Dar Al-Hijrah: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox religious building |
{{Infobox religious building |
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| name = Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center |
| name = Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center |
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| image = |
| image = PXL_20230204_142755483.jpg |
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| location = [[Seven Corners, Virginia]], U.S. |
| location = [[Seven Corners, Virginia]], U.S. |
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| coordinates = {{coord|38.8614|-77.1466|display=inline,title}} |
| coordinates = {{coord|38.8614|-77.1466|display=inline,title}} |
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==History== |
==History== |
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⚫ | Dar Al-Hijrah was founded in 1983 by a group of university students, mostly of Arab origin, who had broken away from the [[Islamic Center of Washington]].<ref name="murphy">{{cite news |author=Caryle Murphy |date=September 12, 2004 |title=Facing New Realities as Islamic Americans |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/09/12/facing-new-realities-as-islamic-americans/0f2cc52b-1fc5-44ce-a8d2-68629f533302/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116062139/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/09/12/facing-new-realities-as-islamic-americans/0f2cc52b-1fc5-44ce-a8d2-68629f533302/ |archive-date=January 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/31/AR2005073101185.html Stewart, Nikita, "Muslims Find Room to Grow in D.C.'s Outer Suburbs"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216204759/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/31/AR2005073101185.html|date=2018-02-16}} ''[[The Washington Post]]'', August 1, 2005, accessed November 12, 2009</ref><ref name="Prisoners">Goldberg, Jeffrey, ''[https://archive.org/details/prisonersstoryof0000gold/page/286/mode/2up?q=virginia Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror]'', pp. 286–87, [[Random House]], Inc. (2008), {{ISBN|978-0-375-72670-5}}, accessed November 11, 2009</ref> It was one of the first [[Mosque|mosques]] to be established in Northern Virginia, near [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/thecongregation/churches/daralhijrah.html|title=The Congregation . Churches|website=www.PBS.org|access-date=April 30, 2019|archive-date=November 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122104343/http://www.pbs.org/thecongregation/churches/daralhijrah.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It is also one of the area's largest and most influential mosques.<ref name=murphy/> |
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Founded in 1982 by a group of mostly Arab university students<ref name=murphy>{{cite news |
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|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/09/12/facing-new-realities-as-islamic-americans/0f2cc52b-1fc5-44ce-a8d2-68629f533302/ |
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|title=Facing New Realities as Islamic Americans |
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|author=Caryle Murphy |
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|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |
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|date=September 12, 2004 |
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|access-date=January 15, 2020 |
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|archive-date=January 16, 2020 |
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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116062139/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/09/12/facing-new-realities-as-islamic-americans/0f2cc52b-1fc5-44ce-a8d2-68629f533302/ |
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|url-status=live |
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⚫ | |||
A small group of families,<ref name="Thirty Years">{{Cite web |url=http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com/community-news/3319-dar-al-hijrah-celebrates-30-years-of-service |title=Dar Al-Hijrah Celebrates 30 Years of Service |date=March 16, 2013 |work=The Muslim Link |access-date=January 7, 2020 |archive-date=May 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504121808/http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com/community-news/3319-dar-al-hijrah-celebrates-30-years-of-service |url-status=live }}</ref> with help of the [[North American Islamic Trust]] (NAIT), purchased the mosque's grounds on June 19, 1983.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&q=%22North+American+Islamic+Trust%22&pg=PT349|title=Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington|first=Paul|last=Sperry|date=December 7, 2008|publisher=Thomas Nelson|isbn=9781418508425|access-date=April 30, 2019|via=Google Books|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232152/https://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&q=%22North+American+Islamic+Trust%22&pg=PT349|url-status=live}}</ref> |
A small group of families,<ref name="Thirty Years">{{Cite web |url=http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com/community-news/3319-dar-al-hijrah-celebrates-30-years-of-service |title=Dar Al-Hijrah Celebrates 30 Years of Service |date=March 16, 2013 |work=The Muslim Link |access-date=January 7, 2020 |archive-date=May 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504121808/http://www.muslimlinkpaper.com/community-news/3319-dar-al-hijrah-celebrates-30-years-of-service |url-status=live }}</ref> with help of the [[North American Islamic Trust]] (NAIT), purchased the mosque's grounds on June 19, 1983.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&q=%22North+American+Islamic+Trust%22&pg=PT349|title=Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington|first=Paul|last=Sperry|date=December 7, 2008|publisher=Thomas Nelson|isbn=9781418508425|access-date=April 30, 2019|via=Google Books|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232152/https://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&q=%22North+American+Islamic+Trust%22&pg=PT349|url-status=live}}</ref> The mosque was first established in a house that is still on the center's campus, and now serves as a [[food bank]]. Approximately 30 congregants would attend the weekly [[jumu'ah]] (Friday prayer) during the mosque's early years.<ref name="Thirty Years"/> The current building, on a 3.4 [[acre]] plot, was finished for $5 million in 1991 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5000000|1991|r=0}}}} today) with financial help from the [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] Embassy's Islamic Affairs Department.<ref name=murphy/> |
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In 1993, some area residents attempted to force closure of the mosque, saying it violated Fairfax County [[Zoning|zoning ordinance]]s.<ref name="Zoning"/> Worshipers believed the attempt was fueled by anti-Islamic bigotry.<ref name="Zoning"/> |
In 1993, some area residents attempted to force closure of the mosque, saying it violated Fairfax County [[Zoning|zoning ordinance]]s.<ref name="Zoning"/> Worshipers believed the attempt was fueled by anti-Islamic bigotry.<ref name="Zoning"/> However, despite the mosque's humble beginnings and early challenges, Dar Al-Hijrah grew to become a powerhouse mosque by 2000, serving the thriving and diverse Muslim community outside Washington, D.C.<ref name="Troy64">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MdbVDAAAQBAJ&q=young%20cats|last=Shane|first=Scott|title=Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone|page=64|publisher=Tim Duggan Books/Random House|isbn=0804140316|access-date=January 12, 2020|year=2006|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232245/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=young+cats|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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⚫ | The [[FBI]] Director of Counter-Intelligence for the Middle East, [[Gordon M. Snow]], was a frequent, weekly attendee of the services in spring and summer 2001, while also completing his master's degree 3 miles away.<ref>{{cite web |date=2011 |title=Pamplin MBA alumnus leads FBI cybercops |url=https://www.vtnews.vt.edu/content/vtnews_vt_edu/en/articles/2011/10/102711-pamplin-cybercop.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430115343/https://vtnews.vt.edu/content/vtnews_vt_edu/en/articles/2011/10/102711-pamplin-cybercop.html |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |access-date=April 30, 2019 |website=www.vtnews.vt.edu}}</ref> |
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The mosque sits at the corner of [[Virginia State Route 7]] (Leesburg Pike) and Row Street, near a number of apartment units and single-family homes in which many [[Muslim]] families live.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} Numerous [[halal]] restaurants, grocery stores, and other Muslim businesses are also located nearby.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} |
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{{As of|2004}}, the mosque was associated with the [[Muslim American Society]], a non-profit that advocates for Islam in the U.S.; the MAS has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood by way of its founders.<ref name="murphy" /><ref>{{cite news |author=Sheridan, Mary Beth |date=June 11, 2005 |title=Leader Named at Mosque; Falls Church Site Selects Activist |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061001869.html |url-status=live |access-date=November 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003122534/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061001869.html |archive-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref> Some members of the congregation disagreed with the close association between the MAS and the mosque, and the lack of inclusiveness in the congregation.<ref name="murphy" /> In 2004, Omeish called for greater inclusion of young people and women in the congregation.<ref name="murphy" /> He said that the board had been examining proposals to reduce its close ties to the MAS and increase diversity on the board.<ref name="murphy" /> |
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==Activities== |
==Activities== |
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The mosque holds [[salat|prayer]]s five times daily, and |
