...he was adamant that we should treat Hamas like any other legitimate government. The only difference between Hamas and Israel, he claimed, was that Israel has F-16s. Of course, if Hamas had F-16s, there would be no more Israel. But Mr. Pelletier was having none of that.

MAS Boston presents itself as a "moderate" organization, by the way. It's hard to believe their Public Affairs chief would be out defending Hamas if he didn't have the backing of the MAS Boston leadership. It seems to me almost newsworthy that the spokesperson for a "moderate" Islamic group--in the city where the 9/11 attacks originated--is a supporter of Hamas...

Dear Sir/Madam:

Please be advised that it is our organizational policy, when employees make statements that are erroneous or do not reflect our organizational views, to issue an official statement of clarification.

Mr. Hamza Pelletier's statement on the Michael Graham Show on Monday, February 6, 2006 stating that, "Hamas is not a terrorist organization" does not reflect the position of the Muslim American Society or its Freedom Foundation. Hamas has been designated by the United States government and European Union as a terrorist organization. We at the Muslim American Society recognize this designation as factual.

Mr. Pelletier has not been authorized to state on behalf of the Muslim American Society that Hamas is not a designated terrorist organization. Any statement made by Mr. Pelletier to the contrary should not be construed by your station or others as reflecting the views of the official position of the Muslim American Society and its Freedom Foundation.

Mr. Pelletier has been advised of the aforementioned and has acknowledged in writing that his statements on your station were his own and not the official position of the Muslim American Society. Should you or your staff need further clarification concerning this matter please feel free to contact me at (202) xxx-xxxx.

Sincerely,

Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of MAS Freedom Foundation
C.C. Dr. Esam Omeish, President of Muslim American Society
Ashraf Nubani Esq.

...“coordinated and led a rally where approximately 2,000 people congregated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.” [Steven] Emerson reports that “at one point during the rally, Mahdi Bray played the tambourine as one of the speakers sang, while the crowd repeated: ‘Al-Aqsa [Mosque] is calling us, let’s all go into jihad, and throw stones at the face of the Jews [sic].'"