Last night Imam Suhaib Webb of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) was interviewed by Piers Morgan on CNN. The ISBCC is an affiliate of the Islamic Society of Boston where the Boston Marathon suspects attended on occasion. I just had to make note of some of the big opportunities Piers Morgan missed where he could of asked Webb some rather relevant followup questions:
Piers Morgan interview with Imam Suhaib Webb April 22, 2013:
Joining me is Imam Webb of the Islamic Society of the Boston Cultural Center. Welcome to you, Imam Webb. You're actually imam of a local mosque affiliated with the one that Tamerlan Tsarnaev attended. From all that you've now gleaned about what went on with him, were we seeing somebody who was being radicalized very quickly?
IMAM SUHAIB WEBB, ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF BOSTON CULTURAL CENTER: I'm not sure I can answer that question but definitely someone standing up in a Friday prayer and questioning a preacher who is talking about Martin Luther King Jr. might draw some flags but I don't think would necessitate calling law enforcement.
MORGAN: Now, he made two protests on two different incidents. He branded people a kafir, a non-believer. Clearly he was getting quite intense about his religion.
WEBB: Yes, I think that's where a qualified scholar or leader would need to step in and talk to him and see kind of what his mindset was, and from there, make a call on kind of what direction he was taking his religiosity.
Missed Opportunity: I believe he called the Imam kafir for comparing Martin Luther King to the Islamic prophet, Mohammad, isn't that right? Did the Imam talk to him about this outburst? Have you spoken to the imam at your sister mosque about this?
MORGAN: What has been the reaction in the mosques, both yours and the one of course that Tamerlan Tsarnaev attended?
WEBB: With regards to what?
MORGAN: Well, to what's happened. Obviously he's been --
WEBB: Our reaction to what?
MORGAN: Your reaction to the discovery that somebody attending one of the mosques has been the perpetrator of this appalling bombing.
WEBB: Well, I think first and foremost as Bostonians, our hearts and prayers are with the community. And then there's a sense of anger and frustration that someone who would frequent one of our faith institutions would carry out such acts, so people seem to be very angry and upset with what he's done.
MORGAN: Is there any new system that you can put in place to raise more warning flags about characters like Tamerlan? Because it just seems to people that he's been plotting this in his head by being inspired by Islamic fundamentalists on videos that he;s found on the Internet, to commit an appalling act of terror, and yet he's been going to this mosque --
WEBB: Indeed.
MORGAN: -- hanging around with people. Somebody must have spotted that he was getting more intense, potentially dangerous, because we know the Russian authorities were wary enough about him to contact the FBI.
WEBB: Indeed, but I have to say, I don't think most mosques or churches or synagogues are law enforcement agencies. They don't have the same access that they would have.
Missed Opportunity: Actually, those who attend a mosque together on a regular basis may have more access. When he called the Imam a kafir he revealed a bit of his fundamentalist views. Do you agree? Could this be a sign of radicalization or rigid fundamentalist believes? Did his outburst cause concern? It's been reported Tamerlan was in company of another Boston area Muslim convert by the name of Mihsa who practiced a strict form of Islam. Do you know who this person is? I believe he has a red beard. I wonder, Imam Webb, - do you advise your fellow Muslims to contact the FBI if they see something odd? Does you mosque discuss radical Islam and its danger? Do you go over the warning sign? Or, do you tell them not to talk to the FBI, say as CAIR does?
WEBB: But I think what's important is that the mosque here in Boston, the other mosque didn't appeal to his theology, so I think the way to address that -- there was an interesting Harvard study that said only 2 percent of the imams worldwide who called for global jihad had actually degrees from Islamic educational institutions that are considered respectable. So I think one of the best ways is through properly trained scholars who can mediate and talk to people and see where they're coming from and try to address some of those radical ideas that they have. He wasn't radicalized in Boston. It appears now that he was radicalized online.
Missed Opportunity: Say, what was the name of the Harvard Study? What year was it done?
Missed Opportunity: You said 2% of imams who call for global jihad had degrees from proper Islamic institutions. How many imams would you say this represents 10 - 100 - 1000? How many imams in total have called for global jihad? You don't know? Hummm... The study referred to 2% of the total, right? It seems odd you don't know the total. Didn't the study mention the total? Do you see this global call for jihad by imams as a major concern for most non-Muslims? Shouldn't the Imams who disagree with the call for global jihad stand up? What is being done collectively? Can you give me an example of a written statement from a collective of Imams specifically denouncing the call for global jihad? What? What do you mean you can't?
Missed Opportunity: I noticed (since I did some research) that you have on your own website (SuhaibWebb.com) a glowing review of a presentation given at a conference on th book about Jihad by the highly controversial martyrdom-approving Sunni cleric Yusef Quaradawi. This presentation, by the way, is also on the Muslim Brotherhood's English Website Ikhwanwebb. Is this wise, Imam?
Missed opportunity: Did you attend a fund-raiser a few days before 9/11 for Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, otherwise known as H. Rapp Brown, who was convicted for killing a sheriff deputy? Why were you there? I read an FBI document about this fundraiser. Anwar Awlaki was there, as well, right?
MORGAN: Imam Webb, thank you for joining me.
WEBB: Thank you, sir.
End - Transcript from CNN
Last week, Webb was replaced (by Bretbart.com) as a speaker at the Boston Marathon Memorial Service the night before but Piers Morgan didn't bother to bring that up either. Another missed opportunity, Piers - geez. On the 21st, Suhaib Webb tweeted a link to this article stating. "They are liars."
There's just one problem, though, this very short article is accurate the best I can tell. Webb was replaced the night before, he even tweeted about it. The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center is linked to the Islamic Society of Boston and is referred to as the sister organization on the ISB website. Both are linked in the Islamic Society of North America (probably written in their constitution about their permanent affiliation to ISNA) who was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror-funding trial (documented court evidence). This was the largest Hamas terror-funding case to date. There you go again, Piers, missing another opportunity.
Shame on you, Piers Morgan.