The mosque holds [[salat|prayer]]s five times daily, and Friday prayer attendance exceeds 3,000 people.<ref name=murphy/><ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/05/05/MN211803.DTL Masters, Brook, "Sept. 11 witness languishes in jail; Volunteering information on hijackers led to lengthy incarceration,"] ''[[The Washington Post]]'', May 5, 2002, accessed November 12, 2009</ref> In September 2004, about sixty percent of its membership was Arab, with an increasing percentage coming from countries such as Somalia, Morocco, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh.<ref name=murphy/> |
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Activities in addition to prayers include lectures, conferences, youth recreation and outdoor activities (such as camping and field trips) through its Youth Center, women's classes, health fairs, and financial assistance. |
Activities in addition to prayers include lectures, conferences, youth recreation and outdoor activities (such as camping and field trips) through its Youth Center, women's classes, health fairs, and financial assistance. It also operates an Islamic School called the "Washington Islamic Academy in Northern Virginia". In addition, Dar Al-Hijrah co-sponsors an annual civic picnic, along with other Northern Virginia organizations, at which candidates for local office meet Muslim voters.<ref name=murphy/><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081602046.html |title=Muslim Voters Meet Candidates, Officials at Picnic (washingtonpost.com)<!-- bot-generated title --> |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=2017-08-26 |archive-date=2018-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820110203/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081602046.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Dar Al-Hijrah is open for group tours. |
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==Leadership== |
==Leadership== |
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[[Jamal al Barzinji]]<ref name="Thirty Years"/> and Samir Salah<ref name="inf ">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&q=aulaqi&pg=PT351dq|last=Sperry|first=Paul E.|title=Infiltration: how Muslim spies and subversives have penetrated Washington|publisher=Thomas Nelson Inc|isbn=978-1-59555-003-3|access-date=December 1, 2009|year=2005|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232154/https://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&q=aulaqi&pg=PT351dq|url-status=live}}</ref> both were among Dar Al-Hijrah's original founding members. Al Barzinji was listed as Dar Al-Hijrah's original trustee while Salah would later become the mosque's president (as of 2008).<ref name="inf "/> Mohammed Ali Al-Hanooti, a Palestinian imam that had previously served at mosques in New Jersey, was Dar Al-Hijrah's imam from 1995 to 1999.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-3775853111/mohammed-ali-al-hanooti-a-scholar-of-islam-1937 |title=Mohammed Ali Al-Hanooti A Scholar of Islam 1937 - 2015 |newspaper=Islamic Horizons |date=July 1, 2015 |access-date=November 13, 2009 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232224/https://www.gale.com/databases/questia |url-status=live }}</ref> Dar al-Hijrah's previous imams at that point did not speak English and lacked engagement with the youth.<ref name="Troy64"/> With Al-Hanooti's departure, mosque leaders specifically sought out to hire an imam that could attract young people and non-Arabic speakers.<ref name=murphy/><ref>{{cite book|title=In Malcolm's Path: A Journey Through Chaos|first=Umar|last=Lee|date=2020|publisher=|page=52|isbn=9781418508425}}</ref> |
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[[Anwar al-Awlaki]] was a United States-born Yemeni who had returned to his birth country to attend college<ref>{{cite news |url= https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/FtHoodInvestigation/anwar-awlaki/story?id=9200720&singlePage=true |last1= Rhee |first1= Joseph |last2= Schone |first2= Mark |date= November 29, 2009 |title= How Anwar Awlaki Got Away |work= ABC News |access-date= 18 January 2020 |archive-date= 17 June 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200617063805/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/FtHoodInvestigation/anwar-awlaki/story?id=9200720&singlePage=true |url-status= live }}</ref> while also working at various mosques as an imam on the side. Despite having no religious qualifications and almost no religious education,<ref name="obituary">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/02/anwar-al-awlaki|last1=Burke|first1=Jason|date=October 2, 2011|title=Anwar al-Awlaki obituary|work=The Guardian|access-date=18 January 2020|archive-date=10 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610091957/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/02/anwar-al-awlaki|url-status=live}}</ref> his fame as a religious speaker grew with popular audio recordings and speaking invitations across the country.<ref name="Troy63">{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ|last=Shane|first=Scott|title=Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone|page=63|publisher=Tim Duggan Books/Random House|isbn=978-0804140317|access-date=January 12, 2020|year=2016|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232159/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Awlaki left his imam post in [[San Diego, California]], to pursue his PhD at [[George Washington University]] in Washington, D.C., and was soon recruited to be Dar Al-Hijrah's next imam in 2000.<ref name="Troy63"/> One of the mosque's board members who hired Al-Awlaki stated he was convinced that al-Awlaki had no inclinations or activities to do with terrorism.<ref name="murphy"/> The new imam, who was described as alluring and charming at this time,<ref name=trib >{{cite news |url= http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/ap-enterprise-tribe-in-yemen-protecting-us-cleric/ |last1= Keath |first1= Lee |last2= Al-Haj |first2= Ahmed |date= January 19, 2010 |title= Tribe in Yemen protecting US cleric |work= [[The Seattle Times]] |access-date= 24 October 2016 |archive-date= 25 October 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161025121441/http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/ap-enterprise-tribe-in-yemen-protecting-us-cleric/ |url-status= live }}</ref> began to draw young people to Dar Al-Hijrah<ref name="murphy"/> while connecting with the sophisticated Muslim community of Northern Virginia.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ|last=Shane|first=Scott|title=Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone|page=98|publisher=Tim Duggan Books/Random House|isbn=0804140316|access-date=January 12, 2020|year=2006|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232159/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Awlaki was considered a moderate during his time at Dar Al-Hijrah, publicly condemned the [[September 11 attacks]] and [[Al-Qaeda]], and was even invited to speak at the [[United States Department of Defense]]<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.5280.com/2018/07/the-long-and-winding-case-of-homaidan-al-turki// | last=Outcalt | first=Chris | date=August 2018 | title=The Long and Winding Case of Homaidan al-Turki | work=[[5280]] | access-date=29 January 2020 | archive-date=30 January 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130063002/https://www.5280.com/2018/07/the-long-and-winding-case-of-homaidan-al-turki/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and became the first imam to conduct a prayer service for the [[Congressional Muslim Staffer Association]] at the [[U.S. Capitol]].<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Davidson |title=Turning a Blind Eye to Terror |date=October 18, 2010 |url=http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39464 |work=Human Events |access-date=October 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020041024/http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39464 |archive-date=October 20, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Winter |first=Jana |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/11/congressional-muslim-prayer-group-terror-ties/ |title=Some Muslims Attending Capitol Hill Prayer Group Have Terror Ties, Probe Reveals |publisher=Fox News|date=April 7, 2010 |access-date=November 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112210422/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/11/congressional-muslim-prayer-group-terror-ties/ |archive-date=November 12, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Awlaki appeared on law enforcement's radars when federal investigators discovered two of the alleged 9/11 hijackers had attended the same mosque in San Diego during the same time Al-Awlaki served as imam, as well as Dar Al-Hijrah (along with a third alleged hijacker). Despite the fact that no solid evidence emerged linking Al-Awlaki to the 9/11 plot,<ref name="obituary"/> FBI agents conducted repeated interviews and placed the imam under surveillance.<ref name="Troy113">{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1|last=Shane|first=Scott|title=Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone|page=113|publisher=Tim Duggan Books/Random House|isbn=0804140316|access-date=January 12, 2020|year=2006|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232201/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Awlaki resigned from Dar Al-Hijrah in early 2002 due to post-9/11 media attention that distracted the imam from his duties, according to the mosque's outreach director.<ref name=murphy/> |
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===Johari Abdul-Malik=== |
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{{Main|Johari Abdul-Malik}} |
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Brooklyn-born convert-to-Islam Imam [[Johari Abdul-Malik]] was previously the Director of Outreach for the [[Dar al-Hijrah|Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center]] in [[Northern Virginia]] from June 2002<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930030840/http://www.tkb.org/NewsStory.jsp?storyID=78762 For use in Friday PMs newspapers of July 29 and thereafter] MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base</ref> until June 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://imamjohari.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/imam-johari-abdul-malik-resigns-from-the-dar-al-hijrah-islamic-center/ |title=Imam Johari Abdul-Malik Resigns From The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center |access-date=2019-12-25 |archive-date=2019-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225204625/https://imamjohari.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/imam-johari-abdul-malik-resigns-from-the-dar-al-hijrah-islamic-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Speaking on his role at the mosque, he said: |
