Hycsience has taken up the story of the Kissimmee Christian Academy versus the Universal Heritage Foundation. Pastor Lee Wasson says the Academy was cast out of its old home in favor of the Islamic nonprofit Universal Heritage Foundation because of religious discrimination on the part of the Academy's Islamic landlord, Super Stop Petroleum.
This is not a new story. Jihad Watch posted about the conflict between the Academy and the foundation nearly a year ago. The dispute is back in the news again with the Associated Press reporting Pastor Wasson allegations:
Lee Wasson, head of Kissimmee Christian Academy, said his school was kicked out of its building so an Islamic group could take over the space.
"If I was there just running a bakery, they would let me be. But we were repulsive to them (because of our religion)," Wasson said.
Super Stop Petroleum, The Academy's landlord filed a lawsuit to evict the Academy. The Academy filed a counterclaim denying it owed monies to Super Stop and alleging discrimination.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Wasson, a growing number of Kissimmee church leaders and a conservative Web pundit are standing up to what they perceive as radical Islam. According to the Sentinel, they take what experts say is a black-and-white stand on murky subject:
Even authorities have trouble separating real threats from alarmist claims, said Art Teitelbaum, Southern-area director for the Anti-Defamation League.
"In a microcosmic way, this is a story on how America is responding to the perceived and actual threat of Islamic radicalism," Teitelbaum said.
They're having a tough time. Americans know the burning crosses of white supremacy and the swastikas of anti-Semitism. But what does Islamic radicalism look like? Few really know, he said.
The FBI offers little guidance, referring callers to a U.S. Department of the Treasury list of charities with established ties to terrorism.
The Universal Heritage Foundation's "Inaugural Conference" created quite a commotion last year. FrontPageMagazine.com published this about what it called "Florida's Jihad Conference:"
During the holiday season this year, an Islam for Humanity conference will be held near Disney World on the campus of the Universal Heritage Foundation, a 31-acre Islamic propagation center located in Kissimmee, Florida. The three day conference will commence on December 19, 2003, which “coincidentally” marks the beginning of Hanukkah. But highlighting the holiday themes of peace and brotherhood will not be the conference's priority.
[. . .]
Listed as “Speakers” for the conference are many of the most radical individuals the American Islamist community has to offer.
Back to the landlord tenant dispute. Last December Jihad Watch posted the following details about the dispute between the Academy and the Foundation:
The Academy provides a faith-based curriculum from second grade through high school. Unfortunately, the Academy’s 6 acres of fenced grounds are adjoined by a 25 acre parcel that, by happenstance, serves as the location of the UHF compound. . . .
"Together, the 31 acre combined properties comprise what used to be David People’s South Eastern Academy - a travel & culinary school - which eventually filed for bankruptcy. It was in this bankruptcy proceeding that Super Stop Petroleum Company became the landlord to both UHF and the Kissimmee Christian Academy, the chief corporate officer of Super Stop?
"Denise Qureshi. There is a possible alias with the name however, Muhammed K. Qureshi is another possibility. Qureshi [or the Qureshis, as the case may be] own an impressive list of holdings, at least one, apparently with Shahida A Siddiqui. . . . Since the Pastor’s landlord became Qureshi’s petroleum company, he has been continuously harassed and the particular form of harassment has taken its toll on the students, the parents and the financial health of the school.
"Eviction proceedings, inexplicable power outages, cessation of running water followed by suspicious floods – all seemingly calculated to take place at or near the first of the month when tuitions are due, have resulted in the student population falling by nearly 50% since mid-summer, when the new land lord took over.
"Wasson has a lease through the end of the school year, yet the harassment continues. Because of circulating rumors of possible violence many parents are not allowing their children to even venture near the school, this Friday [the day the UHF event is slated to begin] simply because of their fear of possible extremist repercussions, so the school will again have to close, imperiling the educative process, not to mention the school's already shaky finances.
