Ahmed Rami (writer)

Ahmed Rami
Born (1946-12-12) 12 December 1946 (age 78)
Tafraout, French protectorate in Morocco (now Morocco)
Alma materÉcole normale supérieure, Casablanca
Royal Military Academy, Meknes
Occupation(s)Writer and political activist
Known forHolocaust denial
Criminal chargesHate speech
Websitewww.islam-radio.net

Ahmed Rami (Arabic: أحمد رامي; born 12 December 1946) is a Moroccan-Swedish writer, political activist, coup d'etat participant, military officer 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, propagated for Holocaust denial and nazism,[3][4] and the station was accused of being a vehicle for antisemitism.[5] In 1989, "Rami was charged by the Swedish Chancellor of Justice with hate speech (hets mot folkgrupp)."[6] 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 Rami was sentenced to six months imprisonment in 1990,[6] and Radio Islam's transmission permit was revoked for a year. The station resumed broadcasting in 1991 under the direction of neo-Nazi David Janzon;[7] however, in 1993, Janzon was convicted of the same crime.[8] In March 1992, Robert Faurisson visited Sweden at the invitation of Rami and was interviewed in two Radio Islam broadcasts.[citation needed] Rami was a featured speaker at the annual conference of the Institute for Historical Review, an organization which promotes Holocaust denial, in 1992.[2][9] 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.[10]

In October 2000, Rami was again convicted and fined by a Swedish court.[8] Rami has been investigated for hate crimes in France and Sweden for his role in maintaining the Radio Islam website.[10] 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[11] and the group distributed his books on their website. Rami also distributed NSF's own pamphlets and books.[12]

Bibliography

  • Vad är Israel? ("What is Israel?") (1988) ISBN 91-971094-0-1
  • Ett liv för frihet ("A life for freedom") (1989), autobiography ISBN 91-971094-1-X
  • Israels makt i Sverige ("Israel's power in Sweden") (1989) ISBN 91-971094-2-8
  • Judisk häxprocess i Sverige ("Jewish witch hunt in Sweden") (1990) ISBN 91-971094-4-4
  • Tabubelagda tankar ("Tabooed thoughts") (2005) ISBN 91-975966-1-2

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ahmed Rami—Founder of Radio Islam". Radio Islam. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c 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. ^ "Radio Islam tillbaka i etern". 17 April 2003.
  4. ^ "Nazistisk hets på närradion". 7 August 1997.
  5. ^ "[T]he Swedish antisemitic and Holocaust-denial Radio Islam site managed by Moroccan émigré Ahmed Rami...""Cyberhate, Antisemitism, and Counterlegislation" Archived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2006
  6. ^ a b Entry Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine on The Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism Archived 2017-07-29 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Nazistisk hets på närradion". 7 August 1997.
  8. ^ a b "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" Archived 2009-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, 2006
  9. ^ "Leading Revisionist Historians And Activists To Meet In October For Eleventh IHR Conference". IHR Newsletter 88. Institute for Historical Review. July–August 1992. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  10. ^ a b "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" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, European Jewish Press Archived 2007-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, 2005
  11. ^ "Föreläsning i Stockholm om judefrågan". Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2006-12-13., National Socialist Front, 2006
  12. ^ "Book list". National Socialist Front. Archived from the original on 2013-08-17.