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<blockquote>It's important that there's an American at the mosque to speak with media, to defend Islam, who can talk about the rights of Muslims. It would be difficult for us if we had an imam who didn't understand the process here.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=57911&d=22&m=1&y=2005&pix=world.jpg&category=World|title=Thousands of Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Adha in US|publisher=[[ArabNews|Arab News]]|date=January 22, 2005|access-date=November 14, 2009|archive-date=September 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911123403/http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=57911&d=22&m=1&y=2005&pix=world.jpg&category=World|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote> |
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When in April 2005 [[Ali al-Tamimi|Ali al-Timimi]] of [[Fairfax, Virginia]], an American-born Muslim cleric, was convicted of inciting followers to wage war against the US just days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and of recruiting for the Pakistani terrorist organization [[Lashkar-e-Taiba|Lashkar-e-Toiba]], and the paintball terrorist cell, Abdul-Malik said: "There is a view many Muslims have when they come to America that you could not be arrested for something you say. But now they have discovered they are not free to speak their minds. And if our opinions are out of vogue in the current climate, we feel we are all at risk."<ref>[http://www.tkb.org/NewsStory.jsp?storyID=78762 For use in Friday PMs newspapers of July 29 and thereafter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930030840/http://www.tkb.org/NewsStory.jsp?storyID=78762 |date=2007-09-30 }} MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/27/us/muslim-cleric-found-guilty-in-the-virginia-jihad-case.html|title=Muslim Cleric Found Guilty in the 'Virginia Jihad' Case|first=James|last=Dao|date=April 27, 2005|access-date=April 30, 2019|via=NYTimes.com|archive-date=September 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907111000/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/27/us/muslim-cleric-found-guilty-in-the-virginia-jihad-case.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Timimi was sentenced to life imprisonment. |
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In November 2009, Abdul-Malik responded to al-Awlaki's support of the [[Nidal Hasan|Fort Hood shooter]] by saying: |
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⚫ | Brooklyn-born convert-to-Islam Imam [[Johari Abdul-Malik]] was previously the Director of Outreach for the [[Dar al-Hijrah|Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center]] in [[Northern Virginia]] from June 2002<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930030840/http://www.tkb.org/NewsStory.jsp?storyID=78762 For use in Friday PMs newspapers of July 29 and thereafter] MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base</ref> until June 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://imamjohari.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/imam-johari-abdul-malik-resigns-from-the-dar-al-hijrah-islamic-center/ |title=Imam Johari Abdul-Malik Resigns From The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center |access-date=2019-12-25 |archive-date=2019-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225204625/https://imamjohari.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/imam-johari-abdul-malik-resigns-from-the-dar-al-hijrah-islamic-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Speaking on his role at the mosque, he said, "It's important that there's an American at the mosque to speak with media, to defend Islam, who can talk about the rights of Muslims. It would be difficult for us if we had an imam who didn't understand the process here."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=57911&d=22&m=1&y=2005&pix=world.jpg&category=World|title=Thousands of Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Adha in US|publisher=[[ArabNews|Arab News]]|date=January 22, 2005|access-date=November 14, 2009|archive-date=September 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911123403/http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=57911&d=22&m=1&y=2005&pix=world.jpg&category=World|url-status=live}}</ref> During his tenure at Dar Al-Hijrah, Abdul-Malik commented on criminal cases against several American Muslims, including that of one Dar Al-Hijrah congregant. [[Ahmed Omar Abu Ali]], who had worshipped and taught at Dar Al-Hihrah, was charged in 2005 by U.S. prosecutors with plotting with members of al-Qaeda to assassinate [[George W. Bush|President George W. Bush]]. Abdul-Malik accused the government of singling him out to stir anti-Muslim sentiment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/796932511.html?dids=796932511:796932511&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+23%2C+2005&author=Ellen+Gamerman&pub=The+Sun&desc=Family%2C+friends+denounce+charges+against+%60pious+man'&pqatl=google|last=Gamerman|first=Ellen|title=Family, friends denounce charges against 'pious man'|publisher=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=February 23, 2005|website=pqarchiver.com|access-date=April 30, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/us/nationalspecial3/case-adds-to-outrage-for-muslims-in-northern-virginia.html?pagewanted=all |title=Dao, James, and Lichtblau, Eric, "Case Adds to Outrage for Muslims in Northern Virginia", ''The New York Times'', February 27, 2005, accessed December 7, 2009 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-date=July 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727130121/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/us/nationalspecial3/case-adds-to-outrage-for-muslims-in-northern-virginia.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<blockquote>Al-Awlaqi ... supported the crime that Hasan committed and said that the US Muslims who opposed the crime have betrayed the Muslim ''[[ummah]]'' (the community of Muslims worldwide) and are hypocrites. I answer him by saying that he has thus separated himself from the Muslim community in the United States. The holy Koran teaches us that we as US Muslims should enrich the society we live in with humanitarian services, wisdom, teaching God's beautiful verses about love, mercy, and compassion to all mankind.</blockquote><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=18860 |title=Salah, Mohammed Ali, "Imam Johari Abdul Malik Talks to Asharq Al-Awsat," ''[[Asharq Al-Awsat]]'', November 19, 2009, accessed December 5, 2009 |access-date=December 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528050308/http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3 |archive-date=May 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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⚫ | Sheikh [[Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh]], formerly a [[Muslim Brotherhood]] member in the Sudan, and one of the founders of both the mosque and the [[Muslim American Society]] (MAS), was the mosque's imam between August 2003 and May 2005. He left the mosque to become the executive director of the [[Fiqh Council of North America]], an association of [[Sharia|Islamic legal]] scholars.<ref name=murphy/><ref name=Sheridan200506>{{cite news |
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===Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh=== |
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{{Main|Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh}} |
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⚫ | Sheikh [[Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh]], formerly a [[Muslim Brotherhood]] member in the Sudan, and one of the founders of both the mosque and the [[Muslim American Society]] (MAS), was the mosque's imam between August 2003 and May 2005. |
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|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061001869.html |
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061001869.html |
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|title=Leader Named at Mosque |
|title=Leader Named at Mosque |
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Commenting in 2004 on the [[Decapitation|beheading]]s of American hostages [[Nick Berg]] and [[Daniel Pearl]], he said: |
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<blockquote>beheadings are not mentioned in the [[Qur'an|Koran]] at all. According to Islamic penal law, killers will be sentenced to death, but the means of execution are not mentioned. ...we don't condone this. They are not following Islam. They are following their own whims.</blockquote><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-06-20-koran-beheadings_x.htm|title=Koran doesn't call for beheadings, Islamic cleric says|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|author=Peronet Despeignes|date=June 20, 2004|access-date=November 12, 2009|archive-date=January 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108211510/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-06-20-koran-beheadings_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>< |
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He said that "suicide bombings are never legitimate in the United States." The Sheikh said he tells his congregation that "Islamic law does not allow suicide bombings in most instances." Speaking of Palestinian [[suicide bomber]]s he said "if certain Muslims are to be cornered where they cannot defend themselves, except through these kinds of means, and their local religious leaders issued [[fatwa]]s to permit that, then it becomes acceptable as an exceptional rule, but should not be taken as a principle."<ref name="murphy"/> |
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===Shaker Elsayed=== |
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{{Main|Shaker Elsayed}} |
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|url=http://www.islamonline.net/LiveFatwa/English/Guestcv.asp?hGuestID=er8Qo2 |
|url=http://www.islamonline.net/LiveFatwa/English/Guestcv.asp?hGuestID=er8Qo2 |
