One law enforcement official said the arrest of Mr. Hashmi reinforced investigators’ belief that New York was a link in a web of worldwide terrorist activity.
Mr. Hashmi had an address in Flushing, Queens, until about three years ago, and graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in political science, the official said.
The official said Mr. Hashmi was a member of Al Muhajiroun, or the Emigrants, a London-based group, now ostensibly disbanded, that praised the 9/11 attacks and was active in New York. Investigators have said a few members were involved in terrorist activity. The group has been linked to the Finsbury Park Mosque in London, which investigators called a magnet for terrorists.
Between January 2004 and May 2006, Mr. Hashmi and at least one other man who has previously been arrested in New York conspired to provide “material support or resources” to members of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden’s terrorist group, according to the indictment handed up by a federal grand jury.
Prosecutors refused yesterday to name the other man. But a senior law enforcement official said Mr. Hashmi was an associate of Mohammed Junaid Babar, another former Queens resident, who pleaded guilty to providing support to terrorists. The two men knew each other in London, the official said, where Mr. Hashmi introduced Mr. Babar to radical circles. Mr. Hashmi was “kind of a mentor” to Mr. Babar, the official said.
The military gear was to be transported to Qaeda associates in South Waziristan, Pakistan, the indictment said, and used by Qaeda fighters against United States forces in Afghanistan. Mr. Babar admitted supplying gear to fighters in the same area of Pakistan. The indictment did not specify the gear, but another law enforcement official said it included night-vision goggles.
Mr. Hashmi appeared in Magistrate Court on Bow Street in London yesterday. He refused to consent to extradition. He faces a maximum of 54 years in prison if convicted of all four counts.
bye bye ITS
Listen,
I knew Fahad, he always had a great heart and was (and inshallah still is) a good person. But his biggest problem was the things he would say. What people dont understand is that ALM was all about being sensational. Its like wrestling, when you give a greased up oiled monkey like Scott Steiner a Mic you expect him to say some retarded stuff. ALM was all about shoot interviews. Unfortunately that made them notorious.
I have alot of trouble beleiving that he was linked to Al Qaeda (if it even exists). Also what they are blaming him for is exactly what they blamed Junaid Babar for. Would he really be that stupid to do EXACTLY what his friend did and got in trouble just two years ago? I’ts hard to believe. I think they just got tired of watching him. He also makes a good poster boy for regular devout muslim kid turned Radical. The reality is that he was really unique in his ways, you wont find people as open and as riddiculous in their rhetoric. Anyone who had dealings with him will have crazy stories about things he said (esp on campus and in speeches). But almost always people downplayed it because they thought it was just all talk. Inshallah I hope he did not go beyond that. Can he get a fair trial? Not so easy of a thing…..
In these most confusing times, it’s very difficult to tell who is speaking the truth; as so it’s dangerous to condemn a brother like this, because we dont really know if he is guilty of a crime or not, …seems like all we can say safely nowadays is May Allah
help the Muslims. Ameen.
Assalamualkum… Dear brothers and Sisters,
I my self have spent some time around Fahad as well. He was a very gentle man when it came down to it. Groups such as ALM and ITS have no standing in the religon of Islam. It is another blemish and blunder upon Islam, which as Muslims we should always try to protect. The Prophet said something to the affect that we should follow the middle way. Extremism has no place in Islam. Whatever happens, as Muslims, however, we must always respect our brother. Allah
is the Judge alone !!!
Haseeb, I dont think it’s
a) nice
b) wise
c) politically correct
to condemn someone who
a) hasn’t been proven guilty
b) is just another one of our “I’ll-kill-all-the-kuffar-but-i-dont-mean-it” brothers
c) likes to say extreme things for kicks.
How much of what we hear on the regular evening news is ‘actually the sick sad truth’? MOst of it is distorted; by you writing about guilty ALM, ur just further confirming the fiction that, ‘yes, indeed, we DO have unpatriotic extremists living amongst our midst who want to blow themselves up’. In reality,
mostall Muslims dont have a problem with the world, and of those who are ‘extremists’, they wouldnt blow themselves up even if they threaten to do so.This may seem a bit off topic but all in all, there are so many types of wierd things people get into. I was reading in the papers the other day, specifically the New York Post about this girl from a wealthy family in westchester who became an eco-terrorist. In the same paper i read about a cult out in long island which get this, the author of the story once lived in because of the cheap rent. Reflecting on it, just this one issue of one particular paper, I realized the world is full of extremely weird things. I am by no means saying that terrorism is okay, that militant islamism is okay but what i’m saying is meanwhile there is this really bad thing, when you take a step back and you look around your really standing in the middle of something really really bad. The darkness is everywhere around you, from poverty and broken homes, to corruption and drug abuse to cults and ecoterrorists….the ideals, the safehavens, the places of love, hope and comfort, thats whats rare, the stabe upbringing and well-adjusted healthy outlook on life, thats whats missing and in a world with so many things gone terribly wrong, is that really a suprise?