"Keeping in mind that the location of the conference was changed after this statement, this is how Pastor Lee Wasson synopsizes the story. 'The Islamic conference in Kissimmee Florida is being held on property purchased by a "petroleum" company in south Florida. It is a 31-acre former college campus. This petroleum company has been trying [unsuccessfully so far] to evict our Christian School and small church from one of the buildings there. We lease a 10,000 sq. ft. building right in the middle of where this conference is scheduled and where Universal Heritage is opening their college. They have actually pictured our building on their website and call it the "Islamic Training Center." We have sued them. Now, according to the Islamic group as told to me today by Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, the Universal Heritage Foundation has no association with the petroleum company save an old friendship with the company president which led them to the property.'" [Jihad Watch credits the above information to Pipeline News.]
So what do we have here? Is this just a landlord tenant dispute or is it an example of Islamic radicalism discriminating against a Christian institution? I wish I knew. What do you think?
Hyscience the "conservative Web pundit" mentioned in the Sentinel's article, has been trying to sort this story out. The "conservative Web pundit" first posted about this story here. Hyscience followed up here, when the Sentinel's article was published. Hyscience has tried to be fair, posting both Shah's denials of Pastor Wassons's charges as well as Pastor Wasson's refutation of those denials.
More negative information about the Universal Heritage Foundation' leaders is available at PipeLineNews.org.
The informed reader might like to visit these websites @ Accuracy In Media:
http://www.aim.org/media_monitor/2329_0_2_0_C/
http://www.aim.org/sherrie_blog_entry/P2377_0_18_0/
Posted by: Pastor Lee Wasson | Wednesday, December 22, 2004 at 08:06 AM
Nobody officially connected with UHF has ever made an evil statement such as "death to worshippers of the Cross", as previously claimed by the Pastor.
The Imam Abdul Malik quoted by the Pastor is not the person who attended our conference in December. That Imam Abdul Malik was not even invited to the conference. The Pastor is mixing up between Imam Abdul Malik Ali of Oakland, CA, and Imam Abdul Malik from New York, the person actually invited by the UHF. Imam Abdul Malik, who spoke at our conference, has never visited California in his life, as he has confirmed with me in March 2004 when I spoke to him about these alleged remarks, rest aside speaking at San Francisco State University. Again, it is nothing but an effort to through mud at UHF by alleging that Imam Abdul Malik Ali, the supposed speaker at SFSU, was the guest speaker at the Universal Heritage Foundation's conference. Not at all! He was not the guest speaker and the fact of the matter is that he has never attended any of our programs. Imam Abdul Malik of New York was our guest speaker and he had not made any such remarks.
Yes! Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi was invited to the conference and is a member of our Board of Trustees. He has repeatedly denied the charges quoted by the Pastor and informed the media that he was misquoted. Dr. Siddiqi has participated in many inter-religious dialogues. He spoke at the World Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Vancouver, Canada and has participated in many seminars organized by the National Council of Churches and National Council of Christians and Jews in USA. From NCCJ he also received the Humanitarian of the Year Award in 1999. On September 14, 2001, on the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance, he was invited by our President George Bush to lead a Muslim Prayer at the Interfaith Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral which was also attended by the former presidents such as Clinton, Bush, Carter and Ford. He is the Vice President of the Academy of Judaic-Christian and Islamic Studies in California. He sits on the regional board of NCCJ and is co-author of "Abrahamic Connection" along with Dr. David Gordis and Dr. George Grose.
On October 1, 2001, Fox News reported that," In a phone conversation with Fox News, however, Siddiqi says he was not aware of all the speakers at the rally and doesn't support the extremist viewpoints some expressed.
"I don't support Hezbollah and HAMAS. I don't support any terrorist groups. Terrorism is not what Islam teaches," Siddiqi said." Dr. Siddiqi has met with President Bush in the White House soon after the 9-11 tragedy. Fox also reported Fleischer saying, "I don't think it would surprise anybody that the President often has meetings to discuss a whole host of issues with people that he may not agree with everything they may have said in the course of their lives or careers," Fleischer said.
