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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Hamas invested in American strip clubs?

Firas Press quotes Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan with some news that I cannot verify anywhere else. And Kuwaiti newspapers have been less than reliable in their "scoops."

But it's to good not to share:
Two weeks ago, an American court sentenced a number of Palestinians to prison terms ranging from 15 years to 65 years the on charges of fraudulently collecting more than 60 million dollars under the guise of helping those affected by the war in the Gaza Strip.

The first defendant in this case is the half-brother of Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, and the second defendant is the son-in-law Abu Marzouk, a senior leader in the movement itself, and the third defendant is the representative of Hamas in the Yemen!!

Interestingly, part of this money was in banks within the Cayman Islands. The bulk of it was invested in the purchase of cafes and restaurants within the United States, including a building in Minneapolis that has on its ground floor one of the most famous striptease clubs "Alstervtiz"(?) in the state of Minnesota near the U.S. border with Canada.

When the judge asked the first defendant how he could invest Muslim charity monies into strip clubs when that is against Islamic law, Meshal's half-brother said that "necessities permit taboos."
Even though it is probably not true, it shows that Hamas' prestige has gone way down for stories like these to be made up and spread to begin with.