Are Muslim Students Associations in Public Schools Cause for Concern?

Photo credit: Tempeunion.org

Alpha News has discovered that chapters of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) are popping up in public schools throughout the Twin Cities.

Various Minnesota public school websites and a number of school districts’ online documents show that the MSA has or had chapters of the organization in the following high schools: Eden Prairie, Apple Valley, Burnsville, Hopkins, St. Louis ParkSouthwest High School, Blaine High School, South High School, Champlin Park High School and Como Park High School in St. Paul.

An investigation of The Muslim Students Association revealed a link between the MSA and the Muslim Brotherhood.  In a key document titled “The Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America”, it lists The Muslim Brotherhood’s “organizations and organizations of our friends” on page 31 of the document.  Listed second out of 29 Muslim Brotherhood affiliated groups is The Muslim Students Association. The list of affiliated groups in the Explanatory Memorandum is prefaced by the statement “Imagine if they all march according to one plan.”

Written by The Muslim Brotherhood in 1991, The “Explanatory Memorandum” explains in the document that it was created as a strategy to destroy America through our own leadership.  The document’s “mission statement” clearly states that it plans to conduct “Civilization Jihad” by co-opting the leadership of the United States into believing a counterfactual understanding about Islam and the nature of the Muslim Brotherhood, forcing our leaders to enforce the Muslim Brotherhood narrative on their subordinates.

So, with this information, should Minnesota public school parents worry about the chapters of the Muslim Students Association that are cropping up in their children’s schools?

Conn McCartan, principal of Eden Prairie High School told Alpha News earlier this year that it is “just a coincidence” that the Muslim Students Association at Eden Prairie High School shares the same name as the organization that is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

In some cases, taxpayers help to fund clubs and activities because schools need to have money in their budgets to pay for club advisors. In other instances, the school might charge participants a fee to cover costs of the club or activity, especially if the club or activity is a student-led group.

Apple Valley MSA

At Apple Valley High School, there was a very active Muslim Students Association as recently as last year.  On it’s Facebook page, it is categorized as a “cause” and not as a club.  Michael Bolsoni, Principal of Apple Valley High School, told Alpha News that he didn’t think it is typical for a student-led group to list themselves as a cause.  “We ask student-led groups to inform us when creating social media pages, but this does not always happen.  We do not always know when pages are created.  We do our best to monitor this information and react appropriately.  In the case of the MSA, we have asked this group to remove this Facebook page, because the MSA is no longer an active student-led group at AVHS,”  Bolsoni said.  Alpha News has confirmed that this Facebook page is still active.

Photo credit: Apple Valley High School MSA Facebook Page
Photo credit: Apple Valley High School MSA Facebook Page

“Our MSA was not aligned to any larger organizations, according to the staff supervisor and the students,” Bolsoni said, “There are many MSA organizations in high schools and colleges across the country.  Our MSA organization is currently inactive a student-led group.  Based on our school and district policy, we do not allow student-led groups to advocate illegal or disruptive activity.”

In 2015, the Apple Valley High School Muslim Students Association advertised an event on Facebook called “Best of Identities” featuring Dr. Abdul Mawgoud, who also goes by the name of Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, who has a history of open support for Hamas, a United States designated foreign terrorist organization, and had been linked to a child pornography investigation in the United States years earlier, according to Breitbart.  The flyer for this event is still featured on the Apple Valley High School Muslim Students Association Facebook page and the event was originally scheduled for April 4, 2015 and then was postponed until May 2, 2015.

Photo: Apple Valley MSA Facebook Page
Photo: Apple Valley High School  MSA Facebook Page

“The event that actually occurred was much smaller than planned and advertised on Facebook,” Bolsoni said, “Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery did not attend this event and has never spoken at AVHS.  Unfortunately, the group’s Facebook page did not reflect the change in the event and speakers.”

Raising a Jihadi Generation

Former FBI agent and author of “Raising A Jihadi Generation: Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood Movement in America”, John Guandolo told Alpha News, “The Muslim Students Association was the first national Islamic organization created in the United States by the Muslim Brotherhood.  It’s primary focus is “Dawah” (invitation to Muslims and non-Muslims to Islam) and recruiting Jihadi’s. The Muslim Students Associations are now on every major university and college campus in America and are now infiltrating high schools, middle schools and even elementary schools.”

Guandolo emphasized, “All MSAs should all be shut down.  The failure of the federal government to take strong and aggressive action against the MSAs is yet another indicator of their catastrophic incompetence and criminal negligence.”

Goals and Strategies of the Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood goals and strategies are found on many websites, proclaiming their objective to create and rule a world-wide Islamic Empire, called a “caliphate”. “The Daily Journalist” website says that The Muslim Brotherhood, which is called “Ikhwan” in Arabic, has over 2,000 branches in 70 countries, and has a plan to reach world domination by building an unbreakable network, planning to eventually take over a country through elections.

The plan of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States is slow infiltration through superb organization with the objective that Islam will discreetly grow under the radar until it is too late to reverse its power. Among the Muslim Brotherhood’s many affiliated organizations is CAIR – or the Council on American Islamic Relations – which serves as the public relations arm for the organization.  The American Muslim Brotherhood claims to reject violence and terror to overthrow non-Islamic states, therefore leading Western Democratic nations to believe that they are a moderate movement.

“They (the Muslim Students Association) are a threat to every campus and every community in which they exist.  They are a part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s network whose stated mission is to wage civilization jihad until our Constitutional Republic is destroyed and an Islamic state is established here.  Many Muslim Students Association leaders – like Anwar al Awlaki (Al Qaeda) who was the Muslim Students Association president at Colorado State – have actively engaged in jihad.” said Guandolo.

Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act

Because of the growing concern over the Muslim Brotherhood, eighty members of Congress now support legislation calling on the State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization.  The House version of the “Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act” passed the Judiciary Committee earlier this year. The Muslim Brotherhood accuses the US Congress of waging a war on moderate Islam with the The Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act.  In a Counterjihadreport.com article, a Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson said, “This bill is unjust and purely political. It reflects the rising tide of hatred and hostility with which right-wing extremist Republicans, lobbyists and politicians are trying to drag the American people into ideological war with the Muslim world, at the heart of it is the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest and most popular Islamic movement.”  However, the “The Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act” has bipartisan support, with Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson signing on as one of the two democrat co-sponsors of the bill.

While it remains to be seen if the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act will eventually become law, co-sponsor of the bill, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) emphasized that the Muslim Brotherhood “continues to pose a global threat” and the U.S. “must recognize and sanction the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization as part of our national security strategy.”

But will this information give school administrators pause for thought before allowing chapters of the Muslim Students Association to be formed on their campuses?  Only time will tell.

Alpha News Staff