Tag Archive for: Sami al-Arian

Indiana University ‘Distinguished Panelist’ is Deported Palestinian Islamic Jihad Top Dog

Deported Palestinian Islamic Jihad “Master Manipulator” Among Indiana University’s ‘Distinguished’ Panelists

by Steven Emerson, IPT News, December 20, 2022:

Every so often, Sami Al-Arian emerges to opine on some domestic issue, reminding us of two things: He’s an inveterate liar who continues to whitewash his years of service to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). And a disappointing number of American academics are willing to ignore that record and treat him as a credible voice.

Al-Arian joined academics and attorneys last Wednesday for a webinar on “Global War on Terrorism and its Impact on Muslim Charitable Institutions.” It was sponsored by the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) in collaboration with Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law and its Muslim Philanthropy Initiative.

MLFA’s willingness to elevate Al-Arian at least is consistent. It helped fund his defense on terrorism related charges and criminal contempt. But why did two Indiana University branches see merit in lending their school’s prestige to a man recorded exhorting an audience with “Jihad is our path … Victory to Islam … Death to Israel”?

He meant it literally, telling his own 2020 academic meeting that the Muslim world “cannot realize its full potential without defeating and dismantling the Zionist project.”

No one on the MLFA/IU panel mentioned Al-Arian’s documented role on the PIJ shura council, or governing board, or the many times he publicly lied by denying any connection to the terrorist group.

Moderator Cindy M. Lott, director of Indiana University’s PhD. program in Philanthropic Leadership, described Al-Arian as “extraordinarily well known. He is the director of the Center for Islamic Global Affairs and Public Affairs Professor at Istanbul Zaim University in Turkey. He has numerous publications in many interrelated fields including education, research, religion, interfaith and he is coming at us today specifically around the areas of civil rights and human rights.”

But Lott was selectively dishonest in how she represented Al-Arian.

After pleading guilty in 2006 to conspiring to provide benefits to the PIJ, presiding federal Judge James S. Moody called Al-Arian “a master manipulator. You looked your neighbors in the eyes and said you had nothing to do with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. This trial exposed that as a lie. Your back-up claim is that your efforts were only to provide charities for widows and orphans. That, too, is a lie. The evidence was clear in this case that you were a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. You were on the board of directors and an officer, the secretary. Directors control the actions of an organization, even the PIJ; and you were an active leader.”

During Wednesday’s webinar, University of Wisconsin law professor Mark Sidel offered a different description of his colleagues, including Al-Arian. He thanked the organizers for including him on “this extraordinarily distinguished, other than me, group of participants and speakers.”

Academics Against Research

Al-Arian did run a charity. The Islamic Concern Project, also known as the Islamic Committee for Palestine (ICP), was incorporated in 1988 to pursue “the concept of brotherhood, freedom, justice, unity, piety, righteousness and peace” through “charitable, cultural, social, educational and religious” programs, records show.

But in private fundraisers, the ICP served a different mission.

“It is the active arm of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine,” Cleveland Imam Fawaz Damra said while introducing Al-Arian during a videotaped 1991 fundraiser. “We preferred to call it the ‘Islamic Committee for Palestine’ for security reasons.”

At the same event, Al-Arian urged his audience to give money to support the jihad.

“We want today’s Muslims to answer the call of God and to go to jihad,” he said. “… So whoever does not spend for the cause of God, will spend himself on the path to destruction and fire, God forbid! We ask God, praise and glory be to Him, to strengthen us with the truth, put the truth in our hearts and on our tongues, to bestow faith upon us, to bestow steadfastness upon us, to bestow jihad upon us, to bestow knowledge upon us, and to bestow unity upon us so that we will be united. So that we will confront our enemies united.”

At another event, Al-Arian asked, “Have we forgotten the Jews and who they are?” God “made [them] into monkeys and pigs … had cursed in this world and in the hereafter, and had imposed a punishment on them in this world until Judgment Day.”

The MLFA/IU panel, like virtually every group to host Al-Arian, did not find any of this pro-terrorism/antisemitic speech relevant in deciding whether to invite him. Nobody thought to ask how he can reconcile the two diametrically opposing images of his work. Rather, they let him spin more yarns of his own victimization….

AUTHOR

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Tampa’s Al Qassam Mosque on Muslim who stabbed Jews: ‘May Allah shower him with mercy’

Read what the email the Al Qassam Mosque sent honoring a Palestinian terrorist killed by Israeli forces committing a stabbing attack on Jews in Jerusalem. See corroborating story below with pictures.

This is a great example of the duality of Islam. We have the Imam of the al-Qassam Mosque denouncing terrorism pubicly. Yet when these same Muslims think no one is looking they honor those who are committing the violence in terrorism “May Allah shower him with mercy” the Tampa Mosque leaders write below.

