Abd Al-Rahman al-Nuaimi
Qatar human right advocate
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Abd Al-Rahman al-Nuaimi or Abderrahman Al Nuaimi (born 1954) [1] is a Qatari human rights advocate and co-founder of the Alkarama human rights NGO. He previously taught Islamic Studies at Qatar University , and once served as president of the Qatar Football Association , [2] as well as having been a board member of Qatar Islamic Bank . [3] [4] He has been accused of being “one of the world’s most prolific terrorist financiers.” [5]
Political views
Al-Nuaimi was a staunch critic of the domestic policies of the former Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa . In 1998, he circulated a letter condemning the emir's decisions to enfranchise women and to allow the sale of alcohol, as well as other policies which he described as being contrary to Islamic tradition. [6] [7] The letter was published in local newspapers and was signed by twelve other men, three of whom were members of the ruling family . He was detained without charge the same year, prompting protests in Britain by Islamic activists. He was released in 2001. [6]
Teaching career
Abd Al-Rahman al-Nuaimi was a history professor at Qatar University until 2009. Gulf News reported that al-Nuaimi was “promoting Brotherhood ideals” and encouraged the Qatari Consultative Council to oppose co-education at the Qatar University. [8]
Qatar Football Association
Al-Nuaimi previously served as the president of the Qatar Football Association . [9]
Human rights advocacy and NGO associations
In 2004, al-Nuaimi co-founded Alkarama , a Geneva-based human rights organization. [10] Its mission is to “assist all those in the Arab World subjected to or at risk of extra-judicial executions, disappearances, torture and arbitrary detention,” by connecting them with “international human rights mechanisms.” [11] Alkarama has worked with United Nations human rights bodies including the Committee Against Torture and the Human Rights Committee , as well as prominent international human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International . [10] [12] [13] Although he denied the accusations leveled against him, he resigned as president of Alkarama in July 2014 after being named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States Department of the Treasury . [13] [14]
Alkarama was first registered as a foundation in 2007 with al-Nuaimi as president and Qatari-national Sultan Khlaifa al-Khulaifi as Member/Secretary General. [15] In August 2009, Qatari businessman and Director General of the al-Furqan Schools , Khalifa Mohammad al-Rabban, was named President of Alkarama. [15]
Al-Nuaimi is also listed as the Secretary-General of the Global Anti-Aggression Campaign (GAAC) where Khalifa Mohammad al-Rabban is a member. [16] The Executive Director of GAAC, Rabih Haddad, co-founded the Global Relief Foundation (GRC) designated by the UN and US for providing support to al-Qaeda and having connections to Osama bin Laden . [17] [18] [19] The Global Anti-Aggression Campaign, an online human rights organization, has repeatedly hosted Hamas leaders, released anti-Western reports, and called for a confrontation with the West. [20] [21] [22]
Abd al-Rahman al-Nuaimi is a founding member of the Sheikh Eid bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association , often referred to as Eid Charity. [23] Eid Charity is a charitable organization with close ties to Qatari government institutions. [24] Despite giving generously to a variety of charitable causes, Eid Charity has also partnered with Madid Ahl al-Sham , a defunct Qatar-based online conduit for donations intended for the al-Nusra Front , on several charity campaigns. [25] [23] [26]
Terrorism accusations and international sanctions
On December 18, 2013, al-Nuaimi was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States Department of the Treasury, which described him as “a Qatar-based terrorist financier and facilitator who has provided money and material support and conveyed communications to al-Qa'ida and its affiliates in Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen for more than a decade.” The Treasury Department alleged that, for an unspecified period of time, al-Nuaimi funneled over $2 million per month to Al-Qaeda in Iraq . He is also accused of providing $600,000 to Al-Qaeda representatives in Syria and $250,000 to Al-Shabaab in Somalia, in addition to an undisclosed amount to a Yemeni charity that funneled money to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. While the accusations of financial support to terrorist organizations received the most attention, U.S. authorities also accused al-Nuaimi of providing communications and other support to the Iraqi insurgency between 2003 and 2004. [1]
Al-Nuaimi has steadfastly denied the allegations, and the executive director of Alkarama—which is not itself accused of any wrongdoing—has argued that al-Nuaimi's designation as a terrorist financier and facilitator is a politically motivated attempt to silence a critic of United States policy in the Middle East. As part of its human rights work, Alkarama has documented civilian casualties resulting from U.S. drone strikes in Yemen . [13] Human rights groups stress that Alkarama itself is a legitimate organization that has provided important access to information in cases of human rights violations in the region. [12] [13]
The designation by the United States was followed by similar designations by the United Nations Security Council , the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, resulting in a travel ban and a freeze of al-Nuaimi's assets. [27] [28] [29] [30]
References
- 1 2 "Treasury Designates Al-Qa'ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen" (Press release). U.S. Department of the Treasury. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ "Former head of human rights charity accused of leading double life as terrorist fundraiser" . The Telegraph . 20 September 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ Mendick, Robert (12 October 2014). "Al-Qaeda terror financier worked for Qatari government" . The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 16 April 2019 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ Dettmer, Jamie (10 December 2014). "U.S. Ally Qatar Shelters Jihadi Moneymen" . The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on 1 February 2017 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ Ross, Tim; Mendick, Robert; Malnick, Edward (18 October 2014). "Terrorist paymaster targeted by Britain" . The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 22 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- 1 2 "Detained Qatari Islamist Opposition Figure Released" . Al Bawaba. 9 April 2001. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015 . Retrieved 25 July 2015 .
