So far, the violent riots that have erupted throughout the Muslim world over the Mohammed cartoons have not been repeated here in the U.S. But yesterday in New York City, one radical Islamic group was preaching a message that is anything but peaceful.
It wasn't Pakistan or Gaza. It was Manhattan's east side.The group calls itself the Islamic Thinker's Society—ITS, for short. The purpose of the demonstration was to condemn the now infamous cartoons.
But there was another message as well: that Islam will one day dominate the world.
One ITS member said, “We are here to tell you that there is nothing you can do--and that your days are numbered...all of you who disbelieve: speak good, or Allah will silence you.”
The protest began in front of the Danish Consulate. ITS members stomped on Danish flags and warned Denmark that it would suffer "Allah's wrath." The group then moved to the German Consulate, where they trampled on German and Israeli flags--and called non-Muslims "scum."
All of this took place under the watchful eye of the NYPD. Onlookers we spoke to were outraged.
“Some people have evolved and matured and become civilized human beings, but they obviously haven't. And unfortunately we're supporting them and protecting them, too,” One NYC resident said.
Members of the ITS declined to be interviewed for this story. But off-camera, their leader told CBN News that the group consists of mostly college students who live in New York City.
The Internet journal Worldnetdaily.com has reported that ITS is linked to al-Muhajiroun, a notorious British Islamist group that disbanded in 2004.
That group's former leader--Abu Hamza al-Masri--was convicted in a British court earlier this month of incitement to murder, among other offenses. ITS members deny any connection to al-Muhajiroun, but the black flag flown at ITS rallies--and its goal of a worldwide Islamic state--are identical to those of al-Muhajiroun.
Although this event lacked the violence that has been so prevalent in cartoon protests throughout the Muslim world, the message was eerily similar: America and Europe, your days are numbered.