This may seem a bit off topic but all in all, there are so many types of wierd things people get into. I was reading in the papers the other day, specifically the New York Post about this girl from a wealthy family in westchester who became an eco-terrorist. In the same paper i read about a cult out in long island which get this, the author of the story once lived in because of the cheap rent. Reflecting on it, just this one issue of one particular paper, I realized the world is full of extremely weird things. I am by no means saying that terrorism is okay, that militant islamism is okay but what i’m saying is meanwhile there is this really bad thing, when you take a step back and you look around your really standing in the middle of something really really bad. The darkness is everywhere around you, from poverty and broken homes, to corruption and drug abuse to cults and ecoterrorists….the ideals, the safehavens, the places of love, hope and comfort, thats whats rare, the stabe upbringing and well-adjusted healthy outlook on life, thats whats missing and in a world with so many things gone terribly wrong, is that really a suprise?
I just went back and read an earlier thread and i guess i’m beginning to have a far clearer understanding of what Zihni said when he said ALM POV was not a tolerance issue. I think its clear as snow that many people dont realize the seriousness or rashness of their actions. I am beginning to think about people who join organizations and who take their beliefs to the nth degree as harmful towards themselves and to others- its not just a i cant stand how arrogant they are, or how can someone believe that, its more of a damn this led to multiple deaths or a prison sentence. I guess its very similar to when someone sleeps around and eventually gets an AIDS or when a kid always drives really fast and someday ends up in a car accident. The person never thinks it will happen to them and to be frank you dont think it will happen to them either and when it does you are shocked because you see the limits of life, you see the constraints which exist and that your not in a sandbox anymore, everything has a real consequence.
my bad snow is not clear
salaam walekum,
HOW DARE YOU say something say something like that about Syed hashmi????? he was the most SINCERE brother i have EVER KNOWN… he helped anyone and EVERYONE he could, no matter WHAT!!! how dare you even assume that he can do something like this, and for the person who wrote this article you HAVE NOT RIGHT to say something like this about my beloved brother in islam, wallahi, that this brother was unique, and the most honest and dedicated muslim i ever met, his influence on the flushing community will never be forgotten, of all the times he helped out so many brothers, how can they ever forget???
reward him and forgive him for his shortcoming, and may Allah 
punish and curse those are traitors to there brothers and traitors to islam
he was the most pious brother i ever met in my life, may Allah
I was around Fahad for a year or so when he was at Stony. My most memorable encounter with him was when he tried to argue that it is halal for Muslims to steal from kafirs, and that he had daleel for it. He came off to me as a very very narrominded person, with a very very narrow vision of Islam and Muslims.
I was repulsed by him, his ALM, and HT-type kids. They alienated a lot of Muslims at stony, (for the ALM kids that means it is the opposite of Da’wa…invite..repulse get it?).
Anyhow. None of us know what Fahad actually did and the merits of the charges against him. But by my lights he was pretty nutty. I do hope he gets a fair trial and that he copmlies (and they don’t torture him).
Scary times.
I clearly stated that IF HE IS ACTUALLY GUILTY of conspiring against the US and aiding Al-Qaeda, then he should be held accountable for that. I mentioned how he (like all people accused of crimes) should be given a fair trial.
And like i said before, i did NOT know him personally. I have encountered Al-Muhijroun and heard the crap they talk about. He was an open member of that.
And Allah
knows best
Salaam,
We’re facing a similar situation here in Canada, where 17 individuals were arrested on terrorist-related charges. Those who know some or all of the individuals are in a state of confusion, because they’re not sure what to believe. The only thing we can do at this point is pray that justice prevails and the men get a fair trial.
O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, in deeds some suspicions are sins. And spy not neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear God, verily, God is the one who accepts repentance, Most Merciful. (49: 12)
Behold, you received it on your tongues, and said out of your mouths things which you had no knowledge; and you thought it to be a light matter, while it was most serious in the sight of God (24: 15)
salamualaykum, I, too, knew Skinny Fahad for a long time since Sunday School days, and he certainly was dedicated to whatever he believed in, to me ALM sounded wacky, but I agree with one of the above commentors that HE WOULD SAY WHATEVER HE FELT LIKE and that is something he didn’t think about controlling, so who knows. Many times the Feds would chase him in many cars to watch his every move and when confronted they’d ask so many questions and he and others would respond with silliness that should not be said, I guess they got fed up with the Feds always on board from the Flushing streets to Trans-Atlantic flights. Whatever the case may be, I hope he gets a fair trial, cooperates, and most importantly, if faced with getting locked up, I really hope he isn’t abused in any way because PRISON IS TOUGH!
(swt) help all of humanity and guide us, ameen.
