Will the Post investigate how this gentleman got himself appointed to the governor's commission? We should know this to reach closure on this story.

Another Muslim doctor linked to extremist viewpoints. Interesting.

Re: Dennis comment. Why should the Post "investigate" this matter? It is Virginia's business. Appointee resigned. Closure accomplished. New subject.

At least Virginia Democrats are consistent. Jim Moran makes anti-Jewish comments and Kaine's appointees do too. Why are Jews part of the Democrat party again? Seems the GOP is more consistently allied with Israel and its right to exist.

I listened to Dr. Omeish's comments very carefully, and I must say that I find nothing objectionable about them. His remarks about Israel are factually accurate, and our own government's uncritical support of Israel's government, whatever its actions, is unhelpful to say the least. Some listeners may be put off by the passion with which he delivered his very logical comments. That is a matter of style, and should not influence our judgment of what he says. I must admit that I did not hear the phrase "jihad way", but the concept of jihad is very poorly understood in this country. The greater Jihad is the internal struggle within our soul to live up to the teachings of the prophet. It is analogous to the struggles of Christian mystics and has nothing to do with phyiscal combat.

Beware of hysteria: the decisions of a nation should not be made in a hysterical atmosphere. Such hysteria leads to terrible actions, as we have seen in past wars, and, unfortunately, in the current war.

By the way, I am a Christian. I seem to remember Jesus quoting the teachings of his own teachers: there are two commandments: love the Lord your God AND love your neighbor as yourself. We are all neighbors.

Forgot to mention Jim Webb's caricature during the primary of his opponent, Miller. Jim Webb shrugged his shoulders at an anti-semetic caricature distributed. The press, of course, doesn't pursue it. Jews are better off in the GOP. I should know, I am a Jewish GOP'er.

I am not in either party. But to align yourself with the party who continually tries to protect terrorist who operate under the guise of 'freedom fighters" is outrageous.

Jews are better off in the GOP? You must not be aware of the way Jews are perceived by many - particularly on the right. And the disgusting comments I've heard. The only positive of the GOP is that Israel can do as it pleases without accountability. As for day to day, I don't think Jews get any other favors from the GOP.

Having listened to the tape, I don't see anything extremist at all. Certainly the Muslim community has a very different perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (is this news?), and that drives their perspective of Israel's actions against Lebanon as well as our support (including military support) of Israel. The main point I got from his speech is that he believes that this is hurting our [he includes himself and his audience here] credibility in the Middle East and our fight against terrorism. Many Middle East experts have said the same, and it is quickly becoming a mainstream point of view, particularly where Iraq is concerned. Is there anybody out there who still does not realize that WE are responsible for the growth of terrorism in Iraq--that it did not exist until we invaded and gave them a cause to rally around?
I am now much more concerned about Gov. Kaine's knee-jerk reaction--he could not have possibly have watched this video, and made his decision with any semblance of fairness in mind. Apparently Exercising Free Speech Rights While Muslim is a firing offense in Virginia. Thomas Jefferson must be rolling in his grave.

I agree with Mr. von Fleckenstein: I listened to the clip, and I didn't hear any reference to jihad; indeed, the speaker condemned terrorism of all sorts. One may agree or disagree with his views on Israel's policies toward the Palestinian people, but I would hesitate to call anything in this clip "anti-semitic."

Listen carefully. Where is the extremism? Lebanon was practically destroyed by an overwhelming Israeli response, and yes thousands of Arabs and Palestinians do live in concentration camp-like conditions, and yes America does provide Israel with all the money and lethal weapons it needs to maintain this sordid state of affairs.

"Palestinian people deserve self-determination" is controversial?

The statement about Congress being biased towards Israel isn't untrue. It would probably be more accurate for the doctor to say: "towards the Israeli hard-right" -- which is in many ways, even worse.

Erin, Jefferson only rolls in his grave when UVA football loses.

But I agree with your post - it's quite accurate. Thank you.

Charles: Oh, I see. What criteria the governor of Virginia uses to make appointments to state commissions isn't worth knowing, according to you. And if the criteria for hiring should not be known, the criteria for firing must also not be investigated.
Alberto Gonzales, call your office!

