then, Bush asserted, "a thinking
enemy watched all of these scenes, adjusted their tactics and in 2006 they
struck back."

But his description of the actions of "the enemy" tried to tie together a
series of diplomatic and military setbacks that had virtually no connection to
one another, from an attack on a Sunni mosque in Iraq to the assassination of
Maronite Lebanese political figure.

AUDIO: AHMED BEDIER DELIVERS INSPIRATIONAL SPEECH AT DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING INTERFAITH MEMORIAL SERVICE

On Monday, Jan. 15, the executive director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) spoke in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at an interfaith memorial service. Representatives from other faiths, civic leaders and elected officials also spoke at the event.

CLICK TO LISTEN: http://www.ahmedbedier.com/audio/20071215-bedier-mlk-prayer.wma

Hate Mail and Threats

Archive of Random Hate eMail/Mail and threats:

------------------------

From: RONALD HEWITT rhewittidaho@msn.com
Date: Nov 6, 2006 9:34 PM
Subject: To: bedier@gmail.com

Dear Ahmed

Add me to your list as one more person who understands what a vile, disgusting religion you practice. Spence and a lot of other right-thinking people are beginning to understand what a bunch of back biting, lying, conniving whining putrid excuse of human beings you are. Shut the fuck up or go back to fucking camels in your tent in the desert.

Ronald J Hewitt
Pocatello, Idaho

------------------------

From: Craig Brown cccbrown@yahoo.com
Date: Nov 7, 2006 4:30 AM
Subject: Your time is gonna cum, GOD
To: bedier@gmail.com

The Christine Religion is 2000 years old. Yourabomination of Christianiy is 1400 years old. Yourspokesperson, mohammed of medina, is a known pedophilerapist.sodmiste of little girls (72 virgins in heavenfor killing kaffirs!!!!!).

The foundation of your religion is CORRUPTION OF HUMMANITY...killing allthose who do not believe as you do. Enslaving theconquoers most innocent, the little girls, to beslaves to your pedophillic, child rapist desires.

You, and your cancerous abomination of a "religion"are an abomination on Humankind. You andislam/muhammah/allah are a SIN on Mankind. You areDoomed. Every once of Humanity blood will be shed toeradicate you from the Earth.

GOD

Florida Pro-Israel Extremist Joe Kaufman Incites Death Threats Against Muslim Radio Hosts

On January 5, 2007, South Florida right-wing pro-Israel radical Joe Kaufman has taken his racist hate message to dangerous levels inciting death threats against Muslim-American radio hosts. In an online article posted to the David Horowitz right-wing blog Frontpagemag.com titled "Hamas and Holocaust Talk" Kaufman falsely and maliciously accused radio show hosts Ahmed Bedier and Samar Jarrah as "two supporters of and apologists for radical Islam."

Bedier and Jarrah are hosts of the weekly public affairs radio show "True Talk" on the progressive community station and NPR affiliate WMNF 88.5fm. The True Talk program and WMNF are known in the Tampa Bay area as catalysts for bridge building, inclusion and peace. Immediately after extremist Joe Kaufman posted his hate piece on Frontpagemag, Bedier and Jarrah received death and hate threats via the internet and email. Below is an example of the death threat to Bedier and Jarrah posted by a supporter to Joe Kaufman's article.
Kaufman's supporter and Frontpagemag.com member "Fidelis" wrote:

"Maybe someone has the b@lls to pull an "Alan Berg" on them some afternoon when they leave the studio. They're not too far from the mud flap country up there." Click here to see copy of death threat.

The death threat directed at Ahmed Bedier and Samar Jarrah (them) refers to pulling an "Alan Berg" a Jewish radio show host who was shot and killed outside his home by white nationalists. For details on Alan Berg click here.

Wrong Time to Execute The Dictator Saddam Hussein

CAIR Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier offers a Muslim perspective on the execution of Saddam Hussein on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. While Bedier believes that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator and that his crimes against humanity have caught up to him, Bedier thinks it is NOT wise to carry out an execution of a Muslim on the holiest day of the Islamic calendar. Just must be blind and should not be impacted by politics or revenge.

Ahmed Bedier Condemns anti-Holocaust Iran Conference

I condemn the recent shameful conference held in Iran that sought to deny the Holocaust, one of the lowest moments in human history.

No legitimate cause can ever be advanced by denying the enormous human suffering caused by the massacre of millions of Jews and other minority groups by the Nazis. Attempts to use Holocaust denial as a political tool in the Middle East conflict will only serve to deepen the level of mistrust and hostility already present in the region.

Muslims are commanded in the Quran to "enjoin in the good and forbid the evil," and clearly the genocide of European Jews was nothing but evil. It is a shame that the current government of Iran, which claims to be an Islamic State, would ignore Islamic ethical values and belittle evil. Responsible governments must encourage the study of the Holocaust and other human atrocities to ensure that they are not repeated.

