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AIG DEFIES U.S. TAXPAYERS BY PROMOTING SHARIA IN AMERICA

by Jeffrey Imm

For the third month in a row, AIG^* is in the news regarding its promotion of Sharia-compliant finance (SCF) products,[1] which promote the Islamic supremacist,[2] segregationist ideology of Sharia.[3] For a company struggling with its financial survival, it remains astounding that AIG would want to incite its American taxpayer owners by promoting products that are based on an Islamic supremacist political ideology. In October 2008,[4] I wrote how the U.S. government gave[5] an $85 billion loan to AIG, without demanding divestment of its business ventures reselling Sharia mutual trusts and its AIG Takaful division selling Sharia-based insurance. In November 2008,[6] I wrote about how the U.S. government purchased[7] $40 billion in AIG stock, making you as a taxpayer, an owner of a company promoting Sharia through such businesses.

For two months, I have warned that AIG's Takaful division[8] was planning to expand to offer such AIG-specific Sharia products here in the United States. Now AIG has announced[9] that it has Sharia-based insurance products for the United States, and AIG is promoting them.

On December 1, 2008, AIG announced[10] that it was "introducing a Takaful Homeowners Policy, the first installment in Lexington Takaful Solutions, a series of Shari'ah-compliant (Takaful) product offerings in the U.S. The newly announced Takaful products are compliant with key Islamic finance tenets and based on the concept of mutual insurance." Note that AIG indicates[11] that such Sharia insurance products are the "first installment" in a series of Sharia products. In the AIG press release,[12] AIG Takaful's Abdallah Kubursi expresses his pride in AIG's ability to promote Sharia within the United States, stating[13] "This is truly a global effort on the part of AIG."

This is our company, using our taxpayer dollars, to promote Islamic supremacist[14] Sharia-based products in our country. As we are $40 billion owners in AIG, this is our problem as Americans. What is our government and AIG going to do about this?

Sharia is a legal codification of the political ideology of Islamic supremacism.[15] This Sharia legal codification is intended to enforce discriminatory and segregationist practices against women and non-Muslims and to suppress the liberties of those living in Islamic theocracies. As a legal codification of a supremacist ideology, Sharia is incompatible[16] with democratic values and the inalienable human right that "all men are created equal." In 2001,[17] nearly two months before the 9/11 attacks, the European Court of Human Rights determined that Sharia law was incompatible with democracy and human rights. The President of the European Court of Human Rights stated[18] that "the Court found that sharia was incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy as set forth in the Convention... Principles such as pluralism in the political sphere or the constant evolution of public freedoms have no place in it. According to the Court, it was difficult to declare one's respect for democracy and human rights while at the same time supporting a regime based on sharia...". Even British courts have ruled that Sharia is "discriminatory."[19]

In a nation such as the United States, based on the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, why would American taxpayers seek to fund a business selling products that promote a discriminatory, segregationist, and supremacist ideology that[20] is "incompatible with democracy and human rights"?

Sharia is not merely "cultural beliefs," "religious beliefs," or "social preference." In the AIG press release,[21] AIG's Abdallah Kubursi would have Americans believe that the goal of promoting such Sharia products is to expand "social preference." But America has rejected those who would label supremacist values as "social preference," just as they rejected white supremacists who once called for racial segregation and discrimination. America's society, businesses, government, and law rejects supremacist ideologies. Just ask President-Elect Barack Obama.

This is the same Sharia ideology that has been used by the Islamic supremacist Taliban to murder[22] those who they believe have committed moral crimes, the same Sharia ideology that was used to murder[23] a 13 year old girl last month who was raped in Somalia, and the same Sharia ideology supported by the Taliban,[24] Al Qaeda,[25] and Islamic supremacists[26] around the world. It is the same Sharia ideology whose zakat charities have been used to fund jihadist terrorist organizations. On September 18, 2008, Congressman Tom Tancredo's office introduced "Jihad Prevention Act" (H.R. 6975).[27] According to the press release[28] from his office on this bill, "the legislation would make the advocacy of Sharia law by radical Muslims already in the United States a deportable offense."

But now American taxpayer dollars are being used to promote products based on Sharia?

In fairness to AIG, there are many who do not understand the political Islamic supremacist nature of Sharia.