Hassan Shibly of CAIR is connected to this Mosque who hosted the North American Imam Federation.

Connect the dots and you have a wide net of Muslim Americans who support those who honor Palestinian Jihadis murdering Jews in Israel.

EMAIL FROM AL QASSAM MOSQUE TO ITS MEMBERS:

From:
Date: Wed, Dec 23, 2015 at 1:18 PM
Subject: [Tampa-Muslims**مسلمي-تامبا] Azaa Tonight at ICT Masjid Al-Qassam 8pm
To:
image1.jpeg

استشهد الأخ عنان محمدابو حبسة
العزاء الليلة بعد الساعة
الثامنة مساءً في مسجد القسام لمدة يوم واحد فقط والشهيد قريب الإخوة فرج ابو ناصر وعماد ونضال وزياد عبد المحسن زغلول
نسأل الله أن يتغمده بواسع رحمته وعظيم مغفرته وأن يلهم ذويه جميل الصبر وحسن العزاء
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون ولا حول ولا قوة الا بالله العلي العظيم

Br. Anan Mohammad Abu Habsa was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces in Palestine.
Azza at ICT Masjid Al-Qassam tonight after 8pm for one night
He is the cousin of BRS. Faraj, Emad, Nidal and Ziad Hasan
May Allah shower him with His mercy~ Ameen.
May Allah grant patience to his family during these difficult times.
ICT Masjid Al-Qassam 5910 E. 130th Ave Tampa, FL 33617

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Two Palestinians And Two Israelis Killed In Jerusalem
Wednesday December 23, 2015 20:53 by IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli sources have reported, Wednesday, that the police killed two Palestinians after carrying out a stabbing attack in Jerusalem, and that one Israeli died of stab wounds, and the other was accidentally shot and killed by the Police.

assafhabsa.jpg

The incident took place in Bab al-‘Amoud area; the Israeli police said policewomen opened fire on the Palestinians, accidentally wounding an Israeli, who died of his wounds.

Palestinian sources later said the two slain Palestinians have been identified as Issa Assaf, 21, and Anan Abu Habsa, 20, from the Qalandia refugee camp. Both are former detainees who were held by Israel.

The Israel army and police closed the entire area, including the Old City, while dozens of additional officers and soldiers were deployed.

Israeli daily Haaretz has reported that the man who was accidentally killed by the police has been identified as Ofer Ben-Ari, 46, the second was identified as Mordechai Birmacher.

Below is my November 17, 2015 column exposing the terrorist ties of the Al Qassam Mosque.

Tampa, Florida Terrorist Supporting Al Qassam Mosque

Muslim terrorist Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery was invited to speak on November 11 and 13, 2015 at the Al-Qassam Mosque – Islamic Community of Tampa (ICT), 5910 E. 130th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33617, 813-985-9433.

Dr. Dardery is the foreign relations committee spokesman for the Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC).  The ERC according to their website exists to overthrow the current Egyptian government and replace it with Egypt’s past president Mohammad Morsi, a self declared Muslim Brotherhood leader.

Dr. Dardery is an exiled Muslim Brotherhood Shura Council member and Egyptian Parliamentarian with a history of open support for Hamas, a US designated foreign terrorist organization.

Dr. Dardery is a ‘terrorist’ because the ERC is an arm of The Muslim Brotherhood which was designated a terrorist organization by Egypt, Bahrain, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

Al Qassam Mosque Born Out of Hate And Intolerance

The infamous convicted Florida terrorist Dr. Sami Al-Arian in his Hamas funding trial USA v. Al-Arian,03-CR-77, “Exhibit A” said the ICT-Al Qassam Mosque was named after Izzedin al-Qassam.  Izzedin al-Qassam was so loved by Muslim terrorists he was the inspiration for the Islamic Jihad movement, says Palestinian scholar Ziad Abu Amr.

The ICT-Al  Qassam Mosque was incorporated by convicted terrorist Sami Al-Arian in 1992.  Federal investigators say that, at the time, Al-Arian was the North American leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

In this video clip Sami Al-Arian openly says,”…Jihad is our path, victory to Islam, Death to Israel…”

Sami Al-Arian doubled down on his hate speech calling Jews “monkeys and pigs” and warned against recent peace efforts aimed at ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, at a 1991 Islamic Committee for Palestine Conference in Chicago, IL, Steve Emerson reports.

To date no member of the Al-Qassam Mosque has publicly condemned Sami Al-Arian for his hate filled rhetoric and funding of Islamic terrorism.

