A New Jersey congressional frontrunner endorsed by Rep. Ilhan Omar volunteered in Bosnia with a nonprofit later shut down as an Al-Qaida front — and that is only the second most alarming item on his résumé.

Story Snapshot

• Dr. Adam Hamawy, a leading Democratic candidate for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, volunteered in 1994 with Benevolence International Foundation, an organization later identified by authorities as an Al-Qaida front and shuttered by international investigations.
• Hamawy also served as a defense witness for Omar Abdel-Rahman, the convicted terrorist known as the “Blind Sheikh,” responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot.
• Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota formally endorsed Hamawy, lending her progressive brand and donor network to his campaign.
• Hamawy’s campaign dismissed the criticism as “guilt-by-association” shaming, pointing to his record as a September 11 first responder and combat surgeon in Iraq.

Two Flags on One Candidate’s Record

Dr. Adam Hamawy is running for the congressional seat in New Jersey’s 12th District, and on paper his biography reads like a recruitment poster — plastic surgeon, combat veteran, September 11 first responder, volunteer in Gaza field hospitals. ^[8] But two specific items from his past have resurfaced with enough force to rattle what looked like a smooth primary run. The first is his role as a defense witness for Omar Abdel-Rahman. The second is five weeks of volunteer work in Sarajevo and Zenica, Bosnia, in 1994 with Benevolence International Foundation. ^[1][5]

Benevolence International Foundation is not merely a charity with a checkered past. Authorities ultimately identified it as a front organization with operational ties to Al-Qaida, and international investigations forced its closure. ^[4] Hamawy has acknowledged the volunteer work. What he has not done, based on available reporting, is directly rebut the documented fact that the organization itself was later designated as a terrorist-linked entity. His campaign’s response has centered on framing the criticism as guilt by association rather than engaging the specific organizational history. That framing may satisfy supporters, but it does not answer the underlying question voters deserve answered.

NEW from @WillBredderman 🚨🚨🚨

In 1994 @HamawyForNJ traveled to Bosnia for "volunteer work" with a foundation later found to be an Al-Qaeda front group by the United States government

During this same period, Hamawy maintained a deep friendship 1993 World Trade Center bombing…

— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) May 27, 2026

The Blind Sheikh Connection Is Not a Footnote

Omar Abdel-Rahman, the “Blind Sheikh,” was convicted for his role in the conspiracy behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a broader plot to attack American landmarks. Hamawy appeared as a defense witness at that trial. ^[1] Fox News Digital surfaced this detail alongside the Benevolence International Foundation reporting, and Republicans have already signaled they intend to use both against him. His campaign called the attacks “guilt-by-association” shaming, which is a politically understandable response but not a factual rebuttal. Testifying on behalf of a convicted terrorist is a choice, not an accident of proximity.

Taken individually, either item might be dismissed as an artifact of a complicated decade — the 1990s produced a lot of well-meaning humanitarian work that later intersected with organizations that turned out to be compromised. Taken together, however, the pattern is harder to explain away. A candidate asking voters to send him to Congress carries a higher burden of transparency than a private citizen, and the standard “guilt by association” deflection does not clear that bar when two separate associations point in the same direction. ^[5]

Omar’s Endorsement Puts Her Brand on the Line Too

Rep. Ilhan Omar formally endorsed Hamawy for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, calling him a compelling progressive voice and lending her political apparatus to his campaign. ^[2][3] Omar is no stranger to controversy over her own statements regarding terrorism and foreign policy, which makes her decision to attach her name to a candidate with Hamawy’s specific background a notable political calculation. Whether that endorsement helps or hurts him in a general election matchup against a Republican opponent who will run these facts on a loop is a question the primary outcome will not answer.

The Hamawy story illustrates something voters over 40 have watched play out in American politics for three decades: the progressive left’s tolerance for associations that would end any Republican’s career before the first debate. A GOP candidate who spent five weeks with a charity later shut down as a terrorist front, and who testified for a convicted bombing conspirator, would face wall-to-wall coverage and immediate calls to withdraw. Hamawy’s campaign is betting that his September 11 service and surgical record create enough of a firewall to survive the scrutiny. ^[8] New Jersey’s Democratic primary voters will decide whether that bet pays off — and the rest of the country will be watching what that decision says about the party’s standards.

Sources:

[1] Web – Ilhan Omar-Backed Candidate Reportedly Volunteered For Al-Qaida …

[2] Web – NJ congressional frontrunner was defense witness for the Blind Sheikh

[3] Web – Ilhan Omar endorses Adam Hamawy in NJ-12 – New Jersey Globe

[4] Web – REP. ILHAN OMAR ENDORSES HAMAWY FOR NJ-12 – Insider NJ

[5] Web – Leading N.J. Dem Congressional candidate Adam Hamawy …

[8] Web – Adam Hamawy – Wikipedia