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KIFAH MUSTAPHA (2010)

US-based Hamas operative Kifah Mustapha given tour of 

top-secret National Counterterrorism Center, partners with 

FBI-Chicago Field Office

During the Holy Land Foundation  terrorism finance  trial in 2007 and 2008, Sheikh Kifah Mustapha was personally named an unindicted coconspirator in the case for his role as a Holy Land registered agent and fundraiser.

Video exhibits submitted by federal prosecutors showed Mustapha singing as part of the Al-Sakhra fundraising troupe singing “I am a member of Hamas,” as well as other songs glorifying violence and inciting the murder of Jews.

It was a surprise then when it was reported in January that Mustapha had been selected as the first Muslim chaplain for the Illinois State Police. When the local media reported on his previous position with the Holy Land Foundation, his ties to Hamas and his current position  of imam with a notorious Chicago-area mosque known for its past support for terrorism, the state police launched an investigation that resulted in Mustapha’s appointment being revoked this past June.

Even more surprising was that Mustapha was subsequently included in a six-week FBI Citizen Academy program sponsored by the FBI’s Chicago field office that culminated in a tour of the top-secret National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), FBI headquarters in Washington D.C., and the FBI training academy at Quantico this past September. Mustapha’s participation in the program was reported by ABC-7 Chicago (WLS) news anchor Ben Bradley, who was also part of the Citizen Academy program with the Hamas operative. However, Bradley’s report made no mention of Mustapha’s background despite the fact that his own station had aired at least six news reports on background, investigation and dismissal of Mustapha as state police chaplain.  One of Bradley’s WLS colleagues, Chuck Goudie, who aired an extensive investigation report on Mustapha and his chaplain’s appointment back in January, noted the contradiction of a known Hamas operative partnering with the FBI in an editorial published by the Chicago Daily Herald.

When it was reported in late September that Mustapha had participated with the FBI Citizen Academy, members of the public who called the FBI headquarters to complain were  initially told that he had  not been a part of the program.In following days, FBI Chicago field office spokesman Ross Rice admitted to several media outlets that Mustapha had been part of the program, but defended his participation saying that he was a  respected leader of the Chicago Muslim community. The following week when FBI Director Robert Mueller was directly asked about Mustapha’s participation in the Citizen Academy, he refused to address the situation specifically and only said that the program was an effective tool for outreach to the Muslim community.

The FBI’s position on their interfaith partner was further complicated when it was also  reported that Kifah Mustapha had been photographed hosting a Hamas fundraiser in his Bridgeview, Illinois mosque in July 2009 – months before his appointment by the Illinois State police and a year before his participation in the FBI Citizen Academy program – featuring former UK politician George Galloway. Media reports indicated that the money and supplies raised by Galloway on his U.S. fundraising tour were given to Hamas social minister Ahmad Kurd, a specially designated global terrorist listed  by the Treasury Department, live on AlJazeera TV.

The FBI continues to assert that their involvement with Mustapha is department policy.

SOURCES

Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, “Hard-liners won battle for Bridgeview mosque,” Chicago Tribune, February 8, 2004

Sophia Tareen, “Ill. police revoke 1^st  Muslim chaplain’s post,” Associated Press, June 26, 2010

Chuck Goudie, “Banned by Illinois State Police, Muslim cleric melds with FBI,” Chicago Daily Herald, September 6, 2010

Ben Bradley, “Inside the FBI’s terrorism fight: Making friends,” ABC-Chicago 7 (WLS), September 26, 2010

Patrick Poole, “FBI Escorts Known Hamas Operative through Top-Secret National Counterterrorism Center as “Outreach” to Muslim Community,” Big Peace, September 27, 2010

“National Security Hawks Call for Brennan’s Resignation,” Fox News, September 29, 2010

Bill Gertz, “Hamas-linked cleric took part in FBI outreach effort,” Washington Times, September 30, 2010

Bill Gertz, “FBI chief cites probes of extremists,” Washington Times, October 6, 2010

Patrick Poole, “FBI outreach partner Kifah Mustapha hosted Hamas fundraiser in July 2009,” Big Peace, October 19, 2010