The Los Angeles City Council is going to name an intersection in South Los Angeles after the imam of a Saudi-funded mosque: Intersection To Be Named After Islamic Minister. (Hat tip: Ciaospirit.)

What has Imam Abdul Karim Hasan done to deserve this honor? The article doesn’t mention one positive achievement, except the vague assertion that he has been “working on behalf of humanity as a member of the Muslim community.”

(CBS) LOS ANGELES - A South Los Angeles intersection will be named for a prominent local Islamic minister under a plan approved Wednesday by the City Council.

The intersection of 41st Street and Central Avenue will be designated as Imam Abdul Karim Hasan Square for the Muslim clergyman who has worked at the Bilal Islamic Center for 35 years.

“Imam Abdul Karim Hasan is a distinguished clergy leader who has also provided leadership to the community and has been a leader in the Ninth District for over 35 years at Bilal Islamic Center,” Councilwoman Jan Perry said in a motion introduced in August calling for the intersection name change.

“In addition to his community service and leadership efforts, he has also been working on behalf of humanity for over 50 years as a member of the Muslim community,” she said.

What else are they not telling you about Imam Abdul Karim Hasan?

One of the graduates of the Islamic training at his mosque was Sgt. Hasan Akbar, sentenced to death for the mass murder of fellow soldiers at the start of the Iraq War. And the imam lied about Saudi funding for the Bilal Islamic Center, in 2003: Saudi Money Everywhere Akbar Was.

Attending the mosque across the street from his place, Asan Akbar spent a lot of time during his formative years at the Bilal Islamic Center, according to the center’s Imam, Abdul Karim Hasan.  When asked about any possible Saudi connection to his mosque, Hasan—perhaps understandably defensive in the anti-Saudi climate—is quick to say that he does not take money from the “Saudi government,” though he conceded that he receives funds from Saudi “individuals.”  That’s not entirely true, however.

According to the web site of the Islamic Development Bank—a multibillion dollar investment outfit run by many Arab governments, but based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia—Bilal Islamic Center recently received a $295,000 grant from ISD to build a new school.  Considering the stated purpose of ISD—to advance Muslim communities in accordance with “Shari’ah” (Islamic law of the kind found in Saudi Arabia)—one wonders what the Center’s new school will be teaching.  But it’s not just the money that raises questions.  Bilal Islamic Center “works closely” with King Fahd Mosque in Culver City (roughly 30 minutes from South Central LA), according to a source at the latter mosque—which is not just named after King Fahd, but also funded by him.  And based on the annual statement released by the House of Saud on its efforts to spread Islam throughout the world, Bilal Islamic Center is also funded by the kingdom (under the name “Bilal Mosque of Los Angeles”), although the exact amount is not specified.

Since this was written in 2003, we’ve also learned that two of the 9/11 hijackers spent time at the King Fahd Mosque.

Maybe the LA City Council should name some intersections after them.

UPDATE at 9/30/06 6:55:20 pm:

This is the same Los Angeles government that recently spent millions to remove every last vestige of Christianity from the LA County seal, regardless of historical relevance: ACLU: A Crusade Against Christianity.