by Kathy Crest:
Hidden in the hills of upstate New York lies a small community known as Islamberg. This isn’t just any average town where you would see paved roads, street lights and children outside playing. This is a terrorist training camp, and it has been in operation for 20 some years.
Islamberg is one of 22 known terrorist training camps in America and they are located from one side of the country to the other. Our FBI is aware of them, so why aren’t they doing something about them? These camps have their own set of rules and laws, and outsiders are not welcome.
Islamberg is located in Hancock, New York, and the compound sits on 70 acres of rural land. The residents are mainly African American individuals who have converted to Islam. The community is lead by an organization known as Muslims of the Americas, and also has connections to the International Quranic Open University and the United Muslim Christian Forum. All these organizations are headed by the same individual, a radical Pakistani man by the name of Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani.
As Islamberg grew in population, reports from local police and concerned citizens in the area began to surface. Flyovers of the area produced evidence of military style training taking place. In 2001, an ATF Special Agent, Thomas Gallagher, testified in court that “Individuals from the organization, Muslims of the Americas, are training in Hancock, N.Y., and if they pass the training, they are sent to Pakistan for training in paramilitary and survivalist training by Mr. Gilani.”
In 2009, a videotape was found that showed some of the activity taking place in Islamberg. Young men were being trained in everything from hand to hand combat, using knives and swords, and could be seen practicing their shooting techniques into a lake. The men were dressed in military fatigues and were even seen marching in line formation.
The organization linked to the terrorist camp had to raise money in order to operate, and in 2010, Gilani sent some of the militants to join up with Mosque leaders in New York, and together they would engage in a tax fraud scheme. They were sent to local tax accounting firms run by Jamaal Al-Fugra, that were located in strip malls in Bronx and Brooklyn. They would fill out fraudulent tax returns and wait for the returns. A law enforcement report made this claim in a report, “Mosque leaders are directing mosque members to storefront tax outfits run by Jamaat al-Fuqra. Using information from these mosque attendees, the tax fraud operation will then use that information to file false tax returns, probably without the knowledge of the tax filer, and collect 24 hour rapid returns.” A referral fee was given to the Imam of the Mosque, and the tax return refund forwarded to Pakistan, to accounts controlled by Gilani.
Widespread abuse has been reported at Islamberg. A report surfaced of a woman tied to a tree and beaten after “breaking the moral code”. Children are home schooled yet deemed illiterate. Forced marriages and brainwashing is the norm. In 2002, a reporter by the name of Danial Pearl with the Wall Street Journal was to meet with Gilani in Pakistan for an interview. He was kidnapped and later found murdered. Gilani has denied any involvement in the murder.
According to locals and others who have tried to infiltrate the compound at Islamberg, upon arrival of the entry gate you will be stopped at a guard shack by men armed with guns. Some have said it is common to hear gunfire and explosions coming from the area. None of the neighbors wish to be identified for fear of “retaliation.” “We don’t even dare to slow down when we drive by,” one resident said. “They own the mountain and they know it and there is nothing we can do about it but move, and we can’t even do that. Who wants to buy a property near that?” Another resident said, “If you go there, you better wear body armor. They have armed guards and if they shoot you, nobody will find your body.”
So why do authorities allow Islamberg and other known terrorist training camps across the U.S. to continue operating? Why aren’t police and military ordered to overtake the compounds and arrest those who are clearly a threat to society, and linked to oversees terrorism?
Muslims of the Americas Inc., is a tax-exempt organization formed by Gilani, and has been directly linked by court documents to Jamaat ul-Fuqra or “community of the impoverished,” an organization that seeks to “purify” Islam through violence. Though primarily based in Lahore, Pakistan, Jamaat ul-Fuqra has operational headquarters in New York, and openly recruits through various social service organizations in the U.S., including the prison system. Members live in hamaats or compounds, such as Islamberg, where they agree to abide by the laws of Jamaat ul-Fuqra, which are considered to be above local, state and federal authority. So in other words, these camps are considered untouchable by our court systems.
Court cases have been filed against the communes but are hit by countersuits of defamation. Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, an attorney representing the Muslims of America, said the group’s residential communities are peaceful. The Washington Times reported:
“The property upstate has farms; it has gardens; it has buildings for work; it has little store. It’s a community of families and of individuals who are just trying to get by day to day. Their common denominator is their faith. Everyone believes in one God and the Prophet Mohammed as his messenger. The Washington Times also reported:
“The group said that it has always counseled members and residents to abide by U.S. laws and avoid criminal, immoral and antisocial behavior. The communities include doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, tradesmen, farmers and business people, with workshops, seminars and interfaith outreach open to the public.”
Rumors have recently surfaced that Donald Trump ordered a raid on the Islamberg compound after one of the residents was caught steeling ammo from a local dealer. Shortly after the arrest of Ramadan Abdullah, his answers as to why he was stealing ammunition raised suspicion among police, who then decided to obtain a search warrant to investigate the property. During their raid they discovered a massive stockpile of illegal weapons, including 8 assault weapons, 4 loaded handguns, 1 loaded shotgun, 2 rifles, 64 high-capacity ammunition feeding devices, and body armor, including thousands of rounds of .50 caliber ammunition capable of piercing body armor. Abdullah is being held without bail.
According to Fox News, there are approximately 3000 members of training camps across the U.S. Additional hamaats have been established in: Hyattsville, Maryland; Red House, Virginia; Falls Church, Virginia; Macon, Georgia; York, South Carolina; Dover, Tennessee; Buena Vista, Colorado; Talihina, Oklahoma; Tulane Country, California; Commerce, California; and Onalaska, Washington.
Others are being built, including an expansive facility in Sherman, Pennsylvania.
Now that we have a new president in the White House, maybe he will be able to get to the bottom of these training camps and finally put an end to them. Terrorism is a big enough threat in America without having home grown terrorist organizations being allowed to militarize. Radical Islamists are responsible for the murders of millions of Christians around the world, and they use horridic tactics such as beheadings, drownings and burning people alive. Obama had a big influence in the influx of radical Muslims into our society, and now President Trump is left with dealing with it. Obama appointed Supreme Court justices are blocking Trump from stopping more of these terrorists from coming into America.
As long as these organizations are allowed to continue to operate, we will feel the results through terror attacks across our nation. These attacks effect our everyday lives as they inflict fear among us. We may think twice before flying or going to a large event where lots of people will be in attendance. We are leery of movie theaters and now even going to church, as both these settings offer the perfect opportunity for a terrorist. People are faced away from the door and oblivious to the threat behind them. There are limited escape routes and victims are often left as sitting ducks. Until we can get our borders closed and immigration once again under control, we will continue to experience these attacks. Our CIA and FBI know exactly where these threats exist, and once Trump is able to get his administration complete with HIS people in place, these terrorists will go to prison or back to the terrorist sponsoring countries they came from. America is a country of peace, and there is no place for Muslim extremists.
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