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Revision as of 00:57, 25 January 2010 editEpeefleche (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers150,049 edits →Dar al-Hijrah: restored material drawn directly from RSs that delete referred to as libelous and slanderous, which they are not; more on talk page← Previous edit Revision as of 01:04, 25 January 2010 edit undoEpeefleche (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers150,049 edits →Muslim American Society: restoring New York Times description of his talk as MAS president and Gartenstein-Ross comment on his commentsNext edit →
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===Muslim American Society=== ===Muslim American Society===
In 2003, speaking at a rally on behalf of the ], he spoke as what the '']'' described as an "apologist" for ]."<ref></ref>
⚫ In 2004, as President of the Muslim American Society, Omeish wrote a letter to the '']'' in which he disagreed with the conclusions of a ''Washington Post'' article, and described the Muslim Brotherhood, which he admitted influenced the MAS, as having "moderate" views.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masnet.org/pressroom_release.asp?id=1664 |title="MAS President Letter to the Washington Post," Date Posted: Thursday, September 16, 2004, Muslim American Society, accessed December 9, 2009 |publisher=Masnet.org |date= |accessdate=January 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>]'', May 25, 2005, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref>

⚫ In 2004, as President of the Muslim American Society, Omeish wrote a letter to the '']'' in which he disagreed with the conclusions of a ''Washington Post'' article, and described the Muslim Brotherhood, which he admitted influenced the MAS, as having "moderate" views.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masnet.org/pressroom_release.asp?id=1664 |title="MAS President Letter to the Washington Post," Date Posted: Thursday, September 16, 2004, Muslim American Society, accessed December 9, 2009 |publisher=Masnet.org |date= |accessdate=January 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>]'', May 25, 2005, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref> ] reported in the '']'', <blockquote>"Omeish ... wrote that the reason MAS draws inspiration from the Muslim Brotherhood is 'in order to espouse the values of human dialogue, tolerance, and moderation.' Yet both MAS's curriculum and also the scholars that MAS requires its members to read openly flout these values."<ref>]'', May 25, 2005, accessed December 9, 2009]</ref></blockquote>


In 2005, as President of the MAS, Omeish told reporters: "The fact of the matter is we know of no ]s, we don't know of that phenomenon to exist in our community."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2005/07/25/bush050725.html |title="Bush visits Egyptian embassy, U.S. Muslim leaders call for calm," '&#39;CBC News'&#39;, July 25, 2005, accessed December 9, 2009 |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=July 25, 2005 |accessdate=January 24, 2010}}</ref> He attributed that to "balanced mainstream advocacy of Islamic principles".<ref>]'', July 25, 2005, accessed January 19, 2010]</ref> In 2005, as President of the MAS, Omeish told reporters: "The fact of the matter is we know of no ]s, we don't know of that phenomenon to exist in our community."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2005/07/25/bush050725.html |title="Bush visits Egyptian embassy, U.S. Muslim leaders call for calm," '&#39;CBC News'&#39;, July 25, 2005, accessed December 9, 2009 |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=July 25, 2005 |accessdate=January 24, 2010}}</ref> He attributed that to "balanced mainstream advocacy of Islamic principles".<ref>]'', July 25, 2005, accessed January 19, 2010]</ref>

Revision as of 01:04, 25 January 2010

Esam S. Omeish
Born (1967-12-19) December 19, 1967 (age 57)
Tripoli, Libya
Alma materGeorgetown University; Georgetown University
School of Medicine
OccupationSurgeon
Employer(s)Inova Alexandria Hospital; Washington County Hospital; Esam S Omeish MD PC (President)
Known forResignation from Virginia Commission on Immigration
due to jihad controversy;
former President of
Muslim American Society
Political partyDemocratic
Board member ofDar al Hijrah Islamic Center
SpouseBadria Kafala
ChildrenAbrar, Anwar, Yousof, Ibrahim
RelativesMohamed S. Omeish; brother—President of US branch of International Islamic Relief Organization
Websiteomeishfordelegate.com

Dr. Esam S. Omeish (born December 19, 1967, in Tripoli, Libya) is a Northern Virginia physician, chief of the Division of General Surgery at Inova Alexandria Hospital since 2006, former President of the Muslim American Society, a group with close ties to the extremist Muslim Brotherhood, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque.

In August 2007, Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed Omeish to the Virginia Commission on Immigration. A month later Omeish resigned his seat on the commission after the governor learned of incendiary statements he had made.

Education and family

In 1982, he immigrated to the United States, not knowing any English. Omeish attended J. E. B. Stuart High School in Falls Church, Virginia, where he and his brothers started the first Friday prayers in a high school in the District of Columbia area.

