Maggie heard about it via Uncoverage on Twitter.
As we get details, we’ll update.
UPDATE at 1429…
Karen has the details from the AP report here.
UPDATE at 1655…
-A statement from the Endowment for Middle East Truth [EMET].
-The report in Haaretz.
BEST LINE OF THE DAY [by Maggie]:
Today will give Mosab on an early start to Independence Day.
WHAT SOME OF OUR FRIENDS ARE SAYING:
–
Today – June 30th
Mosab is in the
DHS Immigration Court
Scroll down for current posts or click a link
Introduction – Who is Mosab Yousef and Why are We trying to Keep Him in the U.S.
Mosab Yousef’s Political Asylum: Mosab’s Day in Court
H-Hour for Mosab Yousef Including WaPo OpEd by Mosab and Gonen ben Itzhak
Jonathan Hunt Responsible for Israeli Handler Coming to U.S.? – Video
D-Day for Mosab Yousef is Tomorrow
Doug Lamborn Collects Signatures in Congress for Mosab Yousef
Mosab Yousef’s Israeli Shin-Bet Handler in US for Court
Mosab Yousef’s Pastor Calls for Support
Toronto Jewish Defense League Rally for Mosab on June 29th
What Homeland Security Knows About Mosab Yousef
The Mosab Yousef Widget – grab it for you website!
Christianity Today Interview with Mosab Yousef
Mosab Yousef’s San Diego Church and His Baptism – Part 6 Video
The Institute on Religion and Democracy Asks ‘Why?’
Mosab Yousef’s Conversion from Islam to Christianity Part 5 Video
Rabbi Eckstein on Mosab Yousef
Mosab on Hamas Cruelty and Torture Part 4 Video
Q: Is Mosab Yousef Anti-Israel? A: No
The Editors of the WSJ: ‘This is Bizarre’
Friends of Save Mosab Yousef: Part 1
Sean Hannity Interviews Mosab Yousef (Video)
Mosab on Hamas, His Father and Seeing Hamas in a Different Light Part 3 Video
Open Letter to San Diego U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter
Fox News Special ‘Escape from Hamas’ (videos)
Mosab Yousef Speaks of Growing up in Ramallah Part 2 Video
Homeland In-Security by Mosab Yousef
Wall Street Journal interview with Mosab: Muslims Need to be Liberated from their God
Many of us rejoiced as the news that Mosab Hassan Yousef had his day in court and was granted political asylum. Two questions: Is DHS paying Mosab’s legal bills, and why did not a single Democrat sign Congressman Doug Lamborn’s letter of support? Today, Mosab tells the story.
By Mosab Hassan Yousef
Dated July 1, 2010
End Mosab’s story
Read about his book Son of Hamas
This was posted on their blog this afternoon:
Breaking News: Government Dismisses Deportation Case Against Mosab Hassan Yousef
By KyleS
EMET has just received word directly from Mosab that the Government has officially dismissed its deportation case against Mosab Hassan Yousef at a federal detention center in San Diego.
Mosab has told us that it was thanks to the efforts of EMET that the government decided to dismiss its case and grant him political asylum.
EMET is enormously grateful to all those who played a part in standing with Mosab during this time, and helping the Department of Homeland Security come to understand what a grave error deporting Mosab would have been.
A special thank you is due to Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), who authored a letter to DHS secretary Janet Napolitano, co-sponsored with 21 other Representatives. We wish to thank each and every representative who added their names to this call for sanity and to do right by a man who has stood up to terrorism and hatred, at a great personal cost.
Thanks also to former Ambassador R. James Woolsey, who also wrote a letter on Mosab’s behalf, and to all those who called, wrote, or emailed their congressional representatives and the White House on behalf of seeing justice done.
From Haaretz, Natasha Mozgovaya reporting:
…on Wednesday Homeland Security officials indicated they were prepared to grant Yousef asylum, thus retracting their original intention, after claiming to have received new information which shed new light on the case.
The pro-Israel think-tank EMET, who had aided Yusef in his attempts to be granted asylum, said in a statement following Wednesday’s ruling that they were “enormously grateful to all those who played a part in standing with Mosab during this time, and helping the Department of Homeland Security come to understand what a grave error deporting Mosab would have been.”
This interview with Shep Smith and reporter Jonathan Hunt took place yesterday, the 29th, and includes comments from Mosab Yousef and his handler, Gonen Ben-Itzak. Mosab is in court this morning. Also, very interesting that Shep says to Hunt:
I’m told you persuaded his Israeli Secret Service agent to go public in support for Mosab.”
If Hunt was involved with bringing Captain G to the U.S. that is incredible. The Fox reporters are mountain-tops above the rest of the media.
