a chartered organization within the United States House of Representatives, established in 2006. CMSA is a non-dues paying membership association open to any Congressional employee who defines his- or herself as “Muslim”, regardless of their race, gender, school of thought, personal level of “religiosity”, and country of origin. Members can be employees of any office, committee, or department within the House of Representatives, Senate, Library of Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, and the Capitol Hill Police Department. Any Muslim Congressional employee is considered a CMSA member regardless of their level of participation or the degree that they publicly identify themselves as “Muslim”.And how do they achieve their objectives? According to their site:
To achieve its objectives, CMSA conducts the following four types of programs:
• Political / Public Policy:
Do not defame Islam.For the primary benefit of Congressional Members and staffers, CMSA conducts briefings and issue forums on legislative and political issues that concern the Muslim American community and Muslim world. Muslim and non-Muslim scholars, community leaders, and media analysts participate on panels to provide insightful and multiple points of views on various topics. Examples: o Congressional briefing on the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis o Congressional briefing on the media’s use of “Islamophobic Language”.
• Religious / Cultural:Dawah: Invitation to convert to Islam. Read the rest here.CMSA produces religious and cultural programming that increases Congressional members, staffers and community members awareness of Muslim beliefs, traditions, historical narratives, and contributions to American culture. Examples: o Weekly “Capitol Hill Jummah Prayer Service” o Annual Congressional Ramadan Iftar Reception o African American Muslim History Month Exhibit (February) o Muslim American Women Leadership Symposium (March).
Capital Hill Becomes a Mosque Creeping ShariaA new website for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association details the room and time for Islamic prayers on Capitol Hill:
As we previously noted Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison stating here:“…Muslim staffers on the hill meet for jummah prayers in a room under the dome of the Capitol…”The group’s website also states the following:For the primary benefit of Congressional Members and staffers, CMSA conducts briefings and issue forums on legislative and political issues that concern the Muslim American community and Muslim world…CMSA produces religious and cultural programming that increases Congressional members, staffers and community members awareness of Muslim beliefs, traditions, historical narratives, and contributions to American culture…Examples:Congressional briefing on the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis
Congressional briefing on the media’s use of “Islamophobic Language”
Weekly “Capitol Hill Jummah Prayer Service”
Annual Congressional Ramadan Iftar Reception
State Department Briefing on U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Muslim World
USAID Briefing on development programs in the Muslim World
Homeland. Security Department Briefing on Muslim American Civil Rights Issues
“All DC-Area Muslim Summer Interns” Capitol Hill Reception
Resume collection for “Muslim American Congressional Resume Book”
Participation on panels at various symposium hosted by DHS, CAIR, MANA, etc.
Two of the groups mentioned were founded by or are unindicted co-conspirators to terrorist activities.
CAIR – the unindicted co-conspirator to the Holy Land Hamas-funding case (of which defendants were found guilty); and MANA – founded by Siraj Wahhaj – an unindicted co-conspirator to the first World Trade Center bombing who sells audio recordings of his speeches preaching jihad.
The founder of the Muslim Congressional Staffers – Jameel-Aalim Johnson, former chief of staff to Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) – has been involved in inviting terror-linked individuals to speak on Capitol Hill in the past:
Why is a powerful congressman trying to pave the way for terror-linked speakers to appear on Capitol Hill?
The event, originally scheduled for August 11, would have taken place in the Cannon House Building Caucus Room had it not been for the last minute discovery of the terror-linked speakers that the DC-based Peace and Justice Foundation had invited to participate.
According to an article in The Muslim Link, the scheduling of the August conference had been handled by the chief-of-staff for Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY6), Jameel Alim Johnson.