To Erin:

"Is there anybody out there who still does not realize that WE are responsible for the growth of terrorism in Iraq--that it did not exist until we invaded and gave them a cause to rally around?"

This statement is totally simplistic, politicaly driven, ignores history and displays a fundamental lack of understanding of Irag and its history.

Remember - a great deal of the unrest and violence we see now isn't directed at the US - but by Iraqis toward Iraqis. This is sectarian violence - a civil war - that can be attributed to retribution against the repressive, violent dictatorship of a Sunni minority over majority Shiites and Kurds. The historic tensions between these people is exacerabated by the fact the Sunni regions in Iraq possess none of the nation's resources - they reside in the Kurdish North and Shiite South. Moreover, these issues predate modern history and can be traced to regional tribalism. There wasn't any open violence in Iraq pre-invasion because of the violent suppression of a dictatorship.

The U.S. invasion of Iraq was a catalyst for the sectarian violence you see today not a rallying point for Iraqis against the U.S. Yes, Iraq has become a magnet for terrorism and Al Qaeda in Iraq is aligned against the U.S, and Iraq is a battlefield to fight directly against the U.S. However, that is not the entire picture and to attribute violence entriely to this point fails to recognize a key component of the situation in Iraq and blinds one from being able to see the solution isn't as simple as removing the U.S. from the equation.

The key hurdle to success in Iraq is there is no will among Iraqis for a political solution - the Kurds and Shiites feel it's payback time. Ask anyone who's been there.

witch hunt!

I too listened carefully, and do not find Dr. Omeish to be espousing extremist views or advocating terrorism or terrorist groups in any explicit way. The sticking point may lie in what he does not say - and what he does not say strongly enough.

To a huge extent, terror-sponsoring states and organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad have seized control of the entire Arab political process and with it the Palestinian people's agenda. While our own policy is admittedly one-sided, and does subject us to some level of "blow-back", it is almost impossible for us to take an evenhanded approach when our negotiating partners would be the sponsors of terror.

The answer? Partially it lies with the Arab, European, South and Southeast Asian, and American Muslim communities and their leaders taking a strong, vocal, active, and vigorous stand against terrorism and the states and organizations that sponsor it. Dr. Omeish, as do most Muslim leaders, give this lip service but do little about it.

It is an unfortunate fact in Muslim communities that a relatively small number of extremists are enabled to hijack the agenda, and in the perspective of many in the West, the religion, of the vast majority of the good and peaceful people who follow Islam.

The video posted on this blog is not the one referred to in the AP story. This is a different one, and does not have the 'jihad' statements. Its still chilling that anyone would question a nation's right to defend itself from attack. Israel didn't attack Lebanon, it attacked *Hezbollah* for firing missles into Israeli territory, which the Lebanese did nothing about. Convenient, how that gets left out of their narrative.
The group, Muslim American Society, which is headed by Dr. Omeish (the legal spelling of his name, btw), however, IS a front for the Muslim Brotherhood and supports other terror groups. From members' own words and documents, evidence in the HLF trial.

To the person who posts with no name:

"This statement is totally simplistic, politicaly driven, ignores history and displays a fundamental lack of understanding of Irag and its history."
[snip]

Thanks for the very elementary assessment of Iraq today. What Erin was obviously pointing to is the emergence of various and numerous terrorist entities in Iraq post-Saddam. Iraq has not been a hotbed of non-sectarian violence. And what you see today is a result of the realization by some Iraqis (particularly Sunni) that the Al Qaida types are there for anti-US violence, not for a solution. And yes, these EXTERNAL groups came to Iraq when the US did for the sake of terrorism.

I never got the impression that she indicated terrorism as the sole reason for the violence. As for the Kurds and payback, well....they're the 3rd most powerful group in Iraq.

Daho:

"Its still chilling that anyone would question a nation's right to defend itself from attack. Israel didn't attack Lebanon, it attacked *Hezbollah* for firing missles into Israeli territory, which the Lebanese did nothing about. Convenient, how that gets left out of their narrative."

Where was Hezbollah physically located when it was attacked by Israel?

What did you expect the weak entity that the Lebanese Govt. is to do to stop them?

Conveniently, common sense gets left out of your post. Yes, I realize it's not entirely that simple, but I'm saving time and space by making it curt. And before you retort with right to defend, I agree with that right. I also agree with the appropriate response.