At Save Mosab Yousef, we have been told yesterday Shep Smith mentioned that the Immigration Court was moved to a “desert” location for security. We cannot confirm that, but have had two unrelated reports. Mosab is either in Court this minute, or perhaps it is now over (court would have convened one hour ago). Stay tuned for the “verdict,” and if you hear the news first, let us know.
Shep Smith and Jonathan Hunt with Mosab Yousef (video)
Today is the day that Mosab Yousef has his day in court before an immigration judge who will decide if he will be deported back to the Middle East where he is subject to two death sentences imposed by Muslims, one for spying for Israel in an effort to prevent murders by Hamas and the other for converting from Islam to Christianity.
From the comments we have been getting here and from searching the Internet, I know that there’s a lot of prayers being offered for this brave young man.
Many bloggers have taken up Mr. Yousef’s cause [some are listed in our sidebar]; here’s one example. Some members of the Congress have, as you will see by reading our other postings on this site, made efforts to get Homeland Security to come to their senses.
Here are just some of the comments I have collected this morning…
-We have this, as reported by The Jerusalem Post:
…Former CIA Director James Woolsey says his deportation would discourage other potential spies.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that such an action would set us back years in the war on terrorism,” Woolsey wrote in a letter released by Yousef’s attorney. “Mosab’s deportation would be such an inhumane act it would constitute a blight on American history.”
-Another AP article reports:
Former CIA Director James Woolsey calls him a “remarkable young man” who should be commended for “extraordinary heroism and courage.”
Someone on Twitter actually asked me why Israel doesn’t give Yousef asylum. I said it was Yousef’s choice to live in the US. If you had the choice between living 9 miles or 9,000 miles away from people who really, really want to kill you (as opposed to all other people they’d like to kill at random), which would you choose? The answer seems obvious to me.
Indeed.
–The Libertarian Advocate compares Mr. Yousef’s case to another notable one from recent weeks:
If [Obama’s Aunt] Zeituni even just barely cleared the political asylum hurdle (which is typically set quite high) then Mosab Hassan Yousef certainly sails over that barrier with several feet to spare. Yet, Department of Homeland Security has already denied Mosab Yousef asylum on the grounds that he provided material support to a Terrorist Organization (Hamas) even though DHS knows that (a) Yousef was an Israeli penetration agent within the organization and (b) Yousef is subject to a death sentence in Gaza as a traitor and apostate Muslim. We all now know to well just how grizzly Islamist beheading executions are.
I notice this morning that a good many media outlets are publishing some form of the AP story by Elliot Spagat that was released in the early morning hours of today.
Here are several interesting tidbits from The Jerusalem Post article linked above:
Israel has not commented on Yousef’s claims, though members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee wrote him this month to thank him and recognize his work for Shin Bet.
His attorney, Steven Seick, said Shin Bet will not have a representative address the immigration judge but that the now-retired officer who recruited and supervised him, Gonen Ben-Itzhak, is expected to testify.
Ben-Itzhak wrote that hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians owe their lives to Yousef for preventing violence. The officer is identified only by a pseudonym, Loai, in court documents.
The government does not plan to call witnesses, Seick said.
Yousef’s attorney wanted an FBI agent to support Yousef’s claim that he gave information about Hamas and terrorism. The FBI refused but said it would not object if Yousef testifies he met twice with agency personnel.
So, Israel thanks the man and the FBI, under some pressure no doubt from the pro-Muslims in The White House, sends a subtle message that acknowledges Mr. Yousef’s claims. Why then is this insanity proceeding?
In that excerpt just quoted, Mr. Yousef’s Shin Bet handler is mentioned again. As reported here, at great risk to himself Gonen Ben-Itzhak has come out of the shadows to stand by his friend Mosab Yousef at his hearing.
Gonen Ben-Itzhak and Mosab Yousef
[Photo courtesy of Carl In Jerusalem]
But that is not all: the two men have penned an op-ed that was published by The Washington Post this morning. [Kudos to TWP] I quote it in full:
Why deport a friend to Middle East peace?
By Mosab Hassan Yousef and Gonen ben Itzhak
Wednesday, June 30, 2010; A17Ours is an unlikely friendship. One of us (Gonen ben Itzhak) is an Israeli, the son of a retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general who was in charge of defeating the first intifada some 20 years ago. One of us (Mosab Hassan Yousef) is a Palestinian, the son of a founder of Hamas whose father was one of the leaders of that intifada. The Palestinians’ goal for the intifada was to elevate their cause. Israel sought to keep violence down and protect its citizens. Today we are sacrificing everything — possibly even our lives — to build a bridge of peace between our peoples.
