American Muslim Council
c/o Mr. Ali Abuzakuk
1212 New York Ave. NW
Suite 450
Washington, DC 20005

January 7, 1999

Dear Mr. Ali Abuzakuk;

I hope this letter finds you and the Board of American Muslim Council in good health and spirits during this holy month of Ramadan. As legal counsel and General Secretary of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, I would have preferred a more amenable occasion to introduce myself to you as the new Executive Director of AMC; however, I have the unfortunate duty to inform you of rather disappointing and upsetting events which transpired at the Department of State this afternoon.

The Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, Shaykh Hicham Kabbani, was invited to address public government officials, the media, and private organizations in an open forum at the Department of State. The topic was the evolution of Islamic extremism and its potential threat to US national security. I will not use this occasion to justify the importance and legitimacy of our duty to address such issues for the American people so that they may intelligently differentiate between moderate and fanatc Muslim movements throughout the world. My purpose rather is to caution you and the leadership of your organization to take greater care in whom you chose to represent the American Muslim Council. It was behavior such as that exhibited by the young man you sent to our event which leads our community to be labeled as intolerant, hostile and overtly aggressive.

In a room filled with important government officials, including representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, DC, Capitol Police, Congress, the State Department, and the White House - not to mention many national and international media correspondents, your representative attempted to intimidate, embarrass, and harass our Chairman with a barrage of questions, insinuations, and accusations which were clearly inappropriate in a public setting and was simply an embarrassment to us as a community.

Though Shaykh Hisham explained to this individual that his own statements were not representative of the entire US Muslim community and were the beliefs of his own constituency which he duly represents, the young man continued to badger him and finally resorted to insults and name-calling. He made comments such as asking the Shaykh is he was "blind" for nor being able to label the state of Israel as extremists. Finally, when he was unsuccessful at imposing his opinions on our Chairman, he exclaimed in both English and Arabic:

"You are a dangerous man, Shaykh. Anta Rajulun Khatir."

Please understand that our concern over the statements and behavior of this man are not due to his difference in belief; rather we as Americans applaud the liberties of free speech, but we cannot and will not tolerate outright aggression or verbal assaults which could have easily escalated into physical acts of harm from other irresponsible people who would hear such accusations. To the extent that any behavior engaged by our critics threatens the security and safety of Shaykh Hisham Kabbani or any of our members for that matter, we intend to address it seriously and expeditously. We intend to fully enjoy the civil liberties of the United States which include the inalienable right to live in peace, without the threat of physical harm. This is not the Middle East where people are silenced by the opposition with aggressive tactics and bodily threat, therefore we shall take all necessary precautions and measures to ensure our well-being.

It was sadly ironic and disappointing that the dogmatic rhetoric and behavior which the Shaykh was outlining for the audience as examples of extremism were exactly that which was displayed by your representative in front of the nation to see. Luckily for your organization, he did not openly announce his affiliation with you to jeopardize your reputation in the political arena. Most of what I have mentioned in this correspondence is videotaped for you to independently verify and I hope you utilize that material as a reference for what types of interaction to avoid in the future.

In an even more bizarre twist of fate it appears that this same individual also accosted Shaykh Hicham Kabbani at the ISNA conference in Chicago, 1997 when he objected to the praising of the Prophet Mohammed (sas) after prayers. Therefore, our concern over his potential use of force or violence is not unfounded or overreaching.

Finally, we ask that you consider this matter very cautiously and truly re-evaluate what disciplinary actions you may take in response to this individual, as well as giving sincere thought to who you send on behalf of your organization. Our hunble recommendation is you choose someone who is better capable to controlling his/her emotions and has the common human decency to address a man at least thirty years his senior with respect and fundamental common courtesy.

I would appreciate your response to the aforementioned at your earliest convenience. I look forward to your reply.

Cordially,
[signed]
Hedieh Mirahmadi
General Secretary, ISCA