How Did Nihad Awads Take a Stand Against Again Dicrimation

Nihad Awad is amidst the founders of the Quango on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and serves equally its executive managing director. In that role, he has attained a degree of political clout, invited to stand abreast President George W. Bush at the Islamic Heart of Washington days after the 9/11 attacks.[1] Before that, Vice President Al Gore appointed Awad to a civil rights advisory panel for the White Firm Commission on Aviation Safety and Security.[2]

These are influential recognitions for a man with past ties to Hamas, designated a strange terrorist organization past the United States in 1995. In fact, Awad publicly declared "I am in support of the Hamas move," during a March 1994 symposium at Barry Academy.[three]

That statement came half dozen months later Awad attended a hole-and-corner iii-day summit in Philadelphia attended past people the FBI considered Hamas members or supporters.[4] During a 2003 degradation, Awad would not deny attending the meeting, saying he didn't call up whether he did.[5]

It wasn't his only public endorsement of Hamas, which is governed by a charter rejecting "so-called peaceful solutions" and calls for the killing of Jews. During an appearance on CBS' lx Minutes in November 1994, Mike Wallace asked Awad what he idea "of the military undertakings of Hamas," Awad responded, "the Un Charter grants people who are under occupation [the right] to defend themselves against illegal occupation."[vi]

U.Due south. policy in the Eye East is faulty because of Jewish influence on the White House, he told Georgetown Academy students in a 1998 speech organized by the Muslim Students Association. Of President Bill Clinton's advisors, he asked, "At present, of Clinton's advisors, who is now, who of his advisors, who... who is opposing the latest agreement with Iraq? Look at their last names. Look at their ethnic, their ethnic or religious or racial background. Yous will see that these are the same groups that vest to the aforementioned interest groups in the Assistants." He later added that "many Presidents are servants to State of israel, and it's hard to run across someone who is, uh, disobeying the political authority of Jewish interests."[7]

That'south not to say Awad was supportive of America's peace initiatives.

In the July 2001 Washington Report on Center East Affairs, Awad said, "Our preference is peaceful negotiation...but if the peace procedure is flawed, and so resistance is necessary."[eight]

At a Correct of Return rally in front of the White House on September 16, 2000, Awad rejected coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, stating, "they [Jews] have been saying 'adjacent yr to Jerusalem,' we say 'next twelvemonth to all Palestine.'"[9]

Before helping launch CAIR, Awad worked as public relations director for the Islamic Clan for Palestine (IAP) in 1993 and 1994.[x] IAP United States. A 2001 Immigration and Naturalization Service memo documented IAP'south support for Hamas and found that the "facts strongly suggest" that IAP was "part of Hamas' propaganda apparatus."[11]

IAP too came up in a memorandum opinion in the case of Holy Land Foundation v. Ashcroft, in which the Holy Country Foundation unsuccessfully sued so-Attorney General John Ashcroft to challenge its designation as a Particularly Designated Terrorist Entity. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler plant that "Islamic Association for Palestine ("IAP") has acted in support of Hamas."[12]

Included in that back up was the IAP'due south publication and distribution of Hamas documents, including its virulently anti-Semitic charter.[thirteen]

In November 2004, a federal magistrate judge held IAP civilly liable for $156 million in the 1996 shooting of an American citizen past a Hamas member in the West Bank.[14] The judge institute that IAP had "published and distributed an abundance of pro-Hamas documents."[15] The U.Southward. Appeals Courtroom in the 7th Circuit overturned the award in Dec 2007 after determining the Boims had not done enough to establish that the groups' support for Hamas contributed, fifty-fifty indirectly, to their son'south murder. The case was sent the case back to the district court to allow for additional proceedings. [16]

Evidence released in the HLF trial reveals that IAP was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's "Palestine Committee" in the United states.[17] According to an internal Alliance study, the Brotherhood created the IAP to "serve the cause of Palestine on the political and the media fronts."[18] An internal memo calls on the Palestine Committee members, to work to "increase the financial and the moral back up for Hamas" to "fight surrendering solutions," and to publicize and focus on "the savagery of the Jews."[xix]

Awad is the 32nd person included on the Palestine Committee's internal telephone list.

Given the opportunity to distance himself from IAP in September 2003 Senate testimony, CAIR Executive Director Awad instead chose to defend the group: "The Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) is a grassroots organization which continues to function legally and has merely been 'linked' through innuendo and no charge of misdeed has been brought against the organization."[20]

Under his leadership, CAIR consistently has taken stands against U.S. efforts to disrupt terrorist financing networks and issues articulatio genus-jerk condemnations of criminal prosecutions targeting Islamist extremists.

