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We who follow the Islamist movement fell off our collective chair on Nov. 15 when the news came that the United Arab Emirates' ministerial cabinet had listed the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as one of 83 proscribed terrorist organizations, up there with the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS. This came as a surprise because the UAE authorities themselves have a record of promoting Islamism; because CAIR has a history of raising funds in the UAE; and because the UAE embassy in Washington had previously praised CAIR. On reflection, however, the listing makes sense for, in recent years, the Islamist movement...

An Al Qaeda leader, the head of a designated terror organization and a confessed jihadist-in-training are among a "Who's Who" of controversial figures who have participated in weekly prayer sessions on Capitol Hill since the 2001 terror attacks, an investigation by FoxNews.com reveals. The Congressional Muslim Staff Association (CMSA) has held weekly Friday Jummah prayers for more than a decade, and guest preachers are often invited to lead the service. The group held prayers informally for about eight years before gaining official status in 2006 under the sponsorship of Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., one of two Muslims currently serving in...

Welcome to the world of blogging, CAIR! Of course, pretty soon every one and every organization will have a blog. CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has a blog. CAIR fashions itself as a mainstream civil right organization, but at best, the organization serves as apologists for Islamic extremists. The blog, CAIR Patriot Act, which does not allow comments, can be found here. CAIR, as is obvious, is opposed to the Patriot Act. But CAIR's connections to extremism are not tenuous. Ghassan Elashi, founder of CAIR-Texas, was convicted on money-laundering charges involving the terrorist group Hamas. Randall "Ismail" Royer, who...

How many people do you know personally who have been convicted of supporting terrorism? How many people associated with your company have been convicted of supporting terrorism? How many people associated with organizations in which you are a member or a leader have been convicted of supporting terrorism? If you're like most Americans, the answer to all three questions is probably none. If you're like me and most other Arab-Americans, the answer is still probably none. What would you say about an organization linked to at least three people convicted of supporting terrorism? Would it begin to raise more than...

U.S. case against Muslim scholar is religious attack: defense 04/18/2005 By MATTHEW BARAKAT / Associated Press The government's prosecution of a prominent Islamic scholar accused of recruiting for the Taliban in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks is an assault on religious freedom, a defense lawyer said Monday during the trial's closing arguments. "The government wants you to think Islam is your enemy," said Edward MacMahon, who represents Ali al-Timimi, 41, of Fairfax. "They want you to dislike him so much because of what he said that you'll ignore the lack of evidence." Prosecutors, on the other hand, said...

SAUDI 'SOLDIER' BY STEPHEN SCHWARTZ IN Alexandria, Va., on Tuesday, a 23-year-old Northern Virginia man of Saudi Arabian background named Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was charged with conspiring to assassinate President Bush. Abu Ali and his accomplices are accused of plotting to kill the president by gunfire or a car bomb. The indictment also spells out such criminal activities as assisting and receiving support from Osama bin Laden's band of murderers. Abu Ali was extradited to Virginia after many months in a Saudi jail. What's most remarkable about this case is the degree to which this would-be assassin is a...

On Tuesday the federal authorities struck another serious blow against the toleration of Islamist terrorist activities on American soil, by arresting five former leaders of the so-called Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which, as I have previously argued, would be better called the Holy War Foundation.   HLF is, after all, a front for the Palestinian suicide terror gang Hamas, which is mainly funded by Saudi Arabia. < -snip- > HLF long functioned as the nerve center of the “Wahhabi lobby” in the U.S., headquartered in Texas, with branch offices in Paterson, N.J., Bridgeview, Ill., and San Diego.  Established...

Earlier this month, five Palestinian brothers were convicted in federal court of conspiring to use their Texas-based computer company to make illegal shipments of high-tech goods to Libya and Syria, two nations the State Department considers sponsors of terrorism. One of the brothers, Ghassan Elashi, the company's vice president of international marketing, was convicted of three counts of conspiracy, one count of money laundering and two counts of making false statements about the shipments. Mr. Elashi, along with two of his brothers, also faces a separate federal trial on charges relating to business dealings with Mousa Abu Marzook, the deputy...

RANDALL TODD ROYER AND IBRAHIM AHMED AL-HAMDI SENTENCED FOR PARTICIPATION IN VIRGINIA JIHAD NETWORK WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft, Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray of the Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty of the Eastern District of Virginia announced that Randall Todd Royer and Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Hamdi were sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema for their convictions on charges stemming from their participation in a network of militant jihadists centered in Northern Virginia. Royer, 31, pled guilty in January 2004 to a two-count criminal information charging him with aiding and abetting...

Alexandria, Va. – Two American Muslims were sentenced Friday to 20 and 15 years in prison, respectively, for their roles in support of a Virginia-based conspiracy to engage in holy war against nations deemed hostile to Islam, including the United States. The two men, Randall Todd Royer, 31, and Ibrahim al-Hamdi, 26, were among nine men who either pleaded guilty or were convicted of charges related to their participation in what prosecutors called a "Virginia jihad network." Two others who faced charges were acquitted on all counts. The group used paintball games played in the woods near Fredericksburg in 2000...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP)--Two American Muslims accused of training for holy war against the United States by waging paintball battles in the Virginia woods were sentenced Friday to 15 years or more in prison. Randall Todd Royer, 31, and Ibrahim al-Hamdi, 26, were among nine men who either pleaded guilty or were convicted of charges related to their participation in what prosecutors called a ``Virginia jihad network.'' Two others were acquitted on all counts. The group used paintball games in 2000 and 2001 as military training in preparation for holy war against nations deemed hostile to Islam, prosecutors say. After the...