Dr. Siddiqi has also been invited to speak at the State Department funded institutions such as USIP and many other official gatherings and forums. In response to his critics who objected to his participation in such official forums, Dr. Siddiqi posted the following comments:
Siddiqi Responds
Posted March 22, 2004
By Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
Kenneth Timmerman's article, "Pipes Objects to Fox in the Henhouse" (posted March 19) against my appearing on the USIP panel on Islam came to my attention.
I am sorry to say that the author is very much misinformed about me and my opinions. Allow me to say the following:
1. Mr. Timmerman has accused the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) as "a leading Wahhabi front organization in the U.S." The truth is that ISNA is the largest and one of the oldest Muslim Organization in North America. It is highly respected by Muslims and many interfaith and civic groups in United States and Canada. It is not affiliated to any particular sect or school. All Muslims who accept its constitution and by-laws are welcome to join this organization. ISNA operates under its own by-laws and is not a front organization for any foreign body.
2. Mr. Timmerman said that I "accompanied the Saudi officials of the Muslim World League on a fund-raising tour across America." The truth is that I never accompanied any MWL groups on fund-raising tours. I was part of the MWL delegation in 2002 that came to the U.S. to express its condemnation of 9/11 bombing and terrorism in the name of Islam. This visit was highly appreciated by many interfaith and civil leaders in our country. MWL is a religious organization with its headquarters in Makkah. Many Muslim scholars from all over the world are members of this organization. It has been in existence since 1963 and has many offices around the world.
3. Mr. Timmerman accused me of "openly threatening the United States with violence if it continued its support of Israel." He referred to a mutilated version of my speech on Oct. 28, 2000. The fact is that I never threatened any group or country with violence. I always speak of peace and justice toward all people. I remind myself and others the duty to do justice. I fear God and also remind others to fear God and do right things. This I believe was the way of the Prophets of God in the Bible and in the Qur'an (See Det. 27:19; Isa. 59:8-15; Jer. 21:12-14 and Qur'an 11:102 and 21:11-15 etc.) In my speech I only reminded my beloved country and its people to do justice to Palestinian people and fear God. I also said in my speech that I wish God's blessings for America and that is why I am trying to awaken the conscience of America. Timmerman is wrong when he says that "by injustice he meant U.S. support for Isreal." I am not against U.S. support for Isreal; I am against U.S. support for Isreali aggression and occupation and injustice to Palestinian people. There are many American religious leaders -- Muslims, Christians and Jews -- who feel the same way. Some say it and some are afraid to say it in public.
4. Mr. Timmerman says that I "called for a wider application of Sharia law in the United States." I do urge Muslims to live by the laws of God always and I also remind them to respect the laws of the land. I never called for the wider application of the Shari'ah laws on everyone in United States. If Timmerman has any evidence to prove his point, I am willing to look into that.
5. Mr. Timmerman accused me that I "in a 1995 speech praised suicide bombers." I do not recall that in 1995 there were any Palestinian or Muslim suicide bombers. How could I praise something that did not exist? The fact is that I have always spoken against suicide bombing. I do not believe that it is a right way of struggle for justice and liberation. I want Mr. Timmerman to show me any evidence for his claim.
I hope you will publish my letter and remove the misconceptions from the minds of those who are misled by Timmerman's false accusations.
I love nothing but peace and justice for all people of all faiths.
Sincerely,
Dr. Muzammil Siddiq
Now, if our President does not consider Dr. Siddiqi a radical or terrorist and feels comfortable inviting him to speak to the Nation on September 14, 2001, just three days after the September 11, 2001 tragedy, UHF and its staff should not be blamed for inviting such a respected, Harvard educated scholar to its programs.
I can give details about the other speakers also but I will confine to some basic facts here.
Abdurahman Alamoudi has never been invited and has never spoken at any of our events.
Imam Siraj Wahaj, after all the things allegedly attributed to him, was invited to speak at the Capital Hill and opened a session of the House in June of 1991. He has also been invited to the White House since then.