Stop Sharia Now (FAQ item 17) provides a quote[29] regarding an "Islamic Finance conference" in New York City where an attendee asked the meaning of Sharia. One of AIG's Sharia advisors, Sheik Nizam Yaquby, ambiguously responded by stating[30] that "Shariah is the path on which we walk, the water which we drink." Those of us who are aware that Sharia is a legal codification for all aspects of Islamic supremacist life grasp what Yaquby was trying to communicate; certainly none of the supremacist aspects of Sharia was communicated by Yaquby. It is then reported[31] that "Not one person in the room followed up with a question. The group went back to looking at flowcharts and graphs." So it should be little surprise that few people involved with Sharia finance products actually understand the ramifications of promoting Islamic supremacist Sharia.

To give AIG an opportunity to respond to this, I called the individual listed on AIG's press release[32] for its Sharia Takaful Homeowners Policy, Jim Crain,[33] and talked to him about the AIG product. My impression is that AIG's Jim Crain is a businessman, and I got the distinct feeling that he was uncomfortable with being named as the AIG point of contact on a product with political connotations. I told AIG's Jim Crain about the online petition[34] signed by over 100 individuals calling for the Federal Reserve Board and the Department of Treasury to call for AIG to divest itself of its Sharia businesses. I also told AIG's Jim Crain about how the Islamic supremacist Taliban and other groups are seeking to promote Sharia.

AIG's Jim Crain told me that he had no comment on AIG's Sharia product linkage to the Islamic supremacist Sharia ideology, but stated that with "this business venture" it was not AIG's intent "to enter into the political arena at all." Jim Crain stated that he did understand that Sharia is viewed as a political ideology, and commented "that is becoming more apparent as the days go on." (I would conclude from this that I was not the first person who has called Jim Crain about this.) He stated that "it is entirely possible" that the public is going to think that AIG is taking a political position that is pro-Sharia. Jim Crain concluded our discussion by stating "I am going to pass your concerns on to our senior management and legal."

Now it is your turn. American taxpayers own $40 billion worth of AIG stock. This is your company and your responsibility to contact AIG about both its Sharia finance businesses[35] and its efforts now to promote Sharia-based insurance in the United States.[36]

Let AIG's Jim Crain[37] know that the calls he has gotten thus far complaining about AIG's Sharia based business is the tip of the iceberg. Jim Crain's phone number[38] and email address[39] are provided on the AIG press release to discuss AIG's Sharia-based Takaful Homeowners Policy. Let him know precisely what you think of it as a shareholder in AIG, and ask Jim Crain to make certain that his senior management also is aware of your concerns as well.

Sign our online petition[40] demanding that the Federal Reserve, Securities Exchange Commission, and Department of Treasury carry out their fiduciary responsibilities under H.R. 1424[41] to act as the Financial Stability Oversight Board in America's interest - and demand that AIG divest itself now of its Sharia businesses. This is an opportunity to make American commitment to human rights a part of how companies do business in America. It is our responsibility to let AIG know our concerns.

Let's make our voices heard on this outrage, just as we would if AIG was offering a white supremacist financial products, black supremacist financial products, or any other products or services linked to a supremacist ideology. We need to make our voices heard because supremacism is fundamentally against the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty, as defined in America's Declaration of Independence... and declaration of our identity as well. By the very definition of America, we are responsible for equality and liberty, and we are responsible for confronting Islamic supremacism.[42]

* AIG: American International Group, Inc. A major American insurance corporation based in New York City.

[1] http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/modules/newsmanager/ center publication pdfs/shairias black box (d yerushalmi).pdf

[2] http://unitedagainstislamicsupremacism.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/defy-islamic-supremacism/

[9] http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/76/76115/releases/Takaful_dec.1.2008.pdf

[10] http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=76115&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1231031&highlight

[11] http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=76115&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1231031&highlight

[12] http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/76/76115/releases/Takaful_dec.1.2008.pdf

[13] http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=76115&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1231031&highlight

[14] http://unitedagainstislamicsupremacism.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/chris-carter-interviews-jeffrey-imm/

[18] http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/29AC6DBD-C3F8-411C-9B97-B42BE466EE7A/0/ 2004__Wildhaber_Cancado_Trindade_BIL__opening_legal_year.pdf

[19] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/lawreports/joshuarozenberg/3239938/ Law-lords-say-sharia-is-arbitrary-and-discriminatory.html

[20] http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/29AC6DBD-C3F8-411C-9B97-B42BE466EE7A/0/ 2004__Wildhaber_Cancado_Trindade_BIL__opening_legal_year.pdf

[21] http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/76/76115/releases/Takaful_dec.1.2008.pdf

[22] http://ia.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/10pak-taliban-kill-married-woman-for-adultery.htm

[26] http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2007/08/2008525123649174295.html

[29] http://www.stopshariahnow.org/ssn/component/jsupport/ index.php?option=com_jsupport&task=viewFaq&cid[]=10

