posted
So this is why this guy refused to make any type of contribution toward basketball development in Nigeria? This is why he refused to invest in Nigeria.
quote: Olajuwon terror scandal Mosque donated to charities fronting for terror groups Posted: Wednesday February 9, 2005 2:24PM; Updated: Wednesday February 9, 2005 6:24PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A mosque established and funded by basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon gave more than $80,000 to charities the government later determined to be fronts for the terror groups al-Qaida and Hamas, according to financial records obtained by The Associated Press. Olajuwon told the AP he had not known of any links to terrorism when the donations were made, prior to the government's crackdown on the groups, and would not have given the money if he had known. "There is no way you can go back in time," Olajuwon said in a telephone interview from Jordan, where he is studying Arabic. "After the fact, now they have the list of organizations that are banned by the government." A Treasury Department spokeswoman, Molly Millerwise, declined to discuss Olajuwon's contributions but said, "In many cases donors are being unwittingly misled by the charities." Federal law enforcement officials said they were not investigating Olajuwon, a 7-foot center born in Nigeria who played 17 seasons for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association before retiring in 2002. Olajuwon, who became a U.S. citizen in 1993, was known as "The Dream" and won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in 1994, when he led the Rockets to the first of back-to-back championships. The Olajuwon-founded Islamic Da'Wah Center gave more than $60,000 in 2000 and $20,000 in 2002 to the Islamic African Relief Agency, the center's tax records show. The government shut down the relief agency in October, saying it gave money and other support to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. But the agency and its possible ties to terrorism had been in news stories years earlier, before Olajuwon's contributions: --The U.S. Agency for International Development cut off two government grants to the Islamic African Relief Agency in 1999, saying funding the group "would not be in the national interest of the United States." --A former fund-raiser for the relief agency, Ziyad Khaleel, was named in a federal trial in 2001 as the man who bought a satellite telephone that bin Laden used to plan the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. --Numerous news organizations reported shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks that the relief agency was among more than two dozen Islamic charities under scrutiny for possible terrorist ties. Olajuwon also participated in a 1999 celebrity bowling tournament for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which the U.S. government shut down in 2001, accusing it of sending money to Hamas. The Islamic Da'Wah Center gave more than $2,000 to the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation in 2000, according to its tax returns. At the time, Olajuwon was vice president of the mosque -- which was named after him -- and provided more than three-quarters of its money. Olajuwon heads the separate foundation that now controls the Islamic Da'Wah Center. All the donations came before the government designated the Holy Land Foundation and the Islamic African Relief Agency as terrorist fronts. Vipul Worah, an accountant for Olajuwon's charities, said U.S. authorities have never asked about the contributions. Olajuwon, who is married with four daughters, became a Muslim during his professional career and was known for playing in key games while observing dawn-to-dusk fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Tax returns for Olajuwon's Islamic Da'Wah Center show it gave the Islamic African Relief Agency $61,250 in 2000 and $20,000 in 2002. Those donations accounted for 2.2 percent of the $2.8 million the Islamic African Relief Agency received during 2000 and 1.4 percent of the $1.4 million it raised in 2002, records show. Olajuwon said the donations came after fund-raisers from the Islamic African Relief Agency visited Houston. He said the group told him donations would help the needy in Africa. "They came and approached us and everything was legitimate. I had no knowledge of their activity," Olajuwon said. The Treasury Department alleged in October that several top officials of the group's branches overseas are al-Qaida members or associates and the group gave bin Laden hundreds of thousands of dollars in 1999. The federal government says the Sudan-based Islamic African Relief Agency's U.S. branch is IARA-USA, based in Columbia, Mo. That group has challenged the terrorist designation in court, saying it is separate from the Sudanese group. Shereef Akeel, a lawyer for IARA-USA, acknowledged the U.S. group and the Sudanese group "may be in a partnership together" and some people with links to IARA-USA have terrorist associations. "Just because someone traveled in the same circles, just because one employee was at the same conference as someone who supported terrorism, doesn't mean the organization sponsors or condones acts of terrorism," Akeel said. The Holy Land Foundation was shut down in December 2001. Federal authorities say it was the main U.S. fund-raiser for Hamas and sent $12.4 million to the Palestinian terrorist group from 1995 to 2001. Hamas has claimed responsibility for dozens of suicide bombings in Israel that have killed scores of people, including Americans. The Holy Land Foundation and several leaders are awaiting trial on criminal charges of supporting terrorism -- charges they deny. