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Latest Updates: Jamaat al-Fuqra RSS

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  johnpi 6:59 pm on February 11, 2010 | 1 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: anti-Muslim fearmongering (41), anti-Muslim propaganda (27), anti-Muslim speech (17), anti-Muslim violence (8), Faux Journalist Watch (8), hate crimes (23), Jamaat al-Fuqra, Jamaat ul-Fuqra (5), journalism (44), media (407), reporting (3), tennessee (4), vandalism (2)

  Tennessee mosque vandalized after local tv station airs irresponsible report on ‘homegrown jihad.’

  The local news report prominently referenced a ‘documentary’ by the Christian Action Network about Jamaat ul-Fuqra communities, including one in central Tennessee called Islamville. I blogged about both the alarmist irresponsible CAN film and the Fuqra last year (also here and here).

  Amanda Terkel writes about what happened in Tennessee:

  …the Nashville CBS affiliate (Channel 5) decided to give the film legitimacy by conducting an “EXCLUSIVE” investigation into a Muslim community in rural Tennessee called Islamville, which is featured in the movie. “Some believe it is a secret Islamic terrorist training camp,” reads the Channel 5 article. “Others have said that’s simply not true.

  The two-part ’special’ report found nothing of concern, but the two days of hype leading up to the report may have precipitated this:

  

  There was also a note taped to a youth facility nearby with a bunch of comments about Islam being the enemy, satanic, etc, etc. A spokesman for the mostly Somali mosque said:

  “It’s unexpected,” he adds. “The only thing I can think of is the sensationalized reporting [by Channel 5] over Sunday and Monday. That’s the only thing I can think of. Even after 9/11 we have never had any vandalism.“

   

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  johnpi 9:22 pm on June 1, 2009 | 8 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: american islam (8), Black Islam (4), Darul Islam (3), H. Rap Brown (2), Jamaat al-Fuqra, Jamaat ul-Fuqra (5), Jamil Alamin, Riverhead Sniper, sufi (9), sufism (24)

  AR Muhammad has talked to the daughter of “Big Bilal” Abdullah Rahman, one of four Muslims killed in the 1974 shootout at the Ya Sin Masjid in Brooklyn, NY.

  Sr. Sayyidah grew up in the Darul Islam movement, which dissolved in 1983 with half the membership following Imam Jamil Alamin (H. Rap Brown) and half going to Jamaat ul-Fuqra. She lost two of her brothers to violent death, one went crazy and did an attempted killing spree, the other was gunned down by police.

  The life and death of Sr. Sayyidah’s father had been kept from her until well into adulthood, and to this day she does not know where her father is buried. If anyone knows where “Big Bilal” Abdullah Rahman is buried, go to AR Muhammad’s blog and let him know so he can pass it on to the sister.

  Umar Lee doesn’t think much of AR Muhammad and called him all kinds of names, (ally of Muslim haters, neo-con, Limbaugh wanna-be, etc.) Umar is the last person who should be calling anyone a “Limbaugh wanna-be.” Maybe the fact that Umar’s wife grew up in the Fuqra and Muhammad doesn’t have anything nice to say about it has something to do with it. Call it Umar’s “secret Sufi sympathies,” since Umar is the last akhi in the world who would make sectarian fitnah.

   
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  johnpi 12:16 pm on March 27, 2009 | 3 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: anti-Muslim fearmongering (41), Islamphobia (5), Jamaat al-Fuqra, Jamaat ul-Fuqra (5), Muslim-on-Muslim violence (76)

  A Google search on Jamaat ul-Fuqra turns up a solid 15 pages of right-wing blog and news stories on the group before getting to a non-hostile listing – with the exception of my two previous posts here at Talk Islam (and Wikipedia and a few dictionary entries), which shows that the group has become the unofficial Islamic boogyman of the American right. Also of interest, this report from CBS news last month on the new agitprop documentary made about the group by the Christian Action Network:

  Officials describe the film to CBS News as “sensationalistic” and without any real foundation. According to one official, it is strictly designed to upset and inflame people and does not present a true picture of any so-called “homegrown Jihad” danger. No current intelligence exists to suggest any threat connected with this group, which officials describe as “wannabes” and not terrorists.

  (More …)

   
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  johnpi 6:04 pm on March 25, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: fox news (19), Jamaat al-Fuqra, Jamaat ul-Fuqra (5)

  It’s Fox News’ turn to lurk outside a Jamaat ul-Fuqra village/retreat/gathering/compound/whatever and “wonder” about the possible “sinister goings-on” within. Features a guest appearance from Smearcasting exemplar Robert Spencer.

  This may be part of the marketing (hype) campaign for the recently released “documentary” by the Christian Action Network on the same group.

   
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  johnpi 10:26 pm on March 9, 2009 | 4 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: anti-Muslim fearmongering (41), Islamphobia (5), Jamaat al-Fuqra, Jamaat ul-Fuqra (5)

  The Christian Action Network released a “documentary” last month titled, “Homegrown Jihad: The Terrorist Camps Around U.S.” which purports to show “crucial footage that exposes 35 terrorist training compounds throughout the U.S. and provides shocking first-hand footage from deep inside the terrorist training camps that will astound the nation.”

  The Christianist documentarians exclusively refer to the group that owns these “camps/compounds” as “Muslims of America,” which of course spreads taint of affilation to all Muslims in America. Most people reading this though would probably know them as Jamaat ul-Fuqra.

  The fact that the Fuqra have segregated themselves into isolated compounds doesn’t stop the CAN from blurbing the video on its website this way: “They may be living right next door…”

  Anyway, here’s the trailer and here’s another bit of agitprop where the producers visit a Fuqra center in Red House, VA, and are accosted by an “angry Muslim,” – there’s even a blank screen with the words, “Camera goes dark after angry Muslim pulls out power cord” and who proceeds to swing a cane at their car as they are speeding away. The 90 seconds of interaction are followed by nearly five minutes of the most dramatic hyperbolic retelling of a confrontation you’ve heard since junior high school.

  Personally, I find the Fuqra creepy, and it does have a history of violence [against Muslim minorities] – qualities that make it the perfect foil for impassioned appeals to the prejudices and fears about Muslims in general.