Americans in general and the Jewish and Muslim communities in particular should know that those who spew anti-Semitic bigotry do not speak for Islam; Muslims denounce their views and their hatred. Islam acknowledges Judaism (and Christianity) as a true revealed religion from God; furthermore Muslims view Jews (and Christians) as fellow "People of the Book" who believe in the same Abrahamic Monotheism.

While the cynical conference was held in Iran, it included many non-Muslim participants like former KKK leader David Duke and French "scholar" George Tail, who called the Holocaust a myth. The diverse participation is a reminder that bigotry is not exclusive to any one group.

As "People of the Book" we must stand united and challenge those who would fan the flames of all forms of hate, including anti-Semitism.

Note: The above opinion is based on CAIR's official release, see CAIR CONDEMNS IRANIAN HOLOCAUST DENIAL CONFERENCE

Bill Nelson should be commended for speaking to Syria, others should follow

Mideast expert Ahmed Bedier quoted in today's Tampa Tribune on U.S. Senator Bill Nelson's plans to visit Syria. Bedier commends Senator Nelson for the bold move but it maybe "too little, too late."

Senator's Trip To Syria Lands Him In Hot Zone
Tampa Tribune, 12/13/06
TALLAHASSEE - U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is scheduled to meet with Syrian
President Bashar Assad today despite President Bush's objections.
"We discourage the travel of members of Congress to Syria because we believe it
undermines the Siniora government" of Lebanon, White House spokesman Blair Jones said.

"He should be commended for reaching out and trying for dialogue," said
Ahmed Bedier of Tampa, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations. Syria, branded by the Bush administration as a supporter of
terrorism, could perhaps help bring stability to Iraq, he said.

"You don't have to agree on everything - but there are some common
interests for all countries in the region," Bedier said. "If you continue to
neglect and not speak to them, that will make your job a lot harder."

Although Bedier welcomed the trip, he added a note of caution.
"A lot of things that are happening now are too little, too late. These things should have been happening years ago," Bedier said.

Ahmed Bedier Receives 2006 Human Rights Award

(TAMPA, FL - 12/8/06) - CAIR Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier today received the prestigious Human Rights Award at the 33rd Annual Awards Breakfast of the Tampa/Hillsborough Human Rights Council.

"I am grateful for this recognition and accept the award on behalf ofthe board, staff, volunteers, and members of CAIR who made it possible," said Bedier. Bedier added that the "true winner" of the award is the Muslim Community in the Tampa Bay area.

Other Human Rights Award winners included: Sheriff David Gee, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office; Dr. Sam Horton of the NAACP-Hillsborough; Rev. Beverly Lane.

FBI Tampa chief thanks Ahmed Bedier for helping protect civil rights and working to keep nation safe

Federal Bureau of Investigation - FBI Tampa Field office Special Agent in Charge Carl Whitehead praises and thanks Ahmed Bedier while speaking at the 2006 CAIR Tampa Annual Banquet.

"I wanted to say that we really appreciate the effort of Ahmed Bedier [Executive
Director, CAIR-Tampa] here in Florida and all the good work that he does on
behalf of CAIR in the community in the area of civil rights…Mr. Bedier has done
a great job in reaching out to law enforcement, establishing open forums for us
to exchange information in order to keep the nation safe.”
-Carl Whitehead, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Tampa Field Office, speaking at the CAIR 2006 Tampa Banquet

FL Congress woman Brown-Waite defends Muslim Bashers and says All Terrorists are Muslim

Florida Congress woman Ginny Brown-Waite at her best, calling all Terrorists Muslim

Watch her embarrassing performance on WTVT Fox News:



Text Version courtesy of WTVT:



Last Edited: Thursday, 09 Nov 2006, 10:18 PM EST
Created: Thursday, 09 Nov 2006, 10:18 PM EST

Ginny Brown-Waite is defending a supporter's comments. We've got you covered

BROOKSVILLE - When Governor-elect Charlie Crist heard one of his
supporters call Islam a "hateful and frightening" religion, he kicked
her off his election team.

Governor Bush also condemned Hernando Commissioner Tom Hogan's and
his wife for the remark.

Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite didn't respond until after the
election, then she rushed to the couple's defense.

"Ms. Hogan is entitled to her views, and her husband stood by her
side as a good husband should," stated Brown-Waite.

The congresswoman also attacked the Governor and the Governor-elect
for condemning the comment.

"Not every Muslim is a terrorist, but every terrorist is a Muslim
except for Tim McVeigh," offered Brown-Waite.

"What about Eric Rudolph?" FOX 13 asked.

"Well except him too," said Brown-Waite.

"What about the Klan?" we asked.

