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Posted on 07/31/2004 5:31:06 AM PDT by SJackson
The Washington Post reports that Abdurahman Alamoudi, once embraced as a "mainstream" and "moderate" Muslim activist who courted both the Clinton and Bush administrations, will plead guilty today to accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Libya in violation of U.S. law and attempting to hide it from the government:
Abdurahman Alamoudi has agreed to admit guilt to three counts, including one related to the mysterious movement of $340,000 he allegedly received in a London hotel room from a charity funded by the Libyan government, sources familiar with the case said yesterday. The other two counts cover tax violations and lies on his immigration forms...
Court documents to be made public today will trace in rich detail an explosive allegation that Alamoudi made in plea negotiations with prosecutors -- that Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi plotted to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah, de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia...
His arrest last September shook the U.S. Muslim community and reverberated through Washington's political elite. As leader of the American Muslim Council, Alamoudi met on occasion with senior Clinton and Bush administration officials. He also helped found the Pentagon's Muslim chaplain program and is particularly well known in the Muslim community of Northern Virginia, where he helped run a number of charities and political groups.
Local Muslim leaders have protested the government's prosecution of Alamoudi, portraying him as a moderate with no ties to radical groups. But prosecutors have sketched a different picture in the indictment, alleging that Alamoudi hid his ties to a top leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
His sympathy for Hamas was no secret. In 2000, independent terrorism investigator Rita Katz, Director of the SITE Institute, while working undercover, taped Alamoudi voicing his open support for the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House. Alamoudi stated before an excited, cheering crowd:
I have been labeled by the media in New York to be a supporter of Hamas...Anybody support Hamas here? Hear that, Bill Clinton? We are all supporters of Hamas. I wish they added that I am also a supporter of Hezballah...Does anybody support Hezballah here? I want you to send a message. It's an occupation, stupid...Hamas is fighting an occupation. It's a legal fight.
Despite this defiant public declaration of support for terrorists, Alamoudi was welcomed in GOP elite circles at the behest of power player Grover Norquist. Insight magazine reported:
Norquist was Alamoudi's most influential Washington facilitator, authorities believe, noting that Norquist reminds friend and foe alike that he is close to the president's powerful political strategist, Karl Rove.
Norquist, who previously has denied any suggestion that his work facilitated any wrongdoing, not only introduced Alamoudi to Washington GOP power circles but also Sammy Al Arian, whom prosecutors arrested earlier this year for alleged terrorist activities. Federal law-enforcement sources say they are focusing on some of Norquist's associates and financial ties to terrorist groups.
Alamoudi ran, directed, founded or funded at least 15 Muslim political-action and charitable groups that have taken over the public voice of Islamic Americans [see sidebar, p. 34]. Through a mix of civil-rights complaints, Old Left-style political coalitions and sheer persistence, Alamoudi helped inch the image of U.S.-based Islamists toward the political mainstream and induced politicians to embrace his organizations. He sought to secure the support first of the Clinton administration in seeking to repeal certain antiterrorist laws, but when Bill Clinton failed to deliver, Alamoudi defected to Bush, then governor of Texas. Alamoudi and other Muslim leaders met with Bush in Austin in July 2002, offering to support his bid for the White House in exchange for Bush's commitment to repeal certain antiterrorist laws.
That meeting, sources say, began a somewhat strained relationship between the self-appointed Muslim leaders and the Bush team. Some senior Bush advisers voiced caution to Rove, who is said to have disregarded such concerns, seeing instead an opportunity to bring another ethnic and religious group into the GOP big tent. A photo of the Austin event shows Bush with Alamoudi standing over his left shoulder, flanked by the former head of the Pakistani Communist Party, several open supporters of the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist groups and other individuals Insight is trying to identify.
Canceled checks obtained by Insight show Alamoudi provided seed money to start a GOP-oriented Muslim group called the Islamic Institute, which Norquist originally chaired and now is led by former Alamoudi aide and former AMC staffer Khaled Saffuri. A White House memo obtained by Insight prepared for coordinating Muslim and Arab-American "public-liaison" events with the White House shows that the Islamic Institute was instrumental in establishing the connection. The memo, from early 2001, provides lists of invitees and the name, date of birth and Social Security number of each. Norquist, as the first chairman of the Islamic Institute, tops the list.
Alamoudi and others, including Norquist, tried to keep critics at bay by branding them as "racists" and "bigots."
(More here from Frank Gaffney, "A Troubling Influence." See also Mona Charen, Kenneth Timmerman, Insight, The American Spectator, Cal Thomas, Malkin, and Debbie Schlussel.)
