Anti-Defamation League, "Hamas, Islamic Jihad and The Muslim Brotherhood: Islamic Extremists and the Terrorist Threat to America," 1993, ADL New York TABLE OF CONTENTS Holy War: Now or Later? . Refuge in Mosques Support From Abroad: Money No Object Haven in the Land of the Free "Positive Works" in America "Our Battle Is With the Jewish Enemy Today" Support for HAMAS' Jailed Leader Brother Nosair: Victim of an International Political Conspiracy "Ramadan is the Month of Sacrifice" Advocating Violence: "The Intifada Must Be Rejuvenated" Preaching Holy War From Brooklyn The "Brooklyn Jihad Office" Afterword: Terror at the Twin Towers Conclusion Appendix of Organizations INTRODUCTlON 'Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.' The Martyr Imam Hasan al-Bana, of blessed memory." [1] Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS "Kill so many Jews that they will eventually abandon Palestine."[2] Ibrahim Sarbal, Leader of Islamic Jihad Movement in. Palestine - Al-Aqsa Brigades "Six million descendants of monkeys [i.e., Jews] [3] now rule in all the nations of the world, but their day, too, will come. Allah! Kill them all, do not leave even one!" [4] Imam Sheik Ahmad Ibrahim, HAMAS leader, in a sermon at the Palestine Mosque in Gaza. Throughout the Middle East, from North Africa to Iran, extremist voices are being raised in the name of Islam, demanding political power and the destruction of Israel. Inside of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, the echoes of this phenomenon have produced two movements, HAMAS and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, both of which seek to undermine the Jewish State from within. HAMAS, the Arabic acronym of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine, officially came into being in August of 1988. Founded as an alternative to the secular Palestine Liberation Organization, HAMAS offers its activists the total rejection of Israel together with absolute salvation. The acronym HAMAS, taken from the Arabic Harakat al- Muqawama al-lslamiya - Islamic Resistance Movement, literally denotes "zeal" or "enthusiasm." The HAMAS Covenant, however, interprets its name to mean "strength and bravery." HAMAS is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, which was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Sheik Hasan al-Bana; and subsequently spread throughout the Arab world. The Brotherhood shares with HAMAS a complete rejection of Western values and Communism and calls for the establishment of a pan-Islamic state founded on the basis of shari'a, or Islamic law. To attain this objective, the Brotherhood promoted the concept of an ideal Muslim state to be ruled by a Caliph, the title bestowed upon the successors of the Prophet Muhammad at the beginning of the Islamic empire. The two movements similarly share the view that Israel is the theological archenemy of Islam; and, in this capacity, Israel acts as the agent of the West in the region. Throughout its history, the Muslim Brotherhood has been supportive of the Palestinian cause. During the anti-Jewish riots in British Mandatory Palestine of 1936 and 1939 the Brotherhood supported Haj Amin al-Husseini,[5] the Mufti of Jerusalem and leader of the Arab Higher Committee. Brotherhood members were sent from Egypt to participate as fighters together with the Palestinian Arabs, an effort that was repeated during the 1948 war.[6] Volunteers from both the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood movement and its newly formed counterpart among Palestinian Arabs fought to prevent the establishment of the State of Israel. Holy War: Now or Later? As the precursor of the HAMAS movement, the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza promoted the long-term strategy of creating the foundations of a Muslim state that would eventually become powerful enough to destroy Israel. According to the doctrines of the Brotherhood, part of the process in bringing about the ideal pan-Islamic state includes the spiritual phenomenon of an "Islamic reawakening" throughout the entire Muslim world. Only subsequent to the "Islamic reawakening" and the re- establishment of Islamic political power as the Caliphate could the destruction of the Jewish state begin as a divinely-sanctioned war between Islamic forces and those of Israel. In other words, holy war later. Taking this position one step further, HAMAS' spiritual leader Sheik Ahmad Yasin formulated the concept that 'Palestine' should become the central battlefield for the creation of a nationalist Islamic state. In other words, holy war now. For HAMAS, the question of Israel's eventual eradication is central and absolute. HAMAS differs in view from the Muslim Brotherhood in asserting that the establishment of an Islamic state in 'Palestine' will serve as the tool for achieving their ultimate goal of creating a pan-Islamic state across the Middle East. HAMAS' redeveloped outlook came about shortly before the Palestinian uprising in 1987 and the parallel development in Gaza of a third organization, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (IJMP). Inspired by the Islamic revolution that swept Iran in 1979, the Islamic Jihad challenged the Brotherhood by staging spectacular attacks on Israeli soldiers. Following the doctrine that Islamic land must be ruled only by Muslim 'believers', the IJMP's war on Israel differs from that of HAMAS only in its immediate goal-that a pan-Islamic empire must be created throughout the Middle East with its foundations on the ruins of Israel. It perceives itself as the vanguard of an internationalist- oriented movement of 'believers' who have taken upon themselves the responsibility of repulsing Western influence from the Islamic world. The evil of Western influence is personified by the United States, which Ayatollah Khomayni termed "the Great Satan." Consequently Israel, as the agent of the U.S. in the region, is termed "the Little Satan." From this perspective, the Islamic Jihad sees itself as fighting a worldwide war against the