Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi

Abdul Rahman Al-Amoudi

Abdul Rahman Al-Amoudi in 1995
Born Eritrea
Occupation Lobbyist and fundraiser
Criminal charge
 Illegal financial transactions with Libyan government, unlawful procurement
of citizenship, impeding administration of Internal Revenue Service, and role
in Libyan conspiracy
to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah
Criminal penalty
 23-year prison sentence
Criminal status USA
Conviction(s) Illegal financial transactions with Libyan government, unlawful procurement
of citizenship, impeding administration of Internal Revenue Service, and role
in Libyan conspiracy
to assassinate Saudi
Crown Prince Abdullah (October 2004)

Abdul Rahman Al-Amoudi, ( pronunction  ahb-duh-rah-MAHN ahl-ah-MOO-dee ; also known as Abdurahman Alamoudi is an American former Muslim activist known for founding the American Muslim Council. He pled guilty to financial and conspiracy charges in 2004, which resulted in a 23-year prison sentence.[1]

Biography

Al-Amoudi was born in Eritrea, raised in Yemen, and later immigrated to the United States.

He founded the American Muslim Council, a lobbying group to advocate on behalf of Muslims in the United States, in 1990. The Council's aim was to inform and influence both Republicans and Democrats. Until 1998, Al-Amoudi was involved with the selection of Muslim chaplains for the U.S. military (through the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council, which he co-founded in 1991), and acted as a consultant to The Pentagon for over a decade.

During this time Al-Amoudi served as an Islamic adviser to President Bill Clinton and a fundraiser for both the Republican and Democratic parties. More recently, Al-Amoudi worked with leading conservatives, such as Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. Al-Amoudi became a U.S. citizen in 1996.

Al-Amoudi and other Muslim leaders met with then-presidential candidate George W. Bush in Austin in July 2000, offering to support his bid for the White House in exchange for Bush's commitment to repeal certain anti-terrorist laws.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Al-Amoudi spoke at the Washington National Cathedral prayer service held to honor the memory of the victims.

In 2004 he pled guilty to three charges of illegal financial transactions with the Libyan government, unlawful procurement of citizenship and impeding administration of the Internal Revenue Service, as well as a role in a Libyan conspiracy to assassinate then-Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. He agreed to cooperate in ongoing investigations in return for prosecutors dropping 31 other counts and possible reduction in a pending 23-year sentence and $750,000 in fines.[2][3] He was sentenced to 23 years in October 2004.[1]

Al-Amoudi was described as an "expert in the art of deception" in a report by Newsweek journalists Mark Hosenball and Michael Isikoff, for expressing moderate, pro-American sympathies in his lobbying and public relations work with Americans, but then expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah at an Islamist rally.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 28 Fall from grace, Al-Ahram Weekly, October 28 – November 3, 2004 Issue No. 714.
  2. ↑ U.S. Muslim admits guilt in plot; Conspired to kill Saudi prince, Washington Times, July 31, 2004.
  3. ↑ Rasha Saad , Libyan quandary, Al-Ahram Weekly, 5 – August 11, 2004 Issue No. 702
  4. ↑ "America at a Crossroads . Inside the Muslim Brotherhood". PBS. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2007.

External links