The bigotry and hate Sami Al-Arian founded the ICT Al-Qassam Mosque on years ago, was reaffirmed with the invitation of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery.

The current owners of the ICT Al Qassam Mosque, according to Hillsborough County records, is the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT).   NAIT’s terrorist ties to the Muslim Brotherhood were exposed during the largest terrorist funding trial in American history, United States v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, et al. Richardson, Tx.

NAIT holds title to approximately 70% of the Mosques in the United States.  Including Imam Mohammad Musri’s notorious Islamic Society of Central Florida Mosque in Orlando, FL. In June of 2009, Mohammad Musri’s Mosque was caught on film hosting a Hamas fundraiser.

Conclusion

The next time you hear about Hamas firing their Qassam rockets at Israeli civilians imagine the pride emanating from the Islamic Community of Tampa Al Qassam Mosque.

If the Muslims of Tampa were not proud of the all the dark, bigoted, and hate filled associations the word Al Qassam generates, why would they name their most revered place of worship the Al Qassam Mosque?

I propose the current Al Qassam Mosque leadership take sensitivity training classes because they have no idea how offensive everything associated with the Al Qassam Mosque founding and terrorist sympathies are to America’s freedom, liberty, and Representative Republic.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on FamilySecurityMatters.com.  Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Sam’s Club donates $2,500 to Tampa, FL mosque named after military wing of Hamas

The Florida Family Association in an email alert states, “Sam’s Club donates $2,500 to a mosque that was named after the military wing of Hamas, directed by a man [Sami Al-Arian] who pleaded guilty to raising support for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), has been a member of ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] and hosted CAIR propaganda events.”

According to FFA, “A Florida Family Association supporter happened to look up at the wall behind the checkout line at the Sam’s Club located at 2021 Brandon Boulevard in Brandon, Florida.  He saw a large photograph of a check made out from Sam’s Club in the amount of $2,500 payable to the Islamic Community of Tampa located in the top left prominent position on the wall.  Florida Family Association snapped a cellphone photograph.”

check to tampa mosque from sams club

For a larger view click on the image.

Photographs indicated that no other non-profit organization received more than $500.

sami_al_arian_0317

Sami Al-Arian, self-confessed funder of terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Did Sam’s Club and parent company Wal-Mart know the following when it gave this store’s largest non-profit donation to the Islamic Community of Tampa?

  • The Islamic Community of Tampa is also known as the Al-Qassam mosque.    The Military Wing of the Palestinian Hamas is called the Al-Qassam Brigade. InvestigativeProject.org reports“The mosque, according to Sami Al-Arian, was named after Izzedin al-Qassam.   Al-Qassam, a Syrian killed fighting the British mandate in 1935, ‘is the main source of inspiration for the Islamic Jihad movement’ Palestinian scholar Ziad Abu Amr wrote in his book, Islamic Fundamentalism in the West Bank and Gaza. ‘The Islamic Jihad’s supporters have elevated him almost to a saintly status.’” 
  • The Hamas rockets fired at Israel are named Qassam rockets.
  • Sami Al-Arian was indicted in February 2003 on 17 counts under the Patriot Act for allegedly being the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).   In 2006, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to make or receive contributions of funds, goods or services for the benefit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
  • Sami Al-Arian refused to testify before a Federal Grand Jury regarding other Jihad activities. U.S. District Judge James Moody ruled that Al-Arian must testify. A Virginia District Court held that Sami Al-Arian had no legal basis to refuse to testify. The court held him in civil contempt, and imprisoned him on November 16, 2006.  Sami Al-Arian was released from prison on June 27, 2014 after the United States Department of Justice dropped charges.
  • Sami Al-Arian served as the Chairman of the Islamic Community of Tampa.
  • The Islamic Community of Tampa has been a member of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and derived their tax exempt status from ISNA.  Sami Al-Arian’s letter written on Islamic Community of Tampa – Masjid al-Qassam stationery stated “We are an affiliated member of the Islamic Society of North America(ISNA) and derive our tax exempt status under 501 C 3 of the IRS code through them.”  Click here for report regarding concerns about ISNA.
  • The Islamic Community of Tampa hosted a propaganda event for the Council on America Islamic Relations (CAIR Florida) in February 2012.  Click here for a report regarding concerns about CAIR.
  • More information regarding Sami Al-Arian and the Islamic Community of Tampa mosque can be read at FamilySecurityMatters.org and at InvestigativeProject.org

Florida Family Association prepared an email to send that voices concern to Sam’s Club officials and parent company Wal-Mart officials regarding Sam’s Club financial support for the Islamic Community of Tampa. If you wish to send your email, please click the below link, enter your name and email address then click the “Send Your Message” button. You may also edit the subject or message text if you wish.

