Omar Abdel-Rahman

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	To oppose or discuss a nomination, please go to CZ:Proposed for deletion and follow the instructions. For the monthly nomination lists, see Category:Articles for deletion. Known as the "blind sheikh," Omar Abdel-Rahman was associated with radical Islamist groups in the United States, and is serving a life sentence, without the possibility of parole, for the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing. He holds a degree from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and has issued many [[fatwas in support of militant causes. Abdel-Rahman, while in Egypt, was associated with Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) and Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (the Islamic Group). By the 1980s he led the Islamic Group, but remained respected by EIJ, which at the time was led by future [[al-Qaeda leader [[Ayman al-Zawahiri. In the mid-80s, he was charged with supporting the assassination of [[Anwar Sadat. While acquitted, he was exiled, and went to Afghanistan and became affiliated with Abdullah Azzam, considered one of the founders of the ideology that created al-Qaeda. The other founder was also Egyptian, [[Sayyid Qutb, editor of the Muslim Brotherhood journal, who was hanged in 1966 for subversive activities against Egypt. Arriving in the United States in 1990, he obtained a permanent residency permit as a cleric, which was later revoked. While he contested [[international extradition, he sent recorded speeches and sermons to his followers in Egypt. He was under surveillance since his arrival. References