Awad with and then-Texas Governor George W. Bush

When the Texas-based calculator export company Infocom was raided in September 2001, Awad called it "an assault and an insult to Muslims in America...We don't see that there is a proficient likely cause for this except stereotypes."[21] Infocom subsequently was indicted and convicted of illegal transactions with Great socialist people's libyan arab jamahiriya, Syria, and Hamas political leader Mousa Abu Marzook.[22] 5 company officials, all brothers named Elashi, were convicted on related charges.[23]

When Marzook was detained by U.South. officials on an Israeli murder warrant in 1995, Awad chosen the arrest "politically motivated ... [and] orchestrated to serve equally a wedge betwixt America and Islamic countries."[24]

And he has repeatedly dedicated the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which was accused of illegally funneling millions of dollars to Hamas. During a May 2003 forum at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, an audience member commented that "the Department of Justice had released reams of prove showing that these organizations, including the Holy Land Foundation and Benevolence International [another charity whose avails were frozen], have direct connections and in fact their leadership was the leadership of Al Qaeda and Hamas," Awad replied:

"I am sure if we...put nether the microscope, every major borough or political arrangement in this country, including the Red Cross, you will encounter that some dollars went hither and there in some land, merely nosotros don't close down the unabridged operation of the Red Cross..."[25]

On November 24, 2008, jurors in Dallas convicted the HLF defendants on 108 counts tied to its Hamas support. In handing down lengthy sentences to each defendant, U.Due south. Commune Gauge Jorge Solis said it was clear "[t]he purpose of creating the Holy State Foundation was equally a fundraising arm for Hamas.[26]

In a February 2003 IslamOnline.internet live dialogue, Awad labeled constabulary enforcement actions as the product of "extremists, including the Christian Right and the pro-State of israel foyer" to target Islam and Muslims. "The result of this is conspicuously apparent from the racist policies and practices existence carried out by some branches of the U.S. government influenced by these groups, in contradiction to the assurances President Bush gave united states on more than one occasion: that this war is not against Islam."[27]

Responding to a Section of Justice initiative to fingerprint and photograph about 100,000 strange nationals who were already in the country in an effort to weed out suspected terrorists, Awad said, in June 2002, "What is next? Forcing American Muslims to clothing a star and crescent as a means of identification for constabulary enforcement authorities?"[28]

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[1] "Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Board Member: A Short Biography," CAIR Website, http://world wide web.cair.com/AboutUs/CAIRNationalBoardandStaff.aspx#NihadAwad2 (Accessed Feb 23, 2009).

[ii] Ibid.

[3] "Conference on the Eye East – The Road to Peace: The Challenge of the Middle East," Barry University, Miami Shores, FL, March 22, 1994.

[4] US v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, 3:04-cr-240 (ND, Tex.) Testimony of Lara Burns, August 2, 2007.

[5] Boim v. Quranic Literacy Institute, 00cv-2905, "Deposition of Nihad Awad," 195 (E.D. CA October 22, 2003).

[vi] "sixty Minutes," CBS, November 13, 1994.

[7] Nihad Awad, "Word on the Electric current Political Crisis in Iraq," Georgetown University, Feb 24, 1998.

[8] Ziad Homayra, "Muslim Leaders Hold State Department Sit-in," Washington Report on Middle East Diplomacy, July 2001.

[9] Palestinian Right of Return Rally, Washington, D.C., September 16, 2000.

[10] Nihad Awad, "Muslim-Americans in Mainstream America," The Link, February-March 2000.

[eleven] In the matter of Hasan Faisal Yousef Sabri, Notice of Revocation of petition for Amerasian, Widow, or Special Immigrant (Class I-360), Attachment.

[12] Holy Country Foundation for Relief and Evolution v. John Ashcroft, 02-442, "Memorandum Opinion" 21 (D DC, Baronial 8, 2002).

[13] Ila Filastin, Oct 1988.

[xiv] Boim v. Quranic Literacy Constitute, et al, I11 00-CV-2905 "Memorandum and Order" November. 10, 2004.

[15] Boim v. Quranic Literacy Institute, et al, I11 00-CV-2905 "Memorandum and Lodge" Nov. 10, 2004.

[16] Boim 5. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development et al.,U.South. Courtroom of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, decided Dec. 28, 2007.

[17] US five. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, 3:04-cr-240 (ND, Tex.) Authorities Exhibit 3-17.

[18] U.s. v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, three:04-cr-240 (ND, Tex.) Government Exhibit 3-iii.

[nineteen] U.s. v. Holy State Foundation for Relief and Development, three:04-cr-240 (ND, Tex.) Regime Exhibit 3-15.

[xx] Supplemental Testimony of Nihad Awad Before the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, Terrorism: Two Years After 9/11, Connecting the Dots, at 5, September 17, 2003.

[21] David McGuire, "FBI Raid Severely Disrupted Islamic Net," Newsbytes News Network, September seven, 2001.

[22] "Elashi Brothers Bedevilled," U.s. Department of Justice Press Release, July viii, 2004, http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/PressRel04/elashi_conv.pdf (Accessed August 17, 2007).

[23] "Elashi Brothers Sentenced," US Department of Justice Press Release, January 25, 2006, http://world wide web.bis.doc.gov/News/2006/DOJ01_25_06.htm (Accessed August 17, 2007).

[24] Justice Forum: Newsletter of the Marzook Legal Fund, June 1996

[25] "Bridging the Gap between America and the Muslim Earth: The Part of Muslim and Arab American Organizations," Nihad Awad at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, May thirteen, 2003.

[26] U.s. v. Holy Country Foundation for Relief and Development, three:04-cr-240 (ND, Tex.), Jury Verdict, November 24, 2008.

[27] Nihad Awad Alive Dialogue, "Islam in America: National Ad Campaign," February 23, 2003, http://web.archive.org/web/20031018151506/http://www.islamonline.cyberspace/livedialogue/english language/Scan.asp?hGuestID=Z7oSDW (accessed October xxx, 2003)

[28] Eric Lichtblau, "Strict New Visa Rules Outlined Amid Protests," Los Angeles Times, June half dozen, 2002.

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Source: https://www.investigativeproject.org/profile/113/nihad-awad