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler rejected the group's 2002 lawsuit challenging its terrorist designation, ruling federal officials had "ample evidence" of financial support for Hamas. Attorney General John Ashcroft said in July that an indictment against several officers was "neither a reflection on the well-meaning people who may have donated funds to the foundation, nor is it a reflection on the Muslim faith and its adherents." In 2000, the year after Olajuwon participated in the Dallas bowling tournament for the Holy Land Foundation, the Islamic Da'Wah Center gave the group $2,430, tax records show. That money was a tiny fraction of the $13 million the foundation raised that year. Olajuwon said the bowling tournament was one of many charitable events he has attended. "I get all sorts of requests from charitable organizations," Olajuwon said. "It was a bunch of kids and I gave them autographs." Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
___________________ Feel me? Ofu onye ana asi unu abia go. - Ednut Igbo-American . www.airamericaradio.com visit her. Posts: 2447 | From: Mother Earth | Registered: Mar 2001
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Akeem has done more to Nigerian basketball than anyother Nigerian abroad. A longtime ago, he shipped trainning items worth millions to the NBBF and they left it at the port for years without clearing. Just this last December of 2004, he sent a proposal to a council in Abuja asking for land to build a N3.5b center. Please read this.
quote: NIGERIAN born American basketball legend, Akeem Olajuwon, is to establish a N3.5 billion basketball academy in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja.
Disclosing this to journalists in his office in Bwari recently, the Executive Chairman of the Bwari Area Council, Isah Dara Bwari, said that Olajunwon's proposal was already receiving attention of the area council and that the authorities of the FCT were being contacted in order to make land readily available for the project "A site has already been proposed and we are now only waiting for the FCT Minister's approval for the land on which the academy would be built. Akeem wrote us some months back and we replied that we were prepared to co-operate with him with a view of seeing the proposal come into reality," the chairman pointed out.
Bwari said that it was a pride for the people of the area council to have the project sited in their area and assured the U. S.-based former basketball legend of his council's full cooperation to see that the proposal became a reality.
He called upon both the FCT Sports Council and the Social Development Department to liaise with his council to ensure that the proposal did not end up on the drawing board.
Bwari also said that his council was taking the issue of sports development in the area council very seriously, and as such, a mini- stadium was to be build for the area council in 2005.
"I wish to assure our youths that everything is being done to enable them have access to sporting facilities in Bwari Area Council and I am telling you that come 2005, Bwari Area Council would be the council to watch, as we are leaving nothing to chances to come out on top," he said The chairman said that his council was taking a step in sports development by sponsoring both male and female athletes to attend championships in handball and basketball.
He disclosed that a football club would soon be formed by his council next year with the aim of putting the Bwari Area Council's name on the soccer map of Nigeria.
"Sporting activities help to check youths restiveness and as such, my administration is doing all within our limited resources to promote sports among our youths, and the coming of the Akeem Olajunwon Basketball Academy would be an additional boost to sports development in Bwari Area council," he said.`
Is this enough justification for him to support terrorists? NO. He obviously is not aware of the group's links, by the way, I'm sure he would have done more than $80,000.00 if he really wanted to support terrorism.
Posts: 105 | Registered: Oct 2004
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What crime did Olajuwon commit? If you think about carefully, most Americans have contributed money and gifts to al-Qaeda. Each time you donate money a an open charity without specifying how the money should be used, you never know where it is going to end up.
My only problem is that Akim Olajuwon seems to be undergoing a crash course in terrorism. What business does a former basketball star have emassing himself in Isalm, Arabism, and the Satanic Koran? Why didn't he play basketball for Saudi Arabia if he is so interested in things Arabic? That he spent so many years in the US playing basketball and getting rich, but chooses to devote himself to Arab training afterwards suggests to me that he may be an enemy combatant in the making.
