Islamists on Social Media Mourn Death of ‘Blind Sheikh’ in U.S. Prison

Blind Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman sits and prays inside an iron cage at the opening of court
MIKE NELSON/AFP/Getty

Islamists worldwide have taken to social media to mourn the passing of the “Blind Sheikh,” Omar Abdel-Rahman, who reportedly died of natural causes in U.S. prison on Saturday.

He was jailed in 1996 on several counts of masterminding terrorist attacks, including involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Thousands shared the newly launched hashtag #death_of_sheikh_omar_abdelrahman, asking Allah to bless his soul.

Hajjar Abed Latif wrote: “The passing of Shaikh Abdul-Rahman, may Allah have mercy on his soul.”

“A man who’s worth more than a thousand men was taken by Allah in an American prison, after his medications were prevented from reaching him, in the wake of a quarter of a century in jail,” Ahmed wrote.  Ahmed did not cite any evidence for his conspiracy theory regarding Rahman’s death.

Abu Omar Alisaii wrote: “May Allah spread his mercy on him. They said three countries were afraid of him: America, Israel and Egypt.”

https://twitter.com/Q4mONkAh79wyhbW/status/833024875627429891

“We extend our condolences to the Islamic Nation and to the Jamaa Islamiya [of which Abdelrahman was co-founder] for the death of the Sheikh the martyr, Dr. Omar Abdelrahman, after 24 years in an American jail which he served despite his innocence,” Kuwait’s Professor Hakem Almuteiri tweeted.

“Have mercy and forgive him, Allah,” Bashair tweeted. “Our condolences are extended to the Islamic nation that’s under attack for its creed.”

Ismail Qimri tweeted: “The prize is not for those who suffered, may Allah compensate you in heaven, Omar.”

https://twitter.com/ismailalqimari/status/833183306959167489

“Where are those who extended condolences after Charlie Hebdo, after the Turkish nightclub?” another tweeted. “Why aren’t they extending their condolences to the nation for the loss of its great Sheikh, whose beard became grey while fighting for our dignity?”

Gaza’s Abdullah Gaith tweeted wildly: “The champions of humanism murder the blind sheikh Omar Abdelrahman in their jail. If a clergyman was murdered, how would the world react?”

https://twitter.com/saifalkhair/status/833174579275235328

Citizen urged the sheikh’s detractors to pray for him: “It’s one thing to disagree with the Sheikh and his ideology, it’s another to ask Allah to have mercy on him. He’s a devout Muslim. America was afraid of him despite his blindness.”

https://twitter.com/am_citizen/status/833168565196959744

Abdelkarim drew parallels between Abdelrahman and Hamas’ founder, the disabled Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Posting pictures of both, he wrote: “A disabled man unraveled the world of the Jews, and a blind man terrorized America into madness.”

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.