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|publisher=[[IslamOnline|Islam Online]] |
|publisher=[[IslamOnline|Islam Online]] |
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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103040805/http://www.islamonline.net/livefatwa/english/Guestcv.asp?hGuestID=er8Qo2 |
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|archive-date=January 3, 2010 |
|archive-date=January 3, 2010 |
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}}</ref> |
}}</ref> From 2000 through 2005 he was the Secretary General of the Muslim American Society.<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/elsayed_shaker/ |
|url=http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/elsayed_shaker/ |
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|title=Elsayed, Shaker |
|title=Elsayed, Shaker |
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==Board of directors and executive committee== |
==Board of directors and executive committee== |
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The mosque's nine-member board of directors consists of the secretary general of the [[Islamic Society of North America]] (ISNA), the president of the [[Muslim Arab Youth Association]] (MAYA), the general manager of the |
The mosque's nine-member board of directors consists of the secretary general of the [[Islamic Society of North America]] (ISNA), the president of the [[Muslim Arab Youth Association]] (MAYA), the general manager of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), the president of Muslim American Society (MAS), the president of the Dar Al-Hijrah Executive Committee, and four other members.<ref>[http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Constitution "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Constitution", accessed December 10, 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20100122235437/http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Constitution |date=January 22, 2010 }}</ref> Directors serve for five-year terms, and new directors are elected by the currently serving directors. |
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[[Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar]], a [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] later convicted of criminal contempt and obstruction of justice for refusal to testify in a trial related to the funding of [[Hamas]] in the US, was a member of the executive committee. |
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Dar Al-Hijrah has a seven-member executive committee; every two years four committee members are appointed by the mosque's board of directors, while the other three are elected by its membership.<ref name=murphy/> Imams Shaker Elsayed and Johari Abdul-Malik serve on the executive committee.<ref>[http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Executive%20Committe "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Executive Committee", accessed December 10, 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121180441/http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Executive%20Committe |date=January 21, 2010 }}</ref> |
Dar Al-Hijrah has a seven-member executive committee; every two years four committee members are appointed by the mosque's board of directors, while the other three are elected by its membership.<ref name=murphy/> Imams Shaker Elsayed and Johari Abdul-Malik serve on the executive committee.<ref>[http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Executive%20Committe "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Executive Committee", accessed December 10, 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121180441/http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Executive%20Committe |date=January 21, 2010 }}</ref> [[Esam Omeish]], former president of the MAS, is a member of the board.<ref>[http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Board%20of%20directors "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Board of Directors", accessed December 10, 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122235620/http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Board%20of%20directors|date=January 22, 2010}}</ref> |
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The mosque had 250 voting member families |
The mosque had 250 voting member families {{As of|2004|September|lc=y}}.<ref name=murphy/> |
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{{Main|Esam Omeish}} |
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Dr. [[Esam Omeish]], former president of the MAS, is a member of the board.<ref>[http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Board%20of%20directors "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Board of Directors", accessed December 10, 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122235620/http://www.daralhijrah.net/mosque/aboutus/Board%20of%20directors |date=January 22, 2010 }}</ref> In 2004 Omeish, at 36 then the youngest member of the mosque's Board, said there is "no question" that the mosque leadership needs to be more open and inclusive of younger people, including women. "The bottom line is that this is a mosque that is in the heart of Washington," he said. "Our goal is to make the congregation reflect that reality."<ref name=murphy/> Omeish acknowledged that some mosque members raised acceptable questions about the mosque's constitution, and that proposals under consideration in 2004 included direct elections to the mosque's board of directors, director [[term limit]]s, and phasing out the board seats that the constitution assigns to officials of certain Muslim organizations.<ref name=murphy/> |
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==Outreach== |
==Outreach== |
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|first=Pamela |
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|last=Constable |
|last=Constable |
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|author-link=Pamela Constable |
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|archive-date=June 13, 2008 |
|archive-date=June 13, 2008 |
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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613080739/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/12/AR2008061204165.html |
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613080739/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/12/AR2008061204165.html |
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|url-status=live |
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}}</ref> and promoting mutual understanding in the local area.<ref name=murphy/> |
}}</ref> and promoting mutual understanding in the local area.<ref name=murphy/> It participates in community food banks, back-to-school supply, community clean-up efforts, is engaged in interfaith projects, and participates in civil rights work.<ref name=murphy/> Its [[Social work|social services]] department provides food, clothing, and other household items to needy local families of all faiths. |
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During the Islamic month of [[Ramadan]], Dar Al-Hijrah free meals nightly to all, regardless of faith; over 800 meals each night.<ref>{{cite web |
During the Islamic month of [[Ramadan]], Dar Al-Hijrah free meals nightly to all, regardless of faith; over 800 meals each night.<ref>{{cite web |
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==Controversy== |
==Controversy== |
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⚫ | Several sources indicated that [[Nidal Hasan]], the perpetrator of the November 5, [[2009 Fort Hood shooting]], attended the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque at the same time in 2001 as [[Nawaf al-Hazmi]] and [[Hani Hanjour]] (two of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11 hijackers]]). Al-Hazmi and Hanjour had attended the mosque for several weeks during 2001 when [[Anwar al-Awlaki]] was imam there; a law enforcement official said that the FBI would look into whether Hasan associated with the hijackers.<ref name="murphy" /><ref name="Telegraph 2">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102060951/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html |date=2019-11-02 }}, ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'', November 7, 2009</ref><ref name="NYT 6">[https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/08/us/politics/AP-US-Fort-Hood-Muslims.html Alleged Shooter Tied to Mosque of 9/11 Hijackers], ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 8, 2009</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&q=%22Dar+al-Hijrah%22+&pg=PA121 Sperry, Paul E., ''Infiltration: how Muslim spies and subversives have penetrated Washington''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704042537/http://books.google.com/books?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&pg=PA121&dq=%22Dar+al-Hijrah%22+Virginia&lr=&ei=qWb6SrHnOJzuygTgucWODw#v=onepage&q=%22Dar%20al-Hijrah%22%20&f=false |date=2014-07-04 }}, Chapter 12: "The 9/11 Mosque: Dar al-Hijrah," p. 110, [[Thomas Nelson (publisher)|Thomas Nelson Inc]] (2005), {{ISBN|978-1-59555-003-3}}, accessed November 11, 2009</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Awgp3H5mBXgC&dq=%22dar+al+hijrah%22&pg=PA172 Thompson, Paul, ''The terror timeline: year by year, day by day, minute by minute : a comprehensive chronicle of the road to 9/11--- and America's response''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704042937/http://books.google.com/books?id=Awgp3H5mBXgC&pg=PA172&dq=%22dar+al+hijrah%22&num=100&ei=srn8StDaJ5zuygTgucWODw#v=onepage&q=%22dar%20al%20hijrah%22&f=false |date=2014-07-04 }}, p. 172, [[HarperCollins|Harper Collins]] (2004), {{ISBN|978-0-06-078338-9}}, accessed November 12, 2009</ref> The mosque issued a statement condemning the Fort Hood shootings, and al-Awlaki's praise of them.<ref name="hijrah1">{{cite web|url=http://www.hijrah.org/|title=Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center Repudiates Prise for Fort Hood Killings|author=Imam Johari Abdul-Malik|publisher=Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center|date=November 9, 2009|access-date=November 10, 2009|archive-date=January 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107015457/http://www.hijrah.