West, following in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad. The IJMP regards itself as one part of the larger Iran-sponsored Islamic Jihad movement, which is most well known for its abduction of American and other Western hostages in Lebanon. To compete with what was perceived as the more activist approach of the Islamic Jihad, Sheik Ahmad Yasin, then a Muslim Brotherhood leader, adjusted his own doctrine, leading to the formation of HAMAS. In 1987 he nationalized the war of the IJMP, and spoke of an Islamic Palestinian state as a stage towards his movement's final goal. Rather than insisting on the establishment of a pan- Islamic state as the prerequisite for waging holy war on Israel, Yasin changed the strategy of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza to that of "partial" holy war.' In this manner, Muslim Brotherhood and HAMAS activists could participate in the Palestinian uprising while at the same time remaining faithful to their notion of a cataclysmic holy war that would eventually be waged by their Caliphate. HAMAS joined Islamic Jihad in deciding that the time for its jihad is now. Refuge in Mosques With funds provided by Saudi Arabia,[8] the Brotherhood has created centers for the propagation of its doctrine by providing for the communal needs of Palestinian Muslims in Gaza. Adhering to the doctrine of providing for the social needs of fellow Muslims, over the past 65 years the Muslim Brotherhood created a network of social, charitable and educational institutions linked to the local mosques, which came to be known as al-Mujamma' al-Islami, or the Islamic Congress.[9] As the leader of the Islamic Congress, Sheik Ahmad Yasin oversaw its transformation into HAMAS. The establishment of HAMAS by Sheik Yassin altered the structure of the organization and paved the way for HAMAS to become an effective competitor with the PLO. Presently HAMAS consists of two wings: an underground terrorist organization that uses the name "Izz al-Din al-Qassam Battalions" and its older support structure that continues to revolve around the mosques, charitable organizations and schools. In an effort to curb a wave of terrorist attacks against Israelis that took place in late 1992, the Rabin government deported 413 Islamic extremists. Three hundred of them comprised the command structure of HAMAS in the West Bank and Gaza. The remainder consisted of members of the organization's support structure within the mosques, as well as members of the Islamic Jihad.[10] Those who were responsible for HAMAS' support structure filled the roles of propagandists, spokesmen, treasurers and suppliers of refuge for the organization's covert activists." In effect, the violent activists of HAMAS took advantage of the mosques' status as inviolate houses of worship to plan their unholy acts of terror. Support From Abroad: Money No Object Over the past year, HAMAS and the PLO factions opposed to the peace process have formed the "Front of Ten" for the purpose of coordinating their efforts.[12] The organizations comprising the Front include: the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, Palestinian National Liberation Movement - Fatah (Abu Musa faction), the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Al-Saiqa Forces, the Popular Front for the Liberation for Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Revolutionary Palestinian Communist Party, the Palestine Popular Struggle Front, the Palestine Liberation Front, and HAMAS.'; In June of 1992, the United States warned Saudi Arabia via diplomatic channels to stop undermining the Middle East peace process by funding HAMAS. A similar warning was made to Kuwait.[14] HAMAS reportedly maintains a "permanent presence" in Saudi Arabia and receives money for its operations through the World Islamic League.'; Responding to the pressure that HAMAS has created among Palestinians, the PLO itself has contributed aid to the organization. According to PLO chief Yasir Arafat, the sum of $1000 is paid to the family of each HAMAS member taken prisoner by Israel, since HAMAS activists are considered to be the "sons of the PLO." [16] Of no less importance is the financial support provided to the organization by Iran. Iran has provided HAMAS for 1993 with a budget of "nearly $30 million" for its activities.[17] According to recent press reports, American banks are being used as conduits to transfer the funds to West Bank and Gaza moneychangers. HAMAS activists in those areas are then able to withdraw the funds in cash. The Iranians' logistical support for HAMAS activities includes training by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Western intelligence sources say.[18] In October of 1992, the Iranian government agreed to a request by HAMAS to open an 'embassy' for the organization in Tehran. The HAMAS 'embassy' will also continue to maintain the "contacts and coordination" with the Lebanese Hizballah organization, also located in Tehran. Additionally, the Iranian government promised to provide training for 3000 HAMAS terrorists.[19] The leader of a recent HAMAS delegation visiting Iran was Musa Abu Marzuk, who serves as chief of the organization's political bureau.[20] Until very recently, Abu Marzuk was living in the United States in the Washington, DC suburb of Arlington, Virginia. Subsequent to Israel's expulsion of the 413 HAMAS and Islamic Jihad activists, Abu Marzuk acted as HAMAS' chief representative in negotiations held with the PLO in Tunis.[21] He is currently reported to be in Damascus, Syria.[22] Five days after the bombing of the World Trade Center, the State Department revealed that U.S. diplomats have had "contacts" with HAMAS. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher acknowledged that contacts between the United States and HAMAS had existed for "some time," but were severed "in the last week or so." [23] No explanation for the initiation of the contacts was provided. At the same time, press reports indicated that the FBI was "probing" the organization as part of its investigation of the bombing.