Mohammad al-Massari
Encyclopedia
Dr. Mohammad Al-Massari is an exiled Saudi
physicist and political dissident who gained asylum
in the United Kingdom
in 1994. He runs the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights
and is an adviser to the Islamic Human Rights Commission
.
Mohammed Al-Masari fought deportation from the United Kingdom
in 1996.
During the trial of individuals charged with roles in the bombing of the American embassy in Nairobi
evidence was made public that an Exact M 22 satellite phone
purchased by another Saudi dissident Saad Al Faqih, and given to Mohammed Al Masari in 1996, to aid in his deportation fight, received a call from one of the Nairobi suicide bombers eight days before the attack.
The phone was all reported to have been used to make calls to arrange an interview of Usama bin Laden by ABC News
World News Tonight.
There are reports that attribute to Mohammed Al-Masari the assertion that Iraq
's leader Saddam Hussein
contacted Afghan Arabs
in late 2001, following the American invasion, inviting them to find refuge in Iraq.
In its report of this assertion the Middle East Online noted that other experts disputed the claim.
He has been known to declare British troops in Iraq to be legitimate targets for militants, and has hosted videos of bomb attacks and beheadings on his website. He runs a radio station
with similar messages, including songs calling for a jihad
(holy war) against coalition forces. Although some government officials have expressed concern over the content of his broadcasts, Dr. al-Massari insists that his radio station is not broadcast in Britain and therefore is not under the jurisdiction of the British government.
He got his professorship from University of California, Berkeley
after he invented a solar-energized car in Germany. He was one of the most outstanding students in Berkeley and his name is written in the Hall of Fame. He also was the chairman in the physics department in King Saud University at Riyadh and taught in the university.
Al-Massari and his Tajdeed web site get a few mentions in a 2006 analysis of the use of graphics in Islamist terrorist propaganda. The Tajdeed website was taken down in July 2007, possibly in response to publicity generated by a MEMRI report about that site and others like it.
He is the former head of CDLR and currently the head of the Party for Islamic Renewal.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
physicist and political dissident who gained asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1994. He runs the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights
Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights
The Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights was a Saudi dissident group created in 1993 which opposed the Saudi government as un-Islamic.-History:...
and is an adviser to the Islamic Human Rights Commission
Islamic Human Rights Commission
The Islamic Human Rights Commission is a non-profit organization. Its stated mission is to, "... work with different organizations from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds, to campaign for justice for all peoples regardless of their racial, confessional or political background.". The group is...
.
Mohammed Al-Masari fought deportation from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1996.
During the trial of individuals charged with roles in the bombing of the American embassy in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
evidence was made public that an Exact M 22 satellite phone
Satellite phone
A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites...
purchased by another Saudi dissident Saad Al Faqih, and given to Mohammed Al Masari in 1996, to aid in his deportation fight, received a call from one of the Nairobi suicide bombers eight days before the attack.
The phone was all reported to have been used to make calls to arrange an interview of Usama bin Laden by ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
World News Tonight.
There are reports that attribute to Mohammed Al-Masari the assertion that Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
's leader Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
contacted Afghan Arabs
Afghan Arabs
Afghan Arabs were Arab and other Muslim Islamist mujahideen who came to Afghanistan during and following the Soviet-Afghan War to help fellow Muslims fight Soviets and pro-Soviet Afghans....
in late 2001, following the American invasion, inviting them to find refuge in Iraq.
In its report of this assertion the Middle East Online noted that other experts disputed the claim.
He has been known to declare British troops in Iraq to be legitimate targets for militants, and has hosted videos of bomb attacks and beheadings on his website. He runs a radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
with similar messages, including songs calling for a jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
(holy war) against coalition forces. Although some government officials have expressed concern over the content of his broadcasts, Dr. al-Massari insists that his radio station is not broadcast in Britain and therefore is not under the jurisdiction of the British government.
He got his professorship from University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
after he invented a solar-energized car in Germany. He was one of the most outstanding students in Berkeley and his name is written in the Hall of Fame. He also was the chairman in the physics department in King Saud University at Riyadh and taught in the university.
Al-Massari and his Tajdeed web site get a few mentions in a 2006 analysis of the use of graphics in Islamist terrorist propaganda. The Tajdeed website was taken down in July 2007, possibly in response to publicity generated by a MEMRI report about that site and others like it.
He is the former head of CDLR and currently the head of the Party for Islamic Renewal.