- ↑ "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000" . US Department of State. 23 February 2001 . Retrieved 25 July 2015 .
- ↑ "Al Nuaimi was promoting Brotherhood ideals" . gulfnews.com . Archived from the original on 2019-07-10 . Retrieved 2019-07-10 .
- ↑ Spencer, David Blair and Richard (2014-09-20). "Former head of human rights charity accused of leading double life as terrorist fundraiser" . ISSN 0307-1235 . Archived from the original on 2019-06-22 . Retrieved 2019-07-10 .
- 1 2 "Alkarama's History" . en.alkarama.org . Alkarama Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ "About Us - Alkarama Foundation" . en.alkarama.org . Alkarama Foundation. Archived from the original on 2014-03-26 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- 1 2 Lake, Eli (20 December 2013). "Terrorists for Human Rights" . The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on 11 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- 1 2 3 4 Kerr, Simeon (20 December 2013). "US sanctions prominent rights activist for alleged al-Qaeda links" . Financial Times . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ Khatri, Shabina S. (22 December 2013). "US adds Qatari human rights advocate to 'terrorist' watch list" . Doha News . Archived from the original on 5 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- 1 2 http://www.moneyhouse.ch/en/u/v/ge/fondation_alkarama_CH-660.1.422.007-2.htm [ dead link ]
- ↑ "Qawim Arabic Website - مجلس أمناء الحملة" . Archived from the original on 2016-03-31 . Retrieved 2016-10-27 .
- ↑ "م. ربيع حداد (@Rabih_S_Haddad) | Twitter" . twitter.com . Archived from the original on 2019-06-30 . Retrieved 2019-07-10 .
- ↑ "United Nations Security Council |" . www.un.org . Archived from the original on 2016-11-17 . Retrieved 2019-07-10 .
- ↑ "Treasury Department Statement Regarding the Designation of the Global Relief Foundation" . www.treasury.gov . Archived from the original on 2019-07-02 . Retrieved 2019-07-10 .
- ↑ "الحملة العالمية لمقاومة العدوان تؤكد شمولية المقاومة" . www.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2017-02-11 . Retrieved 2019-07-10 .
- ↑ "Qawim Arabic Website - الجذور العقدية لقرارات الغرب ومن يواليهم بحق قضايا الأمة الإسلامية" . Archived from the original on 2016-10-28 . Retrieved 2016-10-27 .
- ↑ "Qawim Arabic Website - البيان التأسيسي" . Archived from the original on 2016-10-28 . Retrieved 2016-10-27 .
- 1 2 Warrick, Joby; Root, Tik (2013-12-22). "Islamic charity officials gave millions to al-Qaeda, U.S. says" . Washington Post . ISSN 0190-8286 . Archived from the original on 2018-01-01 . Retrieved 2020-01-15 .
- ↑ "Eid Charity's al Baraka Initiative: Admirable or Alarming? | Consortium Against Terrorist Finance" . Archived from the original on 2016-09-17 . Retrieved 2016-10-27 .
- ↑ "Al-Nusra and its Gulf Financiers: The Political Cost of a Long-Running Alliance | Consortium Against Terrorist Finance" . Archived from the original on 2017-03-13 . Retrieved 2016-10-27 .
- ↑ "United For Syria" . www.facebook.com . Retrieved 2019-07-10 .
- ↑ "Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Adds Fourteen Individuals and Two Entities to Its Sanctions List" (Press release). United Nations Security Council. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ "COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 1058/2014 of 8 October 2014, amending for the 221st time Council Regulation (EC) No 881/2002 imposing certain specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities associated with the Al Qaida network" . EUR-Lex . Archived from the original on 25 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ "Consolidated list of financial sanctions targets in the UK" . Archived from the original on 1 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .
- ↑ "Turkey adds more than a dozen names to al-Qaeda list" . Hurriyet Daily News . 1 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015 . Retrieved 10 July 2015 .