Imam In The US Sentenced for Aiding Hamas

February 28th, 2007 · No Comments

Trackposted to Pirate’s Cove, and basil’s blog, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe:

From the Associated Press via WSB Radio:

The imam of a Georgia mosque who pleaded guilty to providing support to the militant group Hamas was sentenced Tuesday to more than seven years in prison.

Mohamed Shorbagi, 42, could have faced up to 15 years in prison.

Shorbagi pleaded guilty in August to providing material support to the militant group Hamas in a case in which the agreement, charges and even the plea hearing were handled in secret. U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy sentenced him Tuesday to seven years and eight months in prison.

At the sentencing, Shorbagi said he realized that some of his actions were wrong.

He pleaded guilty in August to a charge of providing material support to Hamas and also testified in a Chicago case against a man identified by authorities as a Hamas operative.

Prosecutors have said that between 1997 and 2001, Shorbagi provided financial support to Hamas, a group designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. He also was accused of conspiring to provide material support to Hamas. The donations were through a charity called the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, prosecutors said.

Shorbagi had attended Holy Land Foundation meetings at which high-level Hamas officials made presentations condemning Israel, and hosted high-level Hamas officials at the mosque where he served as imam.

The donations were through the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, prosecutors said. The Islamic charity was shut down in 2001 after the government accused it of funneling more than $12 million to Hamas. Several people connected to the group were charged.

POP QUIZ:
1. How many court cases have you ever heard of where a Catholic priest was found guilty of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization?
2. How many court cases have you ever heard of where a Baptist pastor was found guilty of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization?
3. How many court cases have you ever heard of where a Jewish rabbi was found guilty of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization?
4. How many court cases have you ever heard of where a Hindu swami was found guilty of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization?
5. Of all the religions of the world which refers to itself as The Religion Of Peace™?
6. Will the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the most influential Islamist group in the United States, denounce this imam’s actions?

imam, mosque, Hamas, Shorbagi, terrorist, Holy Land Foundation