[30] http://www.stopshariahnow.org/ssn/component/jsupport/ index.php?option=com_jsupport&task=viewFaq&cid[]=10

[31] http://www.stopshariahnow.org/ssn/component/jsupport/ index.php?option=com_jsupport&task=viewFaq&cid[]=10

[32] http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/76/76115/releases/Takaful_dec.1.2008.pdf

AIG Home Page with "Latest News" on Takaful Product
http://www.aig.com/Home-Page_20_17084.html

AIG Takaful U.S. Product Contact
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/aig_pr_contact.html
--"For more information on Takaful Homeowners Policy, contact Jim Crain at 617-345-4105 or jim.crain@aig.com"

December 1, 2008 - AIG Press Release: "Risk Specialists Companies Announces First Takaful Homeowners Product for U.S."
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=76115&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1231031&highlight=
-- PDF Version of Press Release with AIG Logo
http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/76/76115/releases/Takaful_dec.1.2008.pdf
--- Alternative link to PDF version of AIG Press Release
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/documents/Takaful_dec.1.2008.pdf

AIG Takaful - Enaya Personal Lines
http://www.aigmemsa.com/aig/takaful/products/pro_personal.jsp

Stop Shariah Now - FAQ - on Comments by AIG Scholar Sheik Nizam Yaquby - Item 17
http://www.stopshariahnow.org/ssn/component/jsupport/index.php?option=com_jsupport&task=viewFaq&cid[]=10
"At a recent Islamic Finance conference in New York City, an attendee asked, 'I understand Shariah Finance. No interest, no pork; but what does Shariah exactly mean?' The entire room of over 300 investment bankers, lawyers and the presenters of the conference went silent. Sheik Nizam Yaquby, was asked to respond. He answered this question with a simple 'Shariah is the path on which we walk, the water which we drink.' Not one person in the room followed up with a question. The group went back to looking at flowcharts and graphs. (A team of experts working to expose Shariah finance has been attending these conferences)."

End U.S. Ownership of Sharia Business Now Petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/stopaig/petition.html

AIG Takaful - A Member Company of AIG - About Us
http://www.aigmemsa.com/aig/takaful/aboutus_launch.jsp

Amana Mutual Funds Trust: Dealers & Brokers
http://www.amanafunds.com/dealer_list.html

November 10, 2008 - Press Release by the Federal Reserve on AIG
http://federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/other/20081110a.htm

November 10, 2008 - AP: U.S. to Pour $40B More Into AIG Bailout
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,449285,00.html

November 6, 2008 - US Treasury Training - "Islamic Finance 101"
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/documents/Islamic_Finance_101.pdf

November 6, 2008 - Washington DC: Coalition to Stop Shariah Press Conference
http://anti-jihad.org/blog/2008/11/coalition-conference/

October 22, 2008 - Daily Telegraph: Law lords say sharia is 'arbitrary and discriminatory'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/lawreports/joshuarozenberg/3239938/Law-lords-say-sharia-is-arbitrary-and-discriminatory.html

October 3, 2008 - America Must Not Bail Out Sharia Finance - by Jeffrey Imm
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/108.html

H.R. 1424 - Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/documents/HR1424.pdf

September 22, 2008 - Reuters: AIG unit gets Malaysian Islamic insurance license http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSKLR15089620080922

September 16, 2008 - Press Release by the Federal Reserve on AIG
http://federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/other/20080916a.htm

September 17, 2008 - U.S. News and World Report: AIG: The Biggest Bailout
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/the-ticker/2008/9/17/aig-the-biggest-bailout.html

July 2008 - AIG Enaya Scoops Best Takaful Company at the International Takaful Awards
http://www.aigmemsa.com/aig/takaful/pdf/AIG_Enaya_scoops_bestcompany.pdf

November 14, 2007 - Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal, and Islamist Financing - by Jeffrey Imm
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/070.html

October 1, 2006 - Reuters: American International starts Islamic insurance
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/10/01/american_international_starts_islamic_insurance/
-- "AIG could expand the offer to Muslims in Asia, followed by Europe and the United States, Charles Bouloux, AIG president for the Middle East, Mediterranean and South Asia told Reuters."

