Soccer Dad

The story behind the takeover

Earlier Instapundit linked to a wedding announcement that mentioned the Hanafi Muslim takeover of three building in DC, in 1977. I remembered that. I also remembered another horrific incident that led to the takeover. Here's how Time reported it.

The Black Muslim religion strongly appealed to some blacks because of its denunciation of the evils of white society and its promise of a better life for individuals who strictly follow its commands. The Hanafis consider themselves more orthodox than the Black Muslims, now called Bilalians, whom they dismiss as political exploiters. The most famous Hanafi convert is Los Angeles Laker Basketball Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who financed the purchase of a Washington house as Hanafi headquarters.

In 1973 the Black Muslim-Hanafi dispute boiled over into an appallingly grisly deed. Seven killers who were Black Muslims broke into the Washington home of Hanafi Leader Khalifa Hamaas Abdul Khaalis. They brutally murdered five of Khaalis' children, his nine-day-old grandson and a devoted follower. (Black Muslim officials have denied that their organization was in any way involved.) Khaalis swore revenge.

That had to be taken seriously. Born in Indiana as Ernest McGee, Khaalis, 54, was discharged from the Army in World War II on grounds of mental instability. While working as a jazz drummer in New York City, he switched from Roman Catholicism to the Nation of Islam and rose to a trusted position before he broke with the Black Muslims in 1958. In the mid-1960s he formed his own group, the Hanafi. In 1968, he was arrested for trying to extort money from a bank, but charges were dismissed after he was found to be mentally disturbed. In 1972 he attacked the Black Muslims in an open letter, an act that is thought to have led to the execution of his family.

This is the background provided by Time. It was Khaalis who led the takeover of the buildings.

The primary concern of police quickly became the B'nai B'rith Building. The Hanafis had chosen this target as a symbol of their grudge against Jews. Throughout the siege Khaalis denounced the Jewish judge who had presided at the trial of his family's killers. "The Jews control the courts and the press," he repeatedly charged.

The Hanafis imposed a harrowing routine on the hostages. They were forced to lie face down on the floor. "Don't talk, don't move," commanded Khaalis. "If you do, we'll kill you. I am not a bad man, but I am a mean man."

The demands of Khaalis and his followers were eventually pieced together. They wanted the Muslims convicted for the 1973 murders handed over to them, presumably for execution. They asked to have Wallace Muhammad, the Bilalian leader, and Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali, long an active Black Muslim supporter, brought to them. Khaalis also insisted that he be refunded $750 in legal fees caused by a contempt of court citation. During the trial of his family's killers, he had denounced them in court. He also wanted the recently released film Mohammad, Messenger of God, to be banned on the grounds that it is sacrilegious (see box). Khaalis' concern over the film was thought to have triggered the attack.

Khaalis got his $750 back and theaters stopped showing the movie—at least temporarily. But there was no possibility that his enemies would be delivered to him. If they were not, he insisted, the Hanafis would start beheading the hostages. After assembling a psychiatric profile of Khaalis, the FBI feared that he might do what he said. "It's the worst situation we've ever had," said an FBI official.

There were some unexpected heroes of the drama that saved even more bloodshed:

But most of all, perhaps, it was due to the courageous intervention of three Muslim ambassadors, Egypt's Ashraf Ghorbal. Pakistan's Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan and Iran's Ardeshir Zahedi.

(This was two years before Islamic Revolution in Iran.)

I remember the murders well. It was big news because the house was owned by the basketball superstar of that time.

According to Time magazine, Khaalis was originally released on his own recognizance. He was later jailed and died in prison in 2003.

hanafi muslims.