May Allah
Thank you for the reminder. You can speak through God all you want, but we still have to discuss our problems in the open. We all have to make judgments and be honest with each other. As to the ’stealing for kaifrs’ that was an open position he took infront of everyone. And with regards to the judgment that he was narrowminded or his vision of Islam/Muslim was very narrow (and exclusively political) are valid personal judgments that can be/should be debated.
I’m not making judgments about whether fahad was a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ kid. He was a very ‘public’ representation of ALM. We need safe space to discuss these things.
I hope he gets a fair and open trial and do not get interrogated/tortured 24 style.
Rayad,
Exactl. I think we’re all praying that all these guys get fair trial and justice. And especially that they aren’t tortured. One kid from NY area has been arrested in Bangladesh! Allegedly he has connections to the Canadians. En route to NYC from Dhaka, for some reason he is being held in Alaska! Anyone that travels to Dhaka knows you don’t go over the pacific usually to get there from NYC. The kid is only 19! Odd thing is he worked at a South Asian women’s/family welfare org. in Atlanta.
Again. Scary times.
Fahad didn’t just happen by himself. We are all partly to blame. What could we have done in the 90’s to prevent all this?
hahaha,, thats funny people talk about Narrow mindness and then use fair trial by the united states court system… who are you kidding??? theres no fair trials here.. maybe you forgot Guantanomo bay or maybe the patriot act slipped your mind…. the only way a muslim could ever get a fair trial is through a islamic court…and dont make it sound like fahad is it fault and that were to blame for the way he is, besides remember his faults which we all have, why dont you mention the good things that he did for the community???
The FBI should send all ITS/ALM guys to Guantanamo. They tend to be wastes on society as it is, so we won’t miss them.
What has happened, has happened, and that cannot be reversed. I pray that this brother was not guilty and is found that way,..We should make shukr to Allah
, it could have been any one of us in that position, and it’s a great thing that we are not. What’s the definition of making shukr?, it’s using the gifts of Allah 
for their proper purposes. We have freedom,..we should use it properly….It’s a lesson also for these groups, that are really sectarian islam, how do we know a sect?, generally they are those who say, “no one follows Islam correctly from year xxxx, except for this shaykh and his little group of followers”….it’s a lesson for them, that the way of the Prophet was a very inclusive way, people loved to be around him, and from the words of the brothers above, it seems as if those yelling and screaming supposedly for an Islamic state, are not within themselves an in Islamic state. And Allah 
Knows Best
“The FBI should send all ITS/ALM guys to Guantanamo. They tend to be wastes on society as it is, so we won’t miss them.”
How could you say that?! never wish harm on another muslim, even if he personally had harmed you.
do you know what goes on in Guantanamo and the like??
did you hear about the 3 brothers held in guantanamo who committed “suicide”?? (more like murder or death by negligence on part of the forces that are there- this “suicide” news need to be confirmed because “…if a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done.”)
either way, i don’t believe that you could really wish for your brother to be humiliated, tortured, starved, sleep deprived, sexually abused and the rest.
“:o How could you say that?! never wish harm on another muslim, even if he personally had harmed you.”
So if a Muslim murders someone that victim’s family can’t appeal to a Sharia court for capital punishment?
This sort of nonsense is only among muslim minorities in the West. If you lived in Pakistan and Bangladesh or some arab country, you’d not think this way. There all the criminals, rapists, thieves etc are all Muslims.
Whose head and hands do you think Saudi usually cuts off? Muslim criminals/convicts. This sort of ‘right or wrong we’re with Muslims’ mentality is really foreign to 99% of Muslims for 99% of Muslim history. You really have to be (or percieve yourself to be) extremely powerless and internalized victimhood to make that sort of assertions.
The reason ALM/ITS and the like have thrived is because we’ve just turned the other way as a community. (individual ’stands’ aren’t too important)
“:o How could you say that?! never wish harm on another muslim, even if he personally had harmed you.”
That sort of “shove it under the carpet” kind of mentality will perpetuate the “Fahads” (whatever is your take on him, love him or hate him, think he is innocent or guilty).
My condolences to all the terrorist lovers for your boy zuzu getting toasted last week. Its always tough losing a loved one
I don’t consider terrorists to be my “brothers”. People who would harm innocents are not my brothers, and I could really care less what happens to them, even if they are “Muslim”.
I’ve heard all about Guantanamo
Even still, not everyone in Guantanamo and/or ITS/ALM is a terrorist, I think most of them, if not all are innocent of such crimes,..I do feel that the “shuyukh” of ALM/ITS n other like groups are tied to Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization, and the mainstream following is probably unaware.
