The Clarion Project has learned that a delegate for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention is a member of Muslims of the Americas, which is a rebranding of Jamaat ul-Fuqra, a cultish Islamist group that is led by an extremist cleric in Pakistan and has a history of terrorism and criminal activity. The individual is also running for the Alaska State House.

Jamaat ul-Fuqra

Jamaat ul-Fuqra currently goes by the name of Muslims of the Americas and denies Fuqra’s existence. It changed its name after being involved in a series of terrorist attacks and plots in the 1980s and early 1990s. The State Department included Fuqra in its annual terrorism reports until 2000, describing Fuqra as an “Islamic sect that seeks to purify Islam through violence.”

It is best known for its “Islamberg” headquarters in New York where guerilla training of women has occurred, as seen in this undated footage obtained by the Clarion Project from a law enforcement source. It claims to have 22 “Islamic villages” in 12 states. The Clarion Project identified one such "village" in Texas in 2014. We recently published the heartbreaking testimony of a woman who grew up in these villages in the 1980s.

A 2007 FBI report obtained by the Clarion Project states "the documented propensity for violence by this organization supports the belief the leadership of the MOA extols membership to pursue a policy of jihad or holy war against individuals or groups it considers enemies of Islam, which includes the U.S. Government."

It says "members of the MOA are encouraged to travel to Pakistan to receive religious and military/terrorist training from Sheikh Gilani."

Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani is the cult leader who runs Jamaat al-Fuqra and MOA.

The FBI report warns that MOA "possess(es) an infrastructure capable of planning and mounting terrorist campaigns overseas and within the U.S."

A dozen North American Muslim organizations have asked the State Department to designate Fuqra as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Fuqra Member Becomes Sanders Delegate and Runs for State House in Alaska

Fuqra’s newspaper, the Islamic Post, announced that one of its members, Gregory “Shuaib” Jones of Wasilla, Alaska ( the city that Sarah Palin was mayor of), had been chosen as a Democratic Party delegate to the Democratic National Convention. It also said that he was running for the Alaska House of Representatives District 8.

While this development was featured in their internal newspaper, it was never featured on their website or social media pages, probably because being linked to Fuqra isn’t exactly something that helps one win an election. Clarion Project obtained the newspaper from a source.

The Facebook page for Jones’ campaign identifies him as a supporter of Bernie Sanders and press outlets list him as a pledged delegate for Sanders. A Facebook post from July 24 announces his arrival at the convention.

What do we know about Gregory “Shuaib” Jones?

The Fuqra newspaper article says he was born in Washington, D.C., and spent most of his life in South Carolina. In 2009, he moved to Alaska with his wife, Maleika, and other family members. He also says he lived in North Carolina.

Jones’campaign Facebook page says he worked recently as a Security and Investigations Professional with ADT Fire & Security. The Fuqra newspaper claims he and his wife recently completed the Anchorage Citizens Police Academy and belong to the Anchorage Police and Fire Chaplains Association.

A 2009 article from Fuqra’s newspaper announces the arrival of Jones and his wife in Alaska “to establish an independent, self-sufficient, purely Islamic village.” It says this was “initiated” by their Pakistan-based leader, Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani.

Interfaith work was a stated objective of their move. A Facebook photo shows Jones and his wife manning a table for the United Muslim Christian Forum, the interfaith front for Fuqra that supports prosecuting “hate speech” against Islam.

I attended one of the Forum’s events in New York and a leader told me they formed it because “we are trying not to get into the bashing business anymore.” He clarified that this is not a denial or retraction anything they have said, such as accusing a Jewish conspiracy of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks (found on the Forum’s website) and Sheikh Gilani’s preaching that Jews are “examples of human Satans.”

Fuqra’s Attempts to Become a Mainstream “Moderate”

Jones isn’t the only Fuqra/MOA member with political aspirations. Last month, the Clarion Project broke the story that Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, who simultaneously holds position in Fuqra and the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), had declared her intention to run for governor.

Fuqra responded to the article by condemning the author as a "discredited Islamophobe" who “attacks [a] Muslim woman attorney.”

Fuqra’s growing ties to CAIR is part of its effort to become considered a mainstream “moderate” Muslim organization. Of course, this only proves the Islamist leanings of both, as CAIR is identified by the Justice Department as an entity of the Muslim Brotherhood.

In December, Fuqra official Tahirah Amatul-Wadud was even invited to an event at the White House for advocates of "religious pluralism," despite her organization’s history of extremist preaching against the U.S., Jews, Hindus, Ahmadis and others.

U.S. government agencies have referred to Fuqra as a terrorist and criminal group for decades now. Their extremist history only takes a few clicks to see.

Yet, they are increasingly treated as mainstream moderates by the media and even the White House. And now, Fuqra even has a member running for office in Alaska and serving as a delegate at the Democratic Convention.

Listen to a recent radio interview with a senior CAIR official who was surprised by Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst Ryan Mauro by clicking here.