I’m sure you’ve all been exposed to this anouncement at the DHS website by your local TV and print media:
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in three new members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) during her latest tri-annual meeting with HSAC, which took place at DHS headquarters this week. The HSAC is comprised of experts from state, local and tribal governments, emergency and first responder communities, academia and the private sector who provide recommendations and advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security on a variety of homeland security issues.
The new members include: former New York City Police Commissioner and Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, who will join as vice-chair to former CIA and FBI Director Judge William Webster; Massachusetts General Hospital Director of Police, Security and Outside Services Bonnie Michelman; and Freedom and Justice Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Elibiary.
“I congratulate the newest members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council on their appointments,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Their diverse backgrounds and experiences in security, law enforcement and counterterrorism will be a valuable asset as they provide their independent advice and guidance to the Department.”
Elibiary’s background is especially diverse and he’s certainly got some relevant experience:
When Mohamed Elibiary was appointed earlier this year to the Department of Homeland Security’s newly-formed Countering Violent Extremism Working Group, it was done quietly and without fanfare. It’s hard to believe that this silence was accidental, considering Elibiary’s appearance at a conference honoring Ayatollah Khomeini, his attacks on prosecution of terrorist fundraisers, his active promotion of jihadist ideology godfather Sayyid Qutb, and the threat he made against a Dallas Morning News journalist who repeatedly exposed his extremist views.
But none of that has stopped Mohamed Elibiary from promoting himself as a “de-radicalization” expert courted not only by Janet Napolitano and the Department of Homeland Security, but testifying before Congress earlier this year, giving briefings to the Congressional Research Service, and being hailed by the establishment media.
Perhaps the hardest thing for Elibiary to explain away is his sharing the podium with a rabid anti-American and anti-Jewish speaker who has publicly pledged his loyalty to the Iranian regime, but he has offered several fantastic explanations for appearing at the December 2004 conference honoring the life and works of the “Great Islamic Visionary” Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
…
When Elibiary testified before Congress earlier this year, his status as a “de-radicalization expert” was challenged by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, who noted his running online feud with Dallas Morning News editorial page editor Rod Dreher over Elibiary’s defense of the godfather of jihadist ideology, Sayyid Qutb. The 9/11 Commission observed that Qutb was instrumental in developing the ideological foundations of Al-Qaeda’s terrorist worldview that justified the 9/11 attacks and inspired Osama bin Laden.
When Elibiary was cited as an expert source by the Congressional Research Service in a study published last November, Dreher recounted some of the defenses made by Elibiary in defense of Qutb in response to an editorial identifying the threat from Qutb’s jihadist ideology. This included Elibiary’s stated position that some who have read Qutb’s writings saw “the potential for a strong spiritual rebirth that’s truly ecumenical allowing all faiths practiced in America to enrich us and motivate us to serve God better by serving our fellow man more.” Dreher reprinted some of Qutb’s statements calling for the establishment of a global Islamic state, the imposition of shariah law, and carrying out violence against non-Muslims and non-compliant Muslims until the entire world is in submission to Allah and Islamic law.
Even more disturbing is an email exchange the two had in 2006, where Elibiary called Dreher “a Klansman without a hood” and warned “treat people as inferiors and you can expect someone to put a banana in your exhaust pipe or something.”
Nice to know that Napolitano is doing her level best to defend the homeland by appointing someone like Mr. Elibiary. We should all sleep better and more peacefully knowing that she and Obama are in charge and have our best interests at heart.
Oh… NPR could not be reached for comment though I’m sure they’re approving of Elibiary’s appointment and I’m as sure that should you in any way be in opposition to it that they would suggest you take it up with your psychiatrist.
