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July 22, 2006

US: Oregon Jihad Literature To Be Returned

We wrote on October 18 of the "Oregon Jihad", where a group in Ashland called Al-Haramain had been distributing copies of "The Noble Quran". Appendix 3 of this book advised its readers to "race to jihad", and to use missiles, planes and ships against the enemies of Allah.

The US government condemned the book as "radical" but Tom Nelson, a Portland-based attorney argued that the government had "misinterpreted" the text to condemn the Ashland Al-Haramain group, which had been founded in 1997, as terrorists.

The Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, which printed the editions of the Koran is based in Saudi Arabia, and it has been linked with funding of terrorism. While under the former leadership of Aqeel Abdul Aziz Al-Aqil, AHF supported Al Qaeda. The foundation in Saudi Arabia had branches in various global locations, but before a ban on Islamic charities was imposed in Saudi Arabia in June 2004, the Saudis and the US were trying to block the assets of local branches.

Aqeel Abdul Aziz Al-Aqil was designated as a terrorist by the US, and also by the United Nations, under its UN 1267 Sanctions Committee. AHF branches in Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Somalia, and Tanzania were also designated similarly.

At its peak, the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation raised 40 to 50 million dollars a year. On September 9, 2004, the US Treasury designated the U.S. branch of the Saudi Arabia-based Al Haramain Islamic Foundation (AHF), along with one of its directors, Suliman Al-Buthe.

Stuart Levey, Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence stated: "We continue to use all relevant powers of the U.S. government to pursue and identify the channels of terrorist financing, such as corrupted charities, at home and abroad. Al Haramain has been used around the world to underwrite terror, therefore we have taken this action to excommunicate these two branches and Suliman Al-Buthe from the worldwide financial community."

Since February 19, 2004, the Ashland branch of AHF had its assets blocked, while investigations were undertaken. Soliman al-Buthe had been granted rights as the attorney for the Ashland branch of AHF by Aqeel Abdul Aziz Al-Aqil.

In March 2000, Suliman al-Buthe was returning home to Saudi Arabia with $150,000 in cashiers and travelers checks which he had gathered as donations. He did not report these to U.S. Customs officers, as required by law, and claimed ignorance of the law.

Al Haramain also had a mosque in 2151 E. Division Street, Springfield, Missouri, 65803. FBI agents in February 2004 raided the Oregon property owned by the group. This was a 157 square foot house sitting in 4.13 acres which had been valued at $464,970. The house had been used by Pete Seda, Al-Buthe's business partner and co-founder of the Ashland AHF.

Pete Seda, an arborist, came from Iran in the 1970s, and he additionally ran a group called Arabian Nights, whose aim was to introduce people to Islam and its culture. He even bought a camel to show to children on the "Arabian Nights". He appeared with his pet camel at the local Fourth of July Parade.

Pete Seda (pictured), who also went under aliases, such as Abu Yunus, Pirouz Sedaghaty, or Perouz Seda Ghaty, went to live in Dubai before the 2004 raids. He said in a statement: "I am a man of peace, and have consistently and actively opposed terrorism. I am certain that once all the facts come out, it will be clear that neither Al Haramain Oregon nor I have engaged in any criminal activities."

Seda's two sons still live in Oregon.

Last October, Suliman al-Buthe was appealing against his designation. He had returned to Saudi Arabia, and in his absence, the attorney Tom Nelson was given rights as registered agent of Al Haramain at the end of September last year.

During the case, it has been claimed that the NSA (National Security Agency) had illegally wiretapped conversations between al-Buthe (who was in Saudi Arabia at the time) and his previous American attorneys. The information from these conversations was then used to target al-Buthe and AHF. FBI agents accidentally gave copies of the surveillance logs, which were classified documents, to the two attorneys who had been wiretapped.

In February, Tom Nelson filed the logs under seal and asked the trial judge to place them under review. Nelson said then: "This may be just the tip of the iceberg." These are now the subject of a separate lawsuit against the government.

Yesterday, according to The Oregonian, federal officials agreed to hand back religious literature which had been seized in the raids from two years ago and had been held by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The publications fill 155 cartons.

As he is the registered agent of AHF, Nelson is being given the literature. He said: "They are turning all the materials over to me. No strings attached."

Nelson had filed a suit against the government earlier this year, in which he claimed that the government's refusal to hand over the literature was a breach of the AHF's First Amendment rights.

The lawyer says that he will give away the literature to anyone who wishes it. His client had given away literature such as the jihad-encouraging copies of the Koran to prisoners and others.

Nelson stated: "My goal is to do what was intended and give it to anyone who is interested. Friend or foe."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 22, 2006 7:47 PM

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