By Walid Shoebat and Ben Barrack
**SHOEBAT EXCLUSIVE**
Bassam Estwani is one major Muslim figure that had access to the Clinton White House. Some might think this is no big deal, of course, until one examines what Shoebat.com obtained from leaked photos compared with email exchanges between Estwani and the Clintons.
The photos and Arabic sources obtained by Shoebat.com reveal that Estwani was a major Muslim Brotherhood infiltrator working for decades in the U.S. to influence top U.S. politicians to advance Sharia.
In one photo, Estwani showed great deference to the number one Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
Estwani can be seen seated on the floor inside the Dar al-Hijrah mosque which was run by him at the time, receiving rhetorical crumbs from al-Qaradawi, who was banned from entering the U.S. in 1999, due to his support for terrorism.
Qaradawi (L) and Estwani (seated on floor).
The photos, when examined in conjunction with documents and emails released by the Clinton Library, reveal an extremely disturbing mosaic. They are worth thousands of words and clearly show that Estwani has a history of consorting with notorious figures, stealthy Muslim Brotherhood jihadists, and U.S. Congressmen from both sides of the aisle. Perhaps most alarming are his multiple visits to the White House during the Clinton administration.
Estwani with Hillary in the White House, during Eid event.
When Estwani was visiting the White House, Huma Abedin – the daughter of a Muslim Sisterhood leader – had already been working for Hillary Clinton for four years. Shoebat.com revealed that Abedin’s brother was a fellow at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies (OCIS) for several years when al-Qaradawi served on the Board.
Estwani in White House with Bill Clinton.
An internet search on Chairman Estwani doesn’t turn up much. While his name can be found on Ikhwanwiki – a Muslim Brotherhood directory – the site has no information on him available.
However, thanks to Arabic sources, Shoebat.com has obtained evidence of an alarming conspiracy – involving Estwani – to spread Islam in the military. Muhammad Ratib Al-Nablisi, one of the most prominent Muslim Theologians and Hamas supporters in the Levant (Syria) referenced Estwani in a 2001 progress report on the spread of Islam in America. In the report, al-Nablisi relayed the contents of his conversation with Estwani (translated):
The first issue now in the world should be Islam. Islamic books are entirely absent in Europe and the U.S. However, I was told by my entrusted friend, Mr. Bassam Estwani two weeks ago. He told me that during the Gulf War they appointed an Islamic supervisor to guide twenty thousand American soldiers and officers in Washington to be a religious mentor for them in the army. But that the news is not good. There are several threats and the interests of Muslims are threatened in the world. But that the advocacy news is quite good. Allah wanted to show his religion. He wanted to push people to know Islam.
Muhammad Ratib Al-Nablisi wearing Hamas scarf.
Based on research done by Shoebat.com, it’s believed that the man Estwani was referring to could have been either Taha Jaber al-Alwani, a vehement anti-Semite or Abdurahman Alamoudi, who founded the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council (AMAFVAC). Coincidentally, one of the leaked photos shows Alamoudi with Estwani and U.S. Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA), who is still in office:
Alamoudi (top left), Rep. Jim Moran (center), and Estwani (right).
As Shoebat.com has reported, Estwani serves on the board of the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) which became a source of controversy last year when its Research Director – Elizabeth O’Bagy – was found to have a serious conflict of interest. Subsequently, as Shoebat.com reported, SETF didn’t handle the spotlight all that well. In addition to being funded by the U.S. State Department, the SETF also backed an anti-Semitic imam named Sheikh Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib to lead the rebels politically.
Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib and Estwani, together in Cairo before fall of Mursi.
The name of Estwani’s mosque is significant because the term “Dar al-Hijrah” represents one of two spheres in the Islamic world. It refers to a place designated for immigrants to Islam. The other sphere is “Dar al-Harab” which refers to a place where people are at war with Islam.
In 2004, Al-Jazeera quoted Estwani as saying the following:
“Dar Al-Hijra Center in Washington has played a prominent role and was remarkable to educate patrons on the importance and the need to participate in the elections for the selection of the fittest and the closest to the needs and values of the Muslim community.” He added: “The center of Dar al-Hijrah has good relations with some in Congress, whether Republicans or Democrats , and I have repeated visits to the center on several occasions , which was visited by the Republican candidate Tom Davis and he addressed the Muslim audience after Friday prayers that preceded the elections for the House of Representatives.”
Clearly, the efforts of Estwani included endearing himself to both Republicans and Democrats. Here he is flanked by Republican Congressman Tom Davis he mentioned above and Democrat Moran:
Rep. Tom Davis (L), Estwani, and Moran (R).