[24] Haven in the Land of the Free As the result of Israel's arrest of three Palestinian- Americans who are allegedly tied to the HAMAS organization, attention has been drawn to the activities of that organization's supporters in the United States. Recent press reports indicate that the political command of HAMAS was relocated to the United States over the last two years due to Israel's success in fragmenting the organization's underground structure.[25] The reported transferal of the HAMAS command structure to the United States came in response to a series of arrests of HAMAS activists by Israel in 1990. A similar series of arrests which ended with the December 17 deportations brought an apparent attempt on the part of American HAMAS supporters to rebuild the movement in January of 1993. Recent reports indicate that the political command of HAMAS in the United States is located at the United Association for Studies and Research in Springfield, Virginia. The head of the association is named Ahmad Yussef, who is also known by the code name "Abu Ahmad." The political chief of the organization is Musa Abu Marzuk, whose code name is "Abu 'Umar." Muhammed Qassam Sawalha, code named "Abu Badr," is the military chief of the organization who travels to the United States frequently and reportedly lives in London. In this capacity, Sawalha recently directed the travels of Palestinian-American Muhammed Abd al-Hamid Saleh through the West Bank and Gaza. Two alleged HAMAS activists, Saleh and Muhammad Hilmi Jarad, from Bridgeview and Chicago, Illinois, respectively, were arrested in Israel on January 25 for attempting to re- structure the organization.[26] In preparation for their travel, $230,000 was transferred from a Chicago bank account to a Palestinian moneychanger. In Israel, Dr. Mahmud Rumahi, a physician from the town of Al-Birah who was arrested on December 16, allegedly served as a conduit for the funds by opening bank accounts for the two men.[27] Jarad and Saleh obtained cash from the moneychanger and proceeded to distribute the funds throughout the West Bank and Gaza: $100,000 to a "key military operative" in the Gaza strip, and 60,000 to the commander of HAMAS' military arm in Ramallah. Upon their arrest, Jarad and Saleh were found in possession of $100,000. Subsequent to a search of Saleh's room at the YMCA in East Jerusalem, written reports that the two had collected detailing HAMAS activities in the West Bank and Gaza were found.[26] After his arrest, Muhammed Saleh told Israeli investigators that he gave a total of $130,000 in cash to agents of HAMAS in one week. $110,000 of that was intended for "arms purchases, the building of new safe houses, recruitment of new members and assistance to fugitives." [29] Saleh further recounted that he was authorized by his superiors in the organization to spend up to $650,000 on this trip alone. In order to obscure the money trail, $600,000 was deposited for him in various bank accounts. On a previous trip in August 1992, Saleh was reportedly ordered by Muhammad Qassam Sawalha, HAMAS' London-based military commander, to prepare attacks on Israelis. At that time he gave a HAMAS agent $48,000 to obtain arms that were later used in attacks on Israeli soldiers in Hebron.[30] Due to his activities, Israeli officials believe that Muhammad Saleh is a senior figure in HAMAS' military wing. In his conversations with Israeli investigators, Saleh provided a glimpse into his attitude and that of his cohorts vis-a-vis terrorist attacks. Describing the goal of his trips to the West Bank and Gaza as building the organization's structure for "positive works," Saleh explained, "It's a code term. Killing your enemy is positive. And on the telephone, that's how they can talk about it." [31] Muhammed Jarad and his family continue to deny any connection to the HAMAS organization. Yet, according to press reports, Jarad's Holy Land Bakery and Grocery regularly advertised in Al-Zaytuna, one of HAMAS' publications in the United States.[32] A journalist who visited Jarad's place of business described it as follows: "The store - Holy Land Bakers and Grocery - is located on North Kedzie Street in downtown Chicago. Its walls are covered with PLO flags, intifada texts, HAMAS communiqu,s, pictures of Jerusalem and reliefs of the the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Intifada slogans adorn every possible comer. An entire wall is dedicated to the display of extremist Palestinian propaganda material: posters, videotapes, leaflets and newspapers."[33] "Positive Works" in America "The universality of the Islamic Resistance Movement: Article Seven: By way of the distribution of the Muslims who adopt the system of the Islamic Resistance Movement in all parts of the world, they work towards aiding it, accepting its stands and amplifying its jihad. Therefore it is an international movement and it is prepared for this (task) because of the clarity of its ideology, lofty goal and the sanctity of its objectives. [U]pon this basis it should be considered, given a fair evaluation and admission of its role . . . The reward is for those who are early." [Emphasis in original] Charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) in Palestine, published by the Islamic Association for Palestine in Dallas, Texas.[34] According to law enforcement sources, activists who support the HAMAS organization are raising "hundreds of thousands of dollars in Muslim communities across America." [35] One organization which promotes the views of HAMAS is the Islamic Association for Palestine in North America. The IAP was founded in the United States in 1981 and is based in Dallas, Texas.[36] It publishes several newspapers and magazines: The Palestine Monitor, Al-Zaytuna (The Olive), and lla Filastin (To Palestine), and distributes Filistin al- Muslimah (Palestine is Muslim).[37] Additionally, the IAP has distributed the Charter of HAMAS and official HAMAS intifada communiqu,s issued from Gaza.