As detailed in the book “Son of Hamas,” published this year, we became partners in the fight against terrorism; Mosab became an undercover agent for the Shin Bet, Israel’s security service; Gonen became his Shin Bet handler. In the nine years we worked together, the two of us, once sworn enemies, embraced mutual recognition and rejected the mind-set of revenge.
All the efforts of Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization failed to achieve the goals of the intifada. All the efforts of the IDF failed to stop the hate that fueled the intifada.
Mosab observed firsthand the craziness of the cycle of violence. Mosab began to question who his real enemies were: the Hamas leaders who tortured their fellow Palestinian prisoners, or the Shin Bet, who arrested and imprisoned him. Over the 16 months that Mosab was in prison, the answer became clear, and this persuaded Mosab to go undercover for the Shin Bet. Gonen, whose code name was “Captain Loai,” became Mosab’s handler. Mosab’s reports led to the arrests of several high-ranking Palestinian figures. As we worked together to prevent the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians, the two of us became friends.
We believe that friendships like ours are key to eliminating hate and promoting the liberty that both our peoples so desperately desire.
Mosab converted to Christianity in 2005 and moved to California in 2007. America has a vision of a world where liberty reigns. When Mosab brought terrorists to justice while working undercover for the Shin Bet, he was American at heart, fighting for liberty and justice.
Mosab has lived in this country for more than two years. We were shocked when, in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security opposed his request for political asylum, all the more so when it threatened to deport Mosab in the name of protecting American security. If this decision is upheld, it will signal to the world that America does not stand by those who sacrifice to oppose terrorism. If America wants liberty to prevail in all places, it must not abandon those who share the ideals of freedom.
Gathering human intelligence in the war against terrorism will become impossible if the United States does not protect those who risk their lives on behalf of American values.
Mosab was born a son of Hamas, but he rejected his violent destiny and found the strength to choose a different path. But having left revenge behind, he faces possible deportation as payback for embracing the ideal of loving his enemy.
When an immigration judge in California decides about Mosab’s future on Wednesday, the ramifications will be much greater than whether he is sent back to certain death anywhere in the Middle East. It is a decision about the future of liberty and about the best path to peace.
Whatever happens in San Diego, we hope that our story can be a bridge to peace. Peace is a state of mind and heart before it is a political reality. Our friendship is proof that hating hearts can change — and that changed hearts are the only hope for liberty.
I can add nothing to that except: if you’re the praying kind, do it now.
UPDATE at 0937…
The Lonely Conservative has embedded the video of the Fox News report on the case here and has an excerpt from and link to the National Review Online Editorial supporting Mr. Yousef’s request for asylum.
Tomorrow Mosab Yousef is scheduled to have his hearing before an immigration judge Rico J. Bartolomei starting at 8 A.M. at:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
880 Front Street, Suite 224
San Diego, California 921010
Not only will it be decided whether Mr. Yousef can stay in The United States, but whether he will be shipped back to the Middle East where he is under two death sentences.
As regular readers on my own site [The Camp Of The Saints] know, I take a hard-line on immigration. I want the existing laws enforced to the letter and I am open to the idea of severely curtailing the influx of legal immigrants into this country to provide a ‘breather’ in order to allow for assimilation. But, this is a special case: Mr. Yousef risked his life to aid in the efforts to bring about the defeat of Islamic terrorism, which is the greatest external threat to the survival of The West. He has also bravely embraced Christianity and brotherhood with the Jews. If there’s a better set of reasons why he should be granted asylum in The United States Of America, I haven’t heard them.
There has been some encouraging news as of late…
1) Representative Doug Lamborn is passing around a letter in the House that will be delivered to the head of Homeland Security, probably today. Maggie, of Maggie’s Notebook, has posted the full text of it here and more details.
According to Caroline May of The Daily Caller, as of yesterday, fifteen members of the House had signed the letter:
Rep. Trent Franks, Rep. Cynthia Lummis, Rep. Bill Posey, Rep. Kenny Marchant, Rep. Rob Bishop, Rep. John Kline, Rep. John Shadegg, Rep. Aaron Schock, Rep. Mike Pence, Rep. Frank Wolf, Rep. Joe Pitts, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Bill Shuster, and Rep. Lynn Jenkins.
2) Mr. Yousef’s handler in Shin Bet has emerged out of the shadows, at great risk to his career and his safety. He has revealed his identity and come to America to stand with Mosab Yousef at his hearing. Maggie discovered this report by Newsmax and posted about it here. The article is by Ken Timmerman. A few highlights:
…Indeed, the man identified as “Captain Ghonim” could face jail time back in Israel for having broken his cover.
So why did he do it?
To speak to the character of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a top Hamas leader, whom the pro-Israel Endowment for Middle East Truth honored in the Senate Caucus Room.
