WE WONT BE FOOLED AGAINHere is what they used to say about the Virginia mosque and "moderate Imam Anwar Awlaki"
Ground Zero mosque organizer Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has been described by the media as a "moderate" and a "bridge-builder." But not too long ago, the same news outlets gave identical labels to a radical Virginia mosque that has been linked to some of the most infamous Islamic terrorist attacks in recent years. And it celebrated in the same terms a "prayer-leader" who is now one of the most wanted Al Queda terrorists in the world.
A New York Times article from Oct. 19, 2001, lists Al Awlaki as one of the Muslim leaders who were "calling on their colleagues to tone down the incendiary anti-American messages that have long been a staple at some Muslim events."
Al Awlaki is "held up as a new generation of Muslim leader capable of merging East and West," the Times reported.
The same article lists Rauf as another one of these "assertive" religious leaders.
And while there was no coverage of the Virginia mosque by the major network news stations, other media outlets expressed concern over the difficulties faced by Muslim "moderates" like Al-Awlaki.
"The war of ideas in the Muslim world pits extremists, like Osama bin Laden...and moderates, who want to solve the problems without violence. But right now this war of ideas is a lopsided one, says Imam Anwar Awlaki, the prayer leader at the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia," reported NPR on Nov. 1, 2001.
"Awlaki, whose mosque is one of the largest in the U.S., sees himself as a Muslim leader who could help build bridges between Islam and the West. ut political scientist Telhami says these are difficult days for Muslim moderates," the NPR report continued.
Read more: FLASHBACK: Media Praising Ground Zero Mosque Used to Call Virginia Terror-Mosque ?Moderate? | NewsBusters.org