[38] HAMAS' attitude regarding Jews is paralleled in the Islamic Association for Palestine's bi-monthly newspaper The Palestine Monitor, which has featured anti-Semitic cartoons reprinted from the Saudi press.[39] Articles in the Palestine Monitor also highlight news items describing the Islamic movement in different countries, such as Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt. An example of the publication's usual fare depicted the suffering of Palestinians under Israeli rule in a piece entitled, "The Arrest, Detention and Physical Abuse of Palestinian Children." [40] The article employed excerpts from previously published reports by pro-PLO organizations such as the the Palestine Human Rights Information Center in Washington DC. The Palestine Monitor has also featured articles reprinted from Al-Fajr, a pro-PLO newspaper printed in East Jerusalem that is sympathetic to the Fatah faction of the PLO, and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, an anti-Israel monthly that has been tainted by anti-Semitism, published by the American Educational Trust in Washington, DC. "Our Battle is With the Jewish Enemy Today" Since the beginning of the intifadha in 1988, the IAP has continued to distribute HAMAS communiqu,s together with their English translations. The most recent example of such literature was the 90th Communiqu, of HAMAS, dated September 5 1992, which was distributed in October 1992.[41] In early 1990 a HAMAS communiqu, translated into English and distributed by the IAP declared, "HAMAS . . . asserts its announced position that our battle is with the Jewish enemy today and [internal] conflicts serve no one except the enemy." [42] The same communiqu, praised a terrorist attack against Russian Jewish immigrants to Israel, emphasizing that "This way, Russian Jews can be prevented from entering Palestine." Instructions encouraging further attacks against Russian Jewish immigrants were detailed later in the pamphlet, with the words, "Consider February 17 - February 20, 1990 as days of escalation and ambushes in protest against the Soviet Jews' immigration." The communiqu, was signed, "LET THE INTIFADA CONTINUE. 'ALLAH IS DOMINANT, BUT MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW. HE IS OUR REFUGE AND THE BEST TO DEPEND ON.' Koran. ALLAH IS THE GREATEST. AND VICTORY IS TO ISLAM. Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine - HAMAS" In previous years, the IAP has distributed its own translation of the Charter of HAMAS,[43] which calls for the annihilation of Israel and its replacement with an Islamic state from the "[Mediterranean] Sea to the Jordan River." The Charter further defines HAMAS' battle against Israel as a theological one, in which Palestinians inspired by a reawakening of their identity as Muslims wage a divinely ordained war against Jews. The HAMAS Charter describes the Day of Judgment in the following terms: "The Last Hour would not come until Muslims fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them, and until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree, and a stone or a tree would say, 'Muslim, or Servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me - come and kill him!' but the tree of Gharqad would not say it, for it is the tree of the Jews. " [44] Support for HAMAS' Jailed Leader The Palestine Monitor's reportage on the trial of HAMAS leader Sheik Ahmad Yasin in January of 1990 for 15 counts of murder 45 involving Israeli civilians and soldiers provided a platform for the ideology of HAMAS. Reflecting the ideals of the IAP in the February 23 1990 issue of the Monitor, Bashir Omar, one of the newspaper's editors, wrote: "Yasin, confined to wheelchair since a childhood accident, appeared in court in an orange prison uniform. He sat impassively as as [sic] relatives of the slain soldiers shouted curses at him in Hebrew and Arabic. 'I deny all charges,' Yasin whispered to reporters in the courtroom. But his lawyer, Abd al-Malik Bahansee, told the court that Yasin founded HAMAS, and helped to transfer tens of thousands of dollars to the organization. 'My client says it is not his right but his duty to establish these organizations to battle the occupation,' Bahansee said." Since the 1989 imprisonment of Sheik Ahmad Yasin for his part in fomenting terrorist attacks against Israelis, the IAP observes its anniversary in honor of the movement's leader. In May of 199O, the IAP published posters bearing the likeness of Sheik Yasin in commemoration of the first anniversary of his imprisonment. The poster was also printed as a half page advertisement in the Palestine Monitor.[46] In October of 1992, an IAP communiqu, called upon the group's American supporters to protest the prison conditions of Sheik Yasin and the Middle East peace negotiations: "We hereby call upon you ... to demand that proper medical attention be provided to sick prisoners such as Sheik Ahmad Yasin [leader of HAMAS] . . .[C]all upon the Palestinian delegation to halt negotiations with Israelis in protest to the inhumane conditions endured by the detainees." [47] The same communiqu, directed IAP members to express their solidarity with convicted Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons who declared a hunger strike on September 27. The flyer was addressed to "Our Muslim Brothers" and requested the support of American Muslims for the hunger strikers, denouncing the Middle East peace negotiations and the participation of the Palestinian delegation with the words, "While you negotiate, we die!" Paralleling the hunger strike in the Israeli prisons, the IAP announced a nationwide fast day to take place on October 15: "[W]e urge all Muslims to fast and pray to Allah ... to strengthen the will of the detainees in their stand against the brutal treatment they receive in Israeli prisons." The IAP further requested that donations be collected for the families of the prisoners. The flyer was signed by the Islamic Association for Palestine Information Office, located in Dallas, Texas. Brother Nosair: "Victim of an International Political Conspiracy" A front page article