“Mosab is not a terrorist,” Ghonim told the audience. “I have known him for more than 10 years.”
Ghonim said he plans to go to the court in San Diego where an immigration judge has threatened to deport Yousef back to the Palestinian territories on grounds that he was a member of a terrorist organization and had taken part in terrorist operations.
“Mosab prevented killing. He prevented violence,” Ghonim said. “Mosab, I will be with you in this trial and I will tell the truth.”
The deportation hearing is a cruel irony for Mosab Yousef, who came to this country after his cover as a secret Shin Bet agent inside of Hamas was blown.
Now the Department of Homeland Security wants to deport him, after denying his request for political asylum on grounds that he was potentially “a danger to the security of the United States” and had “engaged in terrorist activity,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
…
[Yousef] also describes the deep respect that developed between him and his Shin Bet handler, described in the book only by the letter “G.”
Yousef introduced Ghonim Wednesday night as “a great brother, a true friend, a family member. He was a man of his word.”
The Department of Homeland Security is using selected quotations from Yousef’s book to make its case against him in the San Diego immigration court.
Homeland Security attorney Kerri Calcador cited passages of the book as “proof” that Yousef worked for Hamas while spying for Israel and that he provided aid to terrorists.
“At a bare minimum, evidence of the respondent’s transport of Hamas members to safe houses . . . indicates that the respondent provided material support to a [Tier I] terrorist organization,” Calcador wrote.
Yousef’s father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, disowned his son after learning of his involvement as a Shin Bet informer.
“If Mr. Yousef were a security threat, you’d expect that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency would have found reason to detain him. Yet he remains free to travel and even to hit the book-selling circuit,” the Wall Street Journal wrote in a recent editorial.
“Mr. Yousef is a native of the West Bank, which is where he would presumably return if he is deported and where Hamas would immediately seek to kill him. Under the Convention Against Torture, the U.S. has an international treaty obligation not to return people to countries where their lives would be at risk,” the paper noted.
What brave men are Mr. Yousef and Captain Ghonim. What madmen are the men and women of Homeland Security: the argument of this Calcador woman is idiotic and illogical and absurd. Did they think we wouldn’t notice such blatant deception? As to why the fools working for Janet Incompetano would make such an argument, please see below…
There has also been this troubling report and speculation…
I first heard about this from the Reaganite Republican and now Steven Givler reports:
Please click the title of this post to read the blogprof’s account of how the Obama administration may be conducting secret negotiations with HAMAS.
Now ask yourself: Does this have anything to do with the Department of Homeland Security’s threat to deport Mosab Yousef back to HAMAS and certain death?
What better inducement could the administration offer to HAMAS than “Son of HAMAS” author, (convert to Christianity, and covert counter terror intelligence source for Israel) whom HAMAS has sworn to kill?
Theblogprof’s report referred to by him may be found by clicking here.
Steven’s speculation is, sadly, not outside the realm of possibility at all; in fact, it makes a great deal of sense in light of the past actions of, and policies promulgated by, this Administration.
Here are the basic facts in the case of Mosab Yousef:
-Mosab Yousef is the son of one of the founders of Hamas.
-While in an Israeli prison, he witnessed the horrible treatment of Palestinians by Hamas members.
-When he got out of prison, someone gave him a Bible and he eventually converted to Christianity.
-He worked for Israeli Intelligence [Shin Bet] as an undercover agent in Hamas.
-The ISA credits him with saving many lives.
-In 2007, he came to America to live.
-In 2007, he requested that Homeland Security grant him asylum because he was under two sentences of death for having spied and for his conversion to Christianity.
-In 2010, Homeland Security declared him a ‘security threat’.
-His deportation hearing is scheduled for 30 June.
-If he is returned to the Middle East, Mr. Yousef faces torture and death.
The Daily Caller reports that Colorado Congressman, Doug Lamborn (R), is gathering signatures in the U.S. House of Representatives in support of Mosab Yousef. Lamborn’s office told The Daily Caller that the congressman plans to present the letter to Napolitano sometime this week, before Mosab’s Wednesday hearing.
From The Daily Caller by Caroline May:
So far fifteen other representatives have signed Lamborn’s letter: Rep. Trent Franks, Rep. Cynthia Lummis, Rep. Bill Posey, Rep. Kenny Marchant, Rep. Rob Bishop, Rep. John Kline, Rep. John Shadegg, Rep. Aaron Schock, Rep. Mike Pence, Rep. Frank Wolf, Rep. Joe Pitts, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Bill Shuster, and Rep. Lynn Jenkins. Update: as of 5:30 p.m. EDT 6-29-10, Lamborn had 22 signatures, all Republicans and he released them to DHS.
