U.S.: Pennsylvania – Page 2

Montgomery County couple sentenced to prison for supporting their relatives’ efforts to join ISIS Shahidul Gaffar and Nabila Khan, of Collegeville, sent $5,600 to relatives in Bangladesh to fund their travel to Syria. But the couple maintained Thursday they did it out of love for family not ISIS.

September 9, 2021 Jeremy Roebuck

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A husband and wife from Montgomery County each were ordered Thursday to spend more than a year in federal prison for sending money overseas to help two relatives travel to Syria and join ISIS. Shahidul Gaffar, 40, and Nabila Khan, […]

Biden to mark 20th anniversary of 9/11 at 3 memorial sites

September 4, 2021 Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville

(AP) President Joe Biden will visit all three 9/11 memorial sites to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and pay his respects to the nearly 3,000 people killed that day. Biden will visit ground zero in New York City, […]

Flight 93 families hope heroism award helps keep story alive

May 10, 2021 Marc Levy

(AP) Serene, stark and seemingly in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania, the National Park Service memorial to the people who died on United Airlines Flight 93 is hard to find on a map — as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack […]

Ex-Drexel student whose Facebook posts wished ‘death to all Americans’ will be deported for ties to Yemeni rebels Gaafar al-Wazer was suspended from an English-language program at Drexel after staff became concerned about Facebook posts showing him carrying an AK-47 and wishing 'death to all Americans.'

April 8, 2021 Jeremy Roebuck

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A former Drexel University student jailed since 2019 for lying about his contact with anti-American insurgents in Yemen will be released from custody and immediately deported under a deal approved Thursday by a federal judge in Philadelphia. FBI agents arrested […]

Former Pitt student accused of threatening FBI agents will remain in custody, judge rules

January 8, 2021 Paula Reed Ward

(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) A former University of Pittsburgh student who has a “fascination with terrorism” will remain incarcerated pending trial on charges that he threatened an FBI agent. U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Lanzillo ruled that Khaled Miah, 27, poses a potential threat to […]

Feds: Former Pitt student threatened FBI agents, celebrated attacks on U.S.

January 7, 2021 Paula Reed Ward

(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Pittsburgh on Wednesday arrested a former University of Pittsburgh student — described as “mentally unstable and attracted to a violent Islamic ideology” — for allegedly threatening agents who were already investigating him. Khaled […]

Pa. husband and wife plead guilty to helping relatives who joined ISIS

November 18, 2020 Robert Moran

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A Pennsylvania husband and wife originally from Bangladesh pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Philadelphia to providing support to family members who joined ISIS, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Shahidul Gaffar, 40, a naturalized U.S. citizen, and his wife, […]

Muslim-American advocates protest upcoming Army War College speaker

February 21, 2020 Kyle Rempfer

(Army Times) The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is protesting a speaker coming to the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, who has written that terrorism and extremism are intrinsic to Islam. Raymond Ibrahim — whose books include “Crucified […]

Human relations commission investigates mosque video

November 15, 2019 Jesse Bernstein

(Jewish Exponent) The Philadelphia Jewish community was roiled in May when a video surfaced of children at a local mosque and community center singing an anti-Semitic song in Arabic at an Umma Day celebration. Now, the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations has […]

Ex-Drexel student charged with hiding past training with anti-American rebels in Yemen

November 12, 2019 Jeremy Roebuck

(Philadelphia Inquirer) Federal terrorism investigators have charged a former Drexel University student with hiding his ties to the anti-American insurgency group that has embroiled Yemen in a protracted and devastating civil war. Prosecutors said Gaafar Mohammed Ebrahim al-Wazer — a 24-year-old Yemeni […]

Police seeking Wynnewood purse thief Police said the person seen here is wanted in connection with purse thefts in Wynnewood and in Haverford Township.

October 15, 2019 Max Bennett

(Patch) Lower Merion Police are asking for help identifying a theft suspect who stole a purse while in a Wynnewood store. According to police, the person above stole a purse while in the Wynnewood Giant at about 3:58 p.m. on Oct. 9. […]

Grand jury indicts Syrian refugee for alleged terror plot at North Side church

July 18, 2019 Megan Guza

(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) A federal grand jury indicted a 21-year-old Syrian refugee on charges he concocted plans to blow up a Pittsburgh church in the name of the terrorist organization ISIS, according to court records unsealed Thursday. Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, who lived with […]

Omar questions the patriotism of American-born citizens

July 13, 2019 Cameron Cawthorne

(Free Beacon) Freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) on Saturday questioned the patriotism of American-born citizens, claiming she “probably love[s] this country more than anyone who is naturally born” in the United States. Omar participated in a foreign policy panel at the […]

Gov. Tom Wolf signs Murt bill outlawing ‘ghastly practice’ Pennsylvania is ranked 11th in the nation for those at risk of female genital mutilation, with 6,000 girls under the age of 18 at risk for the procedure, according to the AHA Foundation.

