A Moderate Muslim Fights Fundamentalism

A moderate Muslim man, Omar Najib, is fighting against the rampant fundamentalism that has sprouted in his mosque. A Palestinian, Najib is fighting an uphill battle with Mosque officials that have historically contributed heavily to groups associated with terrorism.

Perhaps this sort of radical fundamentalism is what we should expect in the sprawling cities of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Gaza. But, is that the way it has to be in Illinois?

Situated in Bridgeview, Ill., the mosque has been on the radar of federal authorities for more than a decade. In the last seven years, the U.S. government has taken legal action against several former officials and other prominent members for funding and participating in terrorist organizations. The mosque itself has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into three charities that were closed shortly after 9/11 for financing terrorism.

From the early '70s, the predominantly Palestinian immigrant community in Bridgeview had been trying to raise funds to build a mosque. They had little luck—until newer immigrants raised $1.2 million, mostly from wealthy Gulf countries. The older, more moderate Muslims—whose men were clean-shaven and whose women wore short sleeves and no hijabs—handed over control of the mosque to the principal fundraisers. One day later, the old guard sued, claiming they didn't know who was behind the new order—radical Wahhabists who ran the North American Islamic Trust.

Shortly after the suit was filed, the new leadership fired the longtime prayer leader, a moderate (and proud American), and replaced him with a fundamentalist, Ahmad Zaki Hammad, who was imported from Egypt. The court sided with the fundamentalists, saying it had no role in determining who controls a mosque. Mr. Najib represented the mosque—and thus, the fundamentalists who controlled it—in the two-year battle. At the time, he says, many on the mosque board were more moderate.

Within months of helping them, however, Mr. Najib realized his mistake. He raised questions about Mr. Hammad, and, as a result, lost his seat on the board. Mr. Najib's worries were eventually confirmed. The prayer leader was the founder of the Quranic Literacy Institute, whose assets were frozen in 1998 by federal authorities for terror financing. Six years later, QLI was found by a civil court to have funneled money to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

From Front Page Mag.