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, the phone number for the mosque was found in the apartment of one a planner of the [[September 11 attacks]], [[Ramzi bin al-Shibh]] in [[Hamburg]], northern Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf |title=Report of the Joint Inquiry into the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 |publisher=House Permanent Select Committee of Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence [redacted version] |page=178 |date=December 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005014507/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf |archive-date=October 5, 2008 }}</ref> [[Ahmed Omar Abu Ali]], who was convicted of providing material support to [[Al-Qaeda|al Qaeda]] and conspiracy to assassinate President George W. Bush, worshiped and taught Islamic studies at the mosque around that time, where he was also a camp counselor.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/us/nationalspecial3/case-adds-to-outrage-for-muslims-in-northern-virginia.html?pagewanted=all Dao, James, and Lichtblau, Eric, "Case Adds to Outrage for Muslims in Northern Virginia,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727130121/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/us/nationalspecial3/case-adds-to-outrage-for-muslims-in-northern-virginia.html?pagewanted=all |date=2018-07-27 }} ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 27, 2004, accessed November 11, 2009</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/06/bush.plot.ap/index.html |date=June 6, 2008 |title=Conviction upheld in Bush assassination plot |publisher=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613011758/http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/06/bush.plot.ap/index.html |archive-date=June 13, 2008 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/politics/23terror.html?pagewanted=2 Lichtblau, Eric, "American Accused in a Plot to Assassinate Bush,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208041707/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/politics/23terror.html?pagewanted=2 |date=2015-02-08 }} ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 23, 2005, accessed November 12, 2009</ref> |
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⚫ | The [[FBI]] Director of Counter-Intelligence for the Middle East, [[Gordon M. Snow]], was a frequent, weekly attendee of the services in spring and summer 2001, while also completing his master's degree 3 miles away.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vtnews.vt.edu/content/vtnews_vt_edu/en/articles/2011/10/102711-pamplin-cybercop.html |
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⚫ | Several sources indicated that [[Nidal Hasan]], the |
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[[Ahmed Omar Abu Ali]], who was convicted of providing material support to [[Al-Qaeda|al Qaeda]] and conspiracy to assassinate President [[George W. Bush]], worshiped and taught Islamic studies at the mosque around that time, where he was also a camp counselor.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/us/nationalspecial3/case-adds-to-outrage-for-muslims-in-northern-virginia.html?pagewanted=all Dao, James, and Lichtblau, Eric, "Case Adds to Outrage for Muslims in Northern Virginia,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727130121/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/us/nationalspecial3/case-adds-to-outrage-for-muslims-in-northern-virginia.html?pagewanted=all |date=2018-07-27 }} ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 27, 2004, accessed November 11, 2009</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/06/bush.plot.ap/index.html |date=June 6, 2008 |title=Conviction upheld in Bush assassination plot |publisher=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613011758/http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/06/bush.plot.ap/index.html |archive-date=June 13, 2008 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/politics/23terror.html?pagewanted=2 Lichtblau, Eric, "American Accused in a Plot to Assassinate Bush,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208041707/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/politics/23terror.html?pagewanted=2 |date=2015-02-08 }} ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 23, 2005, accessed November 12, 2009</ref> |
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[[Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar]], a member of the mosque's executive committee, was convicted in November 2007 of [[contempt of court|contempt]] and [[obstruction of justice]] for refusal to testify before a [[grand jury]] with regard to Hamas, and sentenced to 135 months in prison.<ref name=murphy/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180820111919/https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A20169-2004Aug20/?language=printer Eggen, Dan, and Markon, Jerry, "Hamas Leader, 2 Others Indicted; Justice Dept. Targets U.S. Fundraising for Militant Group,"] [[The Washington Post|Washington Post]], August 21, 2004; accessed December 7, 2009</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120711174905/http://google.com/scholar?q=cache:RK8rDKYsSiYJ:scholar.google.com/+abdelraziq+ashqar&hl=en&lr=lang_en&num=100&as_sdt=2000 "Transcript of Sentencing Proceedings," US v. Ashqar, November 21, 2007, accessed December 7, 2009]</ref> |
[[Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar]], a member of the mosque's executive committee, was convicted in November 2007 of [[contempt of court|contempt]] and [[obstruction of justice]] for refusal to testify before a [[grand jury]] with regard to Hamas, and sentenced to 135 months in prison.<ref name=murphy/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180820111919/https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A20169-2004Aug20/?language=printer Eggen, Dan, and Markon, Jerry, "Hamas Leader, 2 Others Indicted; Justice Dept. Targets U.S. Fundraising for Militant Group,"] [[The Washington Post|Washington Post]], August 21, 2004; accessed December 7, 2009</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120711174905/http://google.com/scholar?q=cache:RK8rDKYsSiYJ:scholar.google.com/+abdelraziq+ashqar&hl=en&lr=lang_en&num=100&as_sdt=2000 "Transcript of Sentencing Proceedings," US v. Ashqar, November 21, 2007, accessed December 7, 2009]</ref> |
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[[Jeffrey Goldberg]], in his 2008 book ''Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror'', characterizes Dar Al-Hijrah as an openly political mosque that has conducted militant Friday sermons, especially prior to the |
The mosque is known for being politically militant. [[Jeffrey Goldberg]], in his 2008 book ''Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror'', characterizes Dar Al-Hijrah as an openly political mosque that has conducted militant Friday sermons, especially prior to the September 11 attacks.<ref name="Prisoners"/> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' has called its leaders "outspoken in criticizing U.S. law enforcement actions against Muslims and U.S. policies in the Middle East."<ref name=murphy/> |
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|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061001869.html |
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|author=Sheridan, Mary Beth |
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|title=Leader Named at Mosque; Falls Church Site Selects Activist |
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|newspaper=The Washington Post |
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|date=June 11, 2005 |
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|access-date=November 12, 2009 |
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|archive-date=October 3, 2018 |
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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003122534/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061001869.html |
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|url-status=live |
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}}</ref> |
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In May 2017, [[Shaker Elsayed]], the head imam of the center, said in a video that he recommended removing a young girl's labia and clitoris, also known as female circumcision or [[Female genital mutilation|female genital mutilation (FGM)]]: |
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<blockquote>This is something that a Muslim gynecologist can tell you if you need to or not… There used to be a lady who used to do this for women, or, I mean, young girls. She is expected to cut only the tip of the sexual sensitive part in the girl, so that she is not hypersexually active. This is the purpose... you see in societies where circumcision of girls is completely prohibited, hypersexuality takes over the entire society, and a woman is not satisfied with one person, or two, or three. This, God forbid, is now happening even in Muslim societies where they prohibit circumcision. They use a mistake in practice to prohibit the tradition, and they end up causing a lot of damage on the extreme side of the sexual life of the woman.</blockquote> |
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The comments were brought to light by a tweet by the [[Middle East Media Research Institute]] in June,<ref>{{cite tweet|user=MEMRIReports|author=MEMRI|number=870231060080152576|date=1 June 2017|title=Shaker Elsayed, Imam of Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque in Fairfax County, VA, Endorses FGM: It Prevents Girls from Becoming H…}}</ref> which links to the video, originally posted on the |
In May 2017, Shaker Elsayed, the head imam of the center, said in a video that he recommended removing a young girl's labia and clitoris, a procedure known as female circumcision or [[female genital mutilation]] (FGM). The comments were brought to light by a tweet by the [[Middle East Media Research Institute]] in June,<ref>{{cite tweet|user=MEMRIReports|author=MEMRI|number=870231060080152576|date=1 June 2017|title=Shaker Elsayed, Imam of Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque in Fairfax County, VA, Endorses FGM: It Prevents Girls from Becoming H…}}</ref> which links to the video, originally posted on the mosque's [[YouTube]] channel. The mosque issued a statement condemning Shaker Elsayed's remarks and stating that FGM is "prohibited in Islam as well as the laws of the land."<ref>{{cite news |
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|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/06/05/virginia-mosque-embattled-after-imam-said-female-genital-mutilation-prevents-hypersexuality/ |
