Ahmed Rami (writer)

Ahmed Rami
Born (1946-12-12) 12 December 1946
Tafraout, French protectorate in Morocco (now Morocco)
Residence Sweden
Alma mater Ecole Normale Superieure, Casablanca
Royal Military Academy, Meknes
Occupation Writer and political activist
Home town Tafraout
Religion Islam
Website www.radioislam.org

Ahmed Rami (Arabic: أحمد رامي‎‎; born 12 December 1946) is a Moroccan-Swedish writer and Holocaust denier. He gained attention as the founder of the radio station Radio Islam, which now functions as a website.

Biography

Rami was born in Tafraout, Morocco, the son of a Berber sheikh.[1] While attending the école normale supérieure in Casablanca, Rami joined the National Union of Popular Forces. After graduating in June 1963, Rami taught history, geography, French and Arabic at secondary schools in Casablanca. In autumn 1965, Rami enrolled in the Royal Military Academy in Meknes with the intention — as an officer — of becoming more effective in his opposition to the regime.[1] Following the arrest and disappearance of Mehdi Ben Barka, Rami became resolved "to enter the system in order to destroy it."[2] Rami became a tank lieutenant in the Royal Moroccan Army and claims to have had close ties with general Mohamed Oufkir.[1] Convinced that the King of Morocco Hassan II was a puppet of Jews and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Rami participated in the 1972 Moroccan coup attempt.[2] He sought and obtained political asylum in Sweden in 1973.

In 1987, Rami began using a public access Swedish radio station to broadcast Radio Islam, ostensibly a public relations program for Sweden's Muslims. The content of the shows, however, focused on Jews, and the station was accused of being a vehicle for antisemitism.[3] In 1989, "Rami was charged by the Swedish Chancellor of Justice for hate speech (hets mot folkgrupp)."[4] The charge was based in particular on programs aired on Radio Islam but also on passages of his book Vad är Israel? ("What is Israel?"). Rami was sentenced to six months jail in 1990,[4] and Radio Islam's transmission permit was revoked for a year. The station resumed broadcasting in 1991 under the direction of David Janzon; however, in 1993, Janzon was convicted of the same crime.[5] In March 1992, Robert Faurisson visited Sweden at the invitation of Rami and was interviewed in two Radio Islam broadcasts.[6] Rami was a featured speaker at the Institute for Historical Review's annual conference in 1992.[2][7] Radio Islam was off the air from 1993 to 1995, but the program returned in 1996 under Rami's direction, the same year that he established the Radio Islam website.[8]

In October 2000, Rami was again convicted and fined by a Swedish court.[5] Rami has been investigated for hate crimes in France and Sweden for his role in maintaining the Radio Islam website.[8] The latest investigation ended in 2004 when the Swedish prosecutor was unable to prove that Rami was responsible for the content. According to Rami a "group of youngsters" was in charge of the website. He did not provide any names. On 25 November 2006, Rami was a guest lecturer at a convention of the Swedish National Socialist Front[9] and the group distributed his books on their website.[10]

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ahmed Rami—Founder of Radio Islam". Radio Islam. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Michael, George (2006). The Enemy of My Enemy: The Alarming Convergence of Militant Islam and the Extreme Right. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. p. 139. ISBN 0-7006-1444-3.
  3. ↑ "[T]he Swedish antisemitic and Holocaust-denial Radio Islam site managed by Moroccan emigré Ahmed Rami...""Cyberhate, Antisemitism, and Counterlegislation", Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2006
  4. 1 2 Entry on The Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism
  5. 1 2 "In 1993, Janzon was convicted of the same crime as Rami" [and] "In October 2000, Ahmed Rami was again convicted by a Swedish court and fined". Krassimir Kanev, "The history of a photograph", Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, 2006
  6. ↑ "FAURISSON AND RAMI SET OFF UPROAR IN SWEDEN". IHR Newsletter. Institute for Historical Review. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Leading Revisionist Historians And Activists To Meet In October For Eleventh IHR Conference". IHR Newsletter 88. Institute for Historical Review. July–August 1992. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Following numerous complaints, police have now launched a new investigation into the provocative nature of the website which Rami founded in 1996." "Founder of Swedish radio station supports Iranian President", European Jewish Press, 2005
  9. ↑ ""Föreläsning i Stockholm om judefrågan"". Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2006-12-13., National Socialist Front, 2006
  10. ↑ "Book list". National Socialist Front. Archived from the original on 2008.

External links

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