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| In 2005, as President of the MAS, Omeish told reporters: "The fact of the matter is we know of no ]s, we don't know of that phenomenon to exist in our community."<ref></ref> | In 2005, as President of the MAS, Omeish told reporters: "The fact of the matter is we know of no ]s, we don't know of that phenomenon to exist in our community."<ref></ref> | ||
| ==Jihad controversy; resignation from Virginia commission== | |||
| Virginia Governor ] appointed Omeish to the Virginia Commission on Immigration, which was examining whether Virginia should do more to restrict illegal immigration. | |||
| In September 2007, Omeish resigned as a commission member, at the Governor's request,<ref name=Fox/> three hours after incendiary remarks he made were brought to the Governor's attention on a radio ] on ] radio in ]. "That is news to me, what you say, and it's something we will check out," Kaine told the caller.<ref>], October 4, 2007, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref><ref>], September 27, 2007, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref> | |||
| Omeish appeared in one video telling a crowd of Washington-metropolitan-area Muslims: <blockquote>"you have learned the way, that you have known that the '']'' way is the way to liberate your land."<ref name=Fox/></blockquote> | |||
| He appeared in another video screaming to a boisterous crowd: <blockquote>"We must prosecute those who are responsible for this war. ] Bush today! Let us cleanse our ], our ], our ] of those who have driven America into this colossal mistake."</blockquote> Omeish also appeared in a , rally in Washington near the ], denouncing Israel's invasion of Lebanon and the "Israeli war machine." He also accused Israel of ] and massacres against Palestinians, and said the "Israeli agenda" controls Congress.<ref></ref><ref>], 2008, ISBN 1596985569, 9781596985568, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref> | |||
| '']'' reported that after the videos surfaced "Kaine was forced to ask for Omeish's resignation,"<ref>], October 4, 2007, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref> and '']'' reported that "After footage of the speech was released in 2007, Omeish was forced to resign from Virginia state immigration commission".<ref name=Fox /> | |||
| "I have been made aware of certain statements he has made which concern me," Kaine said while accepting Omeish's resignation. He added that ]s would be more thorough in the future.<ref>], September 27, 2007, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref><ref name=Fox/> | |||
| Omeish told a news conference that ''jihad'' has nothing to do with violence, but instead is about inner struggles leading to spiritual triumph. Omeish said his remarks were "taken out of context."<ref></ref><ref>], October 3, 2007, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref><ref name=Fox/> He said Kaine was reacting to "speech excerpts taken out of context by proponents of a relentless campaign of ... ]."<ref>], September 28, 2997, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref> | |||
| Journalist ] wrote in response: <blockquote>"Such explanations are presented after a terrorist act or a radical is exposed. Radicals also have been known to lie, especially to "]s." Omeish claims his remarks were "taken out of context." The context appears clear to anyone familiar with the language of the Middle East. Most rational people understand "the jihad way," especially when it is associated with Israel, as meaning the violent overthrow of Israel (and other democracies) and the destruction of the Jewish people."<ref></ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| After Omeish resigned, the office of ] ] (R-]) released a statement from Delegate. C. ] (R-]) entitled "Kaine Appointee on Board of Directors of Radical 9-11 Mosque", referring to the Dar Al Hijrah mosque.<ref>], October 4, 2007, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref> | |||
| ==Candidacy for state assemblyman== | ==Candidacy for state assemblyman== | ||
Revision as of 00:53, 17 January 2010
| Esam S. Omeish | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1967-12-19) December 19, 1967 (age 57) Tripoli, Libya |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University; Georgetown University School of Medicine |
| Occupation | Surgeon |
| Employer | Inova Alexandria Hospital |
| Known for | Resignation from Virginia Commission on Immigration due to jihad controversy; former President of Muslim American Society |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Board member of | Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center |
| Spouse | Badria Kafala |
| Children | Abrar, Anwar, Yousof, and Ibrahim |
| Relatives | Mohamed S. Omeish; brother—President of US branch of International Islamic Relief Organization |
| Website | omeishfordelegate.com |
Dr. Esam S. Omeish (born December 19, 1967, in Tripoli, Libya) is a Northern Virginia physician, chief of the Division of General Surgery at Inova Alexandria Hospital since 2006, former President of the Muslim American Society, a group with close ties to the extremist Muslim Brotherhood, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque.
In August 2007, Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed Omeish to the Virginia Commission on Immigration. A month later Omeish resigned his seat on the commission after the governor learned of incendiary statements he had made.