Click here to send your email to communicate concerns to Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart officials.   

Contempt Case against University of South Florida Jihadist Professor Sami Al-Arian Dropped, Clearing way for Deportation

After years of denial, Sami Al-Arian pleaded guilty to a charge of “conspiracy to make or receive contributions of funds to or for the benefit of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Specially Designated Terrorist” organization. He agreed to accept deportation. In his 2002 defense of Al-Arian, Eric Boehlert wrote: “The al-Arian story reveals what happens when journalists, abandoning their role as unbiased observers, lead an ignorant, alarmist crusade against suspicious foreigners who in a time of war don’t have the power of the press or public sympathy to fight back.” Reality is just the opposite. The al-Arian story reveals what happens when Leftist journalists and academics, abandoning any pretense to being unbiased observers, lead an ignorant, alarmist crusade against patriotic Americans who in a time of war try to defend our country from those whose politics make them the darlings of the Leftist media and academic establishment.

Even all these years later, Josh Gerstein of Politico indulges in some of the same relentlessly biased reporting: “After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Al-Arian was involved in a highly-publicized, confrontational interview with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, who accused the professor of making anti-Israel statements and again raised questions about his think tank’s alleged ties to terror. Al-Arian received death threats after the on-air exchange and was suspended from the university.” This portrays al-Arian — even so many years after he pleaded guilty to being part of Palestinian Islamic Jihad — as the victim: the poor lamb received death threats (although Gerstein has never deigned to notice the huge numbers of death threats that counter-jihadists receive). And Gerstein says that O’Reilly accused al-Arian of making anti-Israel statements while declining to inform his hapless readers that al-Arian is on tape shrieking, “Death to America, death to Israel, jihad, jihad, jihad!”

“Feds drop Sami Al-Arian prosecution,” by Josh Gerstein, Politico, June 27, 2014:

The Justice Department has dropped a long-stalled second criminal prosecution of a former college professor who pleaded guilty to aiding a terrorist group following a high-profile trial in Florida that ended with a muddled verdict almost a decade ago.

Federal prosecutors in Alexandria, Va., filed a motion Friday seeking to dismiss a criminal contempt indictment brought in 2008 against former University of South Florida mechanical engineering professor Sami Al-Arian, who was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents.

In the new filing, prosecutors said they decided to give up on the contempt case after delays precipitated by U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema sitting for years on a critical motion in the case without ruling one way or another.

In light of the passage of time without resolution, the United States has decided that the best available course of action is to move to dismiss the indictment so that action can be taken to remove the defendant from the United States,” prosecutor Gordon Kromberg wrote.

In a statement released through Al-Arian’s attorney, the 56-year-old former professor’s family hailed the dismissal of the charges.

“We are glad that the government has finally decided to drop the charges against Sami Al-Arian. It has been a long and difficult 11 years for our family in what has ultimately been shown to be a political case. We are relieved that this ordeal finally appears to be at an end,” the family members said. “We hope that today’s events bring to a conclusion the government’s pursuit of Dr. Al-Arian and that he can finally be able to resume his life with his family in freedom.”

During the 1990s, Al-Arian came under suspicion in Florida over possible ties between a think tank he headed and figures in Palestinian Islamic Jihad. In a response to a Tampa Tribune series examining the issue, he denied any connection. After Jewish groups pressed for his removal at USF, professors’ groups complained that his academic freedom was being infringed.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Al-Arian was involved in a highly-publicized, confrontational interview with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, who accused the professor of making anti-Israel statements and again raised questions about his think tank’s alleged ties to terror. Al-Arian received death threats after the on-air exchange and was suspended from the university.

In 2003, Al-Arian was indicted in Tampa on a wide array of charges, including racketeering, material support for terrorism and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors accused him of being the American head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and said they had been able to bring the case only because legal changes in the Patriot Act allowed them to share intelligence information with criminal investigators.

His trial (and that of three co-defendants) was repeatedly delayed. It took place over a six-month period in 2005 and ended in acquittals on eight counts and a hung jury on nine other counts.

After prosecutors threatened a re-trial, the former professor pleaded guilty to one felony count of aiding a designated terrorist group and was sentenced to 57 months in prison. He had already served most of that time in custody awaiting trial and thereafter. The plea deal also called for him to be deported from the U.S.

However, before Al-Arian was deported, federal prosecutors in Alexandria, Va., served him with a subpoena calling him before a grand jury to testify about Muslim groups in Virginia and their alleged ties to terrorism. Al-Arian said the subpoena was at odds with his plea deal in the Florida case, but prosecutors and the courts did not agree. He spent most of 2007 in jail on a civil contempt citation.

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