What In The Wide, Wide World of Sports Is The “Islamic Networks Group”? FBI-Linked Group Set To “Webinar” Tamalpais Union High School District Students This Morning
Also: Video of "Marin Women’s PAC" Taping Black Plastic Bags Over Windows To Block Protest Sign; Sausalito CM Janelle Kellman Tries To Silence Comment on Israel’s Latest Terror Attack
I. Last week, Lebanon’s general civilian population was targeted by Israel in a terrorist attack involving the implantation of explosives in pager devices. The attack killed dozens and wounded thousands. Throughout the week, war hawks in the US declared that this had been a brilliant tactical strike by Israel, ignoring the fact that booby-trapping devices used in civilian settings (such as hospitals and supermarkets) violates international law. The pager devices, which bore a Taiwanese company’s logo, appear to have become compromised somewhere along the supply chain before delivery to the civilian population of Lebanon. The full damage done to civilians – and how it will impact US-allied tech manufacturers and inflame a larger regional war – is unknown.
The following morning, the Tamalpais Union High School District sent out an email announcing a special webinar on antisemitism and Islamophobia to be conducted by the San Francisco/Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council (SF JCRC) and a little-known group called the Islamic Networks Group, or ING. When I was sent the email by several parents in the District, I immediately wondered what kind of group claiming to represent Muslim Americans would partner with the JCRC, which has consistently defended Israel’s genocidal attack on Palestinians and attacked local elected and activists who don’t share their pro-war views. And, no surprise, the “Islamic” Networks Group’s executive director is tightly linked to two extremely Islamophobic entities: the US Federal Bureau of Investigation — and the Santa Clara District Attorney office.
The TUHSD’s initial notification of the webinar was issued on September 18 shortly after 9:00 am, and clearly identified the JCRC as a co-host. Within four hours, the District had sent an update that stripped any mention of the JCRC. It’s not hard to imagine why the District would want to omit mention of the pro-Israel JCRC, given that Israel’s merciless conduct of its “war” now threatens to tank what might otherwise be a relatively easy path to victory for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign: Marin is a Democratic Party stronghold in an already blue state.
Meet the Islamic Networks Group
If you’re a regular reader of Marin County Confidential, you already know the pernicious influence of the San Francisco/Bay Area JCRC. Whether they’re attacking older Jewish peace activists, or strong-arming our elected officials, or limiting our collective First Amendment rights, they’re a known and depressing quantity. But what on earth is the “Islamic Networks Group”?
Based in San Jose, and with significant ties to (Jesuit) Santa Clara University, which reportedly has a robust Hillel organization on campus, ING was founded by Maha Elgenaidi, who grew up between New York and California in a secular Egyptian family. Elgenaidi’s father was an MD psychiatrist, and she considers herself a convert to Islam since her family was secular. Elgenaidi has a background in marketing and business management. In a StoryCorps radio segment with another convert, who is on staff with ING (Zachary Markwith) Elgenaidi described her founding of ING as having started during the first Gulf War (technically, the group was founded in 1993) because, she related, no Muslims were doing the work of talking about Muslim American issues.
Alex Who?
This is a stunning claim if you consider that the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) had been active since the 1970s and had frequently suffered attacks by the soi-disant “Jewish” Defense League) for defending the rights of Arab Christians and Arab Muslims in the US and abroad.
During a string of bombing attacks on ADC offices by the Jewish Defense League, Alex Odeh, a Palestinian American poet and lecturer who had been fearless in advocating for Palestinian human rights, and who was ADC’s West Coast regional director, was killed. Odeh was from a Catholic family in Jinnah, and had been committed to human rights and interfaith dialogues amongst Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The Jewish Defense League was unapologetic about Odeh’s assassination. Per the Intercept, Odeh’s assassins continued to “live their best lives” in Israel.
So clearly, there were groups committed to defending Arab Americans and Muslim Americans, but these were activist groups involved in civil rights and grassroots interfaith dialogues. This is entirely distinct from what ING does, which is to provide “trainings” to schools, corporations, and the FBI.
This is a smart move on the part of Elganaidi, because the former, noble work gets you killed (see Alex Odeh) and the latter, hack work makes you money.
Superintendent Tara Taupier’s Answers
I contacted TUHDS Superintendent Tara Taupier late last week and asked about the involvement of the JCRC in the webinar. I was principally concerned about what sort of message it would send to students to allow the fiercely pro-Israel JCRC into their classrooms, even by webinar, given that the so-called “war” against Palestinians in Gaza has resulted in a plausible case of genocide being heard at the International Court of Justice.
Taupier replied that the webinar is sponsored by the Interfaith Speakers Bureau of the ING. “The speakers are both members of the speakers bureau and represent Jewish and Muslim perspectives. Karen Stiller is speaking on behalf of the Jewish perspective and she is a member of the JCRC. Maha Elgenaidi is speaking on behalf of the Muslim perspective. We collaborated with ING and the speakers bureau to bring this event.”
I then asked: “Will anyone be speaking directly to the Palestinian perspective in this webinar?”