October 1, 2006 - Global Insurer AIG Launches New Takaful Venture, AIG Takaful
http://www.aigmemsa.com/aig/takaful/pressrelease/pressrelease_1oct06.jsp

David Yerushalmi: Shari'ah's Black Box: Civil Liability and Criminal: Exposure Surrounding Shari'ah-Compliant Finance
http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/modules/newsmanager/center%20publication%20pdfs/shairias%20black%20box%20(d%20yerushalmi).pdf

June 1, 2005 - What Drives Saudi Arabia to Persist in Terrorist Financing? Al-Jihad bi-al-Mal - Financial Jihad Against the Infidels -- Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi -- Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Number 531
http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp531.htm

"Islamic Finance or Financing Islamism?" - The Center for Security Policy, October 2007, No. 29, by Alex Alexiev
http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/modules/newsmanager/center%20publication%20pdfs/alexiev%20islamic%20finance.pdf

May 9, 2008 - Frontpagemag.com: A Secular Market Nightmare - by Alyssa A. Lappen
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=C64342C1-C28F-4BED-8658-B69E78684D38

November 14, 2007 - Frontpagemag.com: Shari'a Finance - by Alyssa A. Lappen
http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=1E90E478-FA24-45F9-A43D-F47D8C4B9CE2

December 18, 2007 - Shari'a Finance: Cordless Bungee Jumping
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/sharia_finance_cordless_bungee/

October 7, 2007 - National Review: Tithing for Terrorists - by Rachel Ehrenfeld & Alyssa A. Lappen
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MWEwMDg1ZThjM2FmYzU1MTU5Y2Q3MTBhY2I2YjM5NTc=

BBC: Sharia-compliant mortgages
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/living/mortgages.shtml

August 2001 - Freddie Mac, Standard Federal Bank Announce New Islamic Home Financing Initiative for Michigan Families
http://www.brokeruniverse.com/grapevine/thread/?thread=10188
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1457723/posts?page=49

July 31, 2001 - European Court of Human Rights - press release - Judgment in the case of Refah Partisi (The Welfare Party) Erbakan, Kazan, and Tekdal v. Turkey
http://www.echr.coe.int/Eng/Press/2001/July/RefahPartisi2001jude.htm

January 22, 2004 - European Court of Human Rights -- Speeches by Mr. Luzius Wildhaber (President of the European Court of Human Rights) and Antonio Augusto Cancado Trindade (President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights)
http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/29AC6DBD-C3F8-411C-9B97-B42BE466EE7A/0/2004__Wildhaber_Cancado_Trindade_BIL__opening_legal_year.pdf

July 2, 2008 - Crossroads in History: The Struggle against Jihad and Supremacist Ideologies - by Jeffrey Imm http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/090.html
-- The Islamic Supremacist Declaration of War on Equality and Freedom
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/090.html#A
-- "All Men Are Created Equal" Versus Sharia
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/090.html#B

Defy Islamic Supremacism - Questions with Jeffrey Imm
http://unitedagainstislamicsupremacism.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/defy-islamic-supremacism/

Chris Carter Interviews Jeffrey Imm on Islamic Supremacism
http://unitedagainstislamicsupremacism.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/chris-carter-interviews-jeffrey-imm/

Jeffrey Imm articles on Sharia Finance:
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/immscf.html

December 4, 2008 - AIG Defies U.S. Taxpayers by Promoting Sharia in America
http://anti-jihad.org/blog/2008/12/aig-defies-us-taxpayers/
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/118.html
-- Source Documents
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/sources_aig_dec.html

November 10, 2008 - America Must Not Own a Sharia-Based Financial Business
http://anti-jihad.org/blog/2008/11/stopsharianow
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/116.html
-- Source Documents
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/sources_sharia_biz.html

October 3, 2008 - America Must Not Bail Out Sharia Finance
http://anti-jihad.org/blog/2008/10/sharia-bailout/
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/108.html
-- Source Documents
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/sources_sharia_bailout.htm

November 14, 2007 - Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal, and Islamist Financing

http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/070.html
-- Source Documents
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/blog/imm-articles/070.html#Sources

A lawsuit has been filed against the Federal Reserve Board and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. Read about it here.

Will the $150 billion we will spend or lend AIG be used to destroy our system of law?

This is a quote from a letter that Two members of Congress, Sue Myrick and Frank Wolf, wrote to Mr Edward Liddy, CEO of AIG at 70 Pine St, NYC NY 10270:

"Since Americans are now de facto stockholders in your company[AIG is a bailout recipient], we feel it our duty to inform them that your press release ignores the fact that AIG is marketing products that support a radical political ideology, Shariah law."

Jeffrey Imm, formerly of the FBI, has his own counterterrorism research web site at UnitedStatesAction.com and is part of the Anti-Jihad League of America.

This article appeared on December 4, 2008 on the Anti Jihad website:
http://anti-jihad.org/blog/2008/12/aig-defies-us-taxpayers/