Candice Lanier – Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based international cable network, will open 12 new bureaus in various locations across the U.S.  The goal of the news outlet’s aggressive expansion is to become a household name in America.

The launch of the new bureaus will begin in the summer. In addition to expansion in New York City, bureaus will open in Nashville, Denver, New Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Seattle, Detroit and Washington, D.C.

Dawud Walid, executive director of Hamas-Linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said he believes Al Jazeera America in Detroit is a positive development for the local Muslim community. “I believe Al Jazeera coming here to the heart of Muslim America can play a productive role in showing a clearer image of who we are as Muslims.”

Al Jazeera has 70 divisions around the world and has been criticized for being a propaganda tool. The network is partially backed by a grant from the Qatari government–which is a contributor to Hamas, in Gaza. The owner of Aljazeera, the emir of Qatar, has donated 400 million dollars to Hamas, a State Department designated terrorist group.

During an October 2012 visit by Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to the southern Gaza strip, the emir agreed to an investment of $400 million to rebuild the Gaza Strip which sustained damage during Operation: Cast Lead, between Israel and Gaza terrorist groups in 2008.

“The emir agreed to increase Qatari investment from $254 million to $400 million,” Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya announced during a press conference. “Today we demolish the wall of the blockade through this visit, thank you Qatar,” he added.

James Simpson, in a RedState article, provides examples of Al Jazeera’s anti-American propaganda and terrorist connections. A few highlights:

• Film footage of captured terrorists in Iraq demonstrates intent; they arrived to kill Americans because of Al Jazeera.

• NBC’s Lisa Myers, in an article, wrote: “Why do they go? Saudis captured in Iraq say it’s because of pictures on Arab television network Al-Jazeera.  We saw the Americans massacring the Iraqis,” said one Saudi prisoner in Iraq…”

• According to CNN, a document found in bin Laden’s compound following his death referred to a meeting with the Al Jazeera bureau chief in Pakistan.
• 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was protected by the government of Qatar, which funds Al Jazeera.

Cliff Kincaid, president of America’s Survival, Inc. and director of the Accuracy in Media (AIM) Center for Investigative Journalism, refers to Al-Jazeera as an “enemy propaganda network that has served as a mouthpiece for terrorist groups.” Those terrorist groups would include Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Kincaid told The Clarion Project’s Ryan Mauro, in an interview, that, “at a time when Americans are increasingly concerned about gun violence and the murder of innocents, Al Jazeera wants access to tens of millions of American homes to promote its own brand of anti-American violence and terrorism. For the sake of our loved ones, we have to say no.”  Kincaid went on to explain that Al Jazeera could inspire jihadism in America in the same way it has incited anti-American terrorism abroad.

Lebanon’s Al Manar TV has already been banned from the U.S. because it was found to be part of Hezbollah. So, in the same way, a hearing should have been held to determine if Al Jazeera should be banned due to its obvious ties to terrorism. Keep in mind, Al-Jazeera was the voice piece of Osama bin Laden.  And, though we are not at war with Qatar, we are at war with the jihadists being supported by Qatar.

What needs to be investigated is why Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in the U.S. aren’t treated by cable and satellite providers as foreign propaganda under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Also in question is why public television stations are turning their broadcast time over to Al Jazeera and other foreign channels, in violation of Federal Communications Commission rules. Additionally, the deal bringing Al Jazeera into the U.S. was not reported to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) of the Treasury Department, which is a violation of the law.

In as much as these are significant concerns, it did not persuade Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), to call for investigation of Al Jazeera. Citing the First Amendment, Scalise said that Al Jazeera has the right to expand its broadcasts in the United States and that there are no grounds for a congressional investigation of Al Gore’s deal with Al Jazeera.

In the U.S., it is against the law to provide material support to terrorists, with “material support” defined as including expert advice or assistance and communications equipment. Consider the fact that during World War II, Tokyo Rose along with Axis Sally broadcast anti-American diatribes from overseas but were apprehended by U.S. authorities after the war, charged with treason and sent to prison. Similarly, the U.S. is officially still at war with global terrorism, but Al Gore provided supporter of terrorism, Al Jazeera, an opportunity to continue its campaign of anti-American, pro-jihadists propaganda on American soil.

Last December, Al Jazeera ran a story about the “gentle” al Qaeda terrorists in Mali who kidnapped and killed three Americans. With statements like this having been and the news organization’s ties to terrorism, there is good reason for concern regarding Al Jazeera’s potential for inciting home grown terrorism.