Norquist owes a public apology to fellow Republicans whom he has smeared as bigots for raising fundamental questions about Alamoudi and the Islamist-supporting apparatus in America. More importantly, Norquist owes answers about why he partnered with a known terrorist sympathizer, whether or not he now defends Alamoudi, when he plans to stop hiding behind the race card, and what exactly he plans to do to disavow Islamist influences.
I need no favors from you.
Some of the Flintstones here can't seem to distinguish between being pro-muslim and anti-semitic. When you live in a two dimensional world, that handicap is often a pronounced one.
The poster has already demonstrated that by actually attempting to engage in conversation.
Chickens coming home to roost.
In recent years, I have been among those who were warning Republicans in DC and Virginia against their growing associations with these people.
But the pull of money is strong.
Sad, but very predictable.
"Maybe you were always closed minded and anti-muslim, or anti-immigrant."
Er, no I wasn't. If I was I certainly would have said "I told you so". In addition to having lived across the street from one of the men who bombed the WTC the first time (the one who went back for the truck deposit, iirc), I saw the attack on 9/11 with my own eyes, I went through some pretty tremendous mind changes in a very short time that day. As I say, in my mind the jury is still out on Muslims, although for the record, the Islamofacists from Africa to the Middle East to Europe to the Americas to the Pacific stand convicted as charged. On immigration, despite a lifetime of being basically an open borders advocate (with no undue financial benefits that is, I always used to say "I should have the right to go to Sri Lanka and be a cab driver, I don't have the right to go there and be on welfare" and of course no bi-lingual education, etc.) I instantly realized that our defacto open borders policy was killing Americans.
I don't need to dissemble to you or to anyone else, and I resent your implication that I did so.
Btw, I think you left out the link to the Norquist article. If you re-post I'll check it out.
Try Mirriam Webster colluded
Main Entry: col·lude
Pronunciation: k&-'lüd
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): col·lud·ed; col·lud·ing
Etymology: Latin colludere, from com- + ludere to play, from ludus game -- more at
LUDICROUS : CONSPIRE, PLOT
Your apparent theory that Jewish antipolism is stronger than legendary Polish anti-Semitism, more accurately described as European anti-Semitism, is news to me. Ive never heard any Polish bashing at synagogue or in conversation, though Im aware that there are some Poles and Polish groups that hold that at the core of their worldview.
Why youd consider a couple of anonymous posters at Yahoo who apparently dont know the difference between the 43 and 44 Warsaw uprisings indicative of anything, or why I should answer for them is beyond me. If theres anyone to criticize regarding the 44 uprising its the Russians, yes Jews likely in their ranks, who took their time entering the city.
Youre right, its not a big deal. It would be better if people were better informed, but thats the internet.
I admit to not being informed as to the intrigues of FR or FRN.
Of course, reading the thread, I appear to be in the category of stupid FR poster. :>)
I don't support Grover. I don't think the Republican party needs the support of terrorists or terrorist sympathizers. I don't think he's antisemitic, I think the estate taxes=the Holocaust statement flowed from pure stupidity, intellectual and political stupidity, though I'm apparently one of those stupid FR posters myself.
Bring Grover and his terrorist pals into the mainstream of the campaign and astute Democratic strategist (which they're missing) can tie that to GWB's Saudi connections to great political advantage.
Again, i can't answer for other posters. To me there was nothing anti-Polish in that post. Apparently the poster didn't know the difference between 43 and 44 Warsaw, and you corrected him.
Sorry, here is the link:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010514&s=dreyfuss
The story really shows what Grover's agenda is. He's willing to accept anybody into his 'center-right' coalition, provide they are willing to support his agenda. It's not unlike Reagan's saying regarding campaign donors - (paraphrased) 'it's not that I accept their agenda, it's that they've accepted mine.'
You do have a way with words.
For the record, as for Norquist: I HAD a high opinion of him. That has been derailed to Hell since his on-going ties with the jihadists have come to view.
"Bring Grover and his terrorist pals into the mainstream of the campaign and astute Democratic strategist (which they're missing) can tie that to GWB's Saudi connections to great political advantage."
Yes, I agree with that, it's certainly a concern.
I am NOT speaking in the 3rd person. Please check out my other posts.
Grover Norquist is not Anti-Semitic.
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Bring Grover and his terrorist pals into the mainstream of the campaign and astute Democratic strategist (which they're missing) can tie that to GWB's Saudi connections to great political advantage.
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If Norquist was a leftist and this news came out, Freepers would be shredding him on these boards.
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How readily you paint your targets with the same brush you accuse others of applying to your buddies Norquist and Rove.
Interesting, very interesting...
Whatever.
LOL!
I guess us bumpkins ain't blessed with the "nuance" necessary to doublethink our way to something akin to "hobnobs with the most vile antisemites on earth, but doesn't dislike jews."
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