Peace Film Group Linked To Terrorism Charges

A supposedly conservative Republican businessman who founded a high profile Peace Film organization and festival has been arrested on terrorism related charges in New York.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A businessman was charged Friday with secretly trying to pass along thousands of dollars to buy night vision goggles and other equipment for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.

Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, 53, of Ardsley, was accused in Manhattan federal court of financing terrorism and material support of terrorism.

The indictment said he accepted an unspecified amount of money between June and December to transfer $152,000 that he believed was being sent to Pakistan and Afghanistan to support an Afghanistan terrorist training camp.

It was not immediately clear who would represent Alishtari in court, where he was born, or whether any money actually reached terrorists

Alishtari is said to also be known as Michael Mixon. At this site he refers to the Global Peace Film Festival as his charity.

my charity, the Global Peace Film Festival, Inc., at www.peacefilmfest.org

This site appears to bare that out. And he appears to be linked to this web discussion site.

How did the GPFF get started?

The GPFF was the idea of founder A.T. Alishtari, an American born Moroccan businessman who believes profoundly in peace and wanted to direct his philanthropic efforts to creating an event that would make a difference. As film is such a powerful medium, he felt that a film festival could be that event. He had the idea around the time the Iraq war started.

He hired me in June, 2003 and I began working on the festival right after July 4, 2003. Although it was a ridiculously short amount of time to organize the first festival for December 2003, he said that we had to do the first festival in the year the war started – and I couldn’t disagree with his intention!
So, although I’d never been to Orlando other than two visits to the theme parks, I worked to make it happen in that very short amount of time and in a place I didn’t know.

An interesting note about Mr. Alishtari and myself: he is a devout Muslim and a conservative Republican. I am Jewish and I’m a progressive Democrat. Mr. Alishtari funded the first festival so that was one thing that I didn’t have to do – at least for the first year.

From marriage discussion site:

By Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari on Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - 06:12 am:

I responded to two issues. One the racial slurs against Muslim Morrocans and the other to polygamy. I discovered that the earlier comments seem to have been taken out and I ask you why. Do you not want people to participate in this process. The two speeches I put on the site were part of a series but I only communicated what was relevant. I have 15 in the series and most do not relate to this subject matter. If somehow I have offended you, please let me know. I remain. Abdul Taw'ala Ibn Ali Alishtari. Peace.

First of all please use a smaller name. Dont write names such long. Someotimes our program automatically deletes such posts as spam.

We have not deleted any message you posted.

This is a message board and not for posting long essays or copy pasted materials. For that please create a blog. This is not for posting speeches. Nobody is interested to read long religious explanations. We are not a site on religions.
It is only related to marriages.

The message boards are for writing and responding messages. Please kindly engage in discussion and not post speeches.

mod.

Comments

[Purple Avenger]

He can join peace activist Lynn Stewart in prison.

[oversight]

I knew the Republicans were aligned with the terrorists.

[templar knight]

Been hitting the truther juice this morning, eh, Billy boy!

[oversight]

Hey, TK - he's one of your guys. http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/topstories_story_048010459.html

"CBS News has confirmed that Alishtari is a donor to the Republican Party, as he claims on his curriculum vitae. Alishtari gave $15,500 to the National Republican Campaign Committee between 2002 and 2004, according to Federal Election Commission records. That amount includes $13,000 in 2003, a year when he claims to have been named NRCC New York State Businessman of the Year.

Alishtari also claims to be a lifetime member of the National Republican Senate Committee's Inner Circle, which the NRCC describes as "an impressive cross-section of American society – community leaders, business executives, entrepreneurs, retirees, and sports and entertainment celebrities – all of whom hold a deep interest in our nation's prosperity and security."

[Dan Riehl]

Where better to hide than among those who actually protect and defend America. Were he a Dem, everyone would have figured him for a teasonous bastard.

[Bill Adkins]

"Where better to hide than" than the Republican Party? So, you admit you're infiltrated - and have you examined George W. lately? Having produced disaster after disaster, I'm not sure whose side he's on and would like to give him to the other side.

[templar knight]

Uh, no, Bill, if he's helping the terrorists win the GWOT, he's on your side. Regardless of whether he claims to be a Republican or not.

[tomboy]

Dan, your evidence that this man is not a real republican is that he had a film festival? Your insinuation is that someone who generally supports peace, as in having a peace film festival, cannot be a republican.

But he has been a lifetime member of National Republican Senate Committee's Inner Circle, was named NRCC New York State Businessman of the Year, and gave tens of thousands to republicans over the last 5 years. Of course, your new insinuation is that all this was part of his cover. Then why the film festival?

The CIA itself said that Osama's tape in October 2004 was meant to swing the election to Bush.

Why can't you guys just admit that alienating the world community, squandering American treasure and American lives, stretching the military to its breaking point, pulling Arabic speaking experts out of Pakistan and Afghanistan, empowering the Iranian mullahs and weakening reformers (Axis of evil anyone), spending hundreds of billions on war while our ports and borders are not secure, etc, etc, etc has been Osama's wet dream.

Oh yeah, and we've done what we can to gut the bill of rights, suspend habeas corpus, torture prisoners of war, and generally lose all moral high ground america had post 9/11. Where is Osama again? GWB has no clue.

Of course terrorosts support the republican party. If you hated america and wanted to weaken it, wouldn't you?

Oh yeah, you do.

[scarshapedstar]

"Uh, no, Bill, if he's helping the terrorists win the GWOT, he's on your side."

Tell you what. If it will make you stop supporting that tool, then sure, he's a terrorist, I'm a terrorist, whatever you say.