Islamists, terror apologists, and Qatari proxies aren’t just targeting the progressive left anymore. They’re making inroads into the GOP, an
by Eitan Fischberger
Conservatives have spent years warning about the threat of Islamism in American life: in schools, universities, media, and government. We’ve (rightly) called out the likes of Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for their relentless demonization of Israel and apologism for terror groups like Hamas. But while we’ve been preoccupied with rooting out Islamists from the left, we’ve failed to see them walking through our own front door.Subscribe
The uncomfortable truth is that Islamist figures and their enablers are increasingly making inroads into conservative spaces — not by force, but by flattery. They praise our "family values," nod along when we rail against wokeness, and strategically position themselves as allies against the progressive left. But scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll all-too-often find figures with long histories of antisemitism, terror apologia, and ideological allegiance to the very enemies we claim to be fighting.
Let’s start with the latest scandal.
On May 16, the White House announced the formation of an advisory board for the Religious Liberty Commission. Among the names listed was Ismail Royer, a man who served 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to aiding the Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba and helping jihadists reach training camps abroad. Royer wasn’t some low-level lackey: he was a key figure in the so-called "Virginia Jihad Network," which sought to aid the Taliban and facilitate violent jihad abroad.
Royer’s inclusion in the Trump White House’s advisory board is more than just an oversight — it’s a flashing red warning sign. This isn’t a man who tweeted something dumb as a teenager or who got roped into a fringe group. He’s a convicted jihadist who worked to send fighters overseas to kill Americans. Perhaps Royer would say he repented for his past behavior. But still, the fact that he was tapped for a White House role should be cause for concern to anyone who cares about national security.
And he isn’t alone.
Another name on the advisory board is Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, co-founder of Zaytuna College—which he established along with BDS leader and American Muslims for Palestine Chairman, Hatem Bazian.
According to the Investigative Project on Terrorism, Yusuf himself has a checkered history: praising the pro-Hamas Turkish organization IHH, defending Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman (the "Blind Sheikh" behind the 1993 WTC bombing), and once calling Judaism "a racist religion." While he’s attempted to rebrand himself in recent years as a voice of moderation, his and Bazian’s college has continued to elevate apologists for terror and critics of Western democracy.
By the way, radical Islamist preacher Zaid Shakir, the third co-founder of Hamza Yusuf’s Zaytuna College, recently said in a recorded sermon that Trump could be flattered into creating a Palestinian state:
“Trump is so crazy, we might be able to sit him down and say: ‘Trump, do you want to be the greatest president in history? Create a Palestinian state. That’s all. Mount Rushmore is waiting for you.’” He added, “Man, he is so crazy, he might do it.”
This isn’t (just) mockery — it’s a strategy. To people like Shakir, Trump isn’t a principled ideological obstacle. He’s a volatile ego to be managed. And they’re already working on how to do it.
Next up, we have the case of Imam Husham Al-Husainy, who was nearly given the honor of delivering a benediction at President Trump’s 2025 inauguration — until it was revealed he had previously praised Hezbollah as a "people of God" and refused to label them a terrorist group. He even marched in a Dearborn rally holding a portrait of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. It’s still unclesr why was he ever considered for the inaguration in the first place.
These aren’t isolated cases. They point to a disturbing pattern: the willingness — even eagerness — of some conservatives to welcome Islamist figures into the fold, provided they say the right things about Trump, Christianity, or gay marriage.