___________________ Home is Best Posts: 43 | From: UK | Registered: Jan 2003
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I don`t think Akeem Olajuwon would knowingly donate to terrorist organisations.But his Arabic study in Jordan causes serious apprehension on his new found devotion to somethings or some people who lured him to Jordan.I hope he realizes he could still be a good muslim while rejecting the 'murder the infidels' doctrine.The fear about being a good muslim now is one`s God given ability to decifer Allah`s true message often intermixed and confused with fanatical,fuedal doctrines from so many Imams.
posted
The real problems starts when people start equating Islam with Jihad for selfish reasons. I also reckon some people read their holy book upside down when they want to be michevious. Take the issue of plural marriage for example. A muslim friend told me that the koran gave a precondition that can never be met by anybody, which is, you must love all wives EQUALLY. Can any man love multiple women equally? I will say NO. I know there are so many other issues in the Islamic religion that people can misinterprete and highjack, especially when poverty pervades the society. How many people in UAE or Kuwait will act the way muslims in Nigeria (or Afghanistan) acts. "An idle hand is the devil's assembly ground". Its the poverty and ignorance put together and not the religion per se.
Posts: 105 | Registered: Oct 2004
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If you ask me, I did stake my bet that he knew what the mosque was about. He cannot claim to not know since these illiterate mullahs use that avenue to shout violent hate towards the “unbelievers so-called 24/7. I just read this article on the train on my way to work and went back to memory lane to recall who this guy is and came with the conclusion that he’s a supporter of terrorism based on his behavior towards the Yoruba, U.S. and nigerians. In a way, it’s good for stuff like this to come to the open for we know what folks like Idi Amin daud and few other clueless folks would do with it had this selfish olajuwon guy been Igbo. The thread would take a U-turn and become about Biafra, Igbo in general and of course the Great One, but here we are discussing Hakeem and he only. Copy? Throughout my stay (16 yrs) in Houston, this selfish guy never mixed with his Yoruba brethren not to mention nigeria as a whole. In fact at one point, Dikimbo Motumbo ridiculed and questioned his dedication towards African causes by challenging him to do more for his people, nigerians.
quote:...by the way, I'm sure he would have done more than $80,000.00 if he really wanted to support terrorism. – olusolaa
My good friend, make no mistake about it, let it be said loud and very clear that olujuwon is as tight as a tight jeans. Another name for him is aradite like super glue. The much he donated to him is like big deal. There's this super rich man from my hometown who still thinks N500 is huge amount especially when it comes to spreading few notes at a celebrations. On a few times I saw this man spread a misery two hundred naira whereas ordinary folks like you and I easily drop two "G" or more. Why should the government donate land to him, isn't he a millionaire? Now you figure.
quote:I don`t think Akeem Olajuwon would knowingly donate to terrorist organisations. - njiko
Yes he could, my dear. I lived in Houston with this fella, he has no love for nigeria, his Yoruba relatives and also America. Because he used the U.S. as a source of meal ticket does not translate to being into America.
And to NigerianKind who claimed that if one donates to an “open charity” there’s a very likelihood that one’s money may go to terror organs, I say fine. Nonetheless, olajuwon founded and funded this mosque as such he could not claim IGNORANCE. Mind you his wife is a middle easterner and that’s where his sympathy and loyalty is. Your second para. Makes absolute sense and I agree. So let’s say it like it is, guys!
___________________ BIAFRA: The land of my ancestors now, yesterday and always. So it will be! Posts: 2482 | From: Ala Igbo | Registered: Apr 2004
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Olusolaa, While i agree that poverty can change one`s attitude towards those percieved to be rich,Islam definitely is not influenced by poverty.Infact,the land of the holiest Islamic mosques in Saudi Arabia is so fabulously rich.Same with many arab gulf states.The issue is the mixing of islam with politics.As they say 'islam is a way of life". When you teach a child to hate and shed the blood of anyone who does not share his faith,you have ruined and set that child up for dooms day.
Like you said,your father taught you so many values which shaped your life today.Imagine for a moment who you would have become, if your father drummed it into your ears to hate and kill muslims or whoever as the will of god?You would probably have died in a suicide attack since(God forbid).The Christians have successfully separated the true gospel of Jesus Christ in the new testament from the old Jewish customs of eye for an eye doctrine of the old testament.No one questions what the Holy Koran teaches muslims,what is however in question is their interpretation of those teachings and worse still,the poisoning of more young innocent minds every day with distorted hate doctrines.