July 5, 2019 Riley Rogerson

(Bucks County Courier Times) State Rep. Tom Murt, R-152, of Upper Moreland, first encountered female genital mutilation while he was stationed in Iraq in 2003, and saw a father carrying his young daughter who was covered in blankets and suffering extreme blood […]

Pennsylvania officials join bigoted CAIR for ‘Islamophobia’ events

June 27, 2019 Steven Emerson

(IPT) Last week, the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) identified charitable organizations that recently showcased radical Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) activists with a history of bigoted and anti-Semitic views. Philanthropic organizations and foundations should be held accountable for failing to do […]

PA Senate passes bill to make female genital mutilation a felony in Pennsylvania

June 20, 2019 Ilona Schumicky

(CNS) On Wednesday, June 19, the Pennsylvania Senate passed House Bill 315, which would classify female genital mutilation as a first-degree felony in the Keystone State. The Pennsylvania House passed the legislation on April 9, and the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Thomas P. […]

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto: ‘We welcome all refugees and immigrants’ despite alleged refugee terror plot

June 19, 2019 Unlisted Author

(KDKA) Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto reaffirmed his support for the refugee and immigrant community just hours after a Syrian refugee was charged with plotting an ISIS-inspired terror bombing at a local church. “Pittsburgh has historically been a home for refugees and immigrants […]

FBI: Syrian Islamic State sympathizer in Pittsburgh planned to bomb North Side church

June 19, 2019 Torsten Ove

(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) A young Syrian refugee living in Pittsburgh plotted to blow up a North Side church next month in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham, according to the FBI. Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, who came to the U.S. […]

Army War College postpones appearance of controversial author with anti-Islam history

June 11, 2019 Ivey DeJesus

(PennLive) The U.S. Army War College has postponed the appearance of an author widely regarded as being Islamophobic. The decision comes in the wake of strong opposition from the Muslim community to the previously scheduled appearance of author Raymond Ibrahim. The Army […]

Sarsour’s group calls brown Copt a ‘white nationalist’

June 10, 2019 John Rossomando

(IPT) Being a “white nationalist” doesn’t mean having European ancestry in Linda Sarsour’s world. Her group, MPower Change, joined the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Philadelphia chapter in charging that Raymond Ibrahim, an American Copt of Egyptian ancestry, whose people have been […]

Army War College under fire over historian’s upcoming lecture on ‘clash of civilizations’ between Islam and the West

June 6, 2019 Jared Keller

(Task & Purpose) The Philadelphia chapter of a leading Muslim civil rights group is urging the U.S. Army War College to reconsider an upcoming lecture by an Islamic history scholar over his “simplistic, inaccurate and often prejudicial view of the long history […]

Is a CAIR staffer legitimizing modern blood libels? The organization was officially designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates in 2014.

May 19, 2019 Unlisted Author

(Jerusalem Post) A Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) organizer, Zohra Lasania, the program director of CAIR-Pittsburgh, reportedly gave legitimacy to a Zionists-ISIS conspiracy, according to the Middle East Forum, a conservative think-tank. Lasania reportedly posted on Facebook an article first published by […]

Arab headdress in Penn-Trafford school shooter training video criticized

May 15, 2019 Megan Tomasic

(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Several Penn-Trafford School District alumni are up in arms over a perceived racist video of an active shooter drill at the high school. The video, posted on Twitter, shows a man — who some believe was serving as the active […]

North Philadelphia mosque explains how children wound up reciting violent poem in video

May 15, 2019 Kristin E. Holmes

(Philadelphia Inquirer) The children who recited a violent poem in Arabic and performed choreography to a song referencing the “blood of martyrs” last month at a North Philadelphia mosque did not understand the words’ meaning, and the volunteer aide who made those […]

MAS lied about school in jihad video being a ‘separate entity’

May 8, 2019 Steven Emerson

(IPT) The Muslim American Society (MAS) Philadelphia chapter had a clear message after a shocking video showed up on its Facebook page last month showing school children lip-syncing to a pro-jihad song that called for beheading and torturing Israelis. We have nothing […]

Philadelphia commission probing ‘disturbing’ video

May 6, 2019 Michael Rubinkam and Jennifer McDermott

(AP) A Philadelphia city commission said Monday it’s investigating an event last month at which Muslim children were captured on video speaking in Arabic about beheadings and the liberation of Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations launched […]

Muslim American Society’s history belies its concern over kids’ jihad video

May 6, 2019 Steven Emerson

(IPT) The Muslim American Society (MAS) claims it is disturbed by a video, exposed last week by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, showing school children lip-syncing a pro-jihad song calling for Israel’s elimination and the torture of its people. The videos showed […]

Muslim American Society investigating ‘oversight’ following controversial video at Philly Islamic center

