Adam Hamawy has emerged victoriously in the Democratic primary for the congressional seat of retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in New Jersey, despite his controversial past. Hamawy, known for his association with a group linked to al-Qaeda, has stirred significant debate throughout his campaign.
Endorsed by the progressive group known as the “Squad,” Hamawy found himself at the center of media attention, primarily due to his outspoken criticism of Israel and his past volunteering with the Benevolence International Foundation in Bosnia. According to reports from the New York Post, this organization was accused in a 2003 court filing of serving as a front for al-Qaeda’s operations in Europe against the United States.
Although Hamawy has never faced charges or allegations of engaging in Islamic terrorism, his campaign has faced scrutiny. His campaign spokesperson has labeled the inquiries into his past as “absurd” and rooted in “bigotry.”
Further information from Jewish Insider highlights that in 1994, Saffet Catovic, a New Jersey native, served as the counselor and second deputy ambassador at the Bosnian mission in New York.
Notably, Catovic gained attention in December 2001 during federal raids on Benevolence International’s offices near Chicago, where he was widely recognized as the foundation’s spokesman, the report continues.
A 2003 court filing also alleged that al-Qaeda used Benevolence International as a front “to establish a base for operations in Europe against Al Qaeda’s true enemy, the United States.”
Hamawy has never been charged with or accused of working on behalf of Islamic terrorism. A spokesperson for his campaign dismissed inquiries into his time with the group as “absurd” and “bigoted.”
According to Jewish Insider, records also show that in 1994, “the counselor and second deputy ambassador at the Bosnian mission in New York was a New Jersey native named Saffet Catovic.”
“In December 2001, the time of the first federal raids upon Benevolence International’s offices outside Chicago, Catovic was widely quoted as the foundation’s spokesman,” it added.
