Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed
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Mohamed Al Hassan | |
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| Born | 1961 |
| Nationality | Sudanese |
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Mohamed Al Hassan (aka Mohamed Elhasan Mohamed) (born 1961) is a Sudanese American.[1][2] He has twice campaigned to become the President of Sudan (in 2010 and 2015).[3]
Background
[edit]Mohamed moved from Sudan to the United States in the 1980s. He then moved to Dallas, Texas and delivered pizzas, before driving taxi cabs. In addition, Mohamed created a solar energy development company 'AlSufi International' in Sudan.[3] Mohamed holds dual citizenship in both Sudan and the United States.[4] He is married to Muna Ahmed Ibraham.[5]
Political candidate
[edit]Though his name did not appear the ballots,[6] Mohamed ran against Omar al-Bashir for the office of Sudan President in both 2010 and 2015.[7][1] An April 2015 Bloomberg Business report stated that of President Omar al-Bashir's competitors, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed "had the most ambitious agenda".[8]
Islamic activities
[edit]Mohamed is a Sufi Muslim.[9] He directs the Islamic Sufi Center in Texas, established in the early 1990s.[2] However, according to the Washington Post, he:
"likes to call himself a sheik. He wears a cleric’s flowing white robes and claims hundreds of followers throughout Egypt, Sudan and in the United States. But he is unknown as a scholar or holy man in the state he has called home for two decades. Religious leaders in Texas say they have never heard of Elhassan, including the imam at the mosque where he worships. “This so-called leader, we have never heard of this person,” said Imam Zia ul Haque Sheikh, the head of the Islamic Center of Irving. “I believe the whole thing is made up.” Elhassan has only a handful of followers who chant with him on Saturdays and Sundays at a small prayer center, located in a strip mall, that he founded in 2001 for other Sufi Muslims."[10]
In 2011, after answering an ad he defended the Quran in a mock jury trial against Christian fundamentalist Rev. Terry Jones,[11] but was greatly surprised and saddened by Jones choosing to burn the Quran as part of his exhibition, and the three days of violent response which resulted in Afghanistan.[12]
Lawsuits
[edit]He is the father of Ahmed Mohamed, who was arrested briefly in 2015 and suspended from attending his high school after bringing in to school a digital clock he had assembled that a teacher believed looked like a hoax bomb, which sparked a controversy over Islamophobia, childhood experimentation and zero-tolerance policies.[13][14]
The family sent a demand letter on November 23, 2015, saying they would file a lawsuit if they did not receive $15 million ($20,000,000 in current dollar terms) in financial compensation and a public apology from the City of Irving and the Irving School District.[15] The family then filed a lawsuit against the City of Irving and the school district on August 8, 2016.[16][17] On May 19, 2017, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying the plaintiff failed to present any facts demonstrating intentional discrimination against Ahmed Mohamed.[18]
Mohamed Mohamed, on behalf of himself and his son Ahmed Mohamed, then filed a second suit, a defamation suit, in Dallas County District Court on September 21, 2016.[19] The named defendants included The Blaze, Glenn Beck, Center for Security Policy (CSP), Fox Television Stations, Ben Ferguson, Ben Shapiro, Beth Van Duyne, and Jim Hanson.[20] A hearing was held on December 16, 2016, during which claims against defendants KDFW Fox 4 and Ben Ferguson were dismissed with prejudice (meaning the suit could not be re-filed, though the decision could be appealed). In January 2017, the judge granted Hanson's and CSP's motion to dismiss (releasing TheBlaze, Glenn Beck, Jim Hanson, and the CSP),[21] and in February 2017 the judge granted Shapiro's motion to dismiss. Legal fees were awarded to the defendants, and an appeal by Mohamed of the dismissals and legal fee awards was denied in 2018.[22]
On March 13, 2018, he filed a third federal lawsuit as Ahmed Mohamed's father against the Irving Independent School District, the City of Irving, and several individuals, was dismissed with prejudice and with the court ordering Mohamed's family to bear all the costs of the lawsuit.[23][24][25]
References
[edit]- ^ a b NDG Staff (February 15, 2015). "Irving resident makes his second bid for election as President of Sudan". North Dallas Gazette. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ a b هديل عرجة, (Arja Hadeel) (September 22, 2015). "والد مخترع "الساعة القنبلة" من سائق تاكسي إلى مرشح رئاسي.. لقاء خاص (Ahmed Mohamed's Family Has Come A Long Way From Sudan To Texas)". HuffPost Arabi (in Arabic). Retrieved September 23, 2015. Huffington Post English translation
- ^ a b Klein, Alyssa (September 16, 2015). "The Surprising Backstory Behind #IStandWithAhmed's 2-Time Sudanese Presidential Candidate Father". OkayAfrica. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "Sudan presidential contender vows to lift US sanctions in first 100 days if elected". Sudan Tribune. February 15, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ Ashford, Ben (September 17, 2015). "American dream of family of Texas teen Ahmed Mohamed handcuffed for his clock". Florida Newstime. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ Nelson, Libby (September 16, 2015). "Ahmed Mohamed's father had his own nasty run-in with Islamophobia". Vox. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ staff (February 16, 2015). "Sudan presidential contender vows to lift US sanctions in first 100 days if elected". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ staff (April 12, 2015). "Bashir Seen Winning Sudan Re-Election as Opposition Split". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ Kalthoff, Ken Kalthoff (December 16, 2013). "Land in Sudan Helps Attract Large Irving Crowd" (news article & video clip (flash)). NBC 5 DFW. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ Sheila Musaji (August 9, 2013)."The American Muslim Communities’ “Useful Idiots" The American Muslim.
- ^ Michels, Patrick (April 4, 2011). "Why Mohamed Alhassan the Dallas Imam who played defense attorney in Qur'an torching church says he admires Terry Jones". Dallas Observer. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ Gowen, Annie (April 6, 2011). "Muslim at Koran 'trial says he didn't know the holy book would be burned". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- ^ staff (September 17, 2015). "Sudanese-American teenager becomes center of world attention after school arrest". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ Golgowski, Nina (September 16, 2015). "Father of Muslim teen arrested for clock previously battled Fla. Koran burner, has run for president of Sudan twice". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ Buncombe, Andrew (November 25, 2015). "Ahmed Mohamed demands $15m compensation and written apology after homemade clock arrest". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2015-11-24. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ Lindgren, Jennifer (August 8, 2016). "'Clock Kid' Files Lawsuit Against City Of Irving & Irving ISD". KTVT. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ "Doc 1 Clock Boy Complaint – African American".
- ^ "Federal court throws out Irving 'Clock Boy' lawsuit". Fox 4. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Father of Muslim boy arrested over clock sues for defamation". KXAN. Associated Press. September 27, 2016.
- ^ "Father of 'clock kid' Ahmed Mohamed sues Glenn Beck, Fox and others for defamation". The Washington Post. 28 September 2016.
- ^ "Glenn Beck dismissed from 'clock boy' defamation suit". Dallas News. 2017-01-10. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ^ "Mohamed v. Ctr. for Sec. Policy, 554 S.W.3d 767". casetext.com. July 11, 2018.
- ^ "Judge Slams Door on Further Litigation By 'Clock Boy' Family". NBCDFW. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ "'Clock boy' Ahmed Mohamed's lawsuit against Irving ISD, city dismissed". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ Cardona, Claire Z. "Irving mayor dismissed from 'clock boy' defamation suit". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 3 February 2017.