"They're not doing terrorist activities right now. We're talking
about a group that wants to do away with our way of life. With all
due respect, I don't think there's any comparison," said Brown-Waite.

We can find many non-Muslim terrorists, but Islamic groups say that's
not the point.

"She's actually standing up on the wrong side of the aisle, defending
bigotry and hatred," stated Ahmed Bedier with the Council on American
Islamic Relations.

The Congresswoman says she defends anti-Muslim remarks on grounds of
free speech.

She wrote a scorching three-page defense claiming those who call
Islam 'hateful and frightening' just reflect her community.

"If this does reflect the views of your community, what will you do
to educate the community?" FOX 13 asked.

"I think it's up to the moderate Muslims," Brown-Waite responded

FAQ: How does blog have anonymous comments, when it is not allowed

On 11/8/06, American Crusader asks the following:

Why does a site that does not allow anonymous comments have so many?Out of
have five comments...four of them are anonymous.

ANSWER: Very simple, when I started this blog, the setting to accept Anonymous comments was enabled. After a flood of spam, I disabled it. Visitors in the past were able to post anonymous comments, visitors now can't.

I hope that clarifies things for you.

Reacting to the Pope's Comments: Muslims Must Not Use Violence When Accused of Being Violent

CAIR Tampa Executive Director speaking out against the violent reaction by a few Muslims in response to Pope Benedict's recent comments against Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). In a statement Bedier "While I was upset by and disagree with the Pope's comments on Islam, I am more upset by the violent reaction by a few ignorant people." CAIR announced a new campaign to raise money for the damaged churches in the mideast that were vandalized in reaction to the controversy.

THREE VIDEO CLIPS: To Watch Select the clip from menu on right, then play:

Police Audio: AirTran Removes Muslim Passengers Because "Iranian" Look

On August 20, 2006, two young Pakistani-American Muslim men returning home to Washington, D.C. from Tampa on AirTran flight 941 were abruptly kicked off (or removed) the aircraft and handed over to law enforcement for questioning. Minutes later they were cleared but could not re-board that same flight.

The incident upset me enough to dig deeper, because there is no justification to selectively remove passengers off flights. I decided to research further and what I found was a very disturbing case of racial or ethnic or religious (whatever you want to call it) profiling and maybe a troubling trend in the aviation industry.

I believe that the evidence (when available) will always lead to the truth, because evidence does not lie. In this situation the evidence would be any audio archives between the flight crew and law enforcement. I've tracked it down courtesy of the Tampa Airport Police Department. Below is a transcript of the brief phone call from "Jeff" at AirTran to the Tampa Airport Police dispatch.

The conversation clearly shows that AirTran had no justified reason to remove the two Muslims from the aircraft except that they acted "suspicious" and looked "Iranian." What's an Iranian look like? does that mean anyone who is percieved to be Iranian is a suspect?

Ahmed Bedier is Not Spokesperson for Al-Arian and Has Never Met Him

The anti-Muslim bashers are at it again, every chance they have to spew hatred at American Muslim leaders they maximize it by resorting to lies, defamation and fabrication. Today Florida's leading Islamaphobe blogger Joe Kaufman fabricated a story Campaign Cash from Al-Arian's Mouthpiece in FrontpageMag.com (a known extremist online publication) naming Ahmed Bedier, Dr. Sami Al-Arian's Spokesperson (also mouthpiece). For more about Sami Al-Arian click here. Kaufman could not be further from the truth.

What Kaufman fails to mention is that Ahmed Bedier has NEVER met Dr. Sami Al-Arian, NEVER spoke with Al-Arian on the phone and NEVER corresponded with Al-Arian via email/mail. So how can Kaufman claim that Bedier is a spokesperson of someone he has NEVER been in contact with??

Bedier is a community leader in Tampa and is the director of American Muslim civil rights group (CAIR) in that city. The Al-Arian trial was the biggest case in Tampa's Federal Judicial history, Bedier spoke a great deal to the media about the case, but so did everyone else. It was top news for several years. Bedier does NOT regret any of the comments he made surrounding the case. As a civil rights leader, Bedier speaks up on behalf of CAIR and its members calling for justice and due process. If Kaufman is upset that individuals are calling for the implementation of the U.S. constitution, than it is Kaufman who should answer whom does he speak for?

Kaufman's hatred for Muslims blinded him from looking at the true facts of the case. An American Jury of 12 who listened to all the evidence for six months overwhelmingly chose not to convict Al-Arian on a single count. Perhaps that's what Kaufman is so angry about, that a Palestinian Professor would get any justice in America. Kaufman is known for his extreme pro-Zionist sentiments which explains his hatred for Palestinians.

