FDNY muslim cleric hate

NEW YORK The new Muslim chaplain of the New York city fire department has resigned unexpectedly, because of some controversial views on Nine-Eleven.

The chaplain (Imam Intikab Habib) was supposed to be officially sworn in today. Instead, he quit.

Today's Newsday quoted him as saying he's skeptical of the official version of the Nine-Eleven attacks. He says a building that would take two or three weeks to demolish came down in a couple of hours, and he wonders whether there was a conspiracy beyond the 19 hijackers.

New York's fire commissioner told reporters it's became clear to the cleric that he would have difficulty functioning as a fire department chaplain.

A spokesman for the Islamic Society of Fire Department Personnel says, "We had no idea those were his views." He says, "It's sad."

Muslim Chaplain's Remarks Fan Fire Storm of Blame

What Imam Intikab Habib has said is not new, but in four days time his name has made headlines around the world, unlike those who spoke first. An imam, by the way, generally defines the leader of a congregation, and is considered by many Muslims to mean a leader in the Islamic community.

The imam said he doesn't believe hijackers were to blame for terrorist attacks on New York City in 2001. The remark cost him his job, put his family's safety in jeopardy, and sent the largest fire department in the United States running for political cover.

Some New York City newspapers resorted to naming the imam in headlines as "Crackpot," and "Dumb," and "Terrorist Fink."

Ask attorney Stanley Hilton who was to blame for terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 and Hilton backed-up his claim with a $7 billion racketeering lawsuit against (who he alleged to be) the perpetrator: President George W Bush.
Hilton's California office was ransacked more than once and it was set on fire, and he too was threatened with bodily injury. But Hilton rarely saw a headline in the states, his story was bigger news in Europe.

Imam Habib was to be sworn in as the second New York City fire department Muslim chaplain on 30 September 2005. The ceremony never took place.

Hilton's case was thrown out of federal court due to the Doctrine of Sovereign Immunity, meaning that a sitting president could not be accountable to a civil lawsuit. Hilton's appeal was denied as well.

Court documents report Hilton holds evidence of President Bush signing orders for the 9-11 attack, and Hilton claimed (among other points) that some hijackers were on the FBI's (Federal Bureau of Investigation) payroll, and that remote-controls were used on 9-11 to direct airplanes into the World Trade Center.

In what Imam Habib says was only to be a conversational interview with a reporter of Newsday (on Long Island, NY,) erupted a firestorm of blame, death threats, and condemnation from New York politicians.

Newsday writer Carol Eisenberg asked the imam about 9-11 for what was suppose to be a news article on Imam Habib's upcoming ceremony. She asked if whether or not Imam Habib faced some political challenges within the ranks of the fire department because of 9-11 and the deaths of some 343 firefighters.

Imam Habib, who is 30 years old, said that he questioned whether or not the 19 hijackers (said to be Muslim) were actually responsible for the attack. He doubted the official story from the United States government was fully baked, but he added that he knew nothing further and was only stating his opinion.

New York Fire Department commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta confirmed that due to the remarks Imam Habib resigned prior to being sworn in and said that "It became clear to him that he would have difficulty functioning as an FDNY chaplain."

Scoppetta described Imam Habib as a chaplain educated in Islamic Law who studied in Saudi Arabia and is a preacher at a Queens, NY, Mosque, and said the imam had passed extensive background checks.

New York City's mayor Michael Bloomberg's office said they were "very pleased" to hear Imam Habib resigned, according to spokesman Ed Skyler.

Imam Habib joined the fire department as chaplain on 15 August with a salary of $18,000; or approximately one-third of the required/average annual living wage in Manhattan.

The would-be fire department chaplain sent a letter of resignation to Bloomberg, and the fire department brass on 30 September.

He wrote, "I was asked several times by a news reporter about the coincidence of my Islamic education being from Saudi Arabia and the 19 hijackers of September 11th also being from Saudi, whether that would place a barrier between myself and the fire fighters?"

"I personally do not really know who committed the 9/11 attacks based on the conflicting information that I heard from the media," he said.

He said it was the first time he'd been interviewed by the media and that he innocently mentioned conflicting information about the attacks from other media reports.

"...I didn't know that all of my innocent and friendly chat with this reporter would be placed in the media to cause such an outrage with my New Yorker's brothers and sisters," Imam Habib wrote.

It was with regret he resigned on the day of the planned ceremony to swear him into the department, he wrote, and said that his comments were not to be taken in a way to condone the 9-11 attacks.

"I was given a choice of whether to resign or not," Imam Habib told NY1 in Manhattan, but he said it was for the best.

Stephen Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, called the imam's actions a mockery of the department and hiring process, and Cassidy demanded an apology from Imam Habib to the families who lost loved ones on 9-11.