Controversial Imam to Speak at UCF's Islam Awareness Event Friday

Celebrating "Islam Awareness Month," the Muslim Student Association at the University of Central Florida is sponsoring a talk by an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Imam Siraj Wahhaj is scheduled to speak on campus Friday as part of the MSA's campaignto"combat the misconceptions of Islam and its practices."

But Wahhaj -- a character witness for Omar Abdel-Rahman,better known as the "Blind Sheik," during the WTC trial -- is an odd messenger for a peace-and-love message, says Stephen Schwartz, executive director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism.

Hes a hatemonger, theres no question about it, Schwartz said. Hes the No. 1 advocate of radical Islamic ideology among African-Americans. His stuff is very appealing to young Muslims who are on a radical path.

Tom Trento of the Palm Beach County-based Florida Security Council said Wahhaj is "dedicated to the overthrow of the United States Constitution" and that the MSA fronts for the Muslim Brotherhood.

Trento said his group plans to film Wahhaj's speech and will challenge the imam to say whether he supports the implementation of Sharia law in this country.

Sounds like a rip-roaring time at UCF.

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