Ahmed Huber (1927 – 15 May 2008) was a Swiss-German journalist and convert to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, who was active in both Islamist and

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

politics, including with

Neo-Nazism Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

. He gained international notoriety in 2001, when he was accused by the United States government of funding

Al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

's terrorist activities through the Al Taqwa Bank of which he was one of five managers.

Early life and education

Albert Friedrich Armand Huber was born in Fribourg, Switzerland in 1927. Huber was raised in a staunchly Protestant family.Stephen E. Atkins, ''Holocaust Denial as an International Movement'', ABC-CLIO, 2009, p. 133

Career

Huber was a member of the Swiss Socialist Party, and a strong supporter of Algerian independence during the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. Whilst covering the conflict as a journalist, he opened contact with rebel groups. Through this connection he became interested in

and embraced the religion. He recited his first public Shahada in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

's Islamic Centre before making a more public declaration at

Al-Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

in February1962. Returning to Switzerland, he made contact with

François Genoud François Genoud (26 October 1915 – 30 May 1996) was a noted Swiss financier and a principal benefactor of the Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is t ...

the rightist financier in anti-Israeli activities. This association Huber was expelled from the Socialist Party. He soon became involved in extreme right politics, spending much of his time in Germany, where he was close to the National Democratic Party of Germany and smaller

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

groups, regularly speaking at conferences and seminars. An outspoken admirer of

Ayatollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...

, he declared the Iranian leader to be the "living continuation of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

" as part of his attempts to link the European far right to radical Islamism. Having forged links with the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...

, Huber became involved in the management of the Al Taqwa Bank in Switzerland. In 2001, Huber was listed by United States intelligence as a funder of terrorism.Edward F. Mickolus, Susan L. Simmons, ''The Terrorist List'', ABC-CLIO, 2011, p. 131 Huber was a figure in

Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

, provided funding to Jürgen Graf and Ahmed Rami and maintained close links with the

Institute for Historical Review The Institute for Historical Review (IHR) is a United States-based nonprofit organization which promotes Holocaust denial. It is considered by many scholars to be central to the international Holocaust denial movement. Self-described as a "hist ...

, involved in their ultimately failed attempt to host an international Holocaust Denial Conference in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

in 2001.

References

Bibliography

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

, '' The Enemy of My Enemy: The Alarming Convergence of Militant Islam and the Extreme Right'', Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2006. * Kevin Coogan
"The Mysterious Achmed Huber: Friend of Hitler, Allah...and Bin Laden?"
* Kevin Coogan
"Achmed Huber, the Avalon Gemeinschaft, and the Swiss 'New Right'"

on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

, 5 March 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Huber, Ahmed 1927 births 2008 deaths Converts to Islam from Protestantism Swiss Holocaust deniers Swiss bankers Swiss neo-Nazis People from the canton of Fribourg Swiss Muslims Swiss former Christians