OHIO IMAM IN ICE CUSTODY

CLEVELAND - U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) today announced the apprehension of an Ohio Imam for his involvement in fundraising for a terrorist organization and for terrorist activity.

Fawaz Mohammed Damrah, 44, was arrested early this morning without incident. The charges against Damrah allege that he is removable from the United States on national security grounds for having solicited funds and provided material support for a terrorist organization and for terrorist activity.

In 2004, Damrah was convicted and sentenced in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, for unlawfully obtaining his United States citizenship through false statements in violation of Title 18, Section 1425(a) and (b), United States Code. According to court documents, Damrah concealed from the former INS his membership in and/or affiliation with: (1) Afghan Refugee Services, Inc., aka Al- Kifah Refugee Center; (2) Palestinian Islamic Jihad, aka the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine; and (3) Islamic Committee for Palestine (ICP). Damrah concealed from the former INS the fact that he had, prior to his application for citizenship, "incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution" of Jews and others by advocating and/or supporting violent terrorists attacks against Jews and others. Sentencing for Damrah included two months in prison, four months home confinement and revocation of his U.S. citizenship. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction and the revocation of Damrah's U.S. citizenship, which allows ICE to begin the process of removing him the country.

"The open arms and welcoming nature of the United States is reserved for those who abide by and respect our laws and not those who attempt to defraud us and use our freedoms and open society to support acts of violence and terrorism," said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations for Ohio and Michigan. "With today's arrest, ICE begins the process of removing from the United States a criminal alien who has unequivocally supported terrorists and terrorist organizations."

Damrah remains in ICE custody. A bond hearing before an immigration judge is likely to occur next week.

ICE appreciates the tremendous support provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio, and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Cleveland for their assistance in this case.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36582

U.S. Islamic leader indicted for terror link
Known as moderate, said Jews 'the sons of monkeys and pigs'

Posted: January 14, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

A prominent Islamic leader in the U.S. regarded as a moderate for his interfaith efforts has been arrested on an indictment linking him to terrorist groups.

Imam Fawaz Mohammed Damrah, head of the Islamic Center of Cleveland, allegedly withheld information on his membership or affiliation with several groups, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.

Damrah, also known as Fawaz Damra, was filmed making a 1991 fund-raising speech in Chicago for Palestinian Islamic Jihad in which he urged attacks on Jews.

"[Muslims should be] directing all rifles at the first and last enemy of the Islamic nation, and that is the sons of monkeys and pigs, the Jews," he told the audience.

The Muslim leader, born in the West Bank in 1961, became a permanent U.S. resident in 1988 and a citizen in 1994. Accused of giving false information to obtain U.S. citizenship, he could face up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine and loss of citizenship.

After the fund-raising tape aired on Cleveland television in 2001, Damrah apologized, attributing his remarks to youthful prejudices he grew up with in the contentious environment of the West Bank. He also noted Islamic Jihad was not recognized at the time as a terrorist group by the U.S.

"The person who made those comments had absolutely no interaction with the Jewish/Christian community, or have [sic] any idea what extraordinary people they are, as I now do," Damra wrote in an Oct. 1, 2001, op-ed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper.

"As all of us go through evolution in our life, intellectual and spiritual, so did I, and I will now do everything in my power to continue to show the community that I am the peacemaker they have come to know me as," he said.

Prior to coming to Cleveland in 1990, Damrah was the head of the al-Farooq mosque in Brooklyn where he was succeeded by Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian cleric serving a life sentence for conspiring to blow up New York City landmarks.

Damrah was one of the 170 possible co-conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing named by the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York. He was not arrested in connection with the bombing after being questioned by the FBI.

The indictment brought yesterday against Damrah does not specify his activities related to the terrorist groups.

ICE update ping

29 November 2005: Oops. One of the signers of the Fatwa against terror convicted of lying about terror lies in 2004; now arrested for deportation

by Laura Mansfield

The Fatwa against terror issued by the North American Fiqh is impressive.

It makes it very clear what the stance is of the signers of the Council with regards to terror.

1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.

2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.

3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.

Or does it?

If you look down the list of signers of the Fatwa, you'll see the name Fawaz Damra.

Yes, that's right. The same Fawaz Damra who was arrested this week on immigration charges, for deportation.

The same Fawaz Damra who was convicted in June 2004 of of lying about his connections to terrorist organizations when he applied for U.S. citizenship.

The same Fawaz Damra who was videotaped raising money for an arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has been listed as a major terrorist group by the State Department since 1989.

And yes, the same Fawaz Damra who called Jews "the sons of monkeys and pigs" during a 1991 speech and said "terrorism and terrorism alone is the path to liberation" in a 1989 speech.

His defense: his attorney told jurors that "Damra may have supported certain groups, but he did not consider himself a member or affiliate of them."

Did Damra read item 2 in the list before he signed the Fatwa?

2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.

Oops.

For more translations and news on terrorism, visit http://www.lauramansfield.com

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