Robert southern california-

Your entries sound so, so articulate and eloquent until you begin to use your own words and grammar. Cut and paste serves you well NOT! Quit being a sympathizer with hashhasheens!

The CIA used a "tool" that has existed for hundreds of years.

Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman case was a perfect example of a FBI Agent Provocator.

The CIA's support of the Afghani Mujahadeen between 1979 and 1989 resulted in a huge wave of well-armed and trained Muslim extremists bent on venting their political and ideological rage against the U.S. At the same time, the overflow from the Afghani operation resulted in one of the largest pools of potential recruits for covert operations.

One of the main operatives the CIA had utilized in its war against the Soviets was Sheik Abdel Omar Rahman. The CIA utilized Rahman because of his influence over the Mujahadeen, then brought him into the U.S. on a CIA-sponsored visa. While the Sheik was eventually convicted for conspiracy to bomb targets in the U.S., prosecutors encountered resistance in pursuing him and other World Trade Center bombing suspects because of their ties to the Mujahadeen, and their ties to U.S. intelligence.

As Jack Blum, investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee, put it: "One of the big problems here is that many suspects in the World Trade Center bombing were associated with the Mujahadeen. And there are components of our government that are absolutely disinterested in following that path because it leads back to people we supported in the Afghan war."[1164]

A staunch anti-Western crusader, Rahman became a shining light for thousands of Muslim extremists after the war in their crusade for the holy Jihad. Nearby Peshawar, Pakistan became the staging area for tens of thousands of radicals, many of whom went on to form smaller cells around the world, including the U.S. The groups that flocked to Pakistan's terrorist training centers included the Egyptian Al-Gama'a al-Islamiya, the Palestinian Hammers, the Algerian Al-Jihad, and the Filipino Moro Liberation Front.

World Trade Center mastermind Ramzi Yousef also spent considerable time in Pakistan. As one Western diplomat noted: "The United States created a Moscow Central in Peshawar for these groups, and the consequences for all of us are astronomical."[1165]

As Mary Ann Weaver writes in the May, 1996 issue of The Atlantic Monthly: "…the CIA helped to train and fund what eventually became an international network of highly disciplined and effective Islamic militants — and a new breed of terrorist as well."

To the CIA, which pumped more than $2 billion into the fourteen-year Afghani resistance effort, Sheik Omar was what intelligence officials call "a valuable asset."[1166][1167]

El Sayyid Nosair, a core member of the Al Salaam Mosque run by Rahman, shot and killed the radical Right-wing Rabbi Meir Kahane in November of 1990. During a conversation between a 20-year veteran FBI agent and one of his top undercover operatives, the operative asked:

"Why aren't we going after the Sheik [Adbel Rahman]?" demanded the undercover man.

"It's hands off," answered the agent.

"Why?" asked the operative.

"It was no accident that the Sheik got a visa and that he's still in the country," replied the agent, visibly upset. "He's here under the banner of national security, the State Department, the NSA, and the CIA."

The agent pointed out that the Sheik had been granted a tourist visa, and later a green card, despite the fact that he was on a State Department terrorist watch-list that should have barred him from the country. He's an untouchable, concluded the agent.…"[1168][1169]

It was also revealed during the Sheik's conspiracy trial that in 1989 the U.S. Army had sent Special Forces Sergeant Ali A. Mohammed to Jersey City to provide training for Mujahadeen recruits, including Nosair and Mahmud Abouhalima, a convicted World Trade Center bomber. Interestingly, this was at the same time the pair were under surveillance by the FBI as suspected terrorists.[1170][1171]*

Americans need to realize that everytime they point their finger, 3 more fingers are pointing back at you.

We are quick to label people terrorist, but fail to admit that most of the world terrorist where trained by our belovit CIA.

