Congressman Mike Pompeo of Kansas effectively stopped an unabashed Hamas supporter, Sheikh Monzer Taleb, from speaking at a fundraiser for the Islamic Society of Wichita, Good Friday (March 25, 2016) thanks in large part to concerned citizens.

Writing in the Wichita Eagle, former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Pete Hoekstra provides some shocking details about Monzer Taleb’s background:

Taleb can be seen repeatedly singing the words “I am from Hamas” on video submitted into evidence during the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) trial. The HLF trial – in which Taleb was cited as an unindicted co-conspirator – remains the largest terrorism financing prosecution in U.S. history, resulting in 108 convictions. Senior officials from the charity were sentenced to long prison terms for illegally routing more than $12 million to Hamas.

Taleb continues raising money for Hamas by speaking at events sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which was also an unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF trial.

Taleb ran the multimedia department at InfoCom, a Texas computer company founded by the Elashi brothers, the very same men who helped run the HLF. The Elashis were convicted of laundering money for Hamas chief Musa abu Marzook and violating sanctions against Libya and Syria.

Taleb lectured at the radical Islamist Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) convention in 2009 where he helped raise $83,000. He was also a fundraiser for ICNA affiliate Helping Hand.

Taleb delivers sermons for the Islamic Association of North Texas, which operates the Dallas Central Mosque. The mosque hosts a roster of icons in the radical Islamist collective.

The Islamic Society of Wichita ended up cancelling the event but only after mounting pressure from political leaders and the community, including the supposed threat of a group of armed protestors. Ironically, the mosque accused Pompeo and the Wichita community of Islamophobia and launched a media campaign against Pompeo with the help of who else but CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations).

In an attempt to restore their image, the mosque had faith leaders from the area come and give a speech in solidarity with the mosque. You can view the speech from the Islamic Society of Wichita’s website here released 04/03/2016.

In summary, the speech tried to accomplish several goals:

First, downplay Talib’s radical past and turn him into a motivational speaker.

Second, make Talib into a man that’s just misunderstood by the outside world, while pointing out the man’s charity work and community service.

Third, make Hamas out to be a primarily charitable organization that has gotten a little off track since its birth. Of course, do condemn the violent actions that Hamas performs (suicide bombings), but give some room so sympathizers can justify them as an oppressed nationalist movement.

Fourth, transfer the blame from the mosque of Wichita and Hamas sympathizer to the critics in the community, using colorful accusations like scaremongering and hate to target a persecuted Islamic minority community.

Fifth, gloss over the whole terrorism matter and use a tactic from CAIR’s playbook calling for interfaith dialogue and communication.

This response from the Wichita mosque shows the true colors of their disingenuousness in preventing radicalization by implicitly supporting hate speech and playing the victim instead of the taking full responsibility for their actions.

As Congressman Pompeo and Dr. Zuhdi Jasser have alluded to, we need a vigilant citizenry that stands up to jihad and its poisonous fruit.