By his own account, Imam Feisal Rauf’s association with Madeline Albright extends well beyond their membership in the Leadership Group for the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project.

Rauf, who is the founder and onetime chairman of the controversial Ground Zero Mosque development project, is also the author of What’s Right with Islam Is What’s Right with America. 

Apparently, if the devout man-of-the-cloth is to be believed, ‘what’s right with Islam’ is also “right” with Madeline Albright.     

Following a radio interview in 2006, Rauf boasted of his special relationship with the former Secretary of State with the show’s host in an informal conversation that was recorded, but not broadcast. A recording was recently obtained and posted with a transcript by the intrepid conservative blogger and human lightening rod, Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs.

In the lengthy “off the record” discussion, Imam Rauf offers American football as an analogy to explain, as he puts it, a “six moves down the line” global strategy. It is a strategy, the cleric explains, where even major world leaders are brought in, as necessary, for what he calls “plays”.

[W]e’ve created a different concept—a different model, Mark. I’m the head coach of this strategic initiative, and the President of the United States, or the President of Malaysia, or the President of England, is like a player you want to bring in for particular plays.[…]

In the course of this candid conversation, Imam Rauf lauds 9-11 as having been profoundly helpful in advancing Islamic outreach efforts in the United States.  That’s right. Apparently, untroubled by the massive loss of life, Rauf boasts that this horrifying terrorist attack on the city of Manhattan served as a “major catalytic force in” advancing Islam in the United States,.

“9/11 was a watershed, was a major milestone, and a major catalytic force in-in catalyzing the attention towards the issue of Islam, it’s presence in the West and it brought into much greater prominence our work and the importance of our work.

Initially after 9/11, you know like many Muslims, we were invited to speak at countless temples, houses of worship, synagogues, churches as well as institutions, academic, even companies who were interesting in learning about it “

He also explains the difficulties that arise with the American notion of ‘separation of church and state’— the adherence to which, he frets, leads unnecessarily to precluding a brokering role for Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even Iran in the Arab-Israeli conflict, which, he says, is an unfortunate consequence of ignoring the role “religion” should play “in helping us shape our foreign policy.”

A key objective or “play” in this Albright endorsed, Islamic-based, global initiative he explains –after first “healing the divide” in “the area of foreign policy” – is, yes, giving up Israel. 

Here’s more

I didn’t want to say it on your show but, you know with for example Madeleine Albright’s book when she approached me last fall and she said I’d like you to review the Islam section for any corrections and we did that and she invited me to write a blurb for her book and she is now pushing these ideas in many places, she is in constant communication with me, or continual communication with me about certain things, we have been in touch with her, with Karen Hughes, and the issue of Hamas, and how America should really engage with them […]

9/11 was a watershed, was a major milestone, and a major catalytic force in-in catalyzing the attention towards the issue of Islam, it’s presence in the West and it brought into much greater prominence our work and the importance of our work.

Initially after 9/11, you know like many Muslims, we were invited to speak at countless temples, houses of worship, synagogues, churches as well as institutions, academic, even companies who were interesting in learning about it […]

So we have foreign policy, is one area. You have communications is another area. You have education as the third area, for example. You have intra-Islamic issues is the fourth area. Arts and culture is the fifth area […]

So if we have strategic action plays, designed plays, in the area of foreign policy, in the area of healing the divide, and then you unpack, and give up Israel.

And then what do you do? What are the specific actions that you might do? Because things are always moving, things are always happening, so you have to analyze the situation constantly, and you have to have your—just like you have your offense coach—defensive coaching staff, and you have your head coach and so forth.

We think of ourselves as an analogy of that. We had to have our head coaching staff. We had to have our foreign policy head coach, our Palestinian head coach etcetera. And then you design plays for that. […]

[W]e’ve created a different concept—a different model, Mark. I’m the head coach of this strategic initiative, and the President of the United States, or the President of Malaysia, or the President of England, is like a player you want to bring in for particular plays.[…]

For example, in the area of foreign policy, as the result of our work and explaining our ideas and thoughts to, in certain circles, for example, I was at an Aspen institute discussion a couple of summers ago, in whichI pointed out the fact that U.S., our understanding of church state separation which results in our refusing to either factor or think about religion on our radar screen, results in an insufficiency in terms of developing coherency of our policy visa vie countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, being a broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if we do not factor the role of religion, understand it’s importance, in helping us shape our foreign policy.

Now, Madeleine Albright was there, and as a result of that she took many of these ideas to heart, and it was a fact in (participating) in her latest book, The Mighty the Almighty, in which she recognizes the fact that the U.S. foreign policy—by ignoring the role of religion—was a mistake.” [additional punctuation added]