Him dying in a US prison, or a cartoon. They look for EXCUSES to be pissed off to justify what they really want to do. Eliminate the "others"

I don't think that it is fair that his country would blame the US for his detioriating health, when we can not give someone the situations that he has. That fact that his health is failing is an unfortunate factor of the US having him in our prison. On the othe rhand if he is wrong he is wrong. I'm sure had the shoe been on the other foot they'd feel the same way, atleast they should. JUST BECAUSE A PERSON IS SICK; IT SHOULDN'T EXCUSE THEIR BEHAVIOR TOWARD ANYONE OR ANYTHING THAT THEY HAVE WRONGED!!!!! I hope that for the US's sake he doesn't die in our custody but it seems as though it might have happened in his country if he were still be in his country. On both sides we have lost so much in lives and safety factors. I say lets cease fire and try and make our countries work together instead against each other because it is obvious that either one has something that the other needs so if we agree on supplying those items then that should be the extend of our agreements and/or disagreements.

Someone mentioned under another entry how members of Congress have the best of all worlds when it comes to medical care while there are many poor, uninsured in this country who must go begging.

But here's something much worse: Those in prison such as the Blind Sheik, who've been convicted of terrorism and other offenses against this country, or of other heinous crimes also get the sort of medical care that loyal, law-abiding Americans who don't have access to insurance can't get. (It's even more ironic that prisoners on death row will also have access to such treatment--so the government keeps them alive so it can kill them later).

And medical care for these prisoners is at US taxpayer expense--which is worst of all. I'd rather see my tax dollars fund improved medical coverage for people who are falling through the cracks insurance-wise, then to keep prisoners alive who should be dead.

Rahman is just a career criminal. He's nothing special (other than the fact that he's blind), just another angry militant. Our functionally-retarded government let him into the country and it's doubtful Egypt would want him back (except maybe to throw him back in jail). He should work for Swift, I'm sure he'd make a great meat-packer.

Robert, Southern California,

You describe a man of accomplishment, a person who could have been a man of Gandhi's stature. When Rahman's yearning for change became a violent demand for instant gratification, the man you described became a thug. If his gripe was with Egypt, why was he bombing America?

Years ago, I had a friend who was brutally beaten and raped. She filed charges and had a court date. The defense attorney and the case worker called her and asked that she drop the charges, because her attacker had been abused as a child, and as such was a victim himself. My friend told them that when their victim started collecting other victims (herself) he ceased to be a victim and became a thug. They went to court and my friend won.

My point? Rahman might be a kindly old man, but he surrounded himself with violent thugs and people willing to do the dirty work of a blind man. Remember, we didn't release John Gotti to die at home so I don't see a compassionate release for Rahman in the future.

Sounds Like robert from southern california is a sympathest, I am quite sure that if it was your family who was physiacally or emotionally scarred you would not hold the convicted terrorist in such high regards. As for his accomplishments I would consider all of these past so called "achievements" irrelevant in that you can't accomplish a whole lot when you are looking through bars. Secondly I am sick of hearing that the US is not holding up to the standards of treatment of these brutal and vicious killers( call them accomplished, respected, what ever your pleasure)I call them animals, if they dont want to be treated as animals then tell them not to act like one. As for robert up here you can go join your so called persacuted extremist muslims. As intellegant as you claim to be in that you kept up so well with a convicted terrorist tell us how the we should solve these problems other than turning the middle east into a sheet of glass. Have a good day and God Bless America, though some mixed up americans are on the wrong side, I wont hold that against you California.

This situation screams for the death penalty and immediate execution of anyone convicted of terrorism. We saw this same situation during the '70s and '80s with the airplane hijackings. They were like dominoes with each new one demanding the release of those captured in the previous one. Give them a one-time martyr to demonstrate about (kill a few innocent bystanders, burn a few buildings, you know, the usual temper tantrum elements), and then they can move on to their next cause (target).

I "understand" him the same way I understand the KKK, the Nazis, Communist, or any other twisted group.

Murdering thugs.

You mean the nice friendly Muslims will be angry at us if a known killer dies in jail? If Muslims would start using their brains instead of bombs maybe someone would care.

Why can't we simply send him back?

Rahman was convicted for his role in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center and has been serving a life sentence at the Supermax prison in Colorado.

I guess this is what we will be faced, with every time a terrorist is captured and put in jail.