Could you "Please!" let me know what part of my post is troubling to you? This is the way it's done. Thank you.
___________________ BIAFRA: The land of my ancestors now, yesterday and always. So it will be! Posts: 2482 | From: Ala Igbo | Registered: Apr 2004
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Olajuwon has done nothing wrong but made contributions to needy children, too bad other bastardized moslems twisted his philantropic gesture. By the way, Olajuwon does not have the guts to participate in such a demonic adventure.He is a good man.
Hail Biafra
Posts: 1672 | From: Minnesota USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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Thank you for pointing out some of the many sad facts about Islam. No matter who the person is, or from what ethnicity he hails, if he is born a Muslim, or becomes one, he must, of force, support some degree of terrorism. Otherwise he is no true Muslim. How many times do we have to tell people about how the Muslims' holy book encourages the spread of "terror" in the hearts of the enemies of Islam. For those of you who lack adequate reasoning faculties, this means all non-believers, or "infidels," as we are called. Whatever religion you are, if you're not Muslim, you are an infidel in their eyes. They are ordered by the Quran to either convert you by persuasion or force(yes, I said 'force'), or to count you an enemy of Islam. Need I remind you that enemies of Islam are to be maimed and slaughtered wherever and whenever they can get the "upper hand" over you. This is a major thrust of the teachings of Mohammed, to convert the world to Islam, and to kill those who resist conversion.
quote:Originally quoted by MeBiafran
When Moslems have the upper hand here’s what Mohammed wants them to do:
047:035. Pickthall: So do not falter and cry out for peace when ye (will be) the uppermost, and Allah is with you, and He will not grudge (the reward of) your actions
Palmer: Then faint not, nor cry for peace while ye have the upper hand; for God is with you and will not cheat you of your works!
Rodwell: Be not fainthearted then; and invite not the infidels to peace when ye have the upper hand: for God is with you, and will not defraud you of the recompense of your works.
Sale: Faint not therefore, neither invite [your enemies] to peace, while ye [are] the superior: For God [is] with you, and will not defraud you of [the merit of] your works.
Yusuf Ali: Be not weary and faint-hearted, crying for peace, when ye should be uppermost: for God is with you, and will never put you in loss for your (good) deeds.
Shakir: And be not slack so as to cry for peace and you have the upper hand, and Allah is with you, and He will not bring your deeds to naught.
Sher Ali: So be not slack and sue not for peace, for you will, certainly, have the upper hand. And ALLAH is with you, and HE will not deprive you of the reward of your actions.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir of 47:35: So do not lose heart and beg for peace while you are superior. Allah is with you and He will never deprive you of (the reward of) your deeds.)
Quranic/Mohammedian punishments/treatments for Unbelievers:
And slay them wherever ye catch them - 2:191.
Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah - 3:28.
And never will Allah grant to the unbelievers a way (to triumphs) over the believers - 4:141.
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter - 5:33.
I will instill terror[like in terrorist/terrorism?] into the hearts of the unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them - 8:12.
It is not ye who slew them[unbelievers]; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah’s: in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself - 8:17.
Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever ye shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly - 8:60.
But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem - 9:5.
Fight them, and Allah will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame, help you (to victory) over them, heal the breasts of Believers - 9:14.
O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque - 9:28.
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued - 9:29.
Unless ye go forth, (for Jihad) He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least - 9:39.
O Prophet! Strive hard against the unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell an evil refuge indeed - 9:73.
These two antagonists dispute with each other about their Lord: But those who deny (their Lord) for them will be cut out a garment of Fire: over their heads will be poured out boiling water. With it will be scalded what is within their bodies, as well as (their) skins. In addition there will be maces of iron (to punish) them. Every time they wish to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be forced back therein, and (it will be said), “Taste ye the Penalty of Burning! - 22:19-22.
Bring ye up, it shall be said, “The wrong-doers and their wives, and the things they worshipped- Besides Allah, and lead them to the Way to the (Fierce) Fire! - 37:22-23.
Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens - 47:4.
And if any believe not in Allah and His Messenger, We have prepared, for those who reject Allah, a Blazing Fire! - 48:13.
