Convicted
HLF Chief Rewrites Hamas Charity's History
by Abha Shankar
IPT News
December 21, 2015
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 A former top
official of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF)
is trying to whitewash the Hamas charity's true history in a detailed self-interview published by the Washington Report on
Middle East Affairs (WRMEA), a virulently pro-terrorist and anti-Israel publication.
Shukri Abu Baker was HLF's chief executive, but now is serving
65 years in prison for conspiring to provide material support to the terrorist group Hamas. Jurors in Dallas determined that
under Baker's control, HLF illegally routed more than $12 million to Hamas.
But, Baker claims, the case "was an insult to the American judicial
system and ravaged the lives of those who were only trying to alleviate
suffering."
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, upholding the convictions
of Baker and four co-defendants in 2011. The court cited evidence which "contradicted a sworn declaration
from Baker wherein he had denied that he and other HLF board members had
any connection with Hamas."
Those exhibits showed that HLF was part of broader Muslim Brotherhood
conspiracy called the Palestine Committee, which established a network of organizations to provide
"strong support for their tool and striking wing, the Islamic Resistance
Movement (Hamas)."
The Hamas-support network included a propaganda arm in
Texas and Chicago (the Islamic Association for Palestine), a northern
Virginia think tank (the United Association for Studies and Research), and
a political operation that has reconstituted itself and continues to engage in pro-Hamas propaganda today.
Baker's "interview" isn't really an interview – a note at the
outset explains that he wrote his own questions to answer. "As time
passes, there are many of our young people who don't have a close
understanding of the Holy Land Foundation and the valuable work it was
pursuing," Baker wrote. The "interview" offers those young
people his version of events.
"I carried the little orphans close to my chest," he said.
"I visited with the indigent families inside their rundown houses. I
listened to college students and learned their frustration as well as their
aspirations."
Had he known some of the Palestinian groups which received HLF's money
were controlled by Hamas, "I would have cut them off," he said.
That's odd, considering Baker received correspondence informing him directly that the Palestinian charities
which HLF sent money to were controlled by Hamas. It's also odd,
considering how openly Baker and HLF praised Hamas at their fundraisers and
in publications.
This video shows Baker raising money during an HLF program
that invokes Hamas spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin, Osama bin-Laden's mentor Abdullah Azzam, and Muslim Brotherhood ideologue Hassan al-Banna with the song:
"Al-Banna and al-Qassam,
Palestine has called.
and Abdullah Azzam with Ahmad Yasin.
Al-Banna and al-Qassam,
Palestine called.
...
O Hamas the religion
Get rid of these enemies.
O sword of the Muslims.
Hamas the Jihad."
The event concludes with Baker thanking Hamas leaders, Mahmoud al-Zahar and Sheik Jamil Hamami, for their presence, "...and we
thank our guests who came from the ends of the world: Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar
and Sheik Jamil Hamami and we thank you as well and all the brothers and
sisters who helped make this wonderful festival a success."
Baker also penned a poem called "Hamas Hayzum Has
Arrived" in Ila Filastin, published by the Islamic Association
for Palestine (IAP), a fellow Palestine Committee branch. In Islamic
tradition "Hayzum" is the celestial horse that was used by the
angel Gabriel to send messages to the Prophet Muhammad. The concluding lines of the poem said, "'Hayzum' Hamas
has arrived ... and we will not accept any other than Hamas."
In response to another challenging question Baker asked himself,
"Did it ever cross your mind that your work in charity would land you
in a federal prison?" Baker said he "...thought saving lives and
spreading peace and prosperity was a noble thing to do, thus, not in my
wildest dreams have I thought charity would be criminalized in this
country. Apparently I was wrong."
Deception is not new to Baker. He attended a closed-door 1993 meeting
with fellow Islamists in a Philadelphia hotel to map out a strategy to
derail the U.S.-brokered Oslo Accords. Hamas opposed the agreement, which led to
the Palestinian Authority's creation, in part because it marginalized the
Islamists' Hamas influence and because it recognized Israel's right to
exist, a concession opposed by the Hamas charter that seeks the Jewish state's
destruction.
The meeting sought to win over Americans to the Islamists' cause without
revealing the participants' Hamas support. Baker admonished the meeting
participants to refrain from mentioning Hamas by name, instructing them to refer instead to "Samah,"
which is "Hamas" spelt backwards.
In his self-interview, Baker described HLF as "agents of
peace" who "were helping the Palestinians build their own
peaceful nation." But a slogan listed in the Hamas charter,
contradicts this claim: "Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the
Koran its constitution, Jihad its way, and death for the case of Allah its
loftiest desire."
Baker alleged that "neither the U.S. authorities nor their Israeli
counterparts were able to provide a speck of evidence that linked us [HLF
defendants] to acts of violence." "Nor did any such evidence
exist against charitable institutions we've been prosecuted for aiding.
There is no list of 'victims' and co charges of actual violence or even
'advocating for violence.' There couldn't be any because our work was
totally focused on saving [people in need]," he added.
Jurors in the HLF trial saw a long paper and video trail of evidence as well as testimony which proved HLF sent millions of dollars to
Palestinian charities controlled by Hamas.
HLF, in partnership with the IAP, the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) and other Islamist
groups routinely hosted senior members of Hamas and other radicals at
conferences, Intifada festivals, Ramadan and other events held in the U.S.
Hamas symbols that glorified martyrdom were prominently displayed at these
events. In addition, HLF organized "conference calls" with Hamas
leaders based overseas to solicit donations to HLF from U.S. audiences.
 In videos jurors saw
during Baker's trial, actors portrayed Hamas terrorists shooting and choking Jews. As the audience chants "God is
great" in the choking sketch, the Hamas character says, "Say, I
seek refuge with the Lord. Only Hamas can liberate it."
A video from the trial shows Baker urging the crowd "to get ready, show the money,
and get tough." Baker's speech is preceded by a performance by the
Al-Sakrah band repeatedly glorifying the intifada and alluding to the 7th
century Battle of Khaibar between Muslims and Jews that ended in a Muslim
victory.
"You will not cross over my blood, over my blood.
You will not live in my homeland, in my homeland.
...
Death to you under the ground,
and glory to us above the ground.
...
Khaibar, Khaibar, O Jews.
The Army of Muhammad will return."
Feeling his whitewash complete, Baker ends his auto-interrogation
sounding an upbeat note: "I have no doubt in my mind that the HLF five
will walk home," he said. "... Allah is just and He will not
allow injustice to linger around for too long."
Just don't mention Samah.
Related Topics: Prosecutions
| Abha
Shankar, Shukri
Abu Baker, Holy
Land Foundation, Washington
Report on Middle East Affairs, Hamas,
terror
financing, Palestine
Committee, IAP,
UASR,
AMP,
Mahmoud
al-Zahar, Jamil
Hamami, Philadelphia
meeting, Oslo
Accords, MAYA,
Al-Sakrah
band, Prosecutions
|
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