Baltimore City taxpayer dollars fund an organization that instructed children to “advocate on behalf of” criminals who were convicted of murdering a police officer and attempting to murder U.S. military members, according to documents obtained in a public information request.

The Baltimore Children and Youth Fund (BFYF) is guaranteed millions in taxpayer dollars every year through the Baltimore City charter. The fund operates as a nonprofit and distributes grants to organizations that provide local youth programs.

BCYF has awarded $162,500 since 2023 to the Islamic Leadership Institute of America (ILIA). Spotlight on Maryland obtained documentation of an October site visit by BCYF that describes how exactly ILIA worked with local youth.

The document detailed a conversation with children about people “who are massly incarcerated in America and in Palestine” and how “young people could help spread the word and take action to bring awareness to their peers.” The discussion included an instruction to “Advocate on behalf of Aafia Saddique and Jamil El-Amin” and “Speak up against capital punishment and the murder of Marcelles Khaliifah Williams.”

Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, is serving life in prison for his conviction in 2002 of murdering a police officer and injuring another police officer in a Georgia shooting. He gained fame as a Black Panther leader who famously said in 1967 that violence “is as American as cherry pie.”

A U.S. District Court judge ruled in 2017 that a prosecutor violated Al-Amin’s constitutional right not to testify. However, the judge rejected a challenge to Al-Amin’s imprisonment and determined there was “weighty” evidence against him.

Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani native who studied neuroscience in the U.S., was sentenced to 86 years in prison in 2010 for attempted murder and assault of U.S. nationals and U.S. officers. The Department of Justice described Siddiqui as an “al-Qaeda operative and facilitator” in 2004. She was detained in Afghanistan in 2008, where authorities said she grabbed an unattended rifle and shot at soldiers while yelling “death to America.”

Siddiqui’s lawyers argued for a milder sentence with claims she suffered from mental illness.

Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri last year following his 2001 conviction for murdering a former journalist. Williams’ attorneys alleged jury bias and a contamination of the murder weapon. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay for his execution last year one day after the Missouri Supreme Court and governor refused to grant a stay.

The BCYF site visit document stated that six youth were present at the ILIA event along with two staff and two guest speakers. It noted that 14 children signed up for the event. BCYF confirmed in the document that “program activities during the site visit were in alignment with proposed activities by the grantee.”

BCYF described the discussion at the site visit as a “great conversation and dialogue,” and suggested “assistance with outreach and getting more young people to join the leadership program.”

Ayman Nassar, the head of ILIA, said the event documented in BCYF’s site visit was for his group’s Hidden Ummah program that “encourages students to examine historical and contemporary cases related to incarceration, legal advocacy, and social justice.” He emphasized that ILIA “does not endorse, advocate for, or take an official stance on any individual, including Aafia Siddiqui, Jamil Al-Amin, or Marcellus Khalifah Williams.”

“As part of their leadership training and research, some youth selected case studies related to criminal justice and incarceration,” Nassar told Spotlight on Maryland. “The group of youth have identified these three individuals’ cases to be studied. These case studies, like all ILIA educational activities, are framed through a structured learning process designed to help young people develop essential leadership and analytical skills.”

ILIA hosted a “Letter Writing Night” on Zoom where participants wrote to prisons and government officials about inmates such as Al-Amin and Siddiqui.

“Hundreds of Thousands of People are wrongfully incarcerated or are victims of mass incarceration in the US,” the event description stated. “People like Imam Jamil Al Amin, Kenny Collins, and Aafia Siddiqui need your help.”

Nassar said ILIA works primarily with African American youth ages 15 to 19 and aims to provide four main services: “career identity empowerment, youth wellness and stability, leadership development, and advocacy & inclusion.” He said BCYF’s grant helped his group impact nearly 200 youth in Baltimore.

“While our mission is rooted in leadership and empowerment based in Islamic principles and concepts, our Baltimore programs primarily serve African American youth, fostering an inclusive space for young leaders of all backgrounds,” Nassar told Spotlight on Maryland.

Nassar also works as the chairman of the Aafia Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of Siddiqui and Al-Amin. The group claims that Siddiqui “was unfairly imprisoned and tortured for being wrongfully convicted of ‘attempted murder.’”

ILIA mobilizes young people to protest Israel for its war against Hamas, as previously reported by Spotlight on Maryland. The organization has chapters in Baltimore, Ellicott City, and Dallas, according to its website.

A spokesperson for BCYF said the organization conducts annual visits to its grantees to ensure they “act within their contracted scope of work and fulfill their duties to the Baltimore City youth.”

“The Islamic Leadership Institute complies with all financial and contractual obligations and has continued to act in accordance with its agreed-upon scope of work,” the spokesman told Spotlight on Maryland.

“As long as the grantees are compliant with all the necessary processes and protocols, they reserve the right to have their own views as long as it does not violate the Grant Manual, the scope of work, or any other aspects of the Grant Agreement. If a grantee ever violates any aspect of their contract, BCYF will act swiftly to ensure the necessary steps are taken to address the issue efficiently and effectively.”

BCYF faced criticism from transparency experts after a series of Spotlight on Maryland reports about its use of taxpayer dollars. The group organized and funded trips for adults to Missouri and Alabama last year that included expenses for yoga sessions, documents obtained in a public records request revealed. It awarded a $900,000 grant in 2022 to a nonprofit that folded six months later.

BCYF, despite being funded through taxpayer dollars allocated in the Baltimore City charter, is not required to conduct regular performance audits because it operates as a nonprofit rather than under the government.

Mayor Brandon Scott and each member of the Baltimore City council did not respond to questions about whether they believe BCYF should continue to operate as a nonprofit and whether they took issue with the ILIA site visit detailing support for violent criminals.

Spotlight on Maryland is a joint venture between The Baltimore Sun and FOX45. Have a news tip? Reach @PatrickHauf on X or email pjhauf@sbgtv.com.