Seize ye him, and bind ye him, And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire. Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits! This was he that would not believe in Allah Most High. And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent! So no friend hath he here this Day. Nor hath he any food except the corruption from the washing of wounds, which none do eat but those in sin - 69:30-37.
Some of these verses bring back memories of poor, defenseless people burned alive by northern Muslim mobs in a frenzy of devotion to their god. Obviously Islam is an ugly, violent force in the world, and probably the most violent. Its proponents could care less about the sensibilities of the citizens of earth, as they practice their crude barbarism and record such atrocities on video tape in an effort to export "terror" to our livingrooms. To say that one is Muslim, and yet deny the Islamic collective goal of making Islam the mightiest and the most fearsome force on earth, is sheer hypocrisy. Worse yet, it is treachery; an abominable wickedness dispatched from the pit of hell. I cannot call such twisted ideology religion. The god of this religion inspires murder and brutal force; fear and hurtful acts against humanity. Brother, we are bound by our love of humanity to tell the truth, for everyone's sake, and to call a spade a spade, even Islam, the false religion, and Mohammed, the false Phophet.
I perceive that there are many in Islam, who are trapped, because of the prospect of family and/or societal rejection perhaps, and in some cases because of the fear of being executed if they recant their faith. These would like to live in peace, and are not really Muslim in their heart of hearts. Those of us who are under no such pressures should consider these people, and encourage them in love. Howsoever, we cannot and we must not fail expose the wickedness of the written doctrine, no matter what the risk, or the sensibilities offended.
This is the very reason why I have so often said that the South should separate itself from the Muslim North. It is an accident waiting to happen. Non-Muslims will never be treated fairly in such an arrangement. Nigerian history proves this beyond doubt. We must have a tolerant society and government, not the intransigence of dogmatic Islam, nor the religion-sanctioned "upper hand" over the infidel by any means, which too many times in the past has translated itself into murderous killings of thousands, massive fraud in politics, and brazen theft of the resources of others; all the while denying even a minimum of benefit to peoples under its subjugation. The South does not need or want Islam. I will re-visit this subject again.
Personally, I think Olajuwon knew very well that his donations were as like to go to Al-Quaeda as they were to a children's charity. It is part of the unspoken understanding among devoted Muslims. A number of indigenous(if that term is proper) African-Americans have also found Islam a ready fit for their special needs, as bestowing a religious sanction on their hate of white America. This is a regrettable result of their mistreatment at the hands of these people, but still serves to show us that Islam, wherever it is found, is a violent and hateful scourge to humanity. One need only search his heart to know the truth of what I am saying.
___________________ The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves... Posts: 660 | From: Valle del Sol | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote: To say that one is Muslim, and yet deny the Islamic collective goal of making Islam the mightiest and the most fearsome force on earth, is sheer hypocrisy. Worse yet, it is treachery; an abominable wickedness dispatched from the pit of hell.
...This is the very reason why I have so often said that the South should separate itself from the Muslim North. It is an accident waiting to happen. Non-Muslims will never be treated fairly in such an arrangement. Nigerian history proves this beyond doubt. We must have a tolerant society and government, not the intransigence of dogmatic Islam, nor the religion-sanctioned "upper hand" over the infidel by any means, which too many times in the past has translated itself into murderous killings of thousands, massive fraud in politics, and brazen theft of the resources of others; all the while denying even a minimum of benefit to peoples under its subjugation. The South does not need or want Islam.
Good job, guy. I only hope that our fellow "unbelievers" are listening without pandering.
___________________ BIAFRA: The land of my ancestors now, yesterday and always. So it will be! Posts: 2482 | From: Ala Igbo | Registered: Apr 2004
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Your posts are usually an eye opener because you are not known to indulge in hearsay.Islam and it`s doctrine of hate and justification for murder of innocent people as long as they are "unbelievers" is truely as establishent straight for the pits of hell to perpetuate wars,violence and unspeakable wickedness on this earth.
Mankind triumphed over similar terror based evil indoctrination as Nazism that threatened the survival of humanity`s diversity in race,religion and creed .I am pretty sure that Human beings shall yet again over come all the fearsome terror based evil forces on earth some day,some how.
If Akeem Olajuwon is truely found culpable of having the remotest knowledge in donating to any of the terrorist organisations,he should face the music like all known terrorists/enemy combatants at Guantanamo bay.
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