Rick Perry's Relationships and National Security

As a Texas talk show host and writer, I've had the opportunity to watch Rick Perry govern. He's not the conservative Tea Party candidate his rhetoric is leading people to believe. It is important for people to understand that the red meat Perry is throwing, while enticing, is not even close to being representative of his actions. Perry needs to be vetted and his rhetoric should not intoxicate the Tea Party to the point of not doing so. By just accepting Perry's words without looking at his actions, the Tea Party risks doing exactly what the Obamautomatons did in 2008.

Are Rick Perry's Relationships a National Security Threat?
Ben Barrack

In 2000, Rick Perry's gubernatorial predecessor, George W. Bush, was endorsed for president by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the American Muslim Council (AMC), and the American Muslim Alliance (AMA). Since then, CAIR's mask has come completely off – despite mainstream denials – and the AMC is now defunct after its founder was convicted of financing terrorism. The leaders of all four groups have expressed support for Hezbollah and Hamas.

With the influence of Americans for Tax Reform president, Grover Norquist, George Bush shockingly continued these relationships after 9/11 when he met with leaders of CAIR, MPAC, and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) multiple times; all are Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups. In some ways, Bush's cozy relationships with these leaders after 9/11 may have done more long term damage to the United States than Osama bin Laden did himself; the Brotherhood continues to acquire political power despite espousing the goals of al-Qaeda (if not its means).

Voters who are leaning toward Rick Perry for president may be setting themselves up for a similar fall based on similarly disturbing relationships. For starters, like Bush, Perry seems to have a rather comfortable relationship with Norquist, who has a history of campaigning for the Texas governor and even joined him on a trip to the Bahamas at his own expense. The notion that Norquist has Perry's ear, let alone his loyalty, is more than a minor problem.

There is also a disturbing narrative that's been developing relative to Perry's relationship with the Aga Khan, the recognized leader of the Shia Ismaili sect of Islam. That narrative says that the Aga Khan represents one of the more benign sects of Islam; this notion should be rejected. There is actually strong evidence that the Ismailis and the Muslim Brotherhood are more willing to work together than such a premise would permit.

Consider the case of Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University. He is also prominent member of the Institute of Ismaili Studies in the UK. His biography at the Rumi Forum points out that Nasr was the first Aga Khan professor of Islamic studies at the American University of Beirut. In a speech given by Nasr at MIT, he admitted to starting a Muslim Students Association (MSA) chapter at MIT decades earlier. The MSA is a Muslim Brotherhood group. Said Nasr:

“I feel very much at home not only at this university, but being the first muslim student ever to establish a muslim students' association at Harvard in 1954, to see that these organizations are now growing, and are becoming culturally significant.”

Further evidence that the Aga Khan's sect of Islam is willing to work with the Muslim Brotherhood can be found in Illinois; Governor Pat Quinn recently announced the creation of the Muslim American Advisory Council there. Security General of the ISNA, Safaa Zarzour, and Executive Director of CAIR, Ahmed Rehab, are both members. Joining them on the Council is Murad Moosa Bhaidani, president, His Higness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the Midwestern US. In essence, a regional Aga Khan is serving on a council alongside Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

Consider the case of former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Farouk Shami, a Palestinian whose father worked with troops led by former Muslim Brotherhood leader and Hitler ally, Haj Amin al-Hussaini, according to Red County. When he was defeated in the primary by Bill White, Shami endorsed Perry. Why would a Democrat with a platform to the left of his party's nominee, endorse the Republican incumbent? This endorsement was curious indeed but not if the Aga Khan's Ismaili sect is comfortable working with the Brotherhood.

According to Daniel Greenfield, the Halal food law that Perry signed was lobbied for by a man named Mohamed Elibiary, who is not only serving as a US Homeland Security advisor but also has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. As a Palestinian whose father worked with forces loyal to a Muslim Brotherhood leader, perhaps Shami's endorsement was meant to nudge Perry even further toward supporting the Islamic agenda, in much the same way that CAIR, MPAC, the AMA, and the AMC did with Bush.

As if that weren't enough, it's been learned that the Aga Khan Foundation and the University of Texas successfully enlisted the help of Perry in 2004 to create the Muslim Histories and Cultures (MHC) curriculum, which Jihad Watch's Robert Spencer says has not only been scrubbed from the internet but also from the Google cache, an extremely rare occurrence.

Perhaps even more dangerous is the movement of Turkish imam Fethullah Gulen. His Gulenist schools are prominent all over Texas. According to Donna Garner, Perry feigned ignorance when asked about the schools' dangerous intentions. If Perry wants to be president, ignorance on this matter should disqualify him instantly, especially with the rate of growth such schools are seeing in his state. Fethullah Gulen is perhaps the most dangerous Islamist in America today.

The Muslim Brotherhood has stated that it wants to destroy the United States from within. George W. Bush inexplicably showed solidarity with Brotherhood leaders after 9/11. Based on their endorsement of him in 2000, he was beholden to them to at least some degree. To what extent do his gubernatorial successor's questionable alliances make Perry beholden to those who would do us further harm?

Again, to reiterate, Perry's rhetoric is nowhere close to his actions. In my next post, I will hopefully lay that out sufficiently for readers.