9

OMAR ALOMARI (2010)

Ohio Homeland Security official Omar Alomari spreads 

“Islamist propaganda,” fired after lying to investigators about  

a previous job firing and failing to disclose his former position  

with Jordanian government

When Omar Alomari testified before a Congressional House Homeland Security subcommittee meeting on  de-radicalization  efforts in the Muslim community this past March, he was then serving as the Community Engagement Officer for the Ohio Department of Homeland Security and had been appointed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Violent Extremism Working Group. Less than 90 days later, he had been fired following an internal investigation over his failure to disclose elements of his prior work history during his background investigation – including his work for a top Jordanian government official.

Even prior to his congressional testimony, Alomari had come under fire for using his position to promote extremist  ideology. The Investigative Project on Terrorism noted that he had authored an Arabic and Islamic culture guide and a brochure on radicalization published by Ohio Homeland Security at taxpayer expense that seemed to blame the West for terrorism and minimize the incitement to violence in Islamic ideology. For instance, in his culture guide he claimed that the definition of jihad as holy war was a European invention spread by the West. His culture guide and radicalization brochure also promoted several terror-tied Islamic organizations as resources for readers. Zuhdi Jasser described Alomari’s writings as “classic Islamist propaganda.”

Alomari also used his position at Ohio Homeland Security to mainstream extremists. When he organized a forum on “interfaith dialogue” for the department in August 2009, the two lone Muslim representatives included a local imam, Hany Saqr, who was identified in the Holy Land Foundation trial as one of the top Muslim Brotherhood leaders in the nation; and CAIR-Ohio president Asma MobinUddin. Additional evidence in the Holy Land trial included phone records by top Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook showing phone calls made by the terrorist leader to Saqr. The inclusion of a senior CAIR official came almost a year after the FBI had officially severed ties with the organization because the group’s leaders had ties to organizations supporting terrorism. Alomari had also included CAIR officials in previous Ohio Homeland Security events.

The internal investigation into Alomari’s previous work history, begun shortly after his congressional testimony, revealed that he had omitted information on his resume and during his background investigation about his being fired by a local community college for violating their sexual harassment policy. In addition, he had also not disclosed that he had previously worked as an adviser to the Jordanian Minister of Labor prior to immigrating to the U.S. In his discharge letter, Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Thomas Strickrath said that Alomari had given “false information” during the  administrative investigation, prompting his firing.

SOURCES

“House hearing on extremism caters to Islamists,” IPT News, March 16, 2010

Randy Ludlow, “State official under scrutiny for job history,” Columbus Dispatch, June 12, 2010

Randy Ludlow, “Ohio Homeland Security official fired for not disclosing previous firing,” Columbus Dispatch, July 1, 2010

Ed Barnes, “Ohio Homeland Security official fired over resume discrepancy,” Fox News, July 22, 2010