Below is the text of the letter:
The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Madam Secretary,
We are troubled by what we understand to be the position of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concerning the immigration status of Mr. Mosab Hassan Yousef. It is incumbent on DHS to take into account all the evidence.
Mr. Yousef is currently scheduled for a U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review hearing on June 30, 2010, which is expected to determine his request for asylum in the United States. To the extent that DHS officials or attorneys will be involved in this hearing or future hearings, we ask that full consideration be given to Mr. Yousef’s views and conduct in recent years, particularly his cooperation with Shin Bet at significant risk to his own safety and life.
We understand that Mr. Yousef’s Shin Bet handler will attest to Mr. Yousef’s courageous work to prevent acts of terror, as well as attest that Mr. Yousef harbors no loyalty to or affiliation with a foreign terrorist organization.
Additionally, Mr. Yousef’s conversion to Christianity and work with Israeli intelligence services would place Mr. Yousef in grave danger should he be forced to return to the Middle East. These important conditions must also be taken into consideration as Mr. Yousef’s immigration status is adjudicated.
Sincerely,
Doug Lamborn
Mr. Yousef’s Shin-Bet handler has been known to Americans as only “G,” until now. Captain Ghonim appeared in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night, June 24th, at an event honoring Mosab, and will attend court on Wednesday morning.
From NewsMax:
An Israeli intelligence officer who spent more than 10 years as the secret handler of a top agent inside the Hamas terrorist organization has come out of the shadows for the first time, revealing his identity at a Washington, D.C., event on Wednesday where his former agent was honored…
Yousef introduced Ghonim Wednesday night as “a great brother, a true friend, a family member. He was a man of his word.”
It wasn’t for ego or applause. Indeed, the man identified as “Captain Ghonim” could face jail time back in Israel for having broken his cover.So why did he do it?
To speak to the character of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a top Hamas leader, whom the pro-Israel Endowment for Middle East Truth honored in the Senate Caucus Room.
“Mosab is not a terrorist,” Ghonim told the audience. “I have known him for more than 10 years.”
Ghonim said he plans to go to the court in San Diego where an immigration judge has threatened to deport Yousef back to the Palestinian territories on grounds that he was a member of a terrorist organization and had taken part in terrorist operations.
“Mosab prevented killing. He prevented violence,” Ghonim said. “Mosab, I will be with you in this trial and I will tell the truth.”
This is such excellent news. This “event” was in Washington, D.C. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know who is “honoring” this brave young man? Read the entire story at NewsMax.
The court date is next Wednesday, June 30th at 8 a.m. Keep the prayers winging.
Pastor Matt Smith of the Barabbas Road Church in LaJolla, California – the church that Mosab attends – is asking for support for Mosab:
Wednesday, June 30th, 8 a.m.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
880 Front Street, Suite 224, San Diego, California 92101
The following is the powerful letter Pastor Smith wrote to the court:
Your desire to deport Mosab Hassan Yousef is a desire for his death. It is also a supreme waste of a great national security resource. It seems you desire to take his book seriously when it speaks of him “aiding terrorists,” as you seem to take out of context, but you totally reject the very same book that claims Mosab as one of the most valuable fighters of terrorism in the Middle East. This is inconsistent at best. Your decision in this is a life and death decision.
There is a God. You would not have the ability to make this decision if God did not give it to you. Make the right one, you will be held accountable for it one day. Your pursuit of this is the pursuit of a death sentence for a patriot. If there is any thing I can do to vouch for this fine man tell me and I will do so as will my family and scores of other families across this country. He has sacrificed everything for freedom and for the sake of others. He has lost everything and is a hero, hence the book. Please reconsider your position and abandon your fruitless pursuit of the death of a hero. I will pray for you.
And from from the many blogging friends of Mosab Yousef, I’ll say Amen.
The Jewish Defence League of Canada (JDL) will rally in Toronto to support Mosab Hassan Yousef on June 29th, the day before his Homeland Security Immigration Court hearing.
If you are in the Toronto area, please join the rally and help keep Mosab in the U.S.A.
Mr. Yousef has asked that we contact Kerri Calcador, Senior Attorney, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 880 Front Street, Suite 224, San Diego, California 92100 or call Calcador at 619-557-5578.
Rally details:
TUESDAY JUNE 29, 2010 7:30 PM
TORONTO ZIONIST CENTER 788 MARLEE AVENUE
The Jewish Defence League of Canada will have a solidarity rally for Mousab Yousef.
-Mosab Yousef is the son of one of the founders of Hamas.
-He worked for Israeli Intelligence as an undercover agent in Hamas.
-The ISA credits him with saving many lives.