None of the people officially connected with the UHF had been so irresponsible to make evil statements against the Jewish or Christian community. They have closely worked with their Jewish and Christian brethren to promote peace and justice and have shown their love, appreciation and respect for their beloved country, America, and the American Constitution. It does not however mean that they agree hundred percent with everything our policy makers do. As Americans they differ with some aspects of our foreign policy and they have every right to do so. This is what America has given them; the right of free speech and the right to have a different opinion. They aspire to continue having such a freedom, something they have been deprived of in many of the so called Muslim countries. That does not make them less patriotic or less American as many Americans do differ with the policy makers on numerous issues.
Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayyis is the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. We sent him an invitation letter due to his position and not because of his views. In fact we were not aware of the comments attributed to him regarding the Jewish community and we did not have any way of verifying what he had actually said and what was wrongfully attributed to him. His office never responded to our invitation and we did not pursue it further after knowing the comments. We had categorically condemned the aforementioned comments in our December conference and will have no hesitation condemning them again at any forum or platform. The office bearers are usually invited because of their positions/prestige even if one disagrees with their philosophy or standpoint.
We also sent out an invitation to Mr. Ralph Nader's office. It does not mean we subscribe to his views or agree with everything he had said or did. We invite many Jewish/Christian leaders and a variety of scholars to our programs without subscribing to their views. We can only take responsibility for what is being said or promoted from UHF's platform and we always make sure that nothing objectionable is uttered or promoted at our functions.
My Chicago comments are quoted out of context. They were made regarding Masjid al-Aqsa, Jerusalem and the Greater Israel theory. The comments were not against the Jews or the State of Israel, but, in opposition to the expansionist ideology of leaders such as Prime Minister A. Sharon and Natan Sharansky, Israel's housing minister and deputy prime minister, the ideology that calls for occupation of the entire area between the Rivers Nile and Eupharetes and expulsion of Muslims from there. The word "Jews" has been inserted there, I do not know by whom. I perhaps said, " If we are unable to stop them now…" It will not make me anti-Jewish even if the word was used because that was in the context of a specific issue and not regarding the universal Jewish community. There are some pretty strong words used in the New Testament such as the following statement of the Gospel of John:
"19:3 and they came unto him, and said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they struck him with their hands.
19:4 And Pilate went out again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him out to you, that ye may know that I find no crime in him.
19:5 Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. And [Pilate] saith unto them, Behold, the man!
19:6 When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify [him], crucify [him]! Pilate saith unto them, Take him yourselves, and crucify him: for I find no crime in him.
19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
19:8 When Pilate therefore heard this saying, he was the more afraid;
19:9 and he entered into the Praetorium again, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
19:10 Pilate therefore saith unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, and have power to crucify thee?
19:11 Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath greater sin.
19:12 Upon this Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar`s friend: every one that maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
19:13 When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment-seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
19:14 Now it was the Preparation of the passover: it was about the sixth hour. And he saith unto the Jews, Behold, your King!
19:15 They therefore cried out, Away with [him], away with [him], crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
19:16 Then therefore he delivered him unto them to be crucified."
What would the Pastor make of them if they are quoted out of context? Is John or the New Testament anti-Jewish?
Regarding Jerusalem, it is a know fact that it is a disputed territory. It is sacred to the Jews, Christians and Muslims. All lay claim on it. And I do not hide the sentiments that Masjid al-Aqsa is the third holiest place in Islam and the Muslims do not like the fact that it is being occupied or disrespected by the Israeli soldiers. I am not against the State of Israel but against Israeli aggressions. I condemn violence committed by both sides and wish to see a peaceful resolution to this humanitarian disaster.
Posted by: Dr. Z. Shah | Saturday, December 04, 2004 at 09:43 PM
Thank you for looking into our story.
My answer to the question, "Landlord Tenant Dispute Or Facing Down Islamic Radicalism?"
Both.
Evidently my ex-landlord has knowingly installed radical Islamists as a tenant/soon-to-be-new-owner on the property.
One problem...I was in the way.
It is a dispute that they started--and one from which I will not, (and can not) back away.
Our counter-suit is public and it is explicit.
Lee Wasson
Posted by: Pastor Lee Wasson | Monday, November 29, 2004 at 08:53 PM