in the November-December 1991 Palestine Monitor called the trial of El-Sayyid Nosair, the Egyptian convicted of crimes connected to the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane as a "frame-up." Portraying Nosair as a victim of the American legal system, the article weaves a web of distortions around the facts leading to the violent death of Rabbi Kahane. Appealing to its readers, the Palestine Monitor characterized Nosair in the following terms "Brother Nosair, facing life imprisonment if convicted of these charges is in dire need of support of the Muslim Community and all those interested in truth and justice. He is a devout and religious person, committed to his family and to Islam. He is being viciously portrayed as a terrorist by the government, the JDL Jewish Defense League] and the news media, when he is in fact an innocent victim of an international political conspiracy." [48] At the close of the article, the address of the Brooklyn-based El Sayyid Nosair Defense Committee was provided, along with a telephone number. The Palestine Monitor warned its readers, "[I]f]f we don't stand up now, in support of Brother Nosair, it will only happen again to another one of us."[49] "Ramadan is the Month of Sacrifice" One month after the end of hostilities in the Gulf War, the Islamic Association for Palestine observed its tenth anniversary during the Muslim month of Ramadan, which the organization characterized as "the month of sacrifice," and is the historical period in which "most of the Islamic battles took place." In an appeal bearing the seal of the IAP, which depicts a map of "Palestine" (what is now Israel, the West Bank and Gaza) surrounded by olive branches with the Arabic name of the organization - al-Itihad al-Islami - the IAP declared its goals during the month of Ramadan as the following: "Nowadays the Islamic World is facing quite a few challenges in many places. Alhamdu-lillah (praise to Allah), the intifadha, which is a real jihad, is still going on and struggling against the occupation. Although the mass media is ignoring this jihad and trying to hide its continuity and strength, we, at IAP, believe that this intifadha is an important and essential step towards the liberation of Palestine. The goal of the IAP is to help our Brothers and Sisters inside Palestine as well as calling all Muslims in North America to participate in a way [sic] or another in this help. We are ready to cooperate with all Muslims who would like to serve this sacred goal and work for Muslims inside Palestine." The appeal continued: "We are calling all Imams/Directors/Presidents of all mosques, Islamic institutions or centers, to dedicate the Khutba [Friday sermon] on the third Jumm'ah [Friday, the Muslim day of rest] of Ramadan to talk; about the intifada in Palestine. We are also calling to Collect Donations that will help our Brothers and Sisters inside Palestine."' The IAP recommended that donations be sent to the Occupied Land Fund (OLF) in Los Angeles, California, and asked "Allah to reward all Muslims who work for this Islamic cause." The Occupied Land Fund has since changed its name to the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) and moved to Richardson, Texas, not far from the offices of the Dallas-based IAP.[51] A Ramadan appeal sent to the Holy Land Foundation's members in March of 1993 denounced Israel's deportation of the 413 HAMAS and Islamic Jihad activists. Shukri Abu Bakr, the Executive Director of the HLF wrote: . "None of those arrested and expelled were charged, tried or convicted of any violent act. On the contrary, they embody the cream of the Palestinian society. They are physicians, educators, religious scholars and other key community leaders. Their only 'crime' has been their ongoing effort to establish Palestinian social, health and educational institutions that are independent of Israel." 52 Describing the beneficiaries of its efforts, the HLF provided a photograph of two Palestinian children with the caption: "Cold . . . Hungry . . . Sick . . . Sad . . . words that are not normally associated with Ramadan! But this is the case for many Palestinian families. They have lost their bread-winners who are now dead, detained, or deported. They are hurting so much now. So won't you help ease their pain if you can?" The HLF pledge card declares: "Yes. I can and want to help needy families of Palestinian martyrs, prisoners and deportees." [53] Advocating Violence: "The Intifadha Must Be Rejuvenated" At the height of the Gulf crisis in late December 1990 an international convention of major figures in the Islamic Jihad and Muslim Brotherhood movements took place in Chicago under the aegis of the Islamic Committee for Palestine. Titled "Islam: The Road to Victory," the invited dignitaries included Sheik Abd al-Aziz 'Odeh of the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Khalil Shikaki of Al-Najah University in Nablus, Hassan al-Turabi, leader of the Islamic National Front of Sudan, Sheik Rashid Ghanushi, leader of the Islamic Revival Movement of Tunisia, Layth Shbilat, a Muslim Brotherhood member of the Jordanian Parliament, and Sheik Said Sha'ban, of the Islamic Unity Movement in Lebanon.[54] Two African- American Muslims spoke at the convention: Imam Jamil al-Amin of Atlanta, (the former H. "Rap" Brown) and Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, leader of the American Black Muslim movement, and self-described as the "Muslim American Spokesman for Human Salvation".[55] At the conference, participants discussed the "rise of Europe and the deliberate effort designed to split the Muslims all over the world through colonization and Westernization." 