Ally of Hamas Speaks at Obama’s inauguration prayer service

Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of America was reportedly among the honored speakers at a Barack Obama’s inauguration prayer service at the National Cathedral here in Washington. Last July, federal prosecutors in Dallas filed court documents linking the Islamic Society of America to Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization.

In addition to her duties as president of the Islamic Society of America, Mattson is a professor of Islamic Studies at the Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn. According to Jonathan Tobin, the Seminary is a longtime hotbed of anti-Zionist sentiment. Tobin notes, for example, that at the time of Israel’s 50th birthday, the then president of the Seminary wrote that Israel’s creation was a historic error and that American Jews should repent of their support for Zionism.

Mattson also spoke at the Democratic National Convention this year. But the Bush administration must also share the blame for her “mainstreaming.” Mattson has been the guest of honor at State Department dinners and has met with senior Pentagon officials during the past eight years.

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