MAS is a Front Group For terrorists - anyone in it should be shunned. Same with CAIR.

The Investigative Project has the Jihad videos in question in the AP story - try to do some RESEARCH ...

sounds like he was speaking to a group of wild animals . . . .
very, very frightening

Are they any Muslim who DO NOT consider Isreal the enemy? Why is Palenstine not mentioned once in the Koran? Because it didn't exist. But refrence to Isreal is in both the Bible and the Koran. Israel was occupied by a number of outside regimes and was given back their land after WWII. What will it take for Christians to wake up to this assault against our bibical history?

I have a few comments in response to the comments made above.

1. if every country had to be mentioned in the Quran to exist then majority of the countries around the world would not exist to begin with. Israel is mentioned in the Quran in the context of the children of Israel and not necessarily the country of Israel. Please review history and do not take something out of its context and make it what you want it to be.

2. the word Jihad in media is often referenced to "holy war". I encourage you ALL to find a fellow muslim neighbor or coworker and simply ask them the meaning of jihad. NO WHERE IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE IS THE WORD JIHAD TRANSLATED TO HOLY WAR, THIS IS FALSE AND HAS BEEN MISINTERPRETED MANY TIMES.

Jihad simply means to strive during a time of struggle, whether it be an internal struggle, external or during a time of tribulation.
So please, I encourage you all to not make the same ignorant mistakes our government makes in distorting and twisting words and I encourage you to do a little research yourself and even remove yourself from the "islamophobia" everyone has caught, and befriend a Muslim brother or Sister and you will be surprised that they are you and you are them and that this is all a big misunderstanding of false words and misinterpretations.
Thank you.

Just once I want to see these Muslim hate-mongerers give a speech denouncing these so-called suicide bombers who are nothing more than mass murderers. Let me hear Dr. Omeish, who conveniently misspelled his name, give a speech against these murderers.

John, before you ASSUME the worst, just type in google "Muslim American Society denounces suicide bombers" and you will find this article http://www.masnet.org/news.asp?id=2639
SO AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO ARE QUICK TO PASS JUDGEMENT, DO A LITTLE RESEARCH AND YOU WILL FIND THE TRUTH. As for Dr. Omeish "conveniently mispelling his name..." where can we find this??

Thats all. thank you.

I am a jew and when I hear a speaker like this it make me ill. Slowly these people are tearing away at Israel. They come from any and all angles and continually try to chip away at support for Israel. There goal, well we all know it. Get rid of Israel, get rid of the Jews. Israel is forced to commit evil to fight a greater evil. It's that simple. If the muslims would just stop being so hateful. Look at the size of Israel, look at the size of the muslim countrys. What more needs to be said?

I do not see anything 'controversial' or 'extremist' about what Dr. Omeish said. His opinions about the Israel-Lebanon war were shared by many in this country and he has every right to say them as an American citizen. I'm sure if we were to research every individual on the commission we would find certain views with which others do not agree. It is unfortunate that Senator Webb had this reaction, especially considering the huge support he received from the American Muslim community in Northern Virginia in the elections.
I hope that someone equally competent will replace Dr. Omeish and that personal opinions about heated political debates do not get in the way of the work that the commission does.
I would rather not call it a 'witch-hunt', but it's pretty close...

Saying our policies are responsible for Islamist terrorism is like saying our civil rights policies were responsible for KKK terrorism or our Abortion policies are responsible for the kooks who bomb abortion clinics. The reason for all these terrorists is simply that they have been so indoctrinated to hate as to be irrational.

So of course its true that terrorists hate Jews and Israel, but that merely shows that there's a very strong correlation between being anti-semitic and being criminaly insane. But we already know that. We know it from the nazis with their dreams of genocide, the Communists with their zionist show trials, and now the Islamist crazies who fly airplanes into building for the sake of "Jihad" - concept Mr. Omeish apparently approves of.

The Washington Post video does not show his call for Jihad. However if you go to this link: http://www.motionbox.com/video/player/0699dab7191d8c#1 You can see quite clearly his call for Jihad. You might have missed it on an internet search because the poster misspelled his last name as Omish.

