At the mosque's "weekly community gathering Friday, as hundreds of Muslims prayed and came to hear Al-Hanooti speak, he assured them that he has never endorsed terrorism. In fact, he said, he condemns it." Several people "from the mosque who have listened to Al-Hanooti speak weekly since he signed a contract with the Islamic Center 19 months ago said they have never heard him make anti-American remarks." There are "many things about Al-Hanooti, who came to the United States in 1978, that seem to contradict the FBI reports. Many local Muslims see a soft-spoken imam who preaches patience and politics, not violence."
The allegations are outlined in a classified memorandum written by the FBI's counterterrorism director less than a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The memorandum from Dale L. Watson, head of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, was sent to the Treasury Department as federal authorities prepared to clamp down on what they called terrorist fronts that had set up fund-raising operations in the United States. Watson said a "reliable" informant told the FBI that it was well-known in northern New Jersey that Al-Hanooti was a Hamas supporter and had raised $6 million for the group in 1993.
Al-Hanooti vehemently denies the allegations and points out that Hamas was not declared a terrorist organization by the United States until 1995. He also disputes a portion of the report that says he attended a 1993 meeting at a Marriott hotel in Philadelphia, where federal authorities using electronic and physical surveillance determined Al-Hanooti and senior leaders of three terrorist fronts discussed fund-raising efforts in the United States.
The FBI report says the goal of the 1993 meeting was to develop a strategy to defeat the Israeli-Palestinian peace accord.
But it gets better. Al-Hanooti wants to be a U.S. citizen:
It's not clear whether the FBI reports on Al-Hanooti will scuttle his ongoing attempt to become a U.S. citizen. He said he applied recently for citizenship because he was urged to do so by his wife, an American-born citizen from Michigan, and his four children, including two sons who served in the U.S. Army.
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