In January 2021, Mohsin Ansari was elected ICNA president. ICNA’s 2012 national conference featured at least a dozen Islamist speakers, including some who have supported Hamas and have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. “The ICNA’s hatred of the Jews is so fierce,” writes Emerson, “that it taunted them with a repetition of what Hitler did to them.” In his book American Jihad, Emerson expounds: “The ICNA openly supports militant Islamic fundamentalist organizations, praises terror attacks, issues incendiary attacks on western values and policies, and supports the imposition of Sharia [Islamic law].”, Joe Kaufman, co-founder of Americans Against Hate, reports that ICNA “has been linked to terrorist financing and has used the web to promote different terrorist groups, including Hamas, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Taliban.”, ICNA was named in a May 1991 Muslim Brotherhood document — titled “An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America” — as one of the Brotherhood’s 29 likeminded “organizations of our friends” that shared the common goal of destroying America and turning it into a Muslim nation. However, it is a separate entity from Jamaat-e-Islami. Only Allah’s given code of conduct (Shariah) should be practiced. An introductory brochure states ICNA’s goal is “[t]o achieve the pleasure of Allah through the establishment of [citation needed] ICNA says that until 2007, many American Muslims enthusiastically listened to lectures by al-Awlaki. The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) was founded in September 1968 as the American affiliate of Jamaat-e-Islami, South Asia’s largest Islamist group. ICNA has many projects, programs, and activities which are designed to help in the process of molding the individual and reforming society at large. According to IPT: “The next level of ICNA membership is designated “Members of the General Assembly [MGAs],” which requires a more intensive educational platform, as well as a new pledge. But this does not mean that ICNA altered its ideology in any substantive way; it merely became more circumspect. The Khomeini piece, which described him as a man “destined to be more than a great authority on Ja’fari jurisprudence (Shia law),” was written by UC Berkeley Professor Hamid Algar. In January 2000, ICNA’s Message International published a series of six articles on Muslim icons of the past, under the banner “Great Leaders of Last 100 Years.” One of ICNA’s “great leaders” was Iran’s deceased dictator Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. A fourth individual whose face appeared in the graphic was the imam of Brooklyn, New York’s At-Taqwa Mosque. In September 2004, for example, ICNA sparked widespread controversy when, in cooperation with the management of the Great Adventure Theme Park in New Jersey, it organized a “Great Muslim Adventure Day” that barred non-Muslims from the park on that day. Telemedicine & More We are here for the uninsured who need someone to care. He is also the imam of the Community Mosque of Winston-Salem in North Carolina. would become the predecessor of ICNA. ICNA requests all Muslims around the world to include Chechnyan Muslims in their daily and Qunut prayers. Qoqaz.net was created specifically to raise finances and recruit fighters for al Qaeda-related groups and the Taliban. ICNA's statement also supported the defense of human rights for Jewish and Israeli people, but demanded the defense of human rights for Palestinians as well. The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is a Muslim organization that evolved in the early 1980s from the earlier Circle of Friends. Why Islam? ICNA has established a reputation for bringing anti-American radicals to speak at its national conferences, events that draw between 10,000 and 12,000 attendees on average. 120 minutes (in Ramadan only) The Arabian Peninsula: Islamic Society of North America: 15 degrees: 15 degrees The only way to control that is to make alliances.” This recommendation was consistent with the strategy outlined in the aforementioned 1991 Muslim Brotherhood document listing ICNA as one of 29 Islamist organizations that shared the common goal of destroying America and turning it into a Muslim nation. As for the Islamic circle of North America” ,of course included jihadist schemes for Canada as well as the USA. It denies the concept that while in the church/mosque/synagogue, one worships Allah and when outside, he obeys Caesar and man-made laws. Initially ICNA was composed of Muslim Americans of Indo-Pakistani descent who had split from ISNA. It also says that at that time al-Awlaki was "level headed". Islamic Relief is working closely with the American Red Cross and local authorities to ensure aid reaches those affected in a timely manner. Our answer to this issue is simple … The Islamic scholars said whenever there is an attack on an Islamic state or occupation, or the honor of the Muslims has been violated, the Jihad is a must for everyone, a child, a lady and a man. He also has been photographed wearing Muslim Brotherhood garb. If God wills, it is coming.”, * At ICNA’s national conference in May 2012, Yasir Qadhi—an American Muslim scholar of Pakistani descent who has called for an Islamic theocracy to replace democracies wherever they exist—voiced satisfaction over the notion that America’s capitalist economic system “has been destroyed and demolished.” “This is a Pharonic society that we enjoy the pyramids,” he said, “but you cannot enjoy pyramids without millions of slaves. Subject Headings - Islam. They are the ones who face the Zionists with their chests, their nerves, their lives, their children, their holy places and their sacred places.”, * Elsergany spoke again at ICNA’s 2011 national conference, where he predicted that “liberation” would eventually come to all of the world’s jihadist battlefronts: “We have lived under and now after the dawning of the light [the Egyptian Revolution]; soon there will be a greater dawning with the liberation of Palestine, the liberation of Chechnya, the liberation of Kashmir, the liberation of Turkestan, the liberation of South Sudan, of all the lands usurped from the Muslims. A number of required titles on ICNA’s reading list were removed from the organization’s web pages after the Investigative Project on Terrorism ran a series of articles in 2010-11 exposing their radical nature. ICNA RELIEF CANADA ICNA Relief Canada is a department of ICNA Canada, working in the field of community and social development. Khan had also served a stint as ICNA’s National Vice President, and another stint as president of ICNA’s New York chapter. The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is leading a pro-Sharia public relations campaign, aimed at persuading Americans that these beliefs aren't something to fear or leading to domination. Both are the works of one of the United States’ largest Islamic organisations: the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). I am joining ICNA for the achievement of this very purpose. The opinions expressed herein by the guest speakers at the MAS-ICNA Convention are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Muslim American Society (MAS) or the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). They kidnapped a woman journalist, and cut her breasts off before killing her. [23], In 2009 and 2010, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) accused the ICNA of inviting extremist and anti-Semitic speakers to its conferences that serve as platforms for extremist views. The investigation into Khan’s crimes was coordinated by Sanaul Huq, Inspector-General of Bangladesh’s national police force. [9] Its headquarters are in Jamaica, New York, and includes classrooms, a reading room, and a small mosque, and it has offices in Detroit, Michigan, and Oakville, Ontario. 1,100 were here. Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (a.k.a. Established on September 1st, 1968, the Islamic Circle of North America was a response to the growing need for a supportive Muslim community in North America. ICNA chose not to endorse or participate in the May 14, 2005 “Free Muslims March Against Terror,” an event whose stated purpose was to “send a message to the terrorists and extremists that their days are numbered . Try our monthly plan today. In early 2014, ICNA’s Chicago chapter published an educational guide that repeatedly referenced the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood figures Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb. offers opportunities for dialogue and answers to people’s queries about Islam. However, its ideology and aims actually contradict democratic values and law.”. This book exhorts Muslims to reject Western law while embracing only Sharia. I have no other objective in mind except the attainment of Allah’s pleasure and the success in the Hereafter.”, * “I have studied the Charter and By-laws of ICNA and do hereby pledge that I shall fully abide by its discipline, insha-Allah.”, Moreover, prospective MGAs must complete a reading list that includes radical, pro-jihad texts by Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi, Muslim Brotherhood ideologue Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and Syed Qutb. 118951169RR0001) and … Documents show that Hamas officials have participated in previous ICNA events. The Islamic Society of North America, based in Plainfield, Indiana, USA, is a Muslim umbrella group. 57. Subscribe Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Moreover, experts have long documented the organization’s ties to Islamic terrorist groups. Established on September 1st, 1968, the Islamic Circle of North America was a response to the growing need for a supportive Muslim community in North America. It has been described in the media as the largest Muslim organization in North America. Its goal is “to seek the pleasure of Allah … through the … establishment of the Islamic system of life as spelled out in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.” Toward this end, ICNA endeavors to: “invite mankind to submit to the Creator by using all means of communications”; “motivate Muslims to perform their duty of being witnesses unto mankind by their words and deeds”; “organize those who agree to work for this cause in the discipline of ICNA”; offer educational and training opportunities to increase Islamic knowledge, to enhance character, and to develop skills for all those who are associated with ICNA”; “oppose immorality and oppression in all forms, and support efforts for civil liberties and socio-economic justice in the society”; “strengthen the bond of humanity by serving all those in need anywhere in the world, with special focus on our neighborhood across North America”; and “cooperate with other organizations for the implementation of this program and unity in the ummah [Muslim community].”