Mufid Abdulqader
Mufid Abdulqader | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960 Silwad, Jordan (now Palestinian territories) |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, investor, fundraiser |
| Known for | Fundraising for the Holy Land Foundation, conviction related to terrorism charges |
Mufid Abdulqader () is a former engineer with the Dallas Public Works and Transportation Department and an investor who received a 20-year prison sentence for his involvement in fundraising activities linked to the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.[1][2] His relatives assert his innocence and have advocated for his release.[3] Human Rights Watch has called on the Biden administration to free the five individuals charged.[4]
Early life and education
Born in 1960 in Silwad, which was then governed by Jordan,[5] Abdulqader is the half-brother of Khaled Mashal, former head of Hamas, who resigned as politburo chief in 2017.[6] For financial reasons, their father moved the family to Kuwait, where both completed their secondary education.[7]
Career
Mufid received commendation from Dallas Mayor Laura Miller as an emerging talent within the Dallas Public Works and Transportation Department. His work included contributing to street and sidewalk projects and overseeing the $4.8 million redevelopment of the Bishop Arts District in 2001. By September 2003, he had been promoted to Senior Project Manager. Before his tenure in Dallas, he was employed by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation from 1988 through 1996.
In addition to his engineering career, Mufid was a member of the band Al Sakhra ("The Rock"), which toured across the United States performing songs characterized by some as "stridently anti-Semitic." He also engaged in theatrical skits during their shows. The group later changed its name to Al Nojoum.
Business Ventures
Mufid Abdulqader, alongside his associate Mohammad Elyazgi, jointly owned Sinbad Greek & International Food located in Oklahoma.[8][9]
Holy Land Foundation
Abdulqader served as a principal fundraiser for the Holy Land Foundation and was recognized by The New York Times as one of its prominent figures.[10][11][12]
Legal Proceedings, Imprisonment, and Release
In September 2008, prosecutors withdrew 29 charges against Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh,[13] leaving only three conspiracy charges remaining.[14]
The United States Supreme Court declined to review Abdulqader’s case on October 29, 2012, thereby affirming his conviction.[15] In 2017, the American Human Rights Council petitioned then-President Barack Obama to reduce his sentence to time served.[16]
A 2011 report by NPR revealed that Abdulqader was confined within a highly restrictive Communications management unit at Terre Haute, Indiana.[17]
In 2018, author Miko Peled released Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five, which chronicles the trial and incarceration of Foundation leaders such as Abdulqader.[18] By 2022, his daughter Nida Abu Baker along with allied groups advocated for his release alongside other Palestinians detained by U.S. authorities.[19]
Human Rights Watch condemned the trial’s reliance on hearsay evidence and called on the Biden administration to free all five defendants.[4]
On December 12, 2024, after serving sixteen years, Mufid Abdulqader was freed from the Seagoville Federal Correctional Institution.[20]
References
- ↑ "5 men from defunct Muslim charity get long sentences". CNN. 27 May 2009.
Mufid Abdulqader, 49, of Richardson, Texas, received 20 years
- ↑ "Founders of US Muslim charity jailed for 65 years for funding The Holy Land Foundation". The Telegraph. 27 May 2009.
Mufid Abdulqader, 49, was sentenced to 20 years on three conspiracy counts.
- ↑ "Holy Land Foundation 5' are victims of the US' unjust persecution of Palestinians". Middle East Monitor. 2022-11-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "After Israel's Designation of Human Rights Groups as "Terrorists," Biden Should Release Palestinian-Americans Imprisoned Over Similar Claims". Human Rights Watch. 2022-03-11.
- ↑ Peled, Miko (2018) Injustice. The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five. Just World Books. p.34
- ↑ TODD BENSMAN (1 January 2005). "The Terrorist at City Hall". D Magazine.
- ↑ TODD BENSMAN (13 February 2006). "Hamas's Rock Star". The Weekly Standard.
- ↑ Mohamed Elyazgi partnered in business with Mufid Abdulqader, who was a defendant in the Holy Land Foundation case and half-brother to Hamas's political leader.
- ↑ Records from 1995 identify Elyazgi and Abdulqader as co-proprietors of Sinbad Greek & International Food in Oklahoma and as co-defendants facing charges related to fraud and non-payment.
- ↑ The HLF was founded by Shukri Abu Baker, Mohammad El-Mezain, and Ghassan Elashi. Fundraising efforts were carried out by Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh.
- ↑ Mufid Abdulqader, a chief fundraiser for HLF, is the half-brother of Mishal.
- ↑ The organization’s leadership—including Ghassan Elashi, Shukri Abu-Baker, Mufid Abdulqader, Abdulrahman Odeh, and Mohammad El-Mezain—faced accusations of unlawfully supporting Hamas following its designation as a terrorist entity by the United States.
- ↑ The court dismissed 29 counts each against Odeh and Abdulqader related to money laundering and terrorist assistance at the prosecution's request.
- ↑ Both individuals confronted three conspiracy allegations that could have led to sentences totaling up to 55 years if found guilty.
- ↑ The Supreme Court rejected the appeal concerning the Holy Land Foundation convictions.
- ↑ The Muslim American community expressed shock over the unusually severe sentences imposed on five respected members.
- ↑ Data & Graphics: Population Of The Communications Management Units, NPR
- ↑ THE UNJUST PROSECUTION OF THE HOLY LAND FOUNDATION FIVE
- ↑ Holy Land Five: Rights groups, families demand release over 'miscarriage of justice'
- ↑ "Instagram". 2024-12-12.