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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