. . Mashal thanked the group and said that Hamas would continue to wage “jihad” against the “Zionist yoke” (Israel). Such duality of a character is clearly hypocrisy and it is totally forbidden in Islam.”, Siddiqi’s book also says that American Muslims are obliged, in accordance with ICNA’s charter, to transform the US into an Islamic state. ICNA has many subdivisions throughout the United States. As it does this, however, it continues to guide followers toward texts that go in a starkly contrasting direction. The organization initially focused on educating its growing membership about Islam, the goal being to adhere to Islamic values amongst a religiously diverse community. Jamaat’s militant wing, Hizbul Mujahideen — aka Hizb-ul Mujahideen — owned the Pakistani compound where Osama bin Laden was living at the time of his death. [18], ICNA's annual convention is one of the largest gatherings of American Muslims in the United States, drawing thousands of people. This is their right. OUR HISTORY Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) entered into Virginia in the late 70s through Brothers Riazuddin Ahmad, Akhtar Khan, Dr. Khurshid Asghar and Mohammad Akhtar. WhyIslam.org is an ICNA program. ICNA has many projects, programs, and activities which are designed to help in the process of molding the individual and reforming society at large. These “friends” were identified by the Brotherhood as groups that could help teach Muslims “that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands … so that … God’s religion [Islam] is made victorious over all other religions.”. We are active on social media. . There is no diarchy in Islam. In July 2002 Anwar al-Awlaki, believed to be a senior talent recruiter and motivator for al-Qaeda who had contact with three of the 9/11 hijackers, the Fort Hood shooter, and the Christmas Day bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, spoke at a joint ICNA/MAS convention in Baltimore with Siraj Wahhaj. One of these is ICNA South East Region, currently based in Atlanta but originally founded as a Florida enterprise. It also says that every Muslim is obliged, in accordance with ICNA’s charter, to help transform the U.S. into an Islamic state, even if such an endeavor requires that he “lays down his life for the cause.”The book exhorts Muslims to reject Western law while embracing only Sharia: * “Allah (SWT) had ordained a complete guidance, Al-Islam, to follow. In January 2017, Javaid Siddiqi was elected ICNA president.[21]. To obtain free Islam brochures for distribution, contact the Islamic Circle of North America.”. Based in Queens, New York, ICNA’s activities include training camps, study circles, speakers’ forums, night vigils, seminars, and retreats. On September 27, 1997, another Pakistani Islamist leader, Maulana Shafayat Mohamed, played host to an ICNA conference at his Florida-based fundamentalist madrassa (religious school), which served as a recruitment center for Taliban fighters. The ICNA's declared aim is to invite all people—Muslims and non-Muslims—to submit to the will of God by accepting him as the sole sovereign and by implementing his commandments in all spheres of life. ICNA has participated in interfaith dialogue with the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. lock Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan. Justice is Imam Khalid Griggs. When the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy broke, ICNA condemned the depiction of any prophet, from Adam to Moses to Jesus to Mohammed. Catholic Church - John Paul. One Islamic leader present at the ICNA event complained about “human rights violations” being carried out by the U.S. government against the terrorist mastermind Omar Abdel Rahman, spiritual leader of Egypt’s Islamic Group. Dwight C. Holton, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, emphasized that same day that training materials for the FBI would be purged of everything that Islamic supremacists deemed offensive: “I want to be perfectly clear about this: training materials that portray Islam as a religion of violence or with a tendency towards violence are wrong, they are offensive, and they are contrary to everything that this president, this attorney general and Department of Justice stands for. This Halqa Ahbab Islami Nevertheless, specifically concerning the United States of America the message needs to be made known to all the Muslims who live in the United States of America who dislike and maybe even despise the US Constitution and would like to replace it with Sharia law. [22] After evidence was brought against al-Awlaki in 2010, the ICNA Shariah Council strongly denounced al-Awlaki's views, actions, and connections to terrorism, repudiating his ideology as a "call of hate" and called upon American Muslims to reject al-Awlaki's views. Yelp is a fun and easy way to find, recommend and talk about what’s great and not so great in Jamaica and beyond. [11] They are active on the issues of War in Afghanistan and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. ICNA has long held its annual conferences in conjunction with MAS. They want to implement Sharia law in place of Western government…. 25000. Also named in the Muslim Brotherhood document were: ICNA works closely with the Muslim American Society (MAS), an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. In an effort to promote peaceful co-existence and remove hatred in society through encouraging understanding, Why Islam? ICNA’s main charitable apparatus is an entity known as ICNA Relief. Islamic Circle of North America. And this is what this society has become.”