-In 2007, he came to America to live.
-In 2007, he requested that Homeland Security grant him asylum because he was under two sentences of death for having spied and for his conversion to Christianity.
-In 2010, Homeland Security declared him a ‘security threat’.
-His deportation hearing is scheduled for 30 June.
-If he is returned to the Middle East, Mr. Yousef faces torture and death.
Please visit the website, Save Mousab Yousef, set up to alert people to the plight of Mousab Yousef, also known as the Son of Hamas. Mr. Yousef converted to Christianity and spied on Hamas for Israel. He came to the United States seeking political asylum. Now the Department of Homeland Security wants to deport him.
The Islamic Media Front has issued a death sentence against Yousef. In their mind he is the worst sort of infidel. Click here for more links. To find out how you can help, click here.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT JDL CANADA 416-736-7000 http://www.jdl-canada.com
If you know of other rallys taking place, please let us know and we’ll get the word out.
Blogs with Rally Details:
Some of the dismay about the possibility of Mosab Hassan Yousef being deported, comes from knowing that The Department of Homeland Security knows his background well and knows he is not a security risk.
Israel Matzav sheds some light onto the bizarre deportation quest:
Homeland Security is well aware of the author’s history, and in fact is using it against him. According to Mr. Yousef, a letter from Homeland Security attorney Kerri Calcador cites passages in “Son of Hamas” as evidence of his connection to terrorist leaders and suggests that the work he did for Hamas while spying for Israel provided aid to terrorists. “At a bare minimum, evidence of the respondent’s transport of Hamas members to safe houses . . . indicates that the respondent provided material support to a [Tier I] terrorist organization,” the U.S. lawyer wrote.
But unless Ms. Calcador knows more than she’s saying, this is bizarre. As a spy for Israel, Mr. Yousef had to make his colleagues believe he was a loyal member of Hamas. He used that trust to gain information that he provided to Israeli intelligence, which used it to prevent terror attacks and save lives.
One of Mr. Yousef’s handlers at Shin Bet confirmed his book’s account to the Israeli daily Haaretz, and his father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, has disowned him from the Israeli prison he has occupied since 2005. (See our Weekend Interview with the younger Yousef, “They Need to Be Liberated From Their God,” March 6, 2010.)
The problem seems to be that, under a provision of U.S. immigration law, anyone who is shown to have provided “material support” for terrorist organizations is automatically denied asylum.
In the relentless way that bureaucracy works, this is being interpreted as leaving little discretion for deserving exceptions like the case of Mr. Yousef. In some cases Homeland Security does have the power to issue a waiver of this “no admission” rule—an option that was not exercised before Mr. Yousef’s asylum was denied.
If Mr. Yousef were a security threat, you’d expect that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency would have found reason to detain him. Yet he remains free to travel and even to hit the book-selling circuit. A senior government official tells us that Homeland Security will “not be mounting a stiff defense” of the 2009 decision to deny him asylum, which is at least one burst of common sense.
Please visit Israel Matzav for the entire article, and browse through the information on this site. Yousef’s deportation hearing is June 30, 2010. Time is very short.
The Mind Number Numbed [oops!] Robot and his friend Steve of Texas Pixel Magic have come up with an image that you can add to your blog’s sidebar:
Just right-click the image above and click-on Save Picture As…
Please remember to make this site the URL link when you place it in your sidebar.
Thank you.
And very special thanks to the Mind Numbed Robot and Steve.
The following is Christianity Today’s interview with Mosab. I have to wonder, if I were being targeted for my belief in Christ, could I speak of my faith as eloquently, as peacefully, yet passionately as Mr. Yousef.
Mosab has a mission in this world. God is using him and he fully understands his role on this earth.
From Informant to Informer
Interview by Timothy C. Morgan | posted 6/08/2010 09:31AM
You describe the ten years you spent as a high-level informant for the Shin Bet, the Israeli counterterrorist agency. Did you ever think your decision was a mistake?
I questioned myself every time. I knew this was not why I was born, but I was absolutely stuck. Every time I thought about leaving, it meant that it was going to get worse—for my family, my friends, my people, and the Israelis. I did as much as I could, but I reached a level [where] I had to leave.
How do you now love an enemy?
I learned all my life how to hate Jews. Now I [had] a golden opportunity to apply love-your-enemy practically, when I saved the lives of people I had never met. I did what I did for my God. When I have a tough decision to make, I ask myself this question: If Jesus Christ were here today, what would he do? This is how I survived. I imagined Christ in my position.
While you were speaking at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention recently, news broke that your father had disowned you. How do you understand this as a Christian?
Evil is stealing my father from me again. Evil stole my father for many years in prison when I was a child, and today [evil is] still taking my father. I insisted many times that I am going to keep on fighting evil ideas.
