As reported by LGF November 21 (with hat tip to Internet Haganah), Imam Omar Shahin, the Islamic preacher ejected from a flight with five associates for suspicious behavior, was a representative for the Hamas-linked charity Kind Hearts for Charitable Human Development, shut down by the Treasury Department earlier this year.

This connection was totally ignored by nearly every mainstream media source that reported the “flying while Muslim” story, of course.

Today Shahin addresses this issue in a phone interview with the Washington Times, although given the complete lack of interest from media he didn’t really need to. Would you believe he denies any ties to Hamas? Imam disputes tie to Hamas.

And he had absolutely no clue what Kind Hearts was up to.

Mr. Shahin was a representative and fundraiser for KindHearts, which the Treasury Department says “coordinated with Hamas leaders and made contributions to Hamas-affiliated organizations,” in a Feb. 19 statement after freezing the groups’ assets.

KindHearts was established by Khaled Smaili, an official with the Global Relief Foundation, after the government froze the al Qaeda-affiliated foundation’s assets, according to the Treasury Department.

“When they shut down, I had no clue what they were doing,” Mr. Shahin said. “I made sure they are licensed as an American organization with the federal government and states, and that’s all I did, I was just a fundraiser and representative. I stopped and have no relations with anyone, anymore, because they are under investigation.”

Mr. Shahin said that KindHearts donated money, through his efforts, to the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia, to Southerners hit by Hurricane Katrina, and to the Red Cross in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

And you know those guys who flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon? Shahin isn’t sure who they were, but one thing he does know. They weren’t Muslims.

Mr. Shahin says he cut ties to KindHearts after the Treasury Department began investigating the group, that “true Muslims” do not murder and were not responsible for the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

“If they claim they are Muslim, they are wrong,” Mr. Shahin said yesterday in a telephone interview. “Despite what religion they claim, even if they are all Arabs, to say they are Muslims is wrong, completely wrong.

“We have been asked by God and by the prophet Muhammad to respect all human life. The Koran is very clear, to save one life he saves all human life, and whoever kills one person, he kills all humankind, and that is what Islam is all about.”