Ali Asad Chandia

Ali Asad Chandia (born 1976 in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani former teacher at Al-Huda school in College Park, Maryland. Chandia was accused of providing material support for terrorism to Lashkar-e-Taiba, an internationally-designated Pakistani terrorist organization. On June 6, 2006, a jury unanimously found Chandia guilty. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with three years of supervised release at the end of his incarceration, Assistant U.S. Attorney David H. Laufman and Department of Justice Trial Attorney John T. Gibbs, who prosecuted the case, had sought a sentence of 30 years to life. after finding evidence of his involvement in terrorist organizations. FBI agents found books about violent jihad and recordings in Chandia's home and car glorifying terrorism, an audiotape by al-Timimi justifying the Taliban's destruction of ancient Buddhist statues, and a recording that asked God to "grant safety to Osama bin Laden." FBI agents found a CD on the front seat of Chandia's Dodge Neon showing the September 11 attacks with voices dubbed in shouting "God is Great" in Arabic.

The trial judge sentenced Chandia to 15 years in prison, with three years of supervised release at the end of his incarceration for the three offenses. Chandia appealed his sentence, his attorney arguing on appeal that Chandia was not prohibited from freedom of association, even with terrorist organization, that evidence did not support the charges and that Chandia did not participate in violent acts and was therefore not eligible for a "terrorist enhancement" on sentencing. The Court of Appeals turned down the constitutionality, did not dispute the evidence, but did send the case back to the trial judge to be resentenced according to guidelines. Ultimately the Court of Appeals twice sent the judgment back to the trial judge to reconsider the long sentence, but the trial judge did not change the sentence and resentenced Chandia in 2011 to 15 years in prison.

Reactions Muddasar Ahmed, a Beltsville consultant and supporter of Chandia, said, "If this is how you deliver justice, you lose your trust in the justice system." According to Mary Beth Sheridan of The Washington Post, "Ahmed and others have also argued that the prosecutions show a fundamental misunderstanding of Muslims in America: The local men wanted to help oppressed Muslims overseas, which isn't the same as backing bin Laden."