Dozens of relatives of Jama’a al-Islamiya leader Shiekh Omar Abdel Rahman staged a sit-in on Friday in front of the US Embassy in Cairo to demand his release.
For the past 18 years Abdel Rahman has been serving a life sentence in the US, following investigations into the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. He was previously imprisoned in Egypt for allegedly issuing a fatwa that led to the assassination of former President Anwar Sadat in 1981.
Jama’a al-Islamiya members were not present at the sit-in.
The protesters chanted, “Americans, Americans, where is Sheikh Abdel Rahman?” and “We are staging a sit-in until the imam returns.” They also raised banners in English and Arabic reading “Freedom for Sheikh Abdel Rahman.”
The protesters distributed leaflets calling on people to join the sit-in and said the fact that the US is ignoring their calls will harm its credibility in the Islamic world.
Sheikh Mohamed, the son of Abdel Rahman, said Egyptians should work together for the release of his father and added that the protesters will not budge until they see signs that the US will release him. He also said that Abdel Rahman’s family is certain that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is opposed to his return.
The Jama’a al-Islamiya, meanwhile, said it did not join the protest in order to give the SCAF a chance to intervene for Abdel Rahman’s release. Essam Derbala, the head of the Jama’a al-Islamiya’s Shura Council, said the group expresses solidarity with Abdel Rahman’s family but will continue communications with concerned authorities before joining the sit-in.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