It really upsets me that theses videos are totally being taken out of context; and that Dr. Omesh's character is being questioned without merit. In 2004 Dr. Omesh saved my life and did so without questioning my financial status, religious beliefs or anything for that matter. He is one of most kind, compassionate people I have encountered. Dr. Omesh has done so much to help the community of Northern Virginia, that it is a shame that a video that poses no threat to anyone could have such a negative impact on such a good person. I believe in freedom of speech as long as it doesn't endanger others freedom or safety. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, all Dr. Omesh did was voice his and in doing so he never once jeopardized anyone's freedom or safety!!!

It really upsets me that these videos are totally being taken out of context; and that Dr. Omesh's character is being questioned without merit. In 2004 Dr. Omesh saved my life and did so without questioning my financial status, religious beliefs or anything for that matter. He is one of most kind, compassionate people I have encountered. Dr. Omesh has done so much to help the community of Northern Virginia, that it is a shame that a video that poses no threat to anyone could have such a negative impact on such a good person. I believe in freedom of speech as long as it doesn't endanger anyones freedom or safety. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion, all Dr. Omesh did was voice his and in doing so he never once jeopardized anyone's freedom or safety!!!

Is anything he said untrue? I agree with what he says and I don't feel any of it is controversial. In the U.S., we have grown accustomed to only hearing one side's argument. I think it's refreshing that another view point is heard. If we agree with it or not, it has absolutely no bearing on his appointed position. As an educated son of immigrants and an Arab-American and muslim, Dr. Omeish is highly qualified for his position. Good luck finding someone as qualified as he.

Steve Emerson, the director of the Investigative Project (the organization behind the videos of Dr. Omeish), is a bigot who has waged war on anyone who speaks out against the atrocities committed by the falsely-labeled "democratic" government of Israel. He has long since been discredited by most fair-minded journalists, and has even been caught falsifying news stories and reporting them as the truth. An organization called Fair and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has published one of many stories revealing the truth behind this professional liar: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=104 (I use the term professional because he makes money from his lying.)

Please do your research: all the cases involving research/information provided by the Investigative Project in any terrorism or terrorism-related cases to the government have been to silence critics of Israel.

Let that be a lesson to you all. Israel does no wrong. No matter what.

Another reminder of the reality of "free speech" in this country.

Sounds like those who are speaking bad about MUSLIMS have no friends that are Muslims. You need to ask your self are you a racist? Cause
it sounds like you are. And as for Dr. Omeish I have met him and know him on a personal level and this whole media lie and spin is completely taken out of context. WAKE UP AMERICA! YOUR FREEDOMS ARE BEING TAKING AWAY WHILE YOU SLEEP!.

This man did not say anything wrong or politicaly incorrect. Why are people attacking him? I feel sooo bad and sorry for this guy, just leave him alone people.

It's typical that in Washington, you'd see as many comments FOR this freak Omeish than against him with the usual qualifiers on how Islam etc., is tolerant, good and the Koran and all Muslims are simply misinterpreted. Muslim people are like all people except and unlike the reformation and ultimate religious freedom that came to the West, there has and does not seem to be a reformation - in fact there appears to be more regression. Blame everyone if you like but look inwards and you might be able to understand what's happening to you.

I have not conducted enough research to weigh-in on the these postings concerning Dr. Omeish, yet I agree they seem relatively benign and similiar to things we already hear on U.S. news all the time about the Israel-Lebanon crisis.

I'd like to respond to Erin's posting from way up above, from one Erin to another:

>>The main point I got from his speech is that he believes that this is hurting our [he includes himself and his audience here] credibility in the Middle East and our fight against terrorism. Many Middle East experts have said the same, and it is quickly becoming a mainstream point of view, particularly where Iraq is concerned. Is there anybody out there who still does not realize that WE are responsible for the growth of terrorism in Iraq--that it did not exist until we invaded and gave them a cause to rally around?>>

