Mark D. Siljander

H.Con.Res.262 - 97th Congress, Sponsor [introduced]: "A concurrent resolution regarding the use of chemical weapons by the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, Laos, and Cambodia." Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should demand compliance by the Soviet Union with existing treaties on chemical warfare as a prerequisite for starting the Geneva arms talks.[25]

H.R.6325 - 97th Congress, Sponsor [introduced]: "Housing and Automobile Industries Recovery Act of 1982".

Housing and Automobile Industries Recovery Act of 1982 - Title I: Exemption for the Purchase of Certain Bonds by Employee Pension Benefit Plans - Provides a temporary exemption from certain provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code relating to prohibited transactions for the purchase of certain bonds sold to fund residential mortgages and domestic motor vehicle loans. Title II: Interest Reduction Payments - Provides for interest reduction payments by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to assist with the financing of the purchase of certain residences and domestic motor vehicles. Sets forth: (1) requirements and restrictions for eligible loans and mortgages; and (2) guidelines for the allocation of such payments. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1982 through 1988 to carry out this title. Prohibits the Secretary from making any commitments to make interest reduction payments under this title after August 31, 1983.[26]

H.R. 4985 - 97th Congress, Sponsor [introduced]: "Comprehensive AFDC Improvement Act of 1981-Part I"[27]

H.J. Res. 279 - 98th Congress, Sponsor [passed, amended]: "A joint resolution expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the reduction of emigration from the Soviet Union." Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should urge Soviet compliance with the Helsinki accords and the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights at the U.N. General Assembly and at all other appropriate international meetings as they relate to the emigration of Soviet Jews.[28]

H. Res. 147 - 98th Congress, Sponsor [introduced]: "A resolution concerning observance by the Government of Romania of the Human Rights of the Hungarians in Transylvania, especially the right of self-determination." Declares that the House of Representatives deplores the denial of the rights of Hungarians and people of other nationalities in Transylvania by the Romanian Government. Requests the President and the Secretary of State to discuss the human rights of the Hungarians in Transylvania with the Government of Romania.[29]

H.R.4157 - 99th Congress, Sponsor [introduced]: "Child Abuse Victims Rights Act of 1986"

Child Abuse Victims Rights Act of 1986 - Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Statute to extend its coverage to the sexual exploitation of children.

Authorizes a civil suit for treble damages for any persons injured personally or in their business or property by violations of RICO relating to the sexual exploitation of children.

Amends the Federal criminal code to provide a mandatory life sentence for any person who kidnaps an individual under the age of 18. Imposes the death penalty in any case where such victim dies as a result of the kidnapping

Increases the penalties for offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children. Provides for a mandatory minimum sentence for second offenders.

Extends the statute of limitations for certain offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children.

Requires the Attorney General, within one year, to submit a report to the Congress recommending possible changes in the Federal Rules of Evidence, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and other courtroom prosecutorial and investigative procedures which would facilitate the participation of child witnesses in cases involving child abuse and sexual exploitation.

Specifies a list of considerations including: (1) the use of closed-circuit cameras, two-way mirrors, and other out-of-court statements; (2) the use of judicial discretion to circumscribe the use of harassment or confusing questions; (3) the use of videotape in investigations; (4) the possibility of streamlining investigative procedures; and (5) improved training of prosecutorial and investigative staff in the special problems of child witnesses.

Requires the Attorney General to modify the classification system used by the National Crime Information Center in its Interstate Identification Index, and by the Identification Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with respect to offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children, to include the age of the victim and the relationship of the victim to the offender. Requires such classification to use a uniform definition of a child.[30]

Siljander was appointed by President Reagan as an Ambassador (alternate representative) to the United Nations General Assembly, serving from September 1987 to September 1988.[4] He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1992 for nomination to the 103rd Congress from Virginia. He stated then his message was, "not religious values as much as it's common-sense American traditional values." He campaigned on a budget freeze, a ten percent flat tax and a line-item veto.[31] In the Republican primary, Siljander came in second to Henry N. Butler, a law professor at George Mason University.[32]

Siljander is president and founder of "Bridges to Common Ground" an NGO dedicated to promoting peace and understanding, with a specific agenda of undermining the ideology and causes of radicalism and conflict by bridging the divide among the faiths. The foundation of this non-profit work can be cited in Siljander’s research which incorporates the Semitic languages of the Abrahamic faiths as a tool for discovering new religious common ground. Siljander has pioneered a unique methodology of study, asserting that the Aramaic heart language of Jesus found in the New Testament Peshitta can be constructive in dealing with theological disagreements by comparing it to the Arabic of the Qur’an and the Hebrew of the Old Testament. Many of these discoveries are outlined in Siljander's book, A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide which was endorsed by a diverse group of scholars including Dr. Sidney H. Griffith, Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Dr. Ergun Caner and Dr. Yasir Suleiman and has a foreword written by the then sitting UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, with whom Siljander worked closely to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.[33]

In November 2006, Siljander gave a speech at Regent's Park College, Oxford, entitled "Overcoming the Muslim/Western Divide: Seven Bridges to the Common Ground."[34] Siljander has studied Aramaic, Arabic and Hebrew languages, and was affiliated academically with the Edinburgh Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies.[35]

Siljander is president and founder of "Trac5" an NGO dedicated to incorporating a spiritually based "5th-track" of faith-based engagement to augment the existing (i) political, (ii) diplomatic, (iii) military and (iv) economic tracks used to resolve conflict, persecution and humanitarian crises.[36] The peacemaking track record of this non-profit asserts to have successfully intervened and contributed to the cessation of seven conflicts in Africa including, most notably, the Darfur crisis, and cites sources such as Andrew Natsios and Ali Ahmed Karti, among others. Siljander and his associates have also contributed to the release of dozens of political hostages and prisoners of conscience in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran and the Central African Republic.