Taupier replied that”Maha (Elgenaidi) will be speaking directly to the Palestinian experience as well as anti-Palestinian harassment and hate speech, as distinct from Islamophobia. Understanding that they are related but not the same.”
Palestinians Who?
It’s not clear if there are any Palestinians within ING, as the words “Palestine” and “Palestinian” appear nowhere on the website – a savvy marketing decision on Elgenaidi’s part. Elgenaidi is not a scholar or lawyer in the mode of prominent activists linked to civil rights. Her group has forged close relationships with law enforcement agencies, including prosecutors. Per Elgenaidi’s bio on the ING website, she is also a recipient of the FBI-San Francisco Field Office’s “Civil Rights Leadership Award.”
Yes, you read that right. The FBI, the same government agency implicated in the assassination of Fred Hampton; the agency that tried to get MLK, Jr. to kill himself; the agency that has entrapped no small number of vulnerable Muslims and Arabs (not to mention many other vulnerable groups) gives out a “civil rights leadership award”.
But should anyone of good conscience accept such an award? What does it say about people who do?
Also on staff is Zach Markwith, a white Catholic who converted to Islam and serves as ING’s Deputy Director; Muneeza Rahman, who doesn’t appear to have much readily findable background information; Ishaq Pathan, whose ING blog heralds ING’s work with the FBI; and Henry Millstein, a Ph.D. In Islamic studies. Given those ratios, ING’s staff doesn’t seem that Islamic. Meanwhile, ING’s combined “Boards of Directors and Advisors” seems very Silicon-Valley and corporate, when compared to boards at similar organizations.
Elgenaidi’s bio states: “As an advisor, she has lent her expertise to the CA Commission on Police Officers Standards and Trainings (POST) and the County of Santa Clara Hates Crimes Task Force.” The latter has Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s naughty fingerprints all over it. (Rosen, you may recall, is such a hardcore Netanyahu fan that he actually drove out to the San Jose Airport to greet Bibi when he last visited Silicon Valley.)
JCRC In The Classroom?
The co-host of today’s TUHSD-mandated webinar is Karen Stiller, JCRC’s Senior Director of Jewish Affairs. Stiller was quoted in Jweekly last January describing the JCRC’s well-funded beatdown on ceasefire proponents in this way: “I can’t remember the last time when we’ve gotten hundreds of people to come to rallies, or attend seminars, be willing to show up at city council meetings and speak. All of this has really rallied our community together.”
Never mind that many of the ceasefire proponents they were attacking were themselves Jewish. That’s right, Jewishness can only be conferred by the JCRC, a powerful, multimillion-dollar nonprofit that has now spun off its own PAC. JCRC’s pro-Israel position in the middle of Israel’s ongoing genocidal attack on Gaza constitutes a giant middle finger to legions of Jewish Americans, and approximately half of younger Jews in the diaspora, who oppose Israel’s conduct.
II. Politics Trumps The First Amendment
Remember when I reported that JCRC and its affiliate group BANJO had been pressuring local governments to restrict public comment in a variety of ways? Well, it looks like Sausalito City Councilwoman, BANJO member, blockchain investor, (and 2026 Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California) Janelle Kellman took that a step further last Tuesday night by trying to shut down a public comment about Israel’s pager attacks.
I had been on the call for nearly five hours when, sometime after midnight, City Council finally permitted non-agenda public comment. This late hour for public comment, you may recall, is in accord with the JCRC/BANJO “suggestion” to stick public comment at the end of the meeting, when most people have dropped off.
To the extent I was still able to at that late hour, I prefaced my questions about Councilmember Blaustein’s JCRC-funded Israel junket with the context of the recent Senate briefing by physicians recently returned from Gaza, and Israel’s illegal terrorist attack earlier that day on Lebanon. I was interrupted approximately halfway through my brief two-minute comment period by Kellman, in clear violation of the Brown Act. Kellman tried to end my comment on the premise that it was outside of their jurisdiction. But the Brown Act doesn't require me to speak to matters within the jurisdiction, and public speakers routinely speak to matters outside the jurisdiction.
Kellman is apparently sensitive about the topic of Israel’s illegal conduct, likely as it relates to her involvement in JCRC/BANJO – it’s a potential liability for any candidate as Israel’s military actions seem to be plunging the US into a wider regional war. But I had said nothing hateful or racist, and my tone was perfectly civil. So there was not even a premise for Kellman to interrupt me. Kellman knows this, but she has not acknowledged this, even after I reached out to her and the rest of Council, and subsequently to the City Attorney, about her violation of the Brown Act.
III. Marin Women’s Political Action Committee Video
A day after Kellman interrupted my questions about her fellow BANJO member Blaustein’s junket to Israel, someone sent me the following flyer for a “Youth & Leaders: Bridging Marin” event to be held at the Corte Madera Community Center.
The event featured Eli Beckman and Melissa Blaustein, who were on the same JCRC trip to Israel in March 2023. Essentially, the event was a campaign event disguised as public service. Here, candidates would answer questions and take selfies with “youth” who happened to be connected to prominent families who donated to campaigns, as well as less-wealthy but ambitious youth attached to county officials and nonprofit directors who could mobilize voters.