I don't understand how you can equate our politics/actions in Iraq to that of the US's support to Israel. Although the similarities of a religious conflict can be made - our actions in both situations are too complicated to fairly compare. What the Middle East thinks about our actions in that region was long decided before the Iraq war. And with whom exactly in the Middle East do we need to maintain credibility? You can make a case that how we first got into Iraq was not a good idea, and I agree that we may have furthered and ripened conditions leading to more sectarian or Iraqi v Iraqi violence. Yet our intentions and actions within Iraq since arriving have been nothing but focused on securing Iraq and making things safe. To say WE have proliferated terrorism in Iraq or in that region is ridiculous. Wherever the US is, terrorists will follow. Whether at home or abroad, they will be there. Terrorists, jihadists, what-have-you, make the conscious decision to act based on their cause/beliefs without no concern for innocent by-standers or civilians. I would say these people who kill themselves and others made a decision to do so long before 2003. Our credibility in their minds is hard-pressed to be changed via politics, or even hard-pressed to be changed at all. Whether you intended to or not, it seems like you're trying to put us on the same moral plane as terrorists by saying our actions caused and precipitated this violence. Have the US's actions, as a whole, since landing within Iraq really been so bad or perverse that WE incited someone to kill themselves? Caused them to be a suicide bomber and take innocent people with them? Based on the approx average age of these terrorists in Iraq, that puts them between 15-20 years of age at the onset of the Iraq war. How can someone believe that it was only what we did since 2003 that spurred on a sudden change of heart to martyr themselves? No doubt they had it ingrained in their mind/heart to kill anything associated with the US prior to 2003 -- if Iraq hadn't happened, they'd probably have wound up fighting us in Afghanistan or who knows, plotting to kill us here at home. Granted, many of the foreign-born terrorists (who make up the majority of suicide bombers) have been fed outright lies through their extremist Islamist media outlets since 2003, and many were "converted" or convinced to seek revenge based on their perception of U.S.'s atrocities in Iraq, but to say WE are responsible for their misguided suicide path?? I believe the U.S. (and military) has done a horrible job at explaining and justifying our actions to outsiders and to the Americans, and combatting the press and Arab media - that is a clear and serious mistake. If I've taken your comments out of context, so be it, I am just outraged at some US citizens who continue to blur the line between right and wrong and think the US is more than knee-deep in the wrong. This war on terrorism is heavily clouded between a mix of politics and religion, but the heart of the matter comes down to a perverted ideology - a religion which is carried in the hearts of these suicide bombers. Their actions predate the last 2 decades of US politics and will go forward unaffected by any political amends by the US.

Still for mass immigration?

A true moderate Muslim would condemn the Holocausts all of them, the Nazi's Holocaust for the Jews,the Zionist's Holocaust for the Palestinians, The extremists' Holocaust for Americans in NY , and the extremists' Holocaust for Japanese civilians in Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
Expressing your opinions openly and freely will always lead to your demonization.
Dr Omeish is one of the most moderate and sincere American Muslims in the USA and I can feel that this is just the start of a campaign against him to silent what's left of the sincere voices and sideline them leaving the arena for fanatic voices calling for war

I think the problem everyone is having with this is this line right here: "The jihad way is the way to liberate your land."

Also, what many of you don't understand is that even if Israel stopped occupying the Gaza Strip, the Gazans still wouldn't recognize Israel, and they would still consider them an occupation force.

Since Jihad can refer to liberating muslim lands, the land of Israel is considered muslim land to many muslims, especially Palestinians, so when he calls for Jihad, it's very likely that he means war against Israel, until Israel is no longer, or until Israel is a vassal of Palestine subject to shariah law.

We tend to focus on the minor issues and ignore the real ones. Dr. Omeish was objecting to an illegal occupation that is illegal by all means and according to international laws, when he spoke at a rally long time ago ...

Why don't we focus on the real issue of the suffering of the Palestinian people and how our government is not paying attention to that? Do we want to eliminate terrorism or encourage it. The USA foreign policy is just doing the opposite .. encouraging terrorism around the world.

I advice all of the readers who are reading my comments to visit this website http://www.occupation101.com and check out this important educational film about the Israeli occupation that is the root of problems in the Middle East.

The other important issue is the fact that the Israeli lobby in the US is targeting Muslims in public life. They believe that a stronger Muslim presence in American politics means a chance for change in USA's position towards the illegal occupation of Israel to the Palestinian lands.

Dr. Omeish is a victim of that lobby. We are not going to enjoy lasting peace or truly defeat terrorism until we rid ourselves of the real enemies of peace among us !