GOP reps raise alarm bells over Iran’s influence in ‘American religious institutions’

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FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in Congress have issued a troublesome letter to Lawyer Common Merrick Garland and Director of Nationwide Intelligence Avril Haines warning in regards to the affect of Iran’s terror ideology in no less than 4 U.S.-based mosques and facilities.

The GOP letter, completely obtained by Fox Information Digital, is a extremely detailed three-page doc that outlines a form of invoice of particulars towards alleged Iranian regime-linked mosques and facilities in Maryland, Texas, Michigan and Virginia.

In keeping with the letter, the Islamic Schooling Heart (IEC) in Potomac, Maryland, secured funding from what it says is the Iranian regime-controlled Alavi Foundation and “Bahram Abolfazi Nahidian, an IEC member… was ‘acknowledged’ by all as probably the most distinguished supporter on this nation of Khomeini.” The Alavi Basis didn’t reply to quite a few Fox Information Digital press queries.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was the founding father of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, and the firebrand cleric was instrumental in taking 52 American diplomats as hostages for 444 days.

The letter famous, “Disturbingly, the Maryland legislature has even supplied public funds to the IEC!.” Fox Information Digital despatched quite a few press queries to the IEC and Brian Feldman, the Democrat state consultant sponsor of the funding for the IEC.

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Iran mural supreme leader

An enormous mural of Iran’s supreme chief features a smaller one in every of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on March 8, 2020, in Tehran. (Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Photos)

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., who spearheaded the letter, informed Fox Information Digital, “The Iranian regime’s makes an attempt to unfold malign affect in the US in a number of Shi’a mosques and cultural facilities throughout the nation has been taking place for years. These state-sponsored mosques preach hatred towards anybody who disagrees with the Iranian regime and go so far as to reward the ayatollah’s repressive reign via songs and shrines. It’s crucial that the U.S. authorities perceive and reply to the menace posed by state-sponsored terrorism wherever it seems, whether or not within the Center East or at dwelling.”

The letter pressured that the glorification of the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism just isn’t restricted to the IEC in Maryland.

READ THE LETTER

“One other establishment with the identical identify, the Islamic Schooling Heart (IEC) in Houston, had dozens of younger youngsters carry out an anthem titled ‘Salam Farmande’ (‘Howdy Commander’), a brand new propaganda track that has been broadly promoted by the Iranian regime inside Iran to commemorate the thirty third anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s loss of life,” famous the letter.

The letter to Garland and Haines added that the track sung by youngsters additionally “praises Qassem Soleimani, the terrorist liable for the deaths of tons of of People and 1000’s of Iraqis, Syrians, Lebanese, and others.”

The Trump administration used a drone to assassinate the U.S. and EU-designated terrorist Soleimani in 2020.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini waves to a crowd of supporters. Rep. Doug Lamborn stated youngsters at Houston’s Islamic Schooling Heart have been made to carry out track commemorating the loss of life of the ayatollah. (Michel Setboun/Corbis through Getty Photos)

The congressional letter stated, “However there are extra causes to suspect that each IEC Houston is serving the Iranian regime instantly. Maybe most clearly is the truth that Maulana Ghulam Hurr Shabbiri was the lead Imam of IEC for 10 years, from 2005-2015. In keeping with the web site of Maulana Shabbiri’s present employer, he was ‘instantly appointed by the workplace of the Supreme Chief’ to his publish at IEC.”

The Islamic Schooling Heart (IEC) in Houston didn’t reply to a number of Fox Information Digital press queries.

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Rep. Gus  Bilirakis R-Fla., informed Fox Information Digital, “Iran’s efforts to sow its malign affect in American non secular and cultural establishments is one thing that ought to alarm each American. It’s about time that the U.S. authorities takes this exercise significantly.” He added, “The American folks should understand how the Division of Justice and the Intelligence Group are combating this rising menace to the nation.”

A 3rd instance of alleged Iranian regime affect in American non secular life is, in line with the letter, the Islamic Home of Knowledge (IHW)  in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The congressional representatives wrote the “Iranian-led Shi’ite mosque… reveals comparable indicators of being underneath the course of the Iranian regime. The Imam of IHW, Mohammad Ali Elahi, served as the top of ‘political ideology’ for the Iranian Navy within the Nineteen Eighties, in line with a publicly accessible CIA report.”