The goals as revealed by Al-Jazeera are obvious:
1) Secure the rights of Arabs and Muslims in North America to enable them to live their lives to make sure that their practices is protected by Islamic law and at the same time to be considered a respected American citizen. 2) To make an impact on American society to provide Islamic solutions to issues for social issues in the fields of education, economy and the fight against homosexuality and drugs. 3) To influence the decisions of the political organs of the U.S. about the problems of the Islamic world. 4) To ensure the entry of Arab and Islamic figures and institutions in the U.S. decision making process in the U.S. Congress . 5) The establishment of the “Muslim lobby” through pressure groups which would have an impact on the U.S. presidential election and foreign policy orientations.
In another shocking revelation, Estwani was quoted in an article published by Da’wa.net in which the topic was the rise in demand for pro-Islamic books in the U.S. after 9/11:
One such case is the rise in demand for Islamic books in non-Muslim countries as result of 9/11. This alone is a big win that is clear to the people of Allah. Professor Bassam Estwani, owner of Dar Al-Quran and other publishing houses said that, “Hundreds of Islamic books were re-printed to meet the huge demand of Westerners to read these books…”
If you’ve ever found yourself scratching your head at the disinterest of Republicans when it comes to the Muslim Brotherhood, consider that Estwani also met with the most powerful member of the House of Representatives at the time – Speaker Dennis Hastert. Hastert’s successor John Boehner has shown a propensity for either ignoring or helping the Brotherhood. He defended Abedin in the face of overwhelming evidence she’s connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. Senator Marco Rubio and Rep. Mike Rogers did as well. Boehner has also avoided appointing a select committee to look into Benghazi. John McCain’s passionate defense of the SETF and O’Bagy is another glaring example.
Estwani meeting with then Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.
As if anyone needed it, further proof that CAIR is a Muslim Brotherhood front group can be seen in photos of Estwani with the group’s Executive Director, Nihad Awad:
Estwani with Nihad Awad.
And of course, who can forget Congress’s Gaza Queen Cynthia McKinney:
Awad, Estwani, Rep. Cynthia McKinney.
Bassam Estwani was the Chairman of the Dar al-Hijrah mosque when then President Bill Clinton wrote him a personal note, as Shoebat.com previously reported. In that note, Clinton told Estwani that “all suggestions” Estwani had given to him – presumably in a letter Estwani presented to Clinton on March 9, 2000 – were ones that Clinton was “interested in” and that the President wanted to “follow-up”.
At the beginning of the note, Clinton appears to be telling Estwani to check back with Mary Beth Cahill and Ben Johnson, two Clinton aids at the time. In subsequent days, in an email from Maureen T. Shea to Cahill and Johnson, Shea opens by explaining why she was writing:
This places Estwani at no fewer than two events with President Clinton. The One America event at the White House Shea was referring to was for religious leaders.
After providing the three suggestions from Estwani that Clinton was “interested in”, Shea asks if the suggestions will work. One suggestion was to combine all three religious events at the White House in December (deceitful practice of Muslim bridge-building). The second had to do with getting Clinton to visit the Dar al-Hijrah mosque. The third involved a one-on-one meeting between Estwani and Clinton, which Clinton said was “ok to do”.
In another email by Shea a couple of weeks later, she gives a subordinate the parameters for a letter to Estwani in response to the suggestions he presented to Clinton:
The verdict was in. Shea thought it a bad idea for Clinton to go to Dar al-Hijrah and a bad idea for a one-on-one meeting. This suggests that the hateful nature of the mosque – which would be home to Anwar al-Awlaki and visited by multiple 9/11 hijackers – was well known by the White House. That level of knowledge is not surprising. What is shocking is that Estwani would have as much access as he did. After all, the imam for Dar al-Hijrah from 1995-1999 was Mohammed al-Hanooti. In 1995, al-Hanooti had been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
That’s right, the Chairman of the Dar al-Hijrah mosque, which was home to an individual implicated in the first World Trade Center attack, had access to President Clinton. That WTC attack occurred on Clinton’s watch. Another such co-conspirator is Siraj Wahhaj, who invited Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman (Blind Sheikh) to speak at his mosque several times. As Shoebat.com has reported, Wahhaj’s links to that attack continue to strengthen. Estwani has proudly posted a photo of him with Wahhaj (we don’t ever recall seeing Wahhaj so happy):
Estwani (r) and Wahhaj (seated and smiling).