- Born:
- May 3, 1938, Al-Jamāliyyah, Egypt
- Died:
- February 18, 2017, Butner, North Carolina, U.S. (aged 78)
Omar Abdel Rahman
-
Who was Omar Abdel Rahman?
Omar Abdel Rahman (1938-2017) was an Egyptian-born cleric and the spiritual leader of al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah, a prominent militant organization in Egypt during the late 20th century. He was a vocal critic of the secular Egyptian regime and advocated for a pan-Islamic state. Rahman was imprisoned multiple times and eventually fled to the United States in 1990, settling in Brooklyn, New York. In 1996, he was sentenced to life in prison in the United States for conspiring to bomb targets in New York City, including the George Washington Bridge and the United Nations building.
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Where was Omar Abdel Rahman born and what was his background?
Omar Abdel Rahman was born on May 3, 1938, in Al-Jamāliyyah, Egypt. Blind since childhood, he studied theology and Islamic law at Cairo’s al-Azhar University. After graduation, he became a vocal critic of the secular regime of Egyptian President Anwar el-Sādāt. In the 1970s, Abdel Rahman co-founded al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah to advocate militant action against Sādāt's regime. As the organization grew, Abdel Rahman became known for his opposition to Egyptian secular authorities and his promotion of a pan-Islamic state. He was imprisoned multiple times before fleeing to the United States in 1990.
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What role did Omar Abdel Rahman play as a cleric?
As the spiritual leader of al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah, Omar Abdel Rahman advocated for militant action against the secular regime of Egyptian President Anwar el-Sādāt. He became known for his opposition to Egyptian secular authorities and his promotion of a pan-Islamic state. In 1996, he was sentenced to life in prison in the United States for conspiring to bomb targets in New York City.
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Why is Omar Abdel Rahman a well-known figure internationally?
Omar Abdel Rahman, an Egyptian-born cleric, gained international notoriety as the spiritual leader of al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah, a prominent militant organization in Egypt during the late 20th century. He was a vocal critic of the secular Egyptian regime and advocated for a pan-Islamic state, leading to multiple imprisonments. In 1990, he fled to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York.
In 1996, Abdel Rahman was sentenced to life in prison in the United States for conspiring to bomb several targets in New York City. Although not directly linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, some of the accused worshiped at his mosque. He was convicted of plotting to bomb landmarks such as the George Washington Bridge and the United Nations building.
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What was Omar Abdel Rahman accused of in the United States?
Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian-born cleric and spiritual leader of al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah, was sentenced to life in prison in the United States in 1996 for conspiring to bomb New York City targets.
Although not directly linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Rahman was convicted of plotting a "war of urban terrorism". Prosecutors used a Civil War-era seditious conspiracy law to prove he conspired to "overthrow or put down or destroy by force the Government of the United States". Rahman was found guilty of plotting to bomb the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the United Nations building, and other Manhattan landmarks. He was also linked to the Kahane murder and convicted of trying to orchestrate the assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
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How did Omar Abdel Rahman impact history and what was his legacy?
Omar Abdel Rahman, an Egyptian-born cleric, led al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah and significantly impacted late 20th-century militant Islamic movements. A vocal critic of the secular Egyptian regime, he advocated for a pan-Islamic state, leading to multiple imprisonments and eventual exile to the United States.
In 1996, Abdel Rahman was sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to bomb New York City landmarks. Though not directly linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, his followers were implicated. His legacy includes convictions for seditious conspiracy and orchestrating attacks, which led to restricted communication and his attorney's arrest for aiding him.
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Omar Abdel Rahman (born May 3, 1938, Al-Jamāliyyah, Egypt—died February 18, 2017, Butner, North Carolina, U.S.) was an Egyptian-born cleric who served as the spiritual leader of al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah (Arabic: “the Islamic Group”), one of Egypt’s largest and most active militant organizations in the late 20th century. In 1996 he was sentenced to life in prison in the United States for conspiring to bomb a series of prominent targets in New York City.
Abdel Rahman was blind since childhood. He studied theology and Sharīʿah (Islamic law) at Cairo’s al-Azhar University. After graduating, he distinguished himself as a vocal critic of the secular regime of Egyptian Pres. Anwar el-Sādāt. In the 1970s Abdel Rahman and others founded al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah to advocate and support militant action against the Sādāt regime. As the organization grew, Abdel Rahman himself became widely known for his opposition to the Egyptian secular authorities and his promotion of a pan-Islamic state. He was imprisoned numerous times, and when Egypt severely cracked down on militant groups in 1990, Abdel Rahman fled to the United States and settled in the Brooklyn, New York, area. According to U.S. officials, Abdel Rahman’s U.S. terrorist cell planned to attack civilians, government officials, and landmarks. In 1990 El Sayyid Nosair, an Egyptian man linked to Abdel Rahman, was arrested and tried for the murder of Jewish political extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York. Nosair was acquitted of the murder but convicted of lesser related charges. When federal agents raided Nosair’s New Jersey residence after his arrest, they found many incriminating items, including a sermon by Abdel Rahman that urged followers to attack “the edifices of capitalism.”
One interpretation of this phrase became immediately clear after the February 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City. The blast killed six people, injured a thousand more, and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. A number of those accused of having carried out the bombing worshipped at Abdel Rahman’s mosque in Jersey City, New Jersey. Although there was insufficient evidence to link Abdel Rahman directly to the World Trade Center bombing, in January 1996 he was convicted of preparing what prosecutors called a “war of urban terrorism” in New York City. Under a rarely used Civil War-era seditious conspiracy law, prosecutors proved that the cleric had conspired to “overthrow or put down or destroy by force the Government of the United States.” Abdel Rahman was found guilty of plotting to blow up the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the United Nations building, and other Manhattan landmarks. He was also linked to the Kahane murder and convicted of trying to orchestrate the assassination of Egyptian Pres. Ḥosnī Mubārak. Abdel Rahman was sentenced to life in prison. To limit his ability to direct operations from behind bars, officials restricted his communication with the outside world. In April 2002 Abdel Rahman’s attorney, Lynne Stewart, was arrested and charged with helping the cleric pass messages to his followers. Stewart was convicted in February 2005 and ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison.