The thing that upsets me most about we Americans, is the fact that we have so much to say ,about things we have no knowledge of.How many of you have actually follow the case of Shiek Omar Abdel Rahman? How many have actually understood his cuase in Egypt?How many of you have witness the oppression and tyranny place upon many Egyption citizens.If you do a little research, you would concluded that the Shiek was a accomplished doctor, new the Quran word for word and from cover to cover.The shiek was a accomplish Islamic scholar.Research his trial, and I garrantee you would come to a much different conclusion about the shiek as a person.The shiek accomplishments puts all of us who can see to shame.

We call ourselves the land of the free, but we treat people of other nationalities and faith unjust.Read below and look how the shiek is treated in prison:

The new letter, titled “Letter from US Prison: O People of Sacrifice and Dignity,” opens with explicit descriptions of the conditions the Sheikh is currently facing in prison. Rahman complains of religious discrimination, unhygienic conditions, and guard bias toward other prisoners. “I stay like that day and night.” He argues, “What loneliness, what cruelty. By doing this they want to make me terminally ill to exact revenge because I am a Muslim. Are these the human rights they boast about so much and [with which they] fill the air waves and news media, while persecuting us so that we are unable to speak or raise our voice?”

The Sheikh also discusses in graphic detail the search procedures used by the guards before and after he leaves his cell to see a visitor. Regarding the search procedure he states that “they do this twice to me on each visit so that I melt from shame and embarrassment and wish that the earth would open up and swallow me rather than they do this to me.”

In concluding his message, Rahman calls for Muslims to rise up against his mistreatment, arguing that he is not the only one who has been silenced by the prisons. “O Men of Allah!” He writes, “Rise up from your deep slumber. Rise up with your resounding voices. Set out, O Men of Allah, and let your voices be heard in every place, and say it with all your strength and loudly, without fear. Rise up, O Men of Allah and like one ****, show the truth and negate the evil. And don’t give in to those who aggress, lest the fire take hold of you.”

who care about this evil man i say send him to hell

Ref Rahman, unload him onto the country where he came from and let them foot the medical bill...

I feel for any person that is dying of cancer or anything else for that matter. I feel said person should have peace with his/her death, however, sending this person back will go against what we are fighting for and the message we are sending. Yes, he is dying, but we all die sooner or later. It is tragic that it is by cancer and not a bomb or a gun. That may be cold, but I believe in defending my family and friends. We have men and women that are putting their lives on the line for me and for everyone here in the US. What would it say to them if we let the Sheik go home to plan more terrorist acts before his death? He made his bed and got caught, so now he is laying in the bed that he made. Let God decide how he should die, but that does not mean that he should be released from prison. If any of his trusty followers are planning anything, we know how to defend ourselves and make our message known.

He should pray to allah to save him. After all, even good muslims will end up just as the rest of us-as worm food! He'll not get any sympathy from this writer. Blind or not, he plotted to blow up the WTC the first time and did serious damage.

I don't believe anyone in the arab world realizes how fatalistic the extremists are being. We could reduce the arab world, including the collateral damage, to glass and still have enough to go around again.

Why did we give life giving blood to a terrorist in prison that could have been used to save an innocent American life? The reality is we are losing a financial war everytime a terrorists makes a verbal threat - gas prices go up, stock prices drop rapidly, security in America is "beefed up" or the wallets of government employees are beefed up - one never knows. Let's show them what Americans are really capable of.

I am an American Muslim. America is my country. I would be the first to say that neither I nor Islam condone terrorism of any degree. However, Sheik Abdel Rahman is a human being. He deserves to be treated humanly in his final days. Judgement by a Higher Power is clearly a doctrine that helps form the foundation of Islam, Christainity and Judaism.

So, what are our options here? Do we just release the Sheik? Here we go again, trying to satisfy the all consuming anger of the Muslim world population.

As for me, I would rather die on my feet than to live on my knees.

Too bad our "secret" agencies can't keep a secret any more. All or most of these terrorists should just "disappear", never to be seen or heard from again. "POOF!" That way the other scumbag terrorists don't know to attack when he's dead! Hey what a concept...

Why can't we simply send him back?