A milestone in your journey to Christ was being invited by a British man to a Bible study. How do you look back on that?
He was visiting the branch of his church in Jerusalem. They told him, “We are going to invite people to a Bible study.” He was inviting people on his own. He had no idea who I was. But I had met God before that. He had been there from day one. He was leading me. I was chosen even before I believed. Even when I was a Muslim in the darkest places, I remember his presence.
Since your life is so at risk, what does the future hold for you?
The book is not the end of my mission. I have a great passion for my people. I know their problems. We will talk to them. I am not the only one. There are heroes in the shadows. They have been working for many years in this field. They are individuals who have dedicated their lives to spread the gospel to Muslims.
Do Christians have a role in moving the Mideast toward peace?
The Palestinian problem is much bigger than not having a state. A Palestinian state is not going to solve the Palestinian problem. We need to show how important our role—as Christians—is. It is much more important than government and the international community.
How could American Christians better understand Islam?
You have to learn the Qur’an [through] long studying and research. Not every Christian wants to make those efforts. It has led to a big misunderstanding. Muslims don’t understand the importance of the crucifixion and death of Christ. This is the core of Christian belief. Christians need at least to defend their God, to defend their faith, and to be responsible also for Muslims, because our duty is to spread the gospel to all nations. Our goal is not to encourage Christians to hate Muslims. Our goal is to educate.
Please visit Christianity Today
Part 6 of the Escape from Hamas video ends the series. Mosab says his life had become “almost intolerable,” as he became immersed deeper and deeper in Christianity. At the same time, his homeland was becoming more and more radical.
Mosab cames to the U.S. and finds the American Christians that he first met in Jerusalem. He says now, the Barrabbas Road church members are his family and they love them.
Al-Qaeda issued a statement excoriating Hamas allowing Mosab to leave Islam and embrace Christianity. They quoted the Koran saying whoever leaves Islam, kill him (paraphrased).
Listen, as Mosab says the last words to his father were, “you are very close to Christianity.” Hear his father’s reaction.
Write letters to:
Kerri Calcador
Senior Attorney
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
880 Front Street, Suite 224
San Diego, California 92101
or call her at 619.557.5578.
And if you live in the San Diego area, come to my hearing at 8 a.m. on June 30 and see for yourself Homeland Security in action.
Westerners, after years of reading of about the conflict between Muslims and Israel, are no closer to understanding why the people in Palestine and Israel cannot live together peacefully.
Yousef speaks of his dedication to Hamas and exterminating Israel, until he saw the cruelty – torture – of Hamas members of other Hamas members, while in an Israeli jail.
Write letters to:
Kerri Calcador, Senior Attorney
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
880 Front Street, Suite 224
San Diego, California 92101
or call her at 619.557.5578.
And if you live in the San Diego area, come to my hearing at 8 a.m. on June 30 and see for yourself Homeland Security in action.
Faith McDonnell of the IRD contacted us today and, with her kind permission, we are reprinting her organization’s press release:
Why is the U.S. government threatening famous Hamas informant with deportation?
June 17, 2010
Contact: Jeff Walton 202-682-4131, 202-413-5639 cell“The Department of Homeland Security is intent upon deporting as a ‘terrorist’ the man who protected and saved many lives.”
-Faith J.H. McDonnell, IRD Religious Liberty Program DirectorWashington, DC—The Institute on Religion and Democracy is expressing concern after reports this week that Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is currently threatened with deportation from the United States. Yousef converted from Islam to Christianity, coming to the United States in 2007 and applying for political asylum. He also wrote a best-selling book, “Son of Hamas’ about his experiences in the radical Islamic organization and subsequent work as a spy for Israel helping to foil terrorist and suicide bombings and saving Israeli, Palestinian and American lives.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Yousef’s asylum request was denied in February 2009, Mr. Yousef says, on grounds that he was potentially “a danger to the security of the United States” and had “engaged in terrorist activity.” He faces a deportation hearing June 30.
Under a provision of U.S. immigration law, anyone who is shown to have provided “material support” for terrorist organizations is automatically denied asylum.
Yousef became a Christian after a British cabdriver in Jerusalem gave him an English-Arabic copy of the New Testament and invited him to a Bible Study. “I found that I was really drawn to the grace, love and humility that Jesus talked about,” says Yousef in “Son of Hamas.”
IRD Religious Liberty Program Director Faith J.H. McDonnell commented:
“Yousef is one of our allies and is a great source of help in understanding what we face in radical Islam. It makes no sense that we are now treating him like the enemy.
“The Department of Homeland Security is intent upon deporting as a ‘terrorist’ the man who protected and saved many lives, including those of Americans working for USAID.
