Relatives of Jama’a al-Islamiya spiritual leader Omar Abdel Rahman, who is serving time in a US prison for his part in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings in New York, refused to disperse a sit-in outside the US Embassy in Cairo. The protesters are demanding his release.
Abdel Rahman’s wife Aisha Hassan said her husband phoned her from jail. She said he told her he needed everyone’s prayers because his health was deteriorating.
She went on to say that her husband requested the sit-in be dispersed, so as to avoid any physical or moral suffering on the part of protesters.
According to her account, Abdel Rahman told her he depends on God in all his affairs and that God is able to return him to his homeland without any demands, protests or sit-ins.
Hassan said her husband asked her to contact his lawyer, former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, to check his condition, as his health had greatly deteriorated.
“The call only addressed some family issues, as speaking about political affairs is banned,” said Hassan.
Abdel Rahman’s son Abdullah said: "our father is still under observation, so my siblings cannot contact him anyway. The only communication with him is through the sheikh’s wife, and if [the voice of] anyone else appears on the line the call gets cut off.”
"The family won’t end the sit-in until we go to Cairo airport to welcome Omar Abdel Rahman, and we won’t accept any compromise… There’s no excuse for incarcerating our father for more than 18 years."
Translated from the Arabic Edition