He attended Georgetown University. Upon graduating with a double major in Government and Biology in 1989, he attended the Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he completed his studies in 1993.

Omeish helped start the first chapter of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at Georgetown, and chaired the MSA Council for the Washington, DC, metropolitan area during his tenure at Georgetown.

His wife, Badria Kafala, is a scientist with a Ph.D. in molecular genetics, and they had four children as of 2009: Abrar, Anwar, Yousof, and Ibrahim.

His brother, Mohamed S. Omeish, is President of the US branch of the International Islamic Relief Organization, which the United Nations has associated with terrorism.

Islamic leader

Dar al-Hijrah

Omeish is a former Vice President and current board member of the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia.

He was reported by the Washington Post as having been one of the mosque officials who hired Anwar al-Awlaki (Paul Sperry says he "personally" hired him), a former imam at the mosque who was employed there between January 2001 and April 2002, who has been accused of being a senior al-Qaeda recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists, including 9/11 hijackers, the accused Fort Hood shooter, and the accused Christmas Day 2009 bomber. He said in 2004 that he was convinced that al-Awlaki: "has no inclination or active involvement in any events or circumstances that have to do with terrorism."

In 2004 Omeish, at 36 then the youngest member of the mosque's Board of Directors, said there is "no question" that the mosque leadership needs to be more open and inclusive of younger people, including women. "The bottom line is that this is a mosque that is in the heart of Washington," he said. "Our goal is to make the congregation reflect that reality."

Omeish acknowledged that some mosque members raised acceptable questions about the mosque's constitution, and that proposals under consideration in 2004 included direct elections to the mosque's board of directors, director term limits, and phasing out the board seats that the constitution assigns to officials of certain Muslim organizations.

As of December 2009, he was still a member of the mosque's Board of Directors.

Muslim American Society

In 2003, speaking at a rally on behalf of the Muslim American Society, he spoke as what the New York Daily News described as an "apologist" for Saddam Hussein."

In 2004, as President of the Muslim American Society, Omeish wrote a letter to the Washington Post in which he disagreed with the conclusions of a Washington Post article, and described the Muslim Brotherhood, which he admitted influenced the MAS, as having "moderate" views. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross reported in the Weekly Standard,

"Omeish ... wrote that the reason MAS draws inspiration from the Muslim Brotherhood is 'in order to espouse the values of human dialogue, tolerance, and moderation.' Yet both MAS's curriculum and also the scholars that MAS requires its members to read openly flout these values."

In 2005, as President of the MAS, Omeish told reporters: "The fact of the matter is we know of no sleeper cells, we don't know of that phenomenon to exist in our community." He attributed that to "balanced mainstream advocacy of Islamic principles".

He was still President of MAS as of 2007.

Political career

Resignation from Virginia commission

Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed Omeish to the Virginia Commission on Immigration, which was examining whether Virginia should do more to restrict illegal immigration.

On September 27, 2007, Omeish resigned as a commission member, at the Governor's request, three hours after remarks he made were brought to the Governor's attention on a radio call-in show on WRVA radio in Richmond, Virginia, and only two days after having been sworn in at the commission's first meeting.

Omeish had appeared in one video telling a crowd of Washington-metropolitan-area Muslims:

"you have learned the way, that you have known that the jihad way is the way to liberate your land."

Omeish told a news conference that jihad has nothing to do with violence, but instead is about inner struggles leading to spiritual triumph. Omeish said his remarks were "taken out of context." He said Kaine was reacting to "speech excerpts taken out of context by proponents of a relentless campaign of ... Islamophobia." He accused his critics of perpetrating a "smear campaign" against him.

After Omeish resigned, the office of House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) released a statement from Delegate. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) entitled "Kaine Appointee on Board of Directors of Radical 9-11 Mosque", referring to the Dar Al Hijrah mosque.

Candidacy for state assemblyman

In 2009 Omeish ran for State Assemblyman in a primary election in the 35th District of the Virginia General Assembly. Omeish raised $143,734 for his campaign from January 1 to May 27, 2009 ($52,000 of which was his personal money), the fourth-largest amount of fundraising state-wide among all Virginia House of Delegates candidates.

Omeish came in third in the primary on June 8, 2009, with 1,039 votes (15.7%).

References

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  2. ^ Osborne, James (June 8, 2009). "Clinton Invites Controversial Muslim Leader on Conference Call". Fox News. Retrieved December 31, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "Fox" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
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  5. ^ Fisher, Marc (April 29, 2009). "From Fairfax To Richmond, "The Jihad Way?"". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
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