ICNA: North America’s Brotherhood-Turkish arm

Nora Bandari

Brotherhood organizations in cities around the world are working to exploit any political or humanitarian movement that could contribute to the group’s mobilization and benefit by any means. This was evident when anti-racist demonstrations erupted in a number of US states in May following the death of George Floyd, an African-American citizen in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota who was brutally killed by police.

Brotherhood

Among the Brotherhood organizations that called for demonstrations against the brutality and racism of police in the United States is the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which sought to exploit the anti-racism protests by adopting the same approach as the majority protesting.

ICNA announced on its website that it rejects racism against black people, calling for the need to confront and end police racism and brutality against citizens.

Turkish support

Meanwhile, the Brotherhood’s strong relationship with the Turkish regime is at play. In November 2019, the American nonprofit Clarion Project warned in a report against the Brotherhood’s organizations in America exploiting Islam to achieve their political goals.

The report pointed to a celebration in Lanham, Maryland in May 2013, because Turkey built a $100 million mosque in the city. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the city at the time of the celebration, which was also attended by the leaders of two US-based Brotherhood organizations, namely ICNA and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

Exploitation

ICNA has a history of exploiting events for a political agenda. When the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked in 2012, then-ICNA President Zahid Bukhari denounced the attack and confirmed that the religion of Islam does not allow this type of attack. He reminded Americans of the events of September 11, 2001, declaring his rejection of the images of religious fanatics and terrorists in America and demanding the American public better understand the Islamic faith.

Bukhari announced that ICNA would launch a campaign to explain Islam to the American public in order to get rid of the idea promoted that extremists in the United States continue to exploit Americans’ fear of Islam for personal and political gain.

ICNA

The Islamic Circle of North America started in September 1968 as an offshoot of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA). The members of the organization, mainly of South Asian origin from Pakistan and India, initially directed their efforts towards education and spiritual development for Americans. It was formally established in the 1977, and its founders announced that its primary goal is to establish a place for Islam in America. Naeem Baig is ICNA’s current president.

In the 1980s, the Brotherhood’s activities expanded and it launched several projects to spread its ideas and attract a large number of Americans. ICNA established many branches to meet the needs of the American Muslim community, including the ICNA Sisters Wing in 1980 and the ICNA headquarters in Jamaica in 1984, while the ICNA Council for Social Justice was formed in 2009. ICNA also cooperates with many other Islamic organizations to reach its goals as a leading grassroots organization in American Muslim society. It has established ties with other Brotherhood organizations as well, such as ISNA, which was founded in 1982 and adheres to the ideology of the Brotherhood.