How Yusuf al-Qaradawi played the media to create a ‘moderate’ image

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The Extremism Roundup
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*Promoting Civil Discourse and Marginalizing the Extremes*
A weekly compilation of the most important developments in the struggle against radical ideologies

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Islamist Extremism
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Yusuf al-Qaradawi & Hamas PM Haniyeh Mohammed Abed ( [link removed] )

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh -  Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

*Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the “Moderate” Who Helped Radicalize Islam*

* Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who died on September 26 at the age of 96, was a senior and widely respected scholar in Sunni Islam who established a global network of Islamic organizations that channeled money to Hamas and other radical Islamic organizations.
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Qaradawi was a the key figure in shaping the concept of violent jihad and openly sanctioned terror attacks, including suicide bombing attacks against Israeli citizens, U.S. forces in Iraq, and some Arab regimes.

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At the same time, Qaradawi was able to portray himself to the West as a “moderate” through legal rulings that made allowances for modernity for Muslims living in non-Muslim countries.

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Qaradawi had a major impact on the spread of radical Islam throughout the world through his numerous books, interviews, and sermons, and through his personal charisma and social media skills. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

*DOD Contractor Arrested for Lying About Ties With ISIS*

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According to a criminal complaint, Mohammad Rafi Mohammadi, of Kansas City, sent money to one Islamic State recruiter and sought to secure the release of another.

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Mohammadi, who was hired by the U.S. military to be a translator in Afghanistan, allegedly hid his contact with the terrorist group during his check to obtain a security clearance.

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Mohammadi faces one charge of making false statements in reference to obtaining his security clearance and faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Read Now ( [link removed] )

*Senate Candidate Praises Ayatollah*

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Mandela Barnes, a Senate candidate in Wisconsin, praised Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei for supporting Black Lives Matter.

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Barnes has used his social media account to praise dictators and repressive regimes, including Khamenei and Syrian leader Bahsar al-Assad. *Read Now ( [link removed] )*

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Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism
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Mother and Child Education Center in Portland, Ore. ( [link removed] )

Broken windows are boarded up behind a spray-painted sign at Mother and Child Education Center in Portland, Ore., after the property was vandalized by Jane’s Revenge in June - JOHN RUDOFF/AFP via Getty Images

*Jane’s Revenge Claims Responsibility for Dozens of Attacks*

* The pro-abortion group Jane's Revenge has claimed that its members are responsible for nearly two dozen of more than 100 attacks that have been perpetrated since the public learned in May of the Supreme Court's intention to overturn Roe v. Wade.
* Churches, pregnancy clinics and anti-abortion organizations were targeted in attacks involving firebombing, vandalism and ransacking, among other actions.
* So far, not a single member of Jane’s Revenge has been arrested. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

*Patriot Front Sued*

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The far-right group Patriot Front is being sued for allegedly vandalizing and destroying parts of a mural of Arthur Ashe in Richmond, Va. in October 2021.

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The lawsuit alleges that the group’s actions violated the Ku Klux Klan Act and Virginia state law by engaging in intimidation based on racial animosity. Read More ( [link removed] )

*Goyim Defense League Comes to Support Kanye West*
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* Members of the neo-Nazi group The Goyim Defense League (GDL) held banners saying “Kanye was right about the Jews,” over the 405 freeway in Los Angeles in support for Kanye West following a string of antisemitic comments.
* The GDL, founded by Jon Minadeo of Petaluma, Calif., frequently engages in antisemitic stunts to troll and harass Jews, including showing up at Jewish events in a van marked with swastikas and shouting profanities. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

*New Jersey Man Admits to Setting Cop Cars Ablaze*

* Carlos Matchett, 32, of Atlantic City, N.J., pleaded guilty to felony counts of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and traveling to incite a riot.
* Matchett admitted in court that he set fire to an overturned police car in Philadelphia during a George Floyd protest in 2020. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

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Hate Crime
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Anthony Paz Torres ( [link removed] )

Anthony Paz Torres - via Fox 4 KDFW screenshot

*Texas Man Indicted for Hate Crime Shooting*

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Anthony Paz Torres, 37, of Texas was charged with a federal hate crime after he shot and killed one individual and attempted to kill three others at a Muslim-owned tire store in Dallas. The indictment alleges that the shooting was committed because of the actual or perceived religion of the victims. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

*Man Charged After Attacking Jehovah’s Witness Hall*

* Mikey Diamond Starrett, aka Michael Jason Layes, 50, of Olympia, Wash., was indicted in connection with a 2018 shooting that damaged a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

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Hostile Foreign Influence Operations
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Russian Army Multiple Rocket Launcher ( [link removed] )

Russian Army multiple-rocket launcher seen during the annual Army Games defense technology international exhibition in August 2021 - Leonid Faerberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

DOJ Announces Dozens Charged for Aiding Russian Military
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* The Justice Department announced that they have charged nearly a dozen individuals and several corporate entities with participating in unlawful schemes to export powerful, civil-military, dual-use technologies to Russia. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

NAFO: The Virtual Army Successfully Combatting Russian Disinformation
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The North Atlantic Fella Organization, also known as #NAFO on Twitter, is an organic online group of pro-Ukraine supporters that have gained the attention of policymakers and global leaders for their creative use of digital media to take on key sources of Russian disinformation and raise support for the war effort in Ukraine.

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NAFO is a cross-cultural global alliance of internet warriors, national security experts and ordinary Twitter users who use creative memes, viral videos, and dog photos to counter online Russian disinformation. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

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Research & Trends in Extremism
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Street memorials at Tops supermarket ( [link removed] )

Street memorials surround the Tops supermarket where a gunman murdered 10 African Americans with an assault rifle in June - Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

New Report Claims Online Platforms Radicalized the Buffalo Shooter
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* The New York Attorney General's office released a report alleging that several online platforms played roles in radicalizing Payton Gendron, the alleged gunman who killed 10 people at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y. The findings from the New York Attorney General's office emphasize that Gendron's online writings and videos serve as an "instructional manual" for the next mass shooter. Read More ( [link removed] )

*Significant Increase in Suspected Terrorists Attempting to Cross Border*
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* U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) recently released numbers that show there were 20 known or suspected terrorists arrested at the southern border in September, bringing the total terror watchlist arrests at the border for the fiscal year 2022 to 98. The number of terror watchlist arrests at the border for the last five years combined was 26. *Read More ( [link removed] )*

QUOTABLE
“I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that ‘all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people.’”

-Thomas Jefferson

NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked.

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