According to the trial transcript, as reviewed by Politico, Hamawy accompanied Abdel-Rahman on a 13-hour car ride to Michigan in 1991. During the trip, Abdel-Rahman allegedly spoke about "conquering the land of the infidels," a remark Hamawy acknowledged hearing but said prosecutors were “kind of taking it out of context.”
In reference to the association, a Hamawy spokesperson told
Newsweek: “He was in the military at the time the events litigated in the trial took place, during the trial, and after the trial,” adding that in the years following the trial, Hamawy “was chosen for one of the most sensitive and highest-trust roles for an Army doctor: deployment to treat critically injured troops in Iraq. His sacrifices for our freedom accurately reflect his character and values then and now.
“At the time, the man in question was one of very few religious figures in what was then a very small Muslim community in New Jersey. He saw him speak in religious settings in his early 20s. Dr. Hamawy condemns that man’s violent rhetoric and actions, and all violence, hatred and terrorism—and he will always. Dr. Hamawy had no contact with this person after they were arrested.”
Hamawy “saved the lives of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and hundreds of other American troops in Iraq. In 2001, he treated victims of the 9/11 terror attacks at Ground Zero,” the spokesperson said.
The Democratic front-runner in the 12th Congressional District, per internal polling, is facing questions over past associations.
www.newsweek.com