On 3 July, 2003, ABC News announced that the government has presented information leading to the federal indictment of eleven men who had trained in the woods of Fairfax County, Virginia with “AK-47” style assault weapons. According to the government, the men had also participated in warlike paintball games to practice military tactics in Spotsylvania County and had practiced shooting at various shooting ranges. Of the eleven indicted, one name stands out: Mr. Randall Todd Royer, who has served as a communications specialist and as a civil rights coordinator for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The government alleges...

In Defense of the Constitution Anti-CAIR Press Release 003/04 January 25, 2004 - CAIR?s Mr. Randall Royer Pleads Guilty - The Islamic Development Bank & CAIR - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions CAIR?s Mr. Randall Royer Pleads Guilty On January 16th, 2004, Mr. Randall Royer pleaded guilty to charges of using and discharging a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence; and with carrying an explosive during commission of a felony. Mr. Royer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. (Mr. Royer also uses the first name of ?Ismail?) At the time Mr. Royer...

On January 16, two more Defendants pleaded guilty in the Alexandria, Virginia Federal “paintball” terror case that began this summer with the arrest and indictment of eleven men from varied backgrounds who came together in the Virginia countryside to engage in what they initially claimed was innocent game playing.  These latest guilty pleas, bringing the total to six in the case, are clear victories for the Government. The Defendants were Randall Royer and Ibrahim Al-Hamdi and both entered guilty pleas to Federal firearms violations related to the case, with Royer also pleading to an explosives violation.  These Defendants will be...

A key member of an alleged Virginia jihad network pleaded guilty to federal weapons and explosives charges today, denying that he intended to harm Americans but acknowledging that he and his co-defendants had sought to fight on behalf of Muslim causes abroad. Randall Todd Royer, 30, of Falls Church, entered his surprise plea in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. He faces at least 20 years in prison when he is sentenced April 9. Another of the 11 men originally charged in the case, Ibrahim Ahmed al-Hamdi, 26, of Alexandria, pleaded guilty to similar charges and faces at least 15 years...

"A key member of an alleged Virginia jihad network pleaded guilty to federal weapons and explosives charges [Friday], denying that he intended to harm Americans but acknowledging that he and his co-defendants had sought to fight on behalf of Muslim causes abroad," the Washington Post reports: Randall Todd Royer, 30, of Falls Church, entered his surprise plea in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. He faces at least 20 years in prison when he is sentenced April 9. Another of the 11 men originally charged in the case, Ibrahim Ahmed al-Hamdi, 26, of Alexandria, pleaded guilty to similar charges and faces...

WASHINGTON -- Two members of a Virginia-based Islamic terrorism network pleaded guilty to weapons and explosives charges Friday and promised to help the government, Attorney General John Ashcroft said. Randall Royer and Ibrahim al-Hamdi, who entered their pleas in suburban Alexandria, Virginia., had ties to the Lashkar-e-Taiba group seeking to drive India out of Kashmir. A federal indictment said the Northern Virginia group also had broader goals of helping the al-Qaida network; Afghanistan's former ruling militia, the Taliban; and rebels in Chechnya. Both Royer, 30, and al-Hamdi, 26, pleaded guilty to using and discharging a firearm during, and in relation...

Kucinich headlines Muslim fund-raiserCAIR group tied to Hamas, Islamist goals Posted: November 30, 200311:50 p.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com Dennis Kucinich WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich headlined a fund-raiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group with ties to the Mideast terrorist organization Hamas and an agenda for an Islamic USA. CAIR announced its national fund-raising campaign had topped its goal of $1 million thanks in part to the standing-room-only banquet Saturday evening attended by more than 1,000 people, including Kucinich and Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va. "We would like to thank all those who helped us reach our fundraising...

Jihad In AmericaBy Evan McCormickFrontPageMagazine.com | September 5, 2003 Federal agents are peeling away the layers of an extensive domestic terrorist support nexus, and some of America’s most politically active Muslim groups have been implicated in the process.  On August 22nd, President Bush designated five charities and six senior Hamas officials as Special Designated Global Terrorist Entities (SDGTs), freezing their assets and barring financial transactions with US nationals.  The move was in response to the August 19 suicide bombing that killed 21 Israelis, for which Hamas claimed responsibility.  As US Treasury Secretary John Snow said, “Hamas’ leaders and those who...

Joining Al Qaeda By Josh Lefkowitz and Lorenzo Vidino Wall Street Journal | September 1, 2003 Randall Royer, David Hicks, Jack Roche, Christian Ganczarski. These aren't the names one expects to see when reviewing a list of those charged with participation in international Islamic terrorism. However, a disturbing number of converts have turned to militancy in a quest to add direction to their lives. Disillusioned with mainstream society, these disaffected men are attracted by the sense of community that Islam offers. While those who adopt mainstream Islam find solace in its teachings, the result can be quite different when converts...