That's the headline from al-Jizzsplat. I did not write that headline!
An American Muslim leader charged with illegally accepting money from â and travelling to â Libya has had his request for bail denied. Although the court ruled Abd al-Rahman Alamoudi was not a danger to the community on Thursday, District Court Judge Claude Hilton denied his bail request and set the next hearing for 16 February 2004.
| I think it was something about being a flight risk... |
Hilton said he considered al-Amoudi well-connected abroad with a knowledge and ability to raise funds, and therefore represented a serious flight risk.
The judge's decision will come as a blow to a man who worked with the US State Department under the Clinton administration in the 1990s as a goodwill ambassador to Muslim countries.
| Worked wonders, didn't he? |
The ruling comes despite dozens of affidavits and testimonies from diverse members of the community who have known him for over 20 years and described his trustworthiness and sincerity.
| Which community? Well... the Islamic community... |
A former executive director of the American Muslim Council and the president of the American Muslim Foundation, al-Amoudi was a respected figure on the Washington political scene. He was a guest at the White House a number of times during the Clinton years and donated money to several politicians during the 2000 election campaign. More recently, he has also met President George Bush.
A spokesman for the Peace and Justice Foundation, Mawri Salakhan, said denying such a prominent American citizen bail was a disgrace, if not unexpected. âIf a non-Muslim had been accused of a similar offense, they would have received a civil fine rather than sitting in jail for five months. This amounts to guilty until proven innocent.â
| "Yeah! They let Billy Carter off!" |
Salakhan added that there were plenty of other options such as house arrest coupled with electronic surveillance monitoring, given al-Amoudiâs extensive personal and business ties to the community and his international prominence. |