Republicans are denouncing progressive Democrat Adam Hamawy over previous ties to a militant Islamist known as the “Blind Sheikh.”Hamawy, who won his primary race for New Jersey’s deep-blue 12th District on Tuesday night and is virtually guaranteed to win in November’s general election, drew attention during his campaign after his past association with Omar Abdel-Rahman resurfaced.Abdel-Rahman was the founder and spiritual leader of al Jama’a al Islamiyya, an Islamist terrorist group involved in political violence against the Egyptian government and the United States. He was arrested in 1993 and convicted of seditious conspiracy and terrorism over his involvement in the World Trade Center bombing, earning him a life sentence in solitary confinement.
Hamawy, who has never been charged with anything, testified for the defense during Abdel-Rahman’s trial about his yearslong association with the militant cleric, including joining him in 1991 on a trip to Michigan for a conference on the Islamic economy. During the conference, transcripts show Abdel-Rahman talked about “conquering the land of the infidels,” according to Politico.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) told the Washington Examiner that Hamawy, a retired U.S. Army combat surgeon, should be investigated if he wins the seat held by retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) in November. Lawler said Hamawy’s ties to Abdel-Rahman raise “significant” concerns and questions that Hamawy has “not adequately addressed.”