5o Islamic Jihad leader Abd al-Aziz 'Odeh described the intifada as "the turning point in the struggle between good and evil." 5' According to the Muslim Journal, publication of the American Black Muslim movement, participants at the conference were unanimous in their rejection of a territorial compromise with Israel, claiming that Islamic texts support their position: "One suggestion that was not disputed among participants was the source of the solution to the present plight of Muslims all over the world. This was agreed to be reliance on the solution given by the Qur'an and the Sunrulh Islamic traditions. Since land cannot be compromised in Al Islam [Islam] it means that the Intifadha must be rejuvenated and encouraged. This is the only way the liberation of Palestine could be achieved." [58] Literature distributed at the convention included the publication of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Al- Mujahid - The Holy Warrior. Indicative of the violent nature of the IJMP's agenda is the symbol of the organization portrayed on the cover of the newsletter. The IJMP seal features a pair of crossed rifles over Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. On either side of the mosque is a fist pointing outward, and enclosing the symbol in a circle are the words "Allah Akbar" - Allah is the Greatest - and the name of the organization in Arabic.[59] Fundraising at the convention to "aid the victims of Israeli occupation" included the donations of the women participants who expressed their fervor for the cause by donating their gold and diamond jewelry. [60] Preaching Holy War From Brooklyn "I send recordings to Cairo in which I call upon my people to attack tourists. I explain to them that we must stop tourism to Egypt. Tourism is a plague. [Western] women come dressed in provocative clothing in order to arouse the believers. Tourists use drugs, they party all night in the clubs and casinos, and feel up the belly dancers. And our people [the Egyptians] their eyes are popping out from envy in trying to imitate the infidel tourists." [61] Sheik 'Umar Abd al-Rahman, also known as Omar Abdel- Rahman, spiritual leader of Al-Jihad in Egypt.[62] "The lands of Muslims will not become bordellos for sinners of every race and color." Sheik 'Umar Abd al-Rahman, on an audio tape sent from the U.S. to Egypt. In Egypt, the cradle of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, a more militant offshoot of the organization made newspaper headlines worldwide on October 6, 1981. At a military procession commemorating Egypt's successes in the 1973 Yom Kipur War, President Anwar Sadat was gunned down by members of Al-Jihad while sitting in a reviewing stand. The spiritual leader of the group, Sheik 'Umar Abd al-Rahman, issued a fatwa, or edict, sanctioning the assassination but was acquitted of direct involvement. Twelve years later, "Sheik 'Umar" - as he is called by his adherents - is directing his war against the Mubarak government from American shores. His followers, who refer to themselves as the "Islamic Group," receive guidance from him in the form of audio cassettes recorded in the United States. Several months ago, Sheik Rahman promised that a fatwa against Egyptian President Husni Mubarak is "[o]n the way." The sheik continued: "It is the duty of all good Muslims to rebel against tyrants. The Egyptian people will not accept being whipped and raped and robbed by the corrupt Mubarak regime." [63] In May of 1990 Sheik Rahman entered the United States on a tourist visa in spite of the fact that his name was on the official U.S. terrorist list. The State Department claims that the American Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, erroneously issued the visa. After Sheik Rahman was already residing in this country, the Immigration an Naturalization Service made a second error by granting him permanent resident status as a religious leader on April 9, 1991.[64] In March of 1992, Rahman was stripped of his green card, and on January 20 of this year he was summoned to a federal hearing in Newark to respond to charges that he "lied on his visa application, that he is a polygamist and that he has committed unspecified 'crimes of moral turpitude."[65] At his own request, the hearing was closed to the public.[66] No decision was reached at that time.[63]' On March 16, an Immigration and Naturalization Service administrative judge ruled that Sheik Rahman be deported from the United States since he had not told INS officials that he is a polygamist and that he had been convicted of falsifying a check while he was still living in Egypt in 1987.66 The full text of the decision was not made public at the request of Rahman's lawyer, Barbara Nelson, who stated, "He has no intention of leaving . . . He intends to stay and pursue his claim for permanent residency." [69] During the time that he has been in the United States, Sheik Rahman has, through his fiery sermons on cassette tapes, directed his followers from afar. His organization, known both as Al-Jiluld (Holy War) and Al Jama'a al lslamiya - the Islamic Group has assassinated Egyptian government officials such as the late speaker of the Parliament, Rifat al-Mahjub, in its efforts to establish an Islamic state in that country.[70] Members of the group have also targeted Coptic Christians in Upper Egypt.[70] More recently, American and other Western tourists have been marked for assassination by Sheik Rahman, severely damaging Egypt's tourism industry in the process.' Paralleling the fatwa pronounced on Salman Rushdie by the Ayatollah Khomeini, Faraj Fodha, a writer and severe critic of the Egyptian Islamic extremists, was murdered by followers of Sheik Rahman in June of 1992. Members of the organization who were interviewed by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Safir justified their actions by invoking their interpretation of Islamic law: "[Fodha] was killed in accordance with the shari'ah [Islamic legal] ruling against apostates. A group of Muslim 'ulema [scholars], including At-Azhar Mosque scholars, ruled that he reneged on Islam and shari'ah entitles a devout Islamic group to implement its provisions since the ruler [i.e. President Mubarak] is an atheist. Killing Faraj Fodha was our Islamic duty . "[73] Recent reports indicate that, according to the U.S. intelligence community, Sheik Rahman has been receiving funding for some of his activities from Iran.