Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) wrote a public letter to American Muslim leaders on Friday, asking them to condemn the recent violent attacks that have been allegedly perpetrated by Muslims.
“In the last three weeks, our nation has faced a series of violent attacks by Muslims citing religious justifications for their bloodshed,” Ogles wrote.
His letter cited the March 1st attack in Austin, Texas, where Ndiaga Diagne allegedly shot three people, as well as “injuring more than a dozen.” Ogles’ letter said Diagne was from Senegal and wore a hoodie that read “Property of Allah,” along with an undershirt bearing the Iranian flag.
Ogles’ letter then cites the attempted bombing outside of New York City’s Gracie Mansion six days later. Current Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his family reside in Gracie Mansion. Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, who were allegedly ISIS-aligned, allegedly tried to detonate two explosive devices.
Following Balat’s arrest, he wrote, “All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar!” The Department of Justice (DOJ) said “kuffar” means nonbelievers or infidels.
The DOJ also noted the phrase “Die in your rage” is a slogan ISIS uses.
The last violent attacks Ogles cited in his letter occurred on March 12th. The first attack Ogles referenced on this day was allegedly done by Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who is accused of driving an “explosive-laden car into Temple Israel synagogue” in Michigan. He then allegedly fired into the synagogue with a rifle.
Security officers shot Ghazali after he allegedly conducted this violent attack.
Fox 10 News reported that a week before this violent attack, Ghazali lost family members in Lebanon because of an Israeli strike. Israel claimed one of Ghazali’s brothers killed in the airstrike was a Hezbollah commander.
Ghazali, who was from Lebanon, became a naturalized American citizen in 2011.
The second attack referred to by Ogles on March 12 happened at Old Dominion University, where Mohamed Bailor Jalloh allegedly opened fire at a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Class, killing one and injuring others.
During the attack, law enforcement said Jalloh yelled, “Allahu Akbar.”
Bailor Jalloh, a former Army National Guard member, previously pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
In Ogles’ letter, he claimed that “zero American mosques have publicly condemned this pattern of Islamic bloodshed and disavowed the attackers.”
“This silence legitimizes the concern of millions of Americans that Islam requires such violence,” the representative stated.
He challenged the over 3,000 mosques nationwide to “publicly and unequivocally condemn these specific attacks, disavow the perpetrators, reject any religious justification for terrorism, and state clearly that murdering innocents or targeting houses of worship has no place in Islam or America.”
“America is watching,” Ogles stated, noting their voices “can isolate extremists, protect Americans, and preserve peace.”
He added that he is ready for dialogue with Islamic leaders, but if “no such peace is desired,” the representative stated he would “not cease to further legislate and advocate that violent Islamists have no place in American culture, life, and civil government.”
Ogles told The Tennessee Star this week that he said deporting Muslim Americans is nothing that he intends to address.
“That’s not a realistic proposition, nor, quite frankly, is it a question,” Ogles said.
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which is America’s biggest Muslim civil rights organization, condemned the March 12th attacks at the Michigan synagogue and at Old Dominion University.
Michigan-based Imam Hassan Qazwini told The Detroit Free Press that “[t]he unjustified Israeli attack on civilians in Iran and Lebanon gives no blank check to anyone attacking synagogues, civilians and peaceful communities.”
Earlier this month, CAIR designated Ogles an “anti-Muslim extremist” after his tweet saying “Muslims don’t belong in America.”
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
Photo “Andy Ogles” by Andy Ogles.