No one has authority to disown members of out community. Nor should we try to. Yes, a Muslim can be a terrorist. Does him or her inviting to, promoting, and even committing an act of terror negate there membership in out community. I don’t think so. Rather, as most of us feel, some brothers unfortunately, for them and for us as a community, fall into incorrect beliefs and understanding of religion and do often have a narrow outlook on things. Call those out who hurt themselves and our community while at the same time pray for them. Why can’t we do both? If this is difficult, we should check ourselves because as another brother hinted at earlier, it could have been us.
From all the current comments, let us hold our ego’s in check and take the good from them and responsibly critisize what we do not agree with.
In terms of speaking through God, that is not the issue. The point is to discuss and remain cognizant of Allah
and the teachings of our beloved prophet.
Wasalaamu’alaykum
We seem to be contradicting ourselves. In our hatred for those who destroy innocent lives, we fail to think that there are some, possibly many, Muslims in Guantanamo Bay who are innocent, and THEIR live are being destroyed.
May Allah
forgive us all, and help Muslims find the difference between what is wrong and what is right. Ameen.
Ameen, summa ameen.
Thank you all for your comments. ]
And aameen to all of your duas (esp usman’s and aqsa’s)
Look i think some of us may have gotten carried away with our responses. Im sure the majority of us hold similar views:
- ALM, ITS = dangerous cults - no good
- people who support terrorism - no good
But the issue of how an otherwise ‘normal, typical young kid’ falls prey to such cults and whats truly in the hearts, how/if they have been brainwashed, etc. is alot more complicated than any of us truly realize.
In the end, Allah
(swt) is the Judge, the Best of Planners, and in control of everything.
And yes, as Usman said, we aught to also be making dua for all these ppl.
Only Allah
knows whats in any1s heart, and only He guides and misgudes whomsoever he wills, only He can put iman into peoples’ hearts, and only He can truly change one’s heart.
However, at the same time, that doesnt give us an excuse to remain inacttive and not working to improve our communities.
Im sure we can all agree with that.
and btw just to clear up some apparent confusion:
Maheen = Maheen Zaman from Stony Brook/Columia (Queens, NY)
Maheen(NYU) = Maheen Farooqi (Hina) from NYU/NYU (Somewhere out in Suffolk County, NY)
I should have clarified, I don’t think everyone at Guantanamo is a terrorist, I know that a lot of people were sent there wrongly, but at the same time, I don’t think that we should stick up for or defend anyone who is ‘Muslim’ just because they are ‘Muslim’. Also, I think ITS/ALM need to stop talking so much smack, because they are 99% talk and a trip to Guantanamo would be good for them as it might give them a reality check as to where their rhetoric can lead them.
Check out this news story about Junaid Babar (arrested in 2004):
It’s a pretty interesting read because it goes into details about what he supposedly did.
The following quotes have to really make you think:
Does this make the story sound more authentic to you?
to Maheen: i never said that people who are wronged shouldnt seek justice. there’s a difference between getting justice having been the victim of a crime, and having someone( possibly innocent) labelled and then so badly treated by those who claim to uphold justice.
and no i dont think we should stick up or defend muslims just because they are muslim and have this kind of blind loyalty,( there are some muslims who do this and have openly said this in the media) but rather, we should be with the people when they are in the right but speak out against them(in the right manner) when they are clearly in the wrong- and in cases such as this one, we dont know what the whole truth is, as with the brothers in Guantanamo; some of them were just in the wrong place at the wrong time (The Road To Guantanamo documentary) so we should’nt be too quick to pass our own judgements.
forgive me if i offended anyone in anyway.
Allahu ‘Alim
Salam
I bet if he was married, he’d be a different man.
I’m telling you, marriage solves a lot of problems for yougn muslim men.
and when i say problems, i mean extremist views and ideas
MR Calm down, you’ll be married soon. have some patience!
Yes, us women have a special effect on men.
Theres too many immature kids getting married nowadays just because shayukh and old men with beards are telling them to do it.
Jenn, will you marry me?
Ewwww….Hell no!
Well that last Jenn comment was not me but they know me too well.
Well, I gave it a shot. Back to smoking blunts.
Thats more like it
yo party at rumjungle this weekend
audhobillahiminshaytanirajeem
ya Allah
please forgive the person who impersonated me using “mujahideen ryder” to say these comments:
Wallahi, I, Amir aka Mujahideen Ryder, did not say these words. The person who did this, please fear Allah
, cuz if i knew you in real life, wallahi, i’d get physical and knock you out. (yeah I’m pretty pissed off from your comments).
Many people know me, and if they were to see those words that came out of my mouth, they wouldn’t like it.
So stop being a lil kid about this, and step up and put ya real name!
Whoever you are, u betta think twice before leaving a comment under someone elses nickname.
Ma’salama
-Mujahideen Ryder
Yeah, its a form of a lie and slander (attributing a comment to someone when it really isn’t them). One should be cautious when trying to be funny in the future. Think of the hadith the equates these acts with eating a dead person’s flesh.