Omar Ahmad

Omar Ahmad (Arabic: عمر أحمد) and Rafiq Jabir were the founders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington D.C.-based Muslim civil rights organization.[1] He also worked for the Islamic Association of Palestine, a precursor to CAIR.[2][3][4]

This article is about the founder of CAIR. For the American politician, see Omar Ahmad (American politician). For those of a similar name, see Omar Ahmed (disambiguation).
Omar Ahmad
Born1959
Amman, Jordan
Alma materSanta Clara University
OccupationBusinessman, founder of Council on American-Islamic Relations

Biography

He was born in Amman, Jordan. He holds a Masters in Computer Science from Santa Clara University as well as a Masters in Political Science.[5]

He had been the chairman of CAIR's board of directors since its founding in 1994, but stepped down from that position in May 2005.[6] At the time that he resigned, CAIR claimed to be the largest Muslim civil liberties organization in the United States, with over 30 regional offices and chapters.[7][8]

Controversies

In 1998, Omar Ahmad declared in a public speech in California that "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran is the highest authority in America, and Islam is the only accepted religion on earth."[9]

References
  1. Affairs, United States Congress Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental (2009). The Roots of Violent Islamist Extremism and Efforts to Counter it: Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Tenth Congress, Second Session, July 10, 2008. U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-084933-6.
  2. "Discover the Networks | Omar Ahmad". www.discoverthenetworks.org. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  3. ""Omar Ahmad: Jordanian-Born Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Is Influential Muslim-American Activist" by H, Richard - Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Vol. XIX, Issue 5, June 30, 2000".
  4. Timmerman, Kenneth R. (2004). Preachers of Hate: Islam and the War on America. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-1-4000-5373-5.
  5. "Personality: Omar Ahmad". WRMEA. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  6. "Report: Feds close probe of CAIR founder". Politico. April 14, 2011.
  7. "25 facts about CAIR". cair.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
  8. Congress, United States (2011). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  9. Jocelyne Cesari: Encyclopedia of Islam in the United States, Vol. 1, Greenwood Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-313-33625-6, p. 167
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