Ahmed Rami (writer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ahmed Rami (Arabic: أحمد رامي) (born December 12, 1946) is a Maroccan-Swedish writer and Holocaust denier. He gained attention as the founder of the radio station Radio Islam, which now functions as a website.
[edit] Biography
Rami was born in Tafraoute, Morocco, where he was an army officer and still claims to have close ties with General Mohamed Oufkir.[1] He sought and obtained political asylum in Sweden in 1973, after claiming to have participated in a failed coup against King Hassan II.
In 1987 Rami began using a public access Swedish radio station to broadcast "Radio Islam", ostensibly a public relations program for Sweden's Muslims. However, the content of the shows focused on Jews, and the station was accused of being a vehicle for antisemitism.[2] In 1989 "Rami was charged by the Swedish Chancellor of Justice for hate speech (hets mot folkgrupp)." [3] 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?"). Among those who defended Rami during the process were Swedish author Jan Guillou and the Swedish islamologist Jan Hjärpe, referring to freedom of speech. Rami was sentenced to six months jail in 1990,[3] and Radio Islam's transmission permit was revoked for a year.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.[4] 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.[5]
Rami was again convicted and fined by a Swedish court in October 2000.[4] Rami has been investigated for hate crimes in France and Sweden for his role in maintaining the Radio Islam website.[6][7] 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" were in charge of the website. He did not provide any names.[8] Rami has held a guest lecture at a Swedish Neo-Nazi convent[9] and such groups distribute many of his books. [10]
[edit] Bibliography
- Vad är Israel? ("What is Israel?") (1988) ISBN 9197109401
- Ett liv för frihet ("A life for freedom") (1989), autobiography ISBN 919710941X
- Israels makt i Sverige ("Israel's power in Sweden") (1989) ISBN 9197109428
- Judisk häxprocess i Sverige ("Jewish witch hunt in Sweden") (1990) ISBN 9197109444
- Tabubelagda tankar ("Tabooed thoughts") (2005) ISBN 9197596612
[edit] References
- ^ "Ahmed Rami´s revelations concerning the coup d'état attempts in Morocco"
- ^ "[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
- ^ a b Entry on The Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism
- ^ 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", The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, 2006
- ^ "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
- ^ Founder of Swedish radio station supports Iranian President, European Jewish Press, November 4, 2005
- ^ Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Report of Anti-Semitic Incidents - April, 1998
- ^ "An accident to forestall a coup", Africa Now, 1983
- ^ "Föreläsning i Stockholm om judefrågan", National Socialist Front, 2006
- ^ National Socialist Front "Book list"