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===Anwar al-Awlaki=== |
===Anwar al-Awlaki=== |
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{{Main|Anwar al-Awlaki}} |
{{Main|Anwar al-Awlaki}} |
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Anwar al-Awlaki was Imam at the mosque between January 2001 and April 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hijrah.org/ |title=Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center Repudiates Praise for Fort Hood Killings |author=Imam Johari Abdul-Malik |publisher=Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center |date=November 9, 2009 |access-date=November 10, 2009 |archive-date=January 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107015457/http://www.hijrah.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Troy63">{{Cite book |last=Shane |first=Scott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MdbVDAAAQBAJ |title=Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone |publisher=Tim Duggan Books/Random House |year=2016 |isbn=978-0804140317 |page=63 |access-date=January 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232159/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> He was popular with young people and was able to connect with the Muslim community of Northern Virginia.<ref name="murphy" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Shane |first=Scott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MdbVDAAAQBAJ |title=Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone |publisher=Tim Duggan Books/Random House |year=2006 |isbn=0804140316 |page=98 |access-date=January 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320232159/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Objective_Troy/MdbVDAAAQBAJ |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Awlaki was considered a moderate during his time at Dar Al-Hijrah, including publicly condemning the [[September 11 attacks]] and [[Al-Qaeda]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Outcalt |first=Chris |date=August 2018 |title=The Long and Winding Case of Homaidan al-Turki |work=[[5280]] |url=https://www.5280.com/2018/07/the-long-and-winding-case-of-homaidan-al-turki// |url-status=live |access-date=29 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130063002/https://www.5280.com/2018/07/the-long-and-winding-case-of-homaidan-al-turki/ |archive-date=30 January 2020}}</ref> He was invited to speak at the [[United States Department of Defense]] and became the first imam to conduct a prayer service for the [[Congressional Muslim Staffer Association]] at the [[U.S. Capitol]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Davidson |first=John |date=October 18, 2010 |title=Turning a Blind Eye to Terror |work=Human Events |url=http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39464 |url-status=dead |access-date=October 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020041024/http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39464 |archive-date=October 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Winter |first=Jana |date=April 7, 2010 |title=Some Muslims Attending Capitol Hill Prayer Group Have Terror Ties, Probe Reveals |publisher=Fox News |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/11/congressional-muslim-prayer-group-terror-ties/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112210422/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/11/congressional-muslim-prayer-group-terror-ties/ |archive-date=November 12, 2010}}</ref> |
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Anwar al-Awlaki was Imam at the mosque between January 2001 and April 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hijrah.org/ |title=Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center Repudiates Praise for Fort Hood Killings |author=Imam Johari Abdul-Malik |publisher=Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center |date=November 9, 2009 |access-date=November 10, 2009 |archive-date=January 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107015457/http://www.hijrah.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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He has been accused since of being a senior [[al-Qaeda]] recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists, including three [[September 11 attacks|9/11]] hijackers, the accused [[Nidal Hasan|Fort Hood shooter]], and the accused Christmas Day 2009 bomber.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Meek|first1=James Gordon|title=Fort Hood gunman 'is a hero', says Imam who preached to 9/11 hijackers in Va.|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fort-hood-gunman-nidal-hasan-hero-imam-preached-9-11-hijackers-va-praises-attack-article-1.414741|access-date=25 October 2016|work=[[NY Daily News]]|date=9 November 2009|archive-date=8 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208141054/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fort-hood-gunman-nidal-hasan-hero-imam-preached-9-11-hijackers-va-praises-attack-article-1.414741|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=US imam wanted in Yemen over al-Qaida suspicions |date=November 10, 2009 |url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/u-s-imam-wanted-in-yemen-over-al-qaeda-suspicions-1.453376 |access-date=24 October 2016 |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025111829/http://www.ctvnews.ca/u-s-imam-wanted-in-yemen-over-al-qaeda-suspicions-1.453376 |url-status=live }}</ref> Supporters of the mosque say that al-Awlaki publicly condemned the 9/11 attacks, and was not known to give radical speeches at the time.<ref>{{cite news |
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|title=Authorities scrutinize links between Fort Hood suspect, imam said to back al-Qaeda |
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|author=Spencer S. Hsu and Carrie Johnson |
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|date=November 9, 2009 |
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}}</ref> But writing on the ''[[IslamOnline|IslamOnline.net]]'' website six days after the 9/11 attacks, he suggested that Israeli intelligence agents might have been responsible for the attacks, and that the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] "went into the roster of the airplanes and whoever has a Muslim or Arab name became the hijacker by default."<ref name = "wash post">Schmidt, Susan; [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603267.html Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820015423/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603267.html |date=2011-08-20 }}; ''The Washington Post'', February 27, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2009.</ref> |
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[[Khalid al-Mihdhar]] and [[Nawaf al-Hazmi|Nawaf Al-Hazmi]] set up their base of operations in San Diego upon their arrival in the US with the assistance of a number of people who were later investigated by the FBI and press.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.verumserum.com/media/2009/11/2003-San-Diego-Trib-Story-on-al-Awlaki.pdf|title=Welcome verumserum.com - BlueHost.com|website=www.verumserum.com|access-date=April 30, 2019|archive-date=May 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506201022/http://www.verumserum.com/media/2009/11/2003-San-Diego-Trib-Story-on-al-Awlaki.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> They established a close relationship with Awlaki, who had been imam of the [[Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami]] mosque since 1996.<ref name = "wash post"/><ref name="nytimes2">{{cite news |last=Shane |first=Scott |author2=Souad Mekhennet |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/world/09awlaki.html |title=Anwar al-Awlaki – From Condemning Terror to Preaching Jihad |newspaper=New York Times |date=May 8, 2010 |access-date=May 9, 2010 |archive-date=May 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511054051/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/world/09awlaki.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ghosh">{{cite magazine|last=Ghosh |first=Bobby |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1953426-3,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118085651/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1953426-3,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |title=How Dangerous Is the Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki?|magazine=Time|date=January 13, 2010 |access-date=April 16, 2010}}</ref><ref name="inf "/><ref name="cha">{{Cite news|url=http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/terror/20030725-9999_1n25report.html|last=Thornton|first=Kelly|date=July 25, 2003|title=Chance to Foil 9/11 Plot Lost Here, Report Finds|newspaper=[[San Diego Union Tribune]]|access-date=May 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224023651/http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/terror/20030725-9999_1n25report.html|archive-date=February 24, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> After leaving San Diego and Arizona in 2001 and moving to [[Falls Church, Virginia]], [[Hani Hanjour]] specified the Virginia mosque in Falls Church as his forwarding mailing address.<ref>[https://www.scribd.com/doc/13120414/-FBI-Summary-about-Alleged-Flight-77-Hijacker-Hani-Hanjour] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828034549/http://www.scribd.com/doc/13120414/-FBI-Summary-about-Alleged-Flight-77-Hijacker-Hani-Hanjour |date=2013-08-28 }} FBI Summary</ref> He and Al-Hazmi attended Awlaki's sermons at the Virginia mosque. The [[9/11 Commission Report]], prepared after the attacks had taken place, concluded the men's appearances at Al-Alwaki's mosque "may not have been coincidental". The Fort Hood shooter [[Nidal Hasan]] attended the mosque for the funeral of his mother in May 2001, likely arranged by his brother who lived in Virginia.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first1=Philip | last1=Sherwell | first2=Alex | last2=Spillius | title=Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists | date=November 7, 2009 | access-date=April 2, 2018 | archive-date=November 2, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102060951/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html | url-status=live }}</ref> For ten years, Hasan regularly attended a mosque in Silver Spring, Maryland, closer to where he lived and worked.