ICNA: North America’s Brotherhood-Turkish arm
Brotherhood organizations in cities around the world are
working to exploit any political or humanitarian movement that could contribute
to the group's mobilization and benefit by any means. This was evident when
anti-racist demonstrations erupted in a number of US states in May following
the death of George Floyd, an African-American citizen in the city of
Minneapolis, Minnesota who was brutally killed by police.
Brotherhood
Among the Brotherhood organizations that called for
demonstrations against the brutality and racism of police in the United States
is the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which sought to exploit the
anti-racism protests by adopting the same approach as the majority protesting.
ICNA announced on its website that it rejects racism against
black people, calling for the need to confront and end police racism and
brutality against citizens.
Turkish support
Meanwhile, the Brotherhood’s strong relationship with the
Turkish regime is at play. In November 2019, the American nonprofit Clarion
Project warned in a report against the Brotherhood’s organizations in America
exploiting Islam to achieve their political goals.
The report pointed to a celebration in Lanham, Maryland in
May 2013, because Turkey built a $100 million mosque in the city. Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the city at the time of the celebration,
which was also attended by the leaders of two US-based Brotherhood organizations,
namely ICNA and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).
Exploitation
ICNA has a history of exploiting events for a political
agenda. When the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked in 2012, then-ICNA
President Zahid Bukhari denounced the attack and confirmed that the religion of
Islam does not allow this type of attack. He reminded Americans of the events
of September 11, 2001, declaring his rejection of the images of religious
fanatics and terrorists in America and demanding the American public better
understand the Islamic faith.
Bukhari announced that ICNA would launch a campaign to
explain Islam to the American public in order to get rid of the idea promoted
that extremists in the United States continue to exploit Americans’ fear of Islam
for personal and political gain.
ICNA
The Islamic Circle of North America started in September
1968 as an offshoot of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA). The members of
the organization, mainly of South Asian origin from Pakistan and India, initially
directed their efforts towards education and spiritual development for
Americans. It was formally established in the 1977, and its founders announced
that its primary goal is to establish a place for Islam in America. Naeem Baig is
ICNA’s current president.
In the 1980s, the Brotherhood's activities expanded and it
launched several projects to spread its ideas and attract a large number of
Americans. ICNA established many branches to meet the needs of the American
Muslim community, including the ICNA Sisters Wing in 1980 and the ICNA
headquarters in Jamaica in 1984, while the ICNA Council for Social Justice was
formed in 2009. ICNA also cooperates with many other Islamic organizations to
reach its goals as a leading grassroots organization in American Muslim society.
It has established ties with other Brotherhood organizations as well, such as ISNA,
which was founded in 1982 and adheres to the ideology of the Brotherhood.