[74] Rather than receiving the money directly, one of Rahman's wives acts as an intermediary, sending him funds from Egypt, where she and his other wife reside.[75] Within the United States, Sheik Rahman has maintained a relationship with El Sayyid Nosair, the Egyptian-born individual convicted of crimes related to the murder of Rabbi Meir Kahane. Subsequent to Nosair's imprisonment, Sheik Rahman has ensured that his wife and family receive financial support until his release.[76] Additionally, followers of the sheik at the Abu Bakr mosque in Brooklyn offer a $45 bus trip to visit "Brother El Sayyid Nosair" at Attica state prison."[77] Nosair has been described in press reports as a "frequent worshipper" at the mosque where Rahman preaches in Brooklyn,[78] and is currently serving a term of seven to 23 years for his crimes. The "Brooklyn Jihad Office" Several years after the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an Egyptian named Mustafa Shalabi founded a charitable organization in Brooklyn to assist the Afghani Muslim counterinsurgents. Aid to the Afghani mujahideen ("wagers of jihad") consisted of cash and supplies, but, more significantly, the recruitment of young American Muslims who were willing to join the ranks of the Afghanis. In order to prepare the American recruits for their struggle against the Soviets, some were sent for paramilitary training at a private camp in Connecticut. The organization is known simply as the "Brooklyn jihad office.[79] Mustafa Shalabi and a Syrian friend, Abd al-Qader Kallash, sponsored Sheik Rahman upon his arrival in New York in 1990, providing him with an apartment, a telephone and a car and driver. Not long afterward, a dispute broke out in the Muslim community. The sheik and his followers wanted to transform the jihad office into a conduit for Al-Jihad in Egypt, while their opponents wanted the organization to remain as it was. Responding to his opponents, Sheik Rahman denounced Shalabi as "dishonest" and a "bad Muslim." The area mosques had letters signed by the sheik posted in them pronouncing a ban on any dealings with Shalabi. Fearing for the safety of himself and his family, Shalabi sent his wife to Egypt and made preparations for himself to go to Afghanistan. Several days after seeing his wife off to Egypt, Shalabi was found shot and knifed to death. Sheik Rahman asserts that he "never knew" Shalabi.[80] More recently, Ezzat al-Sheemy, a founder of Brooklyn's Abu Bakr Mosque, decided to establish an alternative summer Arabic language and culture program as a counterweight to the educational program provided by the mosque. El-Sheemy asserts that the mosque's school is "run by radicals bent on 'brainwashing' children into becoming militants." In July of 1992, Al-Sheemy was warned by the sheik's followers in the mosque that Sheik Rahman had "approved the use of violence against him and certain teachers - unless he ceded control of the program to Abu Bakr at once." Justifying his reaction to the threats, Al Sheemy explained, "They told me l'd end up like Mustafa Shalabi, so I gave in." Sheik Rahman also denies any connection to this incident [81] More recently, Sheik Rahman has denied that he was in any way involved in the World Trade Center bombing. He denied knowledge of any of the suspects, including Mahmud Abu Halima, who once served as his driver.[82] When asked about his long-term goals in the United States, Sheik Rahman assured a reporter that he uwill "show all Americans that they'll never be happy if they don't follow Islam.!"[83] Afterword: Terror at the Twin Towers On February 26 1993, a powerful explosion tore through the foundations of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, killing six people, including a woman who was seven months pregnant, and injuring over 1000.[84] Fifty thousand people were evacuated from the damaged buildings. The blast left a crater 200 by 100 feet wide and five stories deep, and caused the ceiling of the mezzanine of the adjacent Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train station to collapse.[85] An FBI expert on explosives described the blast as "the largest improvised explosive device that's been in the U.S. since we started doing forensic explosive investigations in 1925." [86] Explosives experts estimate that the bomb which caused the explosion weighed approximately 1000 pounds, and the price of the chemicals used to make it cost slightly more than $400.[87] Several days after the explosion occurred, police and federal officials made their first arrest in the case. Tracing the VIN (vehicle identification number) found on a piece of metal at the site of the explosion, investigators were led to Mohammed Salameh, a 25-year-old illegal alien from Jordan who allegedly rented the yellow Ford Econoline van which was used in the bombing.[88] Salameh, together with the two other suspects who were arrested - Nidal Ayyad and Ibrahim Elgabrowny - all participated in demonstrations on behalf of El Sayyid Nosair. A fourth suspect who fled this country, Mahmud Abu Halima, is believed to be head of a HAMAS terrorist cell. [89] Halima is believed to have fled to Pakistan.[90] Conclusion The bombing of the World Trade Center marks a turning point in the United States' confrontation with terrorist organizations. Previously, American citizens overseas have been targets of terror groups, particularly Middle Eastern ones, leaving U.S. territory virtually unscathed - until now. The challenge to the United States and other countries which face this threat is twofold. It must protect the security of its citizens from terrorists who abuse the rights granted to them in a free society. At the same time it must preserve those same rights which democratic nations cherish. Footnotes: 1. Hasan al-Bana was the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt who was hung by the Nasser regime for his attempts to overthrow the government. 2. Jerusalem Post. December 19 1990. 