<ref name=rec>{{cite news|url=http://www.kansascity.com/451/story/1585957.html |title=Is imam a terror recruiter or just an incendiary preacher? |last=Allam |first=Hannah |date=November 22, 2009 |work=[[The Kansas City Star|Kansas City Star]] |access-date=November 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124003856/http://www.kansascity.com/451/story/1585957.html |archive-date=November 24, 2009 }}</ref><ref name= how>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/FtHoodInvestigation/anwar-awlaki/story?id=9200720&page=3|last=Rhee|first=Joseph|date=November 30, 2009|title=How Anwar Awlaki Got Away; U.S. Attorney's Decision to Cancel Arrest Warrant "Shocked" Terrorism Investigators|work=ABC News|access-date=December 1, 2009|archive-date=November 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109043616/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/FtHoodInvestigation/anwar-awlaki/story?id=9200720&page=3|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cha"/><ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html Sherwell, Philip, and Spillius, Alex, "Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists; Major Nidal Malik Hasan worshiped at a mosque led by a radical imam said to be a "spiritual adviser" to three of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept 11, 2001,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102060951/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html |date=2019-11-02 }} ''[[The Daily Telegraph|Daily Telegraph]]'', November 7, 2009, accessed November 12, 2009</ref> "In my view, he is more than a coincidental figure," said [[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Intelligence Committee]] member Representative [[Anna Eshoo]] (D-CA) in 2003.<ref name=shop >{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,474477,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031106161328/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,474477,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=November 6, 2003|last1 =Shannon |first1=Elaine |last2= Burger |first2= Timothy J. | last3=Calabresi |first3= Massimo |date= August 9, 2003|title=FBI Sets Up Shop in Yemen|work= [[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=January 19, 2010}}</ref> |
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He has since been accused of being a senior [[al-Qaeda]] recruiter linked to various terrorists, including three 9/11 hijackers, the accused Fort Hood shooter, and the accused Christmas Day 2009 bomber.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Meek|first1=James Gordon|title=Fort Hood gunman 'is a hero', says Imam who preached to 9/11 hijackers in Va.|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fort-hood-gunman-nidal-hasan-hero-imam-preached-9-11-hijackers-va-praises-attack-article-1.414741|access-date=25 October 2016|work=[[NY Daily News]]|date=9 November 2009|archive-date=8 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208141054/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fort-hood-gunman-nidal-hasan-hero-imam-preached-9-11-hijackers-va-praises-attack-article-1.414741|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=US imam wanted in Yemen over al-Qaida suspicions |date=November 10, 2009 |url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/u-s-imam-wanted-in-yemen-over-al-qaeda-suspicions-1.453376 |access-date=24 October 2016 |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025111829/http://www.ctvnews.ca/u-s-imam-wanted-in-yemen-over-al-qaeda-suspicions-1.453376 |url-status=live }}</ref> Six days after the September 11 attacks, he wrote on ''[[IslamOnline]]'' suggesting that Israeli intelligence agents might have been responsible for the attacks, and that the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] "went into the roster of the airplanes and whoever has a Muslim or Arab name became the hijacker by default."<ref name="wash post">Schmidt, Susan; [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603267.html Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820015423/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603267.html |date=2011-08-20 }}; ''The Washington Post'', February 27, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2009.</ref> In 2003 [[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Intelligence Committee]] member Representative [[Anna Eshoo]] (D-CA) described him as "more than a coincidental figure" in the attacks.<ref name="shop">{{cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,474477,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031106161328/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,474477,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=November 6, 2003|last1 =Shannon |first1=Elaine |last2= Burger |first2= Timothy J. | last3=Calabresi |first3= Massimo |date= August 9, 2003|title=FBI Sets Up Shop in Yemen|magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=January 19, 2010}}</ref> According to the ''Washington Post'', board member Esam Omeish was involved in hiring al-Awlaki .<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aina.org/news/2007049084748.htm |title="The Great Al-Qaeda 'Patriot'", Assyrian International News Agency, April 9, 2007, accessed January 19, 2010 |access-date=January 25, 2010 |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613160948/http://www.aina.org/news/2007049084748.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scribd.com/doc/21344037/Muslim-Mafia|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120627120535/http://www.scribd.com/doc/21344037/Muslim-Mafia|url-status=dead|title=Muslim Mafia|date=27 June 2012|archive-date=June 27, 2012|website=archive.is|access-date=April 30, 2019}}</ref> Omeish said in 2004 that he was convinced that al-Awlaki "has no inclination or active involvement in any events or circumstances that have to do with terrorism."<ref name="murphy" /> |
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Al-Awlaki resigned from Dar Al-Hijrah in early 2002 due to post-9/11 media attention that distracted the imam from his duties, according to the mosque's outreach director.<ref name="murphy" /> |
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On April 6, 2010, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that President Obama had authorized the [[targeted killing]] of al-Awlaki, the first time such an order had been made against an American citizen.<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/world/middleeast/07yemen.html|title=U.S. Approves Targeted Killing of American Cleric|first=Scott|last=Shane|date=April 6, 2010|access-date=April 30, 2019|via=NYTimes.com|archive-date=April 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408031248/http://www.nytimes.com//2010//04//07//world//middleeast//07yemen.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0410/723359.html]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
Revision as of 16:57, 10 February 2024
Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Mosque |
Leadership | Imam Farhan Siddiqi |
Status | Active |
Standort | |
Standort | Seven Corners, Virginia, U.S. |
Geographic coordinates | 38°51′41″N 77°08′48″W / 38.8614°N 77.1466°W |
Architecture | |
Typ | Mosque |
Style | Islamic |
Completed | 1991 |
Construction cost | $5 million |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 5,000 (inside) |
Minaret(s) | 1 |
Website | |
hijrah |
Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center (Arabic: مركز دار الهجرة الاسلامي) is a mosque in Northern Virginia. It is located in the Seven Corners area of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.[1][2][3]
History
Dar Al-Hijrah was founded in 1983 by a group of university students, mostly of Arab origin, who had broken away from the Islamic Center of Washington.[4][5][6] It was one of the first mosques to be established in Northern Virginia, near Washington, D.C.[7] It is also one of the area's largest and most influential mosques.[4]
A small group of families,[8] with help of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), purchased the mosque's grounds on June 19, 1983.[9] The mosque was first established in a house that is still on the center's campus, and now serves as a food bank. Approximately 30 congregants would attend the weekly jumu'ah (Friday prayer) during the mosque's early years.[8] The current building, on a 3.4 acre plot, was finished for $5 million in 1991 ($11,184,950 today) with financial help from the Saudi Embassy's Islamic Affairs Department.[4]
In 1993, some area residents attempted to force closure of the mosque, saying it violated Fairfax County zoning ordinances.[3] Worshipers believed the attempt was fueled by anti-Islamic bigotry.[3] However, despite the mosque's humble beginnings and early challenges, Dar Al-Hijrah grew to become a powerhouse mosque by 2000, serving the thriving and diverse Muslim community outside Washington, D.C.[10]
The FBI Director of Counter-Intelligence for the Middle East, Gordon M. Snow, was a frequent, weekly attendee of the services in spring and summer 2001, while also completing his master's degree 3 miles away.[11]
As of 2004[update], the mosque was associated with the Muslim American Society, a non-profit that advocates for Islam in the U.S.; the MAS has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood by way of its founders.[4][12] Some members of the congregation disagreed with the close association between the MAS and the mosque, and the lack of inclusiveness in the congregation.[4] In 2004, Omeish called for greater inclusion of young people and women in the congregation.[4] He said that the board had been examining proposals to reduce its close ties to the MAS and increase diversity on the board.[4]
Activities
The mosque holds prayers five times daily, and Friday prayer attendance exceeds 3,000 people.[4][13] In September 2004, about sixty percent of its membership was Arab, with an increasing percentage coming from countries such as Somalia, Morocco, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh.[4]
Activities in addition to prayers include lectures, conferences, youth recreation and outdoor activities (such as camping and field trips) through its Youth Center, women's classes, health fairs, and financial assistance. It also operates an Islamic School called the "Washington Islamic Academy in Northern Virginia". In addition, Dar Al-Hijrah co-sponsors an annual civic picnic, along with other Northern Virginia organizations, at which candidates for local office meet Muslim voters.[4][14] Dar Al-Hijrah is open for group tours.