Education and family
In 1982, he immigrated to the United States. Omeish attended J. E. B. Stuart High School in Falls Church, Virginia, where he and his brothers started the first Friday prayers in a high school in the District of Columbia area.
He attended Georgetown University. Upon graduating with a double major in Government and Biology in 1989, he attended the Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he completed his studies in 1993.
Omeish helped start the first chapter of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at Georgetown, and chaired the MSA Council for the Washington, DC, metropolitan area during his tenure at Georgetown.
His wife, Badria Kafala, is a scientist with a Ph.D. in molecular genetics, and they had four children as of 2009: Abrar, Anwar, Yousof, and Ibrahim.
His brother, Mohamed S. Omeish, is President of the US branch of the International Islamic Relief Organization, which the United Nations has associated with terrorism.
Dar al-Hijrah
Omeish is a former Vice President and current board member of the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia. He personally hired Anwar al-Awlaki, a former imam at the mosque who was employed there between January 2001 and April 2002, has been accused of being a senior al-Qaeda recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists, and is now wanted in Yemen on suspicion of possible al-Qaeda links.
In 2004 Omeish, at 36 then the youngest member of the mosque's Board of Directors, said there is "no question" that the mosque leadership needs to be more open and inclusive of younger people, including women. "The bottom line is that this is a mosque that is in the heart of Washington," he said. "Our goal is to make the congregation reflect that reality."
As of December 2009, he was still a member of the mosque's Board of Directors.
Muslim American Society
In 2004, as President of the Muslim American Society, Omeish wrote a letter to the Washington Post in which he disagreed with the conclusions of a Washington Post article, and described the Muslim Brotherhood, which he admitted influenced the MAS, as having "moderate" views.
In 2005, as President of the MAS, Omeish told reporters: "The fact of the matter is we know of no sleeper cells, we don't know of that phenomenon to exist in our community."
Candidacy for state assemblyman
In 2009 Omeish ran for State Assemblyman in a primary election in the 35th District of the Virginia General Assembly. Jim Hyland, the Republican candidate for the seat, said Omeish was a poor choice to represent his region's growing Muslim community. "What criteria were they using to select people?" he said. "I think (his views) come from a small-minded perspective—got to fight Israel and all that sort of rhetoric. Some people have tried move beyond that." John Carroll, who ran against Omeish in the primary, said: "I was surprised (when I watched the video). He's about as nice a guy as you can meet."
Omeish came in third in the primary, with 1,039 votes.
Clinton call
In June 2009, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited Odeish to join 100-200 invitees on a conference call that she held with Muslim leaders and academics after President Barack Obama delivered a speech in Cairo.
References
- Ahmed-Ullah, Noreen S., Roe, Sam, and Cohen, Laurie, "A rare look at secretive Brotherhood in America," Chicago Tribune, September 19, 2004, accessed January 3, 2009
- ^ Osborne, James (June 8, 2009). "Clinton Invites Controversial Muslim Leader on Conference Call". Fox News. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
- "Omeish for Delegate, Meet the Candidate," accessed January 1, 2010
- United Nations List of proscribed individuals and entities, accessed December 30, 2007
- Infiltration: how Muslim spies and subversives have penetrated Washington, Paul E. Sperry, Thomas Nelson Inc, 2005, ISBN 1595550038, 9781595550033, accessed December 10, 2009
- James Gordon, "Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan 'is a hero': Imam who preached to 9/11 hijackers in Va. praises attack," New York Daily News, November 9, 2009, accessed November 12, 2009
- "Facing New Realities as Islamic Americans," Caryle Murphy, Washington Post, September 12, 2004, accessed December 9, 2009
- "Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Home, About us, Board of Directors", accessed December 10, 2009
- "MAS President Letter to the Washington Post," Date Posted: Thursday, September 16, 2004, Muslim American Society, accessed December 9, 2009
- Cosgrove-Mather, Bootie, "MAS's Muslim Brotherhood Problem; Does Muslim American Society Want An Islamic Government In U.S.?," CBS News, May 25, 2005, accessed December 9, 2009
- "Bush visits Egyptian embassy, U.S. Muslim leaders call for calm," CBC News, July 25, 2005, accessed December 9, 2009
- Manz, Donna, "Keam Wins Democratic Nomination for 35th District", Vienna Connection, June 12, 2009, accessed December 9, 2009
External links
- Louie, Elaine, "Ramadan: A Time For Fasts And Feasts", The New York Times, February 8, 1995
- Esam Omeish for Delegate 2009