3. HAMAS communiqu,s and literature regularly refer to Jews as the "descendants of monkeys and swine,." quoting from the Hadith. the Islamic oral tradition. 4. Forward, January 1 1993. 5. During World War II, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin ai- Husayni supported Nazi Germany in his efforts against the Jewish presence in British-ruled Palestine. Until the close of the war, Husavni collaborated with Nazi Germany as one of its chief propagandists to the Arabs and as a recruiter and organizer of Muslim volunteers, supporting and aiding the Nazi program for the extermination of the Jewish people." (Encyclopedia Judaica, 1971 edition. vol. 8, cols. 1132- 1133) 6. "HAMAS: Apocalypse Now ." Jerusalem Post, December 28 1990. 7. Jerusalem Post. December 28 1990 8. "The Secret to the Success - and Threat - of HAMAS." Long Island Jewish World. January 15 1993. 9. "The Metamorphosis of HAMAS." Jerusalem Report, January 14 1993. 10. "A Safe Haven for HAMAS in America," New York Times January 27 1993 11. Jerusalem Report. January 14 1993. 12. Voice of the Oppressed Lebanese radio, September 18 1992, in Foreign Broadcast Information Service. - Near East and South Asia (FBIS-NES), September 18 1992 13. FBIS-NES September 18 1992 14. Al-Hamishmar. Israeli daily June 15 1992, as translated in Israel Line. 15. The Economist. December 18 1992 16. Al-Anba'. Kuwaiti daily. April 15 1990 in FBIS-NES April 18 1992. 17. Jerusalem Report, January 14 1993. 18. Jerusalem Report. January 14 1993. 19. Al-Sharq al-Ausat, Saudi daily. October 7 1992 in FBIS- NES. October 8 1992 20. FBIS-NES October 8 1992 21. "America the Free." Jerusalem Report. February 25 1993. 22. Jerusalem Report. Fibrin 2; 1993. 23. "U.S. Admits Contact With Terrorist Group Before the Bombing." New York Post. March 3 1993. 24. U.S. Admits," New York Post. March 3 1993. 25. Jerusalem Report. February 25 1993. 26. New York Times. February 1 1993. 27. Israel Defense Forces Radio, February 2 1993, in FBIS- NES, February 3 1993 28. Washington Post, February 1 1993. 29. New York Times, February 17 1993. 30. New York Times, February 17 1993. 31. New York Times, February 17 1993. 32. "Little Palestine in Chicago," Ma'arit, Israeli daily February 5 1993. 33. Ma'arit, February 5 1993. 34. Charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement - HAMAS, Article 7. 35. Forward January 22 1993. 36. Palestine Monitor, August 1990. 37. Islamic Association for Palestine appeal letter, April 1992. 38. Palestine Monitor, August 1990. 39. Palestine Monitor, January-February 1992. 40. Palestine Monitor, January-February 1992 41. HAMAS Communiqu, #90, October 1992. 42. HAMAS Communiqu, #53, February 14 1 990. Translated and distributed by the Islamic Association for Palestine in North America (IAP). 43. Charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement - HAMAS, published by the Islamic Association for Palestine. Distributed March 1991. 44. Charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement - HAMAS, Article 7. This passage regarding the Day of Judgment is quoted from the Hadith, the Islamic oral tradition. 45. "Prosecutors Charge HAMAS Leaders With Plotting Murder of Soldiers," Jewish Telegraphic Agency, November 13 1989. 46. Palestine Monitor, November-December 1991. 47. IAP flyer, October 1992. 48. Palestine Monitor, November-December 1991. 49. Palestine Monitor, November-December 1991. 50. Palestine Monitor, March 1991. 51. Palestine Monitor, May-June 1992. 52. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), Ramadan appeal, March 1993. 53. HLF Ramadan appeal, March 1993. 54. Islamic Committee for Palestine Third Annual Conference flyer, December 28-31 1990. 55. Muslim Journal, January 12 1990. 56. Muslim Journal, January 12 1990 57. Muslim Journal, January 12 1990. 58. Muslim Journal, January 12 1990. 59. Islamic Committee for Palestine Convention booklet. January 1991. 60. Muslim Journal, January 12 1990. 61. "The Sheik Who Murdered Egyptian Tourism." Yediot Ahronot, Israeli daily, January 1 1993 62. USA Today, February 22 1993. 63. "Egyptian Jihad Leader Preaches Holy War to Brooklyn Muslims," Wall Street Journal, January 6, 1993 64. "After Bombing, New Scrutiny for Holes in Immigration Net." New York Times, March 12 1993 65. Wall Street Journal, January 6 1993. 66. New York Daily News, March 18 1993. 67. New York Daily News, January 21 1993 66. New York Daily News, March 18 1993. 69. New York Post, March 18, 1993 70. Facts on File, December 31, 1992. Mahjub was assassinated in Cairo on October 12, 1990. Egyptian government officials announced on October 28 1990 that four members of the Al-Jihad organization who were arrested after the murder confessed to the crime. 71. Jerusalem Report, August 27 1992 72. Yediot Ahronon, Israeli daily, January 1 1993 73. Al-Safir, Lebanese daily, July 21, 1992, in FBIS-NES July 30 1992 74. "Rahman Plans Return to New York," New York Newsday, March 13, 1993 75. Yediot Ahronon, Israeli daily, January 1 1993. 76. New York Times, January 7 1993. 77. Wall Street Journal, January 6 1993. 78. New York Times, March 11 1993. 79. Wall Street Journal, January 6 1993. 80. Wall Street Journal, January 6 1993. 81. Wall Street Journal, January 6 1993. 82. Wall Street Journal, March 22 1993. 83. Wall Street Journal, January 6 1993. 84. "An Eye For An Eye," New York Newsday, March 5 1993. 85. Time, March 8 1993. 86. Wall Street Journal, March 2 1993. 87. New York Times, March 11, 1993. 88. Salameh entered the United States on February 17 1988 on a six-month visa that had been issued in 'Amman. Jordan in December 1987. He remained in this country illegally after the visa expired on August 16 1988. ("More Light is Shed On a Shadowy Life," New York Times, March 5 1993.) 89 "FBI Reportedly Knows Who Masterminded Bombing," Houston Chronicle, March 17 1993 90. "Suspect in Blast Believed to Be in Pakistan," New York Times, March 18 1993. ~ Anti-Defamation League, "Hamas, Islamic Jihad and The Muslim Brotherhood: Islamic Extremists and the Terrorist Threat to America," 1993, ADL New York
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