FBI 'Sensitivity Training' Invites Muslim scholars to Preach

LadyEagle · Jul 30, 2003

FBI invites Muslim
scholars to preach

New Islamic sensitivity training program
required of federal agents, new recruits
----------------------
Posted: July 30, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Paul Sperry
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON – Even as the FBI takes new heat over the 9-11 report's revelation that it overlooked ties between a Muslim cleric and two of the al-Qaida hijackers, it is putting agents and new recruits through a Muslim sensitivity program that includes inviting Muslim clerics and leaders to preach about the allegedly peaceful attributes of Islam.

National Arab-American and Muslim leaders have made presentations at an FBI training course on civil rights here, and at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Va., as part of "Enrichment Training Sessions" for new special agents there.

In addition, the imam of a large Manhattan mosque has lectured veteran counterterrorism investigators at the FBI's New York field office about misinterpretation of the meaning of jihad in the Koran, the sacred book of Muslims.

The sensitivity training program, denounced by some active and former agents, was mandated last year by FBI Director Robert Mueller.

FBI headquarters defends the program as a way to reach out to the Muslim community in America.

"I hate the word 'sensitivity' training," said FBI spokesman Ed Cogswell. "I would call it an awareness training relative to cultural issues."

Mueller, who also served in the previous Bush administration, has met several times with Arab and Muslim groups since the Sept. 11 attacks. He even agreed to be the keynote speaker at last year's American Muslim Council conference here – a move that drew fire from AMC critics, who note the group has sung the praises of Islamic terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

"Mueller should lead the FBI in this war, and leave the sensitivity sessions to the human resources department or CNN," complained retired FBI special agent Don Lavey, who served 20 years in the bureau's counterterrorism unit.

"Let's just hope the director is leading the charge in this war against terrorism with an equal amount of zeal that he shows for cultural sensitivities," added Lavey, who claims Mueller is so politically correct he refuses to use "Islamic" and "terrorism" in the same sentence.

Last October, the FBI invited the head of an influential Arab-American advocacy group to speak to about 400 new agents in the auditorium of the FBI Academy. The lecture by Dr. Ziad Asali, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, was mandatory and lasted about one hour.

Asali, a Palestinian refugee, "talked about how peaceful their religion is, and how not to offend Muslims ... showing respect for their culture, things like that," said FBI Academy spokesman Kirk Crawford.

And at least four times this year, the FBI's New York field office has held all-day sensitivity training sessions, not far from Ground Zero, featuring Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Masjid al-Farah mosque.

Speaking for about two hours each session, "he gave an overview of Islamic culture and some of the differences between what fundamentalist terrorist groups say are the teachings of the Koran and what he believes, as a student of religion, the Koran actually says," said special agent James Margolin, spokesman for the FBI New York office.

Rauf asserted that the Koran "certainly doesn't counsel terrorism, murder or mayhem," Margolin said. And he said terrorists have misinterpreted the Koranic term jihad to mean violent, or armed, struggle against nonbelievers. Rauf claims it means internal struggle.
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Peter101 · Jul 31, 2003

I wonder why you post this. Do you perhaps object to the training? If so, why?

Haruo · Jul 31, 2003

"Preach" does look rather tendentious. Why not "speak"? Of course, one must consider the source.

Haruo

Johnv · Jul 31, 2003

I do consider the source. WND is a tabloid. I don't condiser anything from yellow journalism sources to be valid unless a legitimate news agency can confirm it. OTOH, even the National Enquirer gets it right sometimes.

LadyEagle · Jul 31, 2003

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel03/mueller022803.htm

Haruo · Jul 31, 2003

There, that's better ! But I don't see anything about "preaching" in the FBI version. They don't even claim the Director "preached" at the Muslim conference.

I refer you back to Peter101's initial query.

Haruo

Jameslef · Aug 6, 2003

The FBI'S war on terror is phony.

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