Muslims rejected Christian Action Network attempts to offer a viewing of Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani’s Soldiers of Allah dissertations Monday and Tuesday, June 2 and 3.

The five-man crew visited the York, South Carolina Muslims of America compound, remaining on a public roadway – asking members passing by to view their Sheik’s teachings.

Police from the York Sheriff’s department were on hand to keep the peace as the compound leader made demands for the CAN crew to leave.

Officers told the growing crowd of angry Muslims the crew had protected rights to be there on the public roadway with camera equipment to ask passers by to view the video.

CAN crew leader Jason Campbell approached the compound leader and asked him to view the Gilani video and “tell us for the record if you accept or reject what he was teaching,” he said.

The leader responded with anger, “You are always just lying, all you do is lie – we don’t want you here, just leave.”

To police, the man said, “They are taking pictures of my children – our women are not safe. For all we know, they say they are Christians, but they could be pedophiles.”

The man’s tone toward Campbell grew harsher, exclaiming, “If we were terrorists, we would have already done something to you because of what you have said about our sheikh.”

When it became clear that no one would cross over to view the Gilani video, Campbell called off the visit and crewmembers prepared to leave.

On Tuesday, the Franklin County sheriff said visiting the Commerce, Georgia, compound would be too dangerous, and the public road was too narrow to stop on.

He added his office had been visited earlier that day by village members from the Commerce compound indicating trouble would be imminent if the crew showed up.

Christian Action Network president Martin Mawyer reached an agreement with Sheriff Stevie Thomas for Thomas and an investigator to visit the compound and ask if representatives would view the Soldiers of Allah video.

The sheriff returned with an unfavorable report: the compound was not willing to cooperate. “They don’t want to view the vidwo and they are set against you going to the property,” Thomas said.

“My position is the dirt road is narrow up there, and you can’t stop on the roadway,” he added. “I don’t want you to cause commotion that I will have to deal with afterward.”

Mawyer has made previous efforts to make contact with the Muslims of America organization through their public relations office.

“We’ve been down that road before, and they never return our calls,” he said. Nevertheless, further attempts were made Tuesday evening.

UPDATE

The calls to all provided numbers for reaching Muslims of America leadership or representatives with their public relations office resulted in recordings of all lines being disconnected, Mawyer said.

“They are all dead ends,” he said. “None of the numbers are working.”

He and Campbell discussed options, and the crew decided to extend their stay to a third day in order to make a demonstration visit to the town of Commerce Georgia, specifically to a location where numerous MOA members work.

Conversations with Commerce Police Chief John W. Gaissert revealed a town ordinance stood in the way of any more than a single lone person taking part in the demonstration without a prior notification.

Campbell made the lone stand in commerce Wednesday, showing the documentary footage that included clips from Sheikh Gilani’s Soldiers of Allah video.

Christian Action Network videographer John Eagle did film the area at a distance, and a group of shoppers who agreed before hand made visited inside the shop.

MOA members in the shop refused to view the footage, and they were immediately on the phone to police to seek orders for Campbell and his TV, video equipment to leave.

A shopper asked several of the Muslim men who Sheikh Gilani was, mentioned in Christian Action Network literature given out at the scene.

“We are not authorized to answer that question, you can visit the Muslims of America website, www.MOA.com to read and learn about him,” one of the men replied.

The Muslims at the shop, a pottery outlet and lesson studio, expressed exasperation at the visit, and they expressed their contention that they felt Christian Action Network is extremist.

“They are a Christian extremist group,” one Muslim man said.

Rebuffed again, the crew left Georgia, South Carolina and the region, intent on making contact with MOA representatives and members for their comment on Gilani’s teachings about the forming of MOA in order to develop a guerilla army he calls “Soldiers of Allah.”

CAN is finishing up field footage for the documentary project: “Homegrown Jihad, the Terrorist Camps Around Us.”

The effort to obtain responses from Muslims of America members on the Soldiers of Allah video reflects concern that opportunity for their point of view be included in the documentary.

“We have completed the research, now it’s time to go out and get their responses to this, see what they have to say,” Campbell said at the outset of the visitation project.

Christian Astion Network intends to make additional efforts at making contact with Muslims of America leaders, including new attempts at making contact through their public relations office once they have contact numbers that are not disconnected.