Joe Kaufman is recognized in the State of Florida for his hatred towards American Muslims and Arab Americans, just this year alone Americans United awarded him their infamous "Onion Award" recognizing his hatred and bigotry. If one is to review Kaufman's writings he would find that he has accused every Muslim he knows with terror ties, and has never written anything positive about a single Muslim. In his poor writing style, Kaufman attempts to link all Muslims to each other and labels them guilty by association (even if it does not exist, the mere fact that two people share the same religion is association in Kaufman's eyes).

In the same article Kaufman repeats an allegation he made last year that Bedier defended Palestinian Islamic Jihad on a TV show. A flat out lie which Bedier answered last year, for details read the posting Responding to the distortion: Bedier says "Nothing Immoral" About Islamic Jihad.

Finally, Kaufman recycles a FALSE claim that CAIR has some sort of terror ties. CAIR is a legitimate mainstream American organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C. and 33 offices nationwide with a combined staff of over 75. CAIR and Bedier have a positive working relationship with all levels of government and law enforcement including the FBI. If Kaufman believes his lies he should report them to the appropriate authorities so they can take appropriate action (or laugh at him).

If anyone is not familiar with the great work of CAIR or has concerns about the organization, feel free to visit www.cair.com and read What Public Officials Say About CAIR.

Remember CAIR's "Not In The Name of Islam" Campaign

With the recent foiled UK airline terror plot came the hype and attacks that Muslims condemn terrorism. Muslims around the world including the Council on American Islamic Relations have repeatedly condemn terrorism. In a May 2004 post I included the text of the "Not in the Name of Islam" campaign, here it is again:

“We, the undersigned Muslims, wish to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent. No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam. We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We refuse to allow our faith to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority acting outside the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him."

View or sign the CAIR petition at:http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=169&theType=AA

See also: http://hussamayloush.blogspot.com/2006/08/not-in-name-of-islam-petition.html

Bedier Reacts to UK Terror Plot, Concern of Backlash

Tampa Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations Ahmed Bedier explains the American Muslim perspective on the foiled UK Terror plot (aug 2006) and the Muslim Community's fear of backlash. Islamic centers nationwide have and are encouraged to step security measures. Bedier condemned the terror plot as un-Islamic. Watch below.



SOURCE: BAYNEWS9

Feeling a great deal of fear
Saturday, August 12, 2006


Ahmed Bedier said the center has received hate e-mails.
While many Americans were shaken by the latest developments regarding a possible terror plot to blow up airliners, American Muslims are dealing with an additional fear.

They're afraid people who associate Islam with terrorism judge them because they're Muslim.

"There's a great deal of fear," Council on American-Islamic Relations of Tampa Director Ahmed Bedier said. "There's a great deal of uncertainty and it's a hostile environment."

This comes after charges of a plot to blow up jetliners from Britain to the United States. All 24 suspects arrested are British citizens and are mostly men of Pakistani descent.

American Muslims in the Bay area are now afraid of a backlash, something Bedier said has been the reality for Muslims since 9/11.

"There's been a number of incidents across the country and also the state of Florida as far as mosques being targeted and hate crimes directed at mosques," Bedier said.

In response to that past, security at area Islamic centers and schools like the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay was noticeably heightened during the Day of Congregation. Hundreds of Muslims made their way into the mosque for worship under a close watch.

"All gates are being blocked except some specific gates," Bedier said. "Cars will be blocking the gates individual cars or trucks cannot get close to the structures or facilities."..... MORE

Bedier Condemns Attack on Seattle Jewish Center

On July 29, 2006, Council on American-Islamic Relations Representative Ahmed Bedier appeared on WFTS ABC News to denounce the recent attack by a Pakistani-American on a Jewish Federation Center in Seattle, Washington.



The national office CAIR and American Muslim religious leaders in Washington also condemned the attack:

See:

CAIR CONDEMNS ATTACK ON SEATTLE JEWISH CENTER
Group says Mideast conflict must not be ‘transplanted’ to America

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/28/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned an attack on a Jewish community center in Seattle, Wash., that left one person dead and several more injured. (A statement signed by representatives of the Seattle Muslim community, including CAIR-Seattle, is attached below.)

A lone gunman who reportedly said, “I'm a Muslim American; I'm angry at Israel," entered the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and began shooting. The alleged gunman was later arrested.

In a statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said:

“We condemn this senseless attack on a religious institution and offer sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured. The American Muslim and Jewish communities must do whatever is within their power to prevent the current conflict in the Middle East from being transplanted to this country. We also urge local, state and national law enforcement authorities to step up security measures at synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions of both faiths.”

full release click here

Bedier Perspective on the Israeli Attacks on Lebanon and Gaza

CAIR Florida Tampa Director Ahmed Bedier appeared on Baynews 9 Political Connections Soapbox segment to comment on the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. In the commentary Bedier urged the U.S. government to call for an immediate cease fire.



Council on American-Islamic Relations