. ILF seeks to provide a holistic approach of Islamic personality-development through … Islamic Circle of North America Created / Published United States. The organization has been the subject of several controversies throughout its l This annual tradition is still observed. In 1993, ICNA strongly condemned the Oslo accord which sought to establish peace between the Palestinians and Israel. ICNA is an offshoot of the Muslim Students' Association (MSA), and was founded by immigrants from South Asia. In recognizing Black History Month in February 2021, ICNA posted onto its national website and social media a graphic containing — along with the logo of its social services division, ICNA Relief — images of famous black Americans like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali. [7][8] In 2002 it allowed a woman to address its annual convention for the first time. Number of Volunteers Last Year. The organization initially focused on educating its growing membership about Islam, the goal being to adhere to Islamic values amongst a religiously diverse community. ICNA’s 2005 national conference advanced a similar theme in a session titled, “The Making of the Proper Muslim from the Perspectives of Al Banna and Al Maududi.”, * At ICNA’s 2009 national conference, Egyptian Islamist Ragheb Elsergany stated that “the greatest” means by which Muslims can “please Allah” is by waging “jihad in the way of Allah.” He explained that this includes giving financial support to “the fighters, and the mujahideen [Islamic warriors] and the besieged, and those in need there in Palestine.” “Allah has entrusted us with the money for our brothers and sisters,” Elsergany elaborated, “to confer upon the people of Palestine the surplus of our money. Then only the demands of Iman [faith] in Allah are fulfilled.”, * “Islam denies all authorities other than Allah. Jamaat’s militant wing, Hizbul Mujahideen — aka Hizb-ul Mujahideen — owned the Pakistani compound where Osama bin Laden was living at … ICNA Relief thereafter continued to work directly with AKF, which in 2015 named, as its president, former ICNA Secretary General Muhammad Abdus Shakoor. Senator Mitch McConnell stated, “One of the groups with Hamas ties is the Dallas-based Islamic Association for Palestine in North America, which, in turn, apparently is allied with the Islamic Circle of North America in New York.” The New York Daily News reports that ICNA has been “probed by FBI counter-terrorism agents” for “terror ties.”, Terrorism analyst Steven Emerson claims that ICNA has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the ideological forebear of all radical Islamic movements — including Hamas and al-Qaeda. Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is a non-ethnic, non-sectarian; open to all, independent, North America wide, grass root Islamic organization. Islamic Circle of North America. The letter demanded that Obama officials “purge all federal government training materials of biased materials”—that is, materials that they claimed were biased against Islam—and “implement a mandatory re-training program for FBI agents, U.S. Army officers, and all federal, state and local law enforcement who have been subjected to biased training.” Joing ICNA as signatories were such groups as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Islamic Relief USA, the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim American Society, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is an Islamic North American grassroots umbrella organization. Program The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is federally registered in Canada as a charitable organization (Registration No. 500. The Islamic Circle of North America is here perpetuating the destructive and incendiary myth that racist killings by police are a common phenomenon in the U.S. Types of Services For You. One of the featured speakers was Tayyib Yunus, head of ICNA’s youth section, who used the occasion to appeal to American Muslims to send their children to Chechnya in order to wage jihad. The establishment of the Islamic Circle of North America’s Council for Social Justice is a welcome development in the realm of faith-based advocacy. Islamic Circle of North America is a response to the growing need for a supportive Muslim community in North America. Writes Siddiqi: “either [the believer] succeeds in establishing Allah’s Deen [religion] in the society where he lives or lays down his life for the cause.”. Since 1968, ICNA has worked to build relations between communities by devoting itself In November 2013, a war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced former ICNA Secretary General Ashrafuzzaman Khan (Ashrafuz Zaman Khan) to death by hanging for the murder of 18 people described as prominent intellectuals, during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. ISNA holds an annual national convention which is generally regarded as the largest annual gathering of American Muslims to discuss their role in society, politics, public media, activism, educational institutions, and other areas. Khan had served as a death squad leader for the then-paramilitary wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, al-Badr. The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) was founded in September 1968 as the American affiliate of Jamaat-e-Islami, South Asia’s largest Islamist group. Her decomposing body was later found with her breasts cut off. Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is a non-ethnic, non-sectarian; open to all, independent, North America wide, grass root Islamic organization. People Served Last Year. [11][14][page needed], ICNA strongly condemned the 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt and immediately called for punishment to the fullest extext of the law for anyone who engages in terrorism. [10], According to ICNA, its goal "shall be to seek the pleasure of Allah through the struggle of Iqamat-ud-Deen establishment of the Islamic system of life as spelled out in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Muhammad. In a joint statement with the Islamic Association for Palestine, the Islamic Committee for Palestine, the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim Arab Youth Association, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the Muslim Students’ Association, ICNA charged that Israel’s creation in 1948 “had involved the unjust and illegal usurpation of Muslim and Christian lands and rights,” and declared that “to recognize the legitimacy of that crime is a crime in itself and any agreement which involves such recognition is unjust and untenable.”. [and to send] a message to the people of the Middle East, the Muslim world and all people who seek freedom, democracy and peaceful coexistence that we support them.”, ICNA reports that its “representatives visit public schools sharing knowledge of Islam as an attempt to correct the misrepresentations often found in secular reading materials.” In pursuit of this objective, ICNA has formed an affiliation with the website DawaNet, which advocates turning public schools into forums for Islamic proselytizing. It is smaller and more conservative than the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), holding separate sessions at its national conventions for women. In March 1996, U.S. Says IPT: “The membership guides don’t simply promote reading radical books: They single out extreme and violent sections of the text for members to study in more detail.”. The 33rd annual convention, co-sponsored by the Muslim American Society, was held at the Renaissance Waverly Atlanta Hotel in Georgia. On March 5, 2012, ICNA launched an initiative known as Defending Religious Freedom, Understanding Shariah, for the purpose of combating “Islamophobia” and dispelling Americans’ negative attitudes regarding Islamic law. Among other things, this guide: Abdul Rauf Khan — who has served variously as ICNA’s Assistant Executive Director and as Secretary of ICNA Florida and ICNA Relief Florida — has used social media to post videos dedicated to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and Egypt’s banned Muslim Brotherhood. ICNA’s 2010 handbook laid out a five-level strategy towards achieving a “united Islamic state, governed by an elected khalifah in accordance with the laws of shari’ah (Islamic law),” right in line with the Muslim Brotherhood doctrine of gradualism. Islamic Circle of North America is a leading grass roots organization which seeks to obtain the pleasure of Allah (SWT) through working for the establishment of Islam in all spheres of life. [13] John Esposito wrote in 2004 that it had links to Jamaat-e-Islami. One of the speakers, ICNA president Zahid Bukhari, told the audience: “Discrimination is a part of the American way. Meanwhile, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)’s Relief has also activated its disaster response team which is set for immediate deployment in the area. Islamic Horizons Magazine. ICNA is listed as an endorser of C. Clark Kissinger‘s revolutionary communist movement World Can’t Wait, and as a signatory of the latter’s mission statement, entitled “Call to Drive out the Bush Regime.” This statement alleges that the U.S. government “is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights”; “is openly torturing people, and justifying it”; “puts people in jail on the merest suspicion”; and “is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule.”. In August 2006, ICNA Relief was the top donor and partner to the Pakistani charity Al Khidmat Foundation (AKF), at the same time that AKF took a delegation to Damascus, Syria to hand-deliver nearly $100,000 to Hamas global leader Khaled Mashal at his residence. On October 19, 2011, ICNA was one of 57 organizations to co-sign a letter that Farhana Khera, executive director of an Islamic organization called Muslim Advocates, wrote to Barack Obama’s then-Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (and later CIA director) John Brennan. The author is Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi, founder of Jamaat-e-Islami.Another title on ICNA’s reading list is The Commitment, authored in 1996 by Shamim Siddiqi during his tenure as director of the group’s Dawah and Publications Department. was established in 2000. It governs each and every aspect of human life. II. learn more about icna!. [22], According to Yehudit Barsky, an expert on terrorism at the American Jewish Committee, the Islamic Circle of North America, "is composed of members of Jamaat e-Islami, a Pakistani Islamic radical organization similar to the Muslim Brotherhood that helped to establish the Taliban". The project seeks to provide information about Islam, by dispelling popular stereotypes and common misconceptions about Islam and Muslims through various services and outreach activities. In 2000, CNSNews.com made public a press release, originally posted on a Middle Eastern website, from a July 2000 ICNA meeting, which read: “Jamaat e-Islami’s supporters have an organization in America known as ICNA …” The press release also recounted some of the views expressed at the aforementioned ICNA meeting. But the old website, which was abandoned as a result of public criticism, featured links to the official websites of Hezbollah and Hamas.