Irving, Texas: Valley Ranch Islamic Center’s Lesser Known Side – IOTW Report

Irving, Texas: Valley Ranch Islamic Center’s Lesser Known Side

AT: On the surface, Valley Ranch Islamic Center appears to be a liberal, modern Islamic center in Irving, Texas. Their website has a slick minimalist design. Their logo is an elegant series of colorful rounded squares meant “to capture the essence of a dignified and unified resource for Muslims in the Valley Ranch area.” On the home page, a photograph of their masjid members shows a smiling, prosperous-looking community, male members posing in the front, covered female members positioned in the back.

Their resident scholar Omar Suleiman bills himself on his Twitter page as a “Muslim for Humanity. Lover of Justice. Bridge Builder. Scholar. Activist.” In December 2018, he and 32 others were arrested at the Tijuana — San Diego Border as part of the “Love Knows No Borders” movement in support of immigrants and asylum seekers. On February 1, 2017, D Magazine wrote a glowing profile of Imam Suleiman titled, “Omar Suleiman is the Religious Leader Dallas Needs Right Now.”

But is he really?

While popular in the press, particularly while working to promote progressive causes, there is a lesser known side to the popular shaykh. For example, Suleiman has posted without any explanation an image of the Rabia, a four-finger hand gesture used to demonstrate support for the Muslim Brotherhood. And while it was covered by the online publication The Algemeiner, there was little media coverage on Suleiman when he repeatedly called for another Palestinian “intifada.”

For example, on July 24, 2014, Suleiman posted the following message on Twitter and Facebook:

How befitting that the third Intifada starts on the 27th night of Ramadan as worshippers are denied prayer in Masjid Al Aqsa… May Allah help us overcome this monster, protect the innocent of the world, and accept the murdered as martyrs. ameen

As Algemeiner author Petra Marquadt Bigman notes, Suleiman support of the Third Intifada is quite disturbing when one thinks that the Second Intifada in 2004 resulted not only in 138 suicide attacks on Israelis but also in more than 1,000 dead.  more here

4 Comments on Irving, Texas: Valley Ranch Islamic Center’s Lesser Known Side

  1. Before the next 6 years is over I hope and pray we crack down on the MB orgs, lose tax exempt status and put them outa business. What’s with that bill that got started in one of the houses?

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