“We are concerned because of the irrationality of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the danger to Yousef’s life, if he is deported. This threat of deportation says how little the United States government understands radical Islam and the global jihad to impose Islam around the world, to which Yousef testifies.
“We urge all to share Yousef’s story about his struggle with DHS from his blog, to write to the Senior Attorney for DHS in San Diego, Kerri Calcador, who is determined to deport him, and to contact your members of Congress regarding this travesty.”
The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches’ social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.
###
Please click here to learn more about this wonderful organization that is doing a lot of good.
Mosab Yousef speaks of his younger years when he was the leader of the Hamas Islamic Youth Movement. In this video, Yousef details how he ended up in an Israeli prison in 1996, and how he began to see the Hamas organization in a different light.
Write letters to:
Kerri Calcador, Senior Attorney
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
880 Front Street, Suite 224
San Diego, California 92101
or call her at 619.557.5578.
And if you live in the San Diego area, come to my hearing at 8 a.m. on June 30 and see for yourself Homeland Security in action.
Related videos:
Mosab Yousef on Islam Part 1 Video
Mosab Yousef Speaks of Growing up in Ramallah Part 2 Video
Mosab Yousef’s Conversion from Islam to Christianity Part 5 Video
One of the reasons I got involved with this effort to publicize the case of Mr. Yousef is because of the strength he found within himself to do what was right despite of the awful consequences to himself and his family. He was able to see that his duty to truth and justice far outweighed any personal considerations of comfort or happiness.
Here is part of his own account of what he has suffered:
Try to remember how you felt whenever your mother or father told you how proud they were of you when you accomplished some little thing, won an award, graduated from school, got a good job or a raise. Now imagine that your picture is on the front page of the newspaper, along with a story exposing all of your secret sins in agonizing detail. Imagine your shame and embarrassment, how your family would look at you then, how your friends, neighbors and coworkers would treat you.
And that is small, compared with the fear and guilt and shame heaped upon Muslims by their god. The god of the Qur’an is not tolerant, understanding or forgiving. He hates furiously and punishes without mercy everyone who crosses his red lines.
The shame my decision to go public has brought on my family can never be scrubbed clean. I broke their hearts and ruined their lives. Who will marry my sisters now? How can my brothers return to their schools?
And why? Because of me. I cannot help feeling like Israel’s King David who cried out, “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.”
My family has already suffered so much. Why did I have to be responsible for piling on even worse suffering?
But I did not feel that I really had a choice. More than 1.6 billion Muslims live sincerely and ignorantly in the pitch darkness of Islam. And I was in a unique position to set many of them free. Son of Hamas was my shot, and I had to take it, no matter what the cost.
So what have I gotten out of writing a bestseller?
The U.S. government has rejected my plea for political asylum, saying that I was connected with a terrorist organization, even though I was never a member of Hamas. I can never become a citizen, and if I leave the country, I cannot return.
Because I became a Christian and helped to save Israeli and Palestinian lives, I am condemned to death by the Qur’an and its god, making it the duty of every good Muslim to kill me.
By going public, I put the lives of my mother, brothers and sisters at extreme risk. They still live in the West Bank, which is ruled by the Fatah faction of the PLO. Fatah hates Hamas because it killed many of its members in Gaza after the 2006 elections. What if Fatah members, afraid that I will reveal more secrets about them, go out of control and start shooting at my parents’ house?
Even Christians in the Middle East are tainted because of me. Now, every Muslim will accuse them of collaborating with Israel, threatening their lives.
Mosab Yousef will never know much in the way of Earthly happiness – certainly not as much as we Americans and citizens of The West do and have the potential to enjoy. However, because of the service he has performed for the freedom-loving peoples of Israel and, by extension, the freedom-loving peoples of Western Civilization, he deserves to get whatever happiness is possible. He deserves to stay in The United States Of America and to eventually become a citizen. He asks only these two things. He does not ask for a government handout. We can take comfort that he has been embraced by a loving God and be assured that when he passes on he will be greeted in the Kingdom Of Heaven with the words ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, well done’. But there will be no comfort for us if we don’t fight for this good and brave man.
Please write to your representatives in the Congress. If you are a friend or acquaintance of any member of the media [mainstream or new], please write to them; they have the power to get the word out, to put the pressure on those who will be deciding Mr. Yousef’s fate.
UPDATE on 17JUN2010 at 0805…
Over at No Sheeples Here, Carol has featured this posting in her IN THE SPOTLIGHT sidebar. It’s a fitting tribute to Mr. Yousef who is certainly no sheeple. Thank you, Carol.
Save Mosab Yousef: Help Him Stay In The U.S. 