By: Brent Parrish
The Right Planet
I was surprised and bit buoyed recently when I saw that Glenn Beck has been taking a hard look at Grover Norquist’s very questionable ties to Islamic radicals. I was even more surprised when I read that Glenn Beck would be interviewing Grover Norquist on his show tonight.
Initially, Norquist rebuffed Glenn Beck’s request for an interview, as the following Twitter exchange will attest.
But, apparently, Grover has a had a change of heart, for whatever reason.
Here’s a slice from Beck’s interview with Norquist:
WATCH the full interview here
Via the The Blaze:
Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, appeared on The Glenn Beck Program Thursday to defend himself against accusations that he is an “agent of influence” for radical Islamists. Norquist set up the Islamic Free Market Institute roughly 20 years ago, and through the organization, Beck said, he crossed paths with a number of controversial figures, including two now-imprisoned terrorists.
“When we set up the Islamic Free Market Institute in the mid-nineties it was because I had seen in Afghanistan and Pakistan during the end of the war against the Soviet Union, this radical strain of anti-Americanism and statism in the Muslim community from people who you would think would’ve be more supportive of the United States,” Norquist explained. “I was looking around for, how do we make the case for a reformation in Islam focused on something that I know something about, which is free market economics.”
“That sounds like an unbelievably noble goal,” Beck said. “Now here is the question that leaps to mind: if that’s my goal, gosh, how do I take a check from a guy like [Abdurahman Alamoudi]?”
Beck explained on his television program Wednesday that Norquist’s Islamic Free Market Institute accepted at least $20,000 from Abdurahman Alamoudi, who allegedly raised money for Al Qaeda and is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence on terrorism charges.
Grover Norquist is founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform. Norquist has been under some scrutiny for a while now concerning his ties to Islamic radicals. Former Asst. Sec. of Defense Frank Gaffney has been trying to alert Americans about the concerning infiltration by Islamic radicals into the American political process for several years now.
Norquist joined forces with Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi in the 90s to found the Islamic Institute, later renamed the Islamic Free Market Institute. Norquist is also connected with Khaled Saffuri, who worked with al-Amoudi for years. Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi is currently serving 23 years in a federal prison.
Via Discover the Networks (emphasis mine):
In September 2003, British customs officials arrested Alamoudi at Heathrow Airport as he was returning from Libya with $340,000 in cash given to him by President Muammar Qadhafi to finance a plot involving two U.K.-based al Qaeda operatives intending to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince (later King) Abdullah.
Alamoudi was subsequently extradited to the United States. In October 2003, he was arrested at Dulles Airport on charges of having illegally accepted $10,700 from the Libyan mission to the United Nations.
With Alamoudi in custody, federal authorities released a transcript of a telephone conversation in which he had: lamented that no Americans had died during al Qaeda’s 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya; recommended that more operations be conducted like the 1994 Hezbollah bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people died; and clearly articulated his objective of turning America into a Muslim nation.
Alamoudi was indicted not only for his illegal dealings with Libya, but also for tax evasion and immigration fraud. He ultimately pled guilty to, and was convicted of, being a senior al Qaeda financier who had funneled at least $1 million into the coffers of that terrorist organization. He also acknowledged that he had pocketed almost $1 million for himself in the process. In October 2004, Alamoudi was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison.
During the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) trial of 2007, which examined evidence of HLF’s fundraising on behalf of Hamas, the U.S. government released a list of approximately 300 of HLF’s “unindicted co-conspirators” and “joint venturers.” Alamoudi was named in that list. To view the names of additional noteworthy individuals and groups listed, click here.
Some of Norquist’s Islamic ties are Suhail A. Khan, David Safavian, Jamal al Barzinji, and others, including Sami al-Arian, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to “make or receive funds … for the benefit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”
Via Human Events:
Norquist, reported [Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA], “also associated with terror financier Sami Al-Arian, according to Mary Jacoby’s reporting in March 2003, in the St. Petersburg Times. Al-Arian pled guilty in 2006 ‘to a charge of conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a specially designated terrorist organization, in violation of U.S. law,’ and is under house arrest, according to a Department of Justice press release. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s ‘paramilitary wing—the al-Quds Brigades—has conducted numerous attacks, including large-scale suicide bombings,’ according to the National Counterterrorism Center.”