May 4, 2019 Kristin E. Holmes

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A national Muslim group says it will conduct an investigation into an event at a Philadelphia Islamic center last month during which a group of youngsters sang songs it said were not “properly vetted,” calling that “an unintended mistake and […]

Shocking video of children in Philadelphia Muslim Society: ‘We will chop off their heads’ for Allah

May 3, 2019 Caleb Parke

(Fox) Disturbing footage of Muslim kids saying they would sacrifice themselves and kill for the “army of Allah” surfaced from an Islamic center in Philadelphia. The Muslim American Society (MAS) Islamic Center in Philadelphia posted the video to its Facebook page celebrating […]

From Philasteen to Philadelphia: Muslim youth indoctrination on full display in America

April 30, 2019 Steven Emerson

(IPT) Young Muslim boys, dressed in traditional Palestinian garb, passionately lip-sync: The blood of the martyrs is calling us. Paradise, men desire it. Revolutionaries, Revolutionaries … Sword and Text, oh free men. During the song, several children hold up a copy of […]

Two charged with Springfield, Lower Moreland, Chestnut Hill bank robberies

April 16, 2019 Linda Finarelli

(Springfield Sun) Two Philadelphia men were arrested April 13 in connection with holdups at four banks over 10 days carried out by an armed robber disguised in a burqa, according to Springfield police. Daniel Weary, 27, and Victor Manson, 21, were arrested […]

Bernie Sanders backs Ilhan Omar again, but says she could do ‘a better job’ addressing Jewish community

April 15, 2019 Gregory Krieg and Annie Grayer

(CNN) Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday night defended Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress, against “outrageous, racist” attacks, while insisting again that criticism of “a right-wing government in Israel” is not tantamount to anti-Semitism. Speaking […]

Philadelphia man charged with robbery of Haddonfield bank

April 13, 2019 Jim Walsh

(Cherry Hill Courier-Post) A Philadelphia man is accused of robbing a bank here. Daniel Weary, 27, allegedly threatened a teller with a gun during the April 6 holdup of a Republic Bank office on Kings Highway in Haddonfield, authorities say. Weary was […]

Springfield PNC bank robbed

April 9, 2019 Linda Finarelli

(Springfield Sun) A person dressed in all black and a burqa robbed the PNC bank, 1316 Bethlehem Pike, Monday, according to Springfield police. The robber, believed to be a male but possibly a female, entered the bank at 5 p.m. April 8, […]

Muslim lawmaker calls for unity one day after Pa. House member delivers ‘Islamophobic’ prayer

March 26, 2019 Sarah Anne Hughes

(PA Capital-Star) A Muslim lawmaker in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly called for unity one day after a fellow House member delivered a prayer decried as Islamophobic. Rep. Jason Dawkins, D-Philadelphia, said Tuesday he’d been hesitant to offer the House’s “morning inspiration” in the […]

‘There should definitely be censure’: Pa. freshman rep. calls for action after ‘Islamophobia’ in House prayer

March 26, 2019 John L. Micek, Stephen Caruso and Elizabeth Hardison

(PA Capital-Star) The first Muslim woman to serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly called for one of her colleagues to be censured Tuesday for delivering an inflammatory invocation that she viewed as an instance of blatant “Islamophobia.” “There should definitely be censure […]

Pa. Legislature’s first Muslim woman calls prayer delivered by fellow House member blatant ‘Islamophobia’

March 25, 2019 Stephen Caruso and Elizabeth Hardison

(PA Capital-Star) A first-year member of the Pennsylvania House on Monday offered a prayer laden with political and Christian imagery shortly before the swearing in of the chamber’s first Muslim woman. Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-Clinton, said “Jesus” 13 times, “God” six times, […]

Imam denies that statements made at North Philly mosque were anti-Semitic

March 11, 2019 Kristin E. Holmes

(Philadelphia Inquirer) A visiting imam accused of making anti-Semitic statements at a North Philadelphia mosque has said the slurs attributed to him are “completely false,” prompting the Anti-Defamation League on Monday to label him “shamefully unrepentant” and his denial “brazen.” Imam Abdelmohsen […]

North Philadelphia mosque officials apologize for anti-Semitic statements delivered in sermons by guest imam

March 9, 2019 Kristin E. Holmes

(Philadelphia Inquirer) Officials at a North Philadelphia mosque known for its commitment to interreligious dialogue have apologized for anti-Semitic statements made by a guest imam during several sermons delivered there over the last few months. The comments in Arabic by Imam Abdelmohsen […]

Pennsylvania does not criminalize female genital mutilation Rep. Thomas Murt has a bill in the pipeline to criminalize anyone who participates in the genital mutilation of a minor

November 23, 2018 Rick Lee

(York Daily Record) A recent federal court decision that held the federal ban against female genital mutilation is unconstitutional may put more pressure on Rep. Thomas P. Murt to get his bill outlawing the practice in Pennsylvania pushed through the general assembly. Pennsylvania is […]