When I checked the registration, it was clear that the attendees were going to include a fairly broad range of ages (Barahona is in her thirties), and it seemed like a good opportunity to try to ask both Beckman and Blaustein in person about their trips, as they have consistently ignored my civil and polite entreaties made via voicemail and email.
But when I entered the event space, a room totally devoid of even a single Black Marinite of any age, I was instructed to leave by Laurel Druke who, it turns out, is the President of the MWPAC, even though she seemed rather hazy on the exavt nature of a 501(c)4.
Druke was concerned that I would film the event. I told her it was important to have a record of a public event with elected officials that utilized a public space. Druke maintained that the presence of minors meant I could not film, but when I explained that I had no interest in filming anyone but the electeds, she still insisted that I leave.
At no point did Druke simply say, "we just do not want you to film.” The issue was having anyone outside the approved circle of insiders merely observe the electeds.
The matter was brought to Mayor Beckman, who had entered shortly after I did. Beckman seemed perplexed. “It’s a public space,” he said plainly. At which point Druke conveyed to Beckman that she needed to talk to him privately.
Soon the Parks and Rec Director, Tim Berry, emerged to tell me that I was not permitted to stay since it was a private event. But there was nothing in the flyer that indicated that the event was private. I asked Berry why there were no Black attendees at the private campaign event with public officials in a public space. I thought the question was relevant because a Black Marinite had also thought they were welcome to attend, but were turned away.
Berry said that he was not responsible for the guest list, so he could not answer that question. I suggested the total absence of any Black attendees at what was essentially a campaign event might be the real problem with my recording or even observing it.
Berry repeated that I was not welcome, but when pressed, conceded that I would be within my rights to stand outside on the sidewalk with a sign. And thus did a local shopkeeper help me find a clean piece of cardboard from a recycling bin, and I improvised a quick sign. The sign said, “Why Are Blaustein and Mayor Beckman Silent on Israel’s Genocide of Palestinians?” (I’m sorry, but the cardboard we found was only the bottom of a small box, so I didn’t have space to write about the Israel junkets.)
I held the sign to the exterior window so that attendees could at least know that there was some statement of protest regarding local silence on Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Soon enough Druke (a name straight out of a Dickens novel) and what appears to be a member of the MWPAC Board emerged to yank black plastic bags out of the utility closet, which they began to tape up against the windows in order to block the assembled group’s view of my completely innocuous sign.
As a lifelong Democrat, it struck me that the taping of plastic bags to the windows seemed the perfect metaphor for how deeply in denial the Democratic Party and its affiliate groups (this includes groups like MWPAC) remain regarding the genocide of Palestinians, and the issue of the expanding war. When I reviewed the video prior to posting, I was surprised that I sounded surprised because I should be used to this by now. But the nakedness of their actions still caught me off-guard.
I stayed for hours on the street with the sign, hoping that there would be an opportunity to ask the candidates questions when they finally emerged. But they simply left through a back door.
And then, at the end of the event, one of the youngest attendees emerged from the side of the building, and, looking nervous, whispered, “Are you pro-Palestine?”
Yes, I stammered, surprised by the question. I hadn’t thought about it that way. When this all started, almost a year ago, I had only wanted a ceasefire, but amid the ongoing genocide, it was clear that we needed an arms embargo, and that there was no position other than to be pro-Palestine.
“I am, too!” said the young attendee excitedly, as if they had just made a tremendous discovery — as if they had located something rare indeed. It seemed that the matter of the genocide of Palestinians was no longer even on the radar in Marin. The crackdown on the students, the threats made against them by the JCRC and the Osher Marin JCC crew, had done their dirty work.
The conversation struck me as so sad that I failed to ask whether the Palestine issue had even been raised during the “meet-and-greet” event. But it seemed that if the youth had to whisper the question, and talk to me in such a stealth manner, that it likely hadn’t been mentioned.
Night had fallen, and it was a long ride home to the East Bay. I still didn’t have any answers from Blaustein or Beckman about their JCRC Israel junkets. I had no responses from BANJO Co-Chair and San Rafael City Councilmember Rachel Kertz. No answers from Novato Mayor Mark Milberg. Or Petaluma Councilmember Janice Cader Thompson. Or Tiburon Councilmember Holli Thier. And so on.
The only two electeds who had actually responded to my questions about the trips to Israel seemed to be MCOE Superintendent John Carroll and Berkeley City Auditor Jenny Wong. Carroll had provided a generous interview with him in his office, and Wong had answered questions over the phone.
Similarly, with the exception of Scot Candell, none of the electeds had responded to my questions regarding their signatures on the JCRC/BANJO distributed anti-ceasefire petition. Not only that, but no local media had bothered to report the existence of the anti-ceasefire petition after I obtained it via CPRA and showed it to them. Nor had local media reported the extent of the Israel junkets, if they bothered to report them at all. (Damon Connolly’s 2024 JCRC-funded trip to Israel, mid-genocide, was barely reported by the Sacramento Bee and in local Jewish publications.)
All of this made me wonder if the JCRC/BANJO is demanding silence from those electeds, and perhaps, making demands on local media not to report it.
Here's the MWPAC video:
©️2024 Eva Chrysanthe