Iran Al Quds Day

Iranian demonstrators burn a illustration of the Israeli flag in assist of the Palestinians, in Tehran on April 14, 2023. (AP Picture/Vahid Salemi)

The letter continued that In March 2017, Ali Elahi met “with former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, who he known as a buddy of ‘virtually 30 years.’ In keeping with investigative journalists, IHW has been a big purveyor of extremist propaganda, in keeping with the Iranian regime’s views.” The IHW didn’t reply to quite a few Fox Information Digital press queries.

The fourth instance of alleged affect carried out by theocratic Iranian state within the U.S. is the Manassas Mosque in Manassas, Virginia, in line with the letter.

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“A latest video of contained in the Mosque confirmed that it’s adorned with photos of ‘martyrs’ of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S. designated terrorist group, that have been killed in Syria, a life-sized cutout of Khomeini, in addition to Iranian flags and slogans,” wrote the congressional representatives.

Fox Information Digital situated on the blog section of the webpage of the Manassas Mosque a tribute to Soleimani, alongside together with his image.

Abolfazl Bahram Nahidian wrote the weblog devoted to Soleimani, who was liable for the deaths of over 600 hundred American army personnel within the Center East, in line with the U.S. authorities.

The congressional letter famous that in 2019 the Manassas Mosque “brazenly celebrated the fortieth Anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.”

Department of Justice sign, Washington DC

The Division of Justice in Washington, D.C.

The Center East Media Analysis Institute’s (MEMRI) translated sermons of Nahidian, during which he lashed out at Israel and the CIA in conspiratorial phrases. He stated at an al-Quds Day rally that Israel “created September 11” and blew up the towers to “create hatred” for the Muslims and to justify the occupation of Muslim lands. 

Khomeini based the al-Quds Day demonstration, which requires the destruction of the Jewish state. 

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MEMRI wrote, “In two Friday sermons, delivered within the Manassas Mosque on December 16, 2016 and January 20, 2017 and posted on the mosque’s official YouTube channel, Imam Nahidian stated that the CIA was ‘working repeatedly to create separation between the folks’ as a result of ‘if they’re divided, it’s a lot simpler to defeat them one after the other’ and that the Sunni-Shiite divide was a plot of the infidels towards the Muslims.”

Nahidian supplied no proof for his assertions.

Manassas Mosque didn’t reply to quite a few Fox Information Digital press queries.

rally during al-Quds Day

April 14, 2023, Srinagar, India: Muslims be part of a rally throughout al-Quds Day on April 14, 2023, in Srinager, India. Bahram Abolfazi Nahidian, who’s linked with a mosque in Virginia, reportedly stated at an al-Quds Day rally that Israel “created September 11” and blew up the towers to “create hatred” for Muslims. (Eyepix Group/Future Publishing through Getty Photos)

The congressional representatives requested of their letter if the Justice Division and U.S. intelligence group “have a method, together with different U.S. authorities departments and businesses, to counter malign affect by Iran’s regime in the US, particularly such affect exercised via cultural or non secular establishments?”

Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief of The International Desk, informed Fox Information Digital, “It’s been public information for fairly some time now that Iran’s regime has sought entry to American non-public and public establishments. We all know that they’ve used each device at their disposal to bypass sanctions and deal instantly with Iran’s regime each for monetary and ideological positive factors right here in the US. They’ve additionally had the fortune of evading the legislation as a result of Biden’s administration has from the onset been after normalization and one other nuclear take care of Iran’s regime, stopping quick from punishing any apparatuses of the regime.”

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Daftari, a number one skilled on Iran’s regime, added, “The truth that these very particular, detailed and harmful situations are being outlined in a letter to the Division of Justice is a superb wake-up name and take a look at of integrity to see if our administration will transfer to rid our neighborhoods of those influences.”

In June, Fox Information Digital reported that Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., despatched a letter to Garland urgent him to research ongoing efforts of an anti-American web site that’s allegedly promoted by Iran’s regime and incites assassination attacks towards U.S. legislation enforcement personnel and American Jews.

Fox Information Digital despatched requests for remark to the Division of Justice, DNI, the Iranian international ministry and its mission to the United Nations.

Fox Information’ Peter Petroff contributed to this text.

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