New Trend Magazine (www.newtrendmag.org)

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Disclaimer: Views expressed are not necessarily shared by editorial committee.
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WHY IS AHMED 'ABDEL SATTAR Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar BEING KEPT IN PRISON THOUGH "TERRORISM" CHARGES AGAINST HIM HAVE BEEN DROPPED?

By Kaukab Siddique

The case of Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar should be a matter of serious concern for all Americans. He is a good example of that borderline case where the U.S. government has moved against a citizen of the United States merely because he is an opponent of a client regime of the White House. No issue of violence or attempted violence is involved.

WHO IS AHMED 'ABDEL SATTAR?

Originally from Egypt, 'Ahmed is an unassuming, humble citizen of the U.S. who worked for the post office honestly, efficiently and diligently. He has NEVER been involved in any criminal activity of any kind. In fact he has been pious to the extent of being virtuous and pure in all his dealings. No one, friend or foes, has EVER accused him of any underhand or crooked activities.

A very community-oriented person, he was steadily involved in mosque-related activity to help create a decent future for the children of his largely Egyptian community. He never preached, instigated or supported violence against the United States.

He has deep roots in America. Married to a an attractive and compassionate White Muslim woman from Chicago named Lisa, Ahmed was confident that he had a future in this land of immigrants. Lisa gave four children to Ahmed, each one a gem of a child, each one sensitive to the issues facing America and the Muslim world. Look at their children:
Omar        15      Junior in High School
Ali         14      Sophomore in High School 
Amina       10      in the 6th grade
Mohamed     10      in the 6th grade
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VALUES GAINED FROM AMERICA and the QUR'AN made Ahmed an OPPONENT of the Mubarak regime in EGYPT:

Americans who are made aware of the Qur'an are usually opposed to dictatorship. As Ahmed studied the Qur'an and looked at the politics of the country he came from, it was natural for him to become an opponent of the murderous Hosni Mubarak regime in Egypt. It seemed natural to Ahmed that an Egyptian Muslim living in America should be opposed to Mubarak.

WHY THE RELATIONSHIP with SHAIKH OMAR 'ABDEL RAHMAN? Shaikh Omar 'Abdel Rahman

Many Muslims in America do not know that a series of changes took place in the role of Islamic groups in Egypt over the seventies and eighties. The original IKHWAN al-MUSLIMOON (Muslim Brotherhood) slowly degenerated into a social work-and-intellectual debate movement. The IKHWAN were unable to provide leadership to Egypt's Muslim as the country underwent cataclysmic changes. The government of Egypt decided to recognize Israel. The CIA had evidently infiltrated the top echelons of the Egyptian system.

Faced with this destruction of the national will, various Islamic groups developed to replace the Ikhwan. The most successful of these was al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya which not only emulated the IKHWAN in social works but also taught resistance to the regime's repression, torture and murder.

Al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya proliferated into thousands of decentralized groups. Their spiritual leader was Dr. Shaikh Omar 'Abdel Rahman, a Ph.D from al-Azhar University whose dissertation was on the meaning of Jihad in the Qur'an. The mass movement posed a serious challenge to the brutal regime of Mubarak as it was rooted in mosques, villages and the poorer sections of the population.

Under severe repression and after repeated arrests, Shaikh Omar 'Abdel Rahman took refuge in America. Owing to his health condition, he was willing to live in peace in America, like a traditional Muslim scholar teaching the rulings of Islam on a variety of issues. His learning won him the admiration of thousands of American Muslims and he was invited to speak at mosques around the country. He did not preach against America. The era of Osama bin Laden had not begun.

For Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar, the Shaikh as a source of honest Islamic knowledge, was a natural magnet. Ahmed admired the Shaikh's otherworldliness, his erudition in Qur'an and Hadith, his opposition to the Hosni Mubarak regime. Ahmed often disagreed with the Shaikh, but even in disagreement, found the Shaikh's learning attractive and infectious. The more he listened to the Shaikh, the more he liked him. IT NEVER DAWNED ON AHMED that the U.S. WAS BEING TAKEN OVER BY ISRAEL. America was no longer to be a haven for opponents of regimes linked to Israel.

THEN CAME THE ARREST OF SHAIKH OMAR
[probably to please Hosni Mubarak who was disturbed by his growing support in the U.S.]. Ahmed could hardly believe that a man of God could be arrested and brought to trial in "freedom loving" America on charges of "terrorism" because of opposing the criminal regime of Hosni Mubarak.

WHY IS AHMED ABDEL SATTAR IN PRISON?:

The Zionists in New York wanted to 'get' Ahmed for his unwavering efforts to mobilize support to stop violation of the Shaikh's human rights. They could not 'get' him because under American law, a person who stands up for a dissident's rights cannot be labeled terrorist just for his views. There was nothing in Ahmed's life which the FBI could pick up to go after him.

Then came 9.11. Right away Ahmed's house was raided on the pretext that there might be weapons there. [None were found.] Finally in April 2002, he was arrested and a number of absurd charges were put against his name. The government had been listening to his phone calls in which he spoke with Egyptian dissidents and urged opposition to Hosni Mubarak.

Under Ashcroft, it takes months before a citizen's case even comes up before a court. The arrest itself takes the shape of punishment. Ahmed was kept in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT for a YEAR and 4 months before the judge read his case and realized that there was no case of terrorism against him!

However, the government does not give up so easily. He is still being held on frivolous charges of "soliciting violence" and "fraud." There is little chance that such charges can hold up in court because they are patently bogus. The rub is that the hearing will be in January 2004! Thus from July to January, the government will be holding Ahmed without bail. Massive community support is available for the bail but the Judge has accepted the prosecution's absurd claim that Ahmed is a "flight risk." Where would he fly to when the world today is controlled by the U.S.?

As his son said about the bail hearing [held on August 1]:
"I felt like a dog that had a bone waved in front of his face for one week. After that week of hope of getting that bone it was yanked from the front of my face and I was left feeling disgusted and angry."
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I strongly urge the Muslim community, worldwide, to take up the cause of Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar. He has done no wrong.There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON why he should be in prison. As he was being led away after the rejection of a strong bail application, he waved to Lisa and his children and said: "Be not afraid. Allah is with us." [Slight abbreviation of the Prophet's, pbuh, words to Abu Bakar, R.A., given in Sura Taubah.]

Surely Ahmed is in prison only because he worships Allah alone without associating anyone with Allah.
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Dear Muslims, please write to Ahmed to show your support, at this "address:"
Ahmed Abdel-Sattar #53506-054
MCC, 150 Park Row
New York, NY 10007
If we can get more support for Ahmed, we can also protest to the judge and the prosecutor.
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I also urge IMAM SIRAJ WAHHAJ and the "Majlise Shura" of New York to show at least recognition of the case of Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar. Is it not a disgrace that you are an Imam in New York and you ignore the most important Islamic case in New York? What kind of Islam is this that you don't attend care to attend the hearings, let alone show support? What is the important business you are involved in which stops you from taking time to attend a hearing?
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2003-08-09 Sat 18:00ct