Hassan al Diqqi
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Hassan Ahmad Al Diqqi | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 3, 1957 |
| Nationality | Emirati |
| Occupation | accountant |
| Criminal status | Fugitive |
| Conviction(s) | Sentenced in abstenia (March 2017) |
| Criminal penalty | 10 years in prison and AED 10 million fine (approx. $2,700,000) |
Hassan Ahmad Hassan Al Diqqi (Arabic: حسن احمد حسن الدقي) (born January 3, 1957) is an Emirati co-founder of Al Islah party in the United Arab Emirates and the leader of Emirates Al Ummah party.[1] Al Diqqi has been described by United Arab Emirates officials as an extremist Islamist and has been linked to supporting terrorist activities and groups in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa through his party.[2]
Al Diqqi was found guilty of supporting terrorist activities in Syria and attempting to overthrow the United Arab Emirates government and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and AED 10 million fine (approx. $2,700,000), however he has escaped to Syria and is currently allegedly living in Turkey.[3][4]
Career
[edit]He attempted to form the party in UAE in 2012, but was prohibited by the Emirati government due to his ties with jihadist organizations. Despite this, he continued his efforts and established the party in the UAE.[5] He became the leader of the UAE chapter of Al Ummah when the former leader and party co-founder, Mohammed al-Abduli, was killed in 2013 by a Syrian government sniper in Raqqa while fighting for the Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate and designated terrorist group by both the U.S. and the U.N.[2] Diqqi showed his respect for the former leader as a ‘martyr’, posting a photo of the two of them together on his Twitter page.[6]
Online publications
[edit]Diqqi has posted 24 controversial publications online.[7] In his 2002 book, entitled, Features, he calls U.S. and Russia as the two most dangerous countries in the world and makes numerous negative ethnic and sectarian references throughout the book, including citing jihad against Christians, Jews, Alawites, and Shiites.[8] He also discusses putting an end to UAE's touristic practices.[9]
Conference
[edit]In 2013, The Washington Post reported of the Ummah Conference's ties to the Syrian conflict as well as Diqqi's in particular. They reported that the conference has raised millions of dollars in funds which support radical groups and recruited thousands of Muslim volunteers to fight for Syria through promoting a recruitment campaign in which they target secular Arab governments and “American Terrorism” as the enemy. Al Diqqi was seen at the Mohammed al-Abduli training camp, a military training camp in Syria established by Al Ummah and named for the party's former UAE leader, in a video posted May 2013 alongside the Saudi chapter's leader, Mohammad Saad al-Mufrih, appealing for resources to assist the Syrian Rebels.[10]
Twitter page
[edit]Furthermore, his Twitter page, followed by over 30,000 accounts, has been the source of controversial posts and videos. In June 2013, he said that the Syrian conflict was a way to empower Muslims to challenge U.S. influence.[11] He also uses the Ummah party's statement on his Twitter account, which aims to unite Islamists by saying that organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists, and al-Qaeda should collaborate with one another for the common Islamic nation.[12] His Twitter also features specific destructive references towards the harm of Christians, Jews, and Persians.[9]
Foundation
[edit]He is also associated with the Al-Karama Foundation, a Swiss-based organization which poses as a Human Rights Advocacy Group, but is in actuality a front for political Islamist networks.[13] The group publicly advocated for the release of al Diqqi upon his arrest in 2008 for rape charges in Sharjah, where he was eventually released and continued his activities promoting jihadism and Islamists.[14] The group's leader, and also a senior official of the Ummah Party, Abdul Rahman Omeir al-Niami, is on the U.S. Department of Treasury’s sanctions list for his work as a major al- Qaeda financier in the transfer of millions of dollars in funding over the past 14 years.[15]
Fugative
[edit]He has since become a fugitive from the UAE, and is thought to be living in Turkey.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "University of Minnesota Human Rights Library". Umn.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ a b c "The Muslim Brotherhood's More Frightening Offshoot". The Atlantic. 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "UAE's Al-Ummah Party, Hassan al-Duqqi, sentenced to 10 years in absentia". ICFUAE. Mar 30, 2017.
- ^ James Langton (February 14, 2017). "Revealed: the 'peaceful academic' and his links with violent global jihad". The National.
- ^ Eli Lake (10 March 2014). "Mideast Ally Blasts U.S. Over Accused Terrorist Story". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ حسن أحمد الدقي [@hassan_aldiqqi] (4 March 2013). "جعلك الله في الفردوس الأعلى يا أبا الوليد..صدقت الله فصدقك ..نحسبك كذلك #استشهاد_محمد_العبدولي #محاكة_أحرار_الإمارات" (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-05-09 – via Twitter.
- ^ "hassan aldiqqi". Issuu.com. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "كتاب ملامح المشروع الإسلامي by hassan aldiqqi". Issuu.com. 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ a b Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi (2012-10-25). "UAE Political Islamists Are Not 'Defenders of Human Rights'". Al-monitor.com. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ Warrick, Joby (2013-09-21). "Private donations give edge to Islamists in Syria, officials say". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "حسن أحمد الدقي (@hassan_aldiqqi)". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "TwitLonger — When you talk too much for Twitter". Twitlonger.com. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ Eli Lake (2013-12-20). "Terrorists for Human Rights". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "United Arab Emirates: The UN declares Mr Hassan Al Diqqi's detention arbitrary - Alkarama Foundation". En.alkarama.org. 2010-01-15. Archived from the original on 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "Treasury Designates Al-Qa'ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen". Treasury.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-16.