Leadership
Jamal al Barzinji[8] and Samir Salah[15] both were among Dar Al-Hijrah's original founding members. Al Barzinji was listed as Dar Al-Hijrah's original trustee while Salah would later become the mosque's president (as of 2008).[15] Mohammed Ali Al-Hanooti, a Palestinian imam that had previously served at mosques in New Jersey, was Dar Al-Hijrah's imam from 1995 to 1999.[16] Dar al-Hijrah's previous imams at that point did not speak English and lacked engagement with the youth.[10] With Al-Hanooti's departure, mosque leaders specifically sought out to hire an imam that could attract young people and non-Arabic speakers.[4][17]
Brooklyn-born convert-to-Islam Imam Johari Abdul-Malik was previously the Director of Outreach for the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Northern Virginia from June 2002[18] until June 2017.[19] Speaking on his role at the mosque, he said, "It's important that there's an American at the mosque to speak with media, to defend Islam, who can talk about the rights of Muslims. It would be difficult for us if we had an imam who didn't understand the process here."[20] During his tenure at Dar Al-Hijrah, Abdul-Malik commented on criminal cases against several American Muslims, including that of one Dar Al-Hijrah congregant. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who had worshipped and taught at Dar Al-Hihrah, was charged in 2005 by U.S. prosecutors with plotting with members of al-Qaeda to assassinate President George W. Bush. Abdul-Malik accused the government of singling him out to stir anti-Muslim sentiment.[21][22]
Sheikh Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh, formerly a Muslim Brotherhood member in the Sudan, and one of the founders of both the mosque and the Muslim American Society (MAS), was the mosque's imam between August 2003 and May 2005. He left the mosque to become the executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America, an association of Islamic legal scholars.[4][23]
Shaker Elsayed, a Shariah law scholar born in Cairo, Egypt, has been the resident imam at Dar Al-Hijrah since June 1, 2005.[24] From 2000 through 2005 he was the Secretary General of the Muslim American Society.[25] He unequivocally condemns terrorism and states that the mosque actively publicizes that condemnation to the public.[26]
Board of directors and executive committee
The mosque's nine-member board of directors consists of the secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the president of the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA), the general manager of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), the president of Muslim American Society (MAS), the president of the Dar Al-Hijrah Executive Committee, and four other members.[27] Directors serve for five-year terms, and new directors are elected by the currently serving directors. Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, a Palestinian later convicted of criminal contempt and obstruction of justice for refusal to testify in a trial related to the funding of Hamas in the US, was a member of the executive committee.
Dar Al-Hijrah has a seven-member executive committee; every two years four committee members are appointed by the mosque's board of directors, while the other three are elected by its membership.[4] Imams Shaker Elsayed and Johari Abdul-Malik serve on the executive committee.[28] Esam Omeish, former president of the MAS, is a member of the board.[29]
The mosque had 250 voting member families as of September 2004[update].[4]
Outreach
Dar Al-Hijrah is active in community outreach and service,[30] and promoting mutual understanding in the local area.[4] It participates in community food banks, back-to-school supply, community clean-up efforts, is engaged in interfaith projects, and participates in civil rights work.[4] Its social services department provides food, clothing, and other household items to needy local families of all faiths.
During the Islamic month of Ramadan, Dar Al-Hijrah free meals nightly to all, regardless of faith; over 800 meals each night.[31] These include a weekly Iftar for Muslims incarcerated in nearby prisons. Also during Ramadan, the center sponsors interfaith and civic iftar dinners for local officials from the police force, fire department, and emergency medical services as well as various faith groups to promote mutual understanding. It also distributes tens of thousands of dollars in zakat every Ramadan.
Controversy
Several sources indicated that Nidal Hasan, the perpetrator of the November 5, 2009 Fort Hood shooting, attended the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque at the same time in 2001 as Nawaf al-Hazmi and Hani Hanjour (two of the September 11 hijackers). Al-Hazmi and Hanjour had attended the mosque for several weeks during 2001 when Anwar al-Awlaki was imam there; a law enforcement official said that the FBI would look into whether Hasan associated with the hijackers.[4][32][33][34][35] The mosque issued a statement condemning the Fort Hood shootings, and al-Awlaki's praise of them.[36] In addition, the phone number for the mosque was found in the apartment of one a planner of the September 11 attacks, Ramzi bin al-Shibh in Hamburg, northern Germany.[37] Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who was convicted of providing material support to al Qaeda and conspiracy to assassinate President George W. Bush, worshiped and taught Islamic studies at the mosque around that time, where he was also a camp counselor.[38][39][40]
Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, a member of the mosque's executive committee, was convicted in November 2007 of contempt and obstruction of justice for refusal to testify before a grand jury with regard to Hamas, and sentenced to 135 months in prison.[4][41][42]
The mosque is known for being politically militant. Jeffrey Goldberg, in his 2008 book Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror, characterizes Dar Al-Hijrah as an openly political mosque that has conducted militant Friday sermons, especially prior to the September 11 attacks.[6] The Washington Post has called its leaders "outspoken in criticizing U.S. law enforcement actions against Muslims and U.S. policies in the Middle East."[4]
In May 2017, Shaker Elsayed, the head imam of the center, said in a video that he recommended removing a young girl's labia and clitoris, a procedure known as female circumcision or female genital mutilation (FGM). The comments were brought to light by a tweet by the Middle East Media Research Institute in June,[43] which links to the video, originally posted on the mosque's YouTube channel. The mosque issued a statement condemning Shaker Elsayed's remarks and stating that FGM is "prohibited in Islam as well as the laws of the land."[44][45]
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was Imam at the mosque between January 2001 and April 2002.[46][47] He was popular with young people and was able to connect with the Muslim community of Northern Virginia.[4][48] Al-Awlaki was considered a moderate during his time at Dar Al-Hijrah, including publicly condemning the September 11 attacks and Al-Qaeda.[49] He was invited to speak at the United States Department of Defense and became the first imam to conduct a prayer service for the Congressional Muslim Staffer Association at the U.S. Capitol.[49][50][51]
He has since been accused of being a senior al-Qaeda recruiter linked to various terrorists, including three 9/11 hijackers, the accused Fort Hood shooter, and the accused Christmas Day 2009 bomber.[52][53] Six days after the September 11 attacks, he wrote on IslamOnline suggesting that Israeli intelligence agents might have been responsible for the attacks, and that the FBI "went into the roster of the airplanes and whoever has a Muslim or Arab name became the hijacker by default."[54] In 2003 House Intelligence Committee member Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) described him as "more than a coincidental figure" in the attacks.[55] According to the Washington Post, board member Esam Omeish was involved in hiring al-Awlaki .[56][57] Omeish said in 2004 that he was convinced that al-Awlaki "has no inclination or active involvement in any events or circumstances that have to do with terrorism."[4]
Al-Awlaki resigned from Dar Al-Hijrah in early 2002 due to post-9/11 media attention that distracted the imam from his duties, according to the mosque's outreach director.[4]
See also
Notes
- ^ "Census Block Map Seven Corners CDP Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on October 16, 2012.
- ^ "Contact Us Archived 2010-01-22 at the Wayback Machine." Dar Al-Hijrah. Retrieved on January 16, 2010.
- ^ a b c Woodward, Tracy A. "Bid to close mosque viewed as bigotry Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine." The Washington Times. April 1, 1993. Retrieved on January 19, 2010. "Photo, The Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Seven Corners might be closed down by Fairfax County because of zoning violations."
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- ^ Stewart, Nikita, "Muslims Find Room to Grow in D.C.'s Outer Suburbs", Archived 2018-02-16 at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post, August 1, 2005, accessed November 12, 2009
- ^ a b Goldberg, Jeffrey, Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror, pp. 286–87, Random House, Inc. (2008), ISBN 978-0-375-72670-5, accessed November 11, 2009
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- ^ a b c "Dar Al-Hijrah Celebrates 30 Years of Service". The Muslim Link. March 16, 2013. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ Sperry, Paul (December 7, 2008). Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 9781418508425. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Shane, Scott (2006). Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone. Tim Duggan Books/Random House. p. 64. ISBN 0804140316. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
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