Libya

In 1999, Siljander travelled to Libya to meet with Muammar Gaddafi and his regime upon the recommendation and introduction made by President Mathieu Kérékou of Benin. Siljander met with the Foreign Minister Umar Mustafa al-Muntasir in the spirit of friendship to pray and discuss the common ground shared in the Bible and the Qur'an. Siljander, having been a sitting member of Congressman during the 1986 United States bombing of Libya which purportedly killed Gaddafi' daughter, felt inspired to apologize for killing Hana Gaddafi. This act notably changed the tone of this first meeting which concluded with the implication that Gaddafi would promptly extradite the long-sought Libyan suspects of Pan Am Flight 103, a terrorist attack which killed 270 people over Lockerbie, Scotland.[37][38] The terror bombing suspects were handed over to be tried for their crimes 10 days later and Muammar Gaddafi took responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families in 2003. In 1999, Siljander helped to initiate and contribute to a rapprochement between Libya and the U.S., a process which he quietly continued through 2003 by engaging diplomats such as Ali Treki.[39] On May 15, 2006 The U.S. State Department announced that it would finally restore full diplomatic relations with Libya.[40]

Sudan

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Siljander, continuing his peacemaking efforts abroad, began engaging President Omar al-Bashir in the wake of the Second Sudanese Civil War. This relationship and prayer partnership between Siljander and Bashir continued as the War in Darfur began emerging. During one of their many meetings, President Bashir is reported to have asked Siljander, "What should I do about Darfur?" Bashir had previously declared he would not allow UN Peacekeepers to be deployed in Darfur and rejected the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706. However, Siljander is attributed to having proposed the ultimate solution of a hybrid African Union and United Nations (UNAMID) peacekeeping force. Siljander then worked with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to draft United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769 which was accepted by Sudan, and helped to end the genocide.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti, in a video testimony,[41] stated:

"The [Darfur] solution came from this very humble man...the solution came from [Siljander]."

— Ali Karti, Foreign Minister of Sudan

Andrew Natsios, the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, in a publicly available letter[42] to Siljander dated October 21, 2007 is quoted as saying:

"...as a Christian layman interested in peace and reconciliation. You [Siljander] have been a neutral intermediary between the Sudanese government and me at critical moments to convey diplomatic messages where there was a high risk of misunderstanding or miscalculation. I believe your efforts to get Sudanese high level cooperation and attention to the real issues in Darfur, without taking sides, has been a unique service which would have been very difficult for secular groups to accomplish. We must always try to make an effort to reach out and offer a way out of crisis and conflict. You have done that in a consistent manner."

— Andrew Natsios, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan

In 2017, Siljander travelled to Sudan on behalf of an NGO "Hardwired" and its founder Tina Ramirez in response to a growing concern over Christian prisoner Petr Jasek.[43] Petr Jasek was subsequently released, given a pardon by President Omar al-Bashir. Two Christian pastors Hassan Abduraheem Kodi Taour and Abdulmonem Abdumawla were also later released from prison.[44]

Tina Ramirez in a press release[45] stated:

"Former Congressman Mark Siljander has been in Sudan for the past week to make a personal appeal for Mr. Jasek on Hardwired’s behalf, which led to his release."

— Tina Ramirez, President & Founder, Official Hardwired Press Release: February 26, 2017

Congressman Trent Franks in a press conference[46] [47]stated:

"[Bridges to Common Ground] is an organization that is spiritually based, person-to-person and its approach was hugely successful at encouraging the release of Mr. Petr Jasek."

— Trent Franks, Congressman (R), AZ

Author and independent filmmaker Aaron Daniel Taylor[48] accompanied Siljander during his 2017 trip, documenting video testimonies from Ali Karti, among others, and is quoted as saying:

"Traveling with Mark Siljander to Sudan, I was given an extraordinary inside look into the world of Jesus-based relational diplomacy that Mark advocates for, and I saw up close and personal not only that it works, but how it works."

— Aaron Daniel Taylor

Central African Republic

In 2015, Siljander travelled to the Central African Republic to pray with the transitional government including President Catherine Samba-Panza and also assist in peace negotiations between the warring Anti-Balaka and Seleka militia groups. During his first trip, leaders of the Anti-Balaka gave video testimony after meeting with Siljander, indicating that his message of peace inspired the militia group to release several hostages and child-soldiers including Claudia Priest, and also come to the peace table.[49][50] Months later, Siljander returned to participate in the Bangui National Forum which netted a largely successful peace treaty and the release of child-soldiers held by the warring militia groups.

On January 16, 2008, Siljander was indicted in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri on five counts including money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.[51][52] On January 28, 2008, Siljander pleaded not guilty in Federal court before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.[53]

Most of the original charges were dropped, and on July 7, 2010 Siljander pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent [lobbying for a U.S. based charity] and obstruction of justice related to statements that he made to investigators about the alleged lobbying.[54] The basis for these charges was Siljander's non-profit receipt of a $50,000 donation from the Islamic American Relief Agency ("IARA") which, at the time, was still in good standing with the IRS and not yet designated on OFAC's SDGT list. It was later discovered that IARA violated U.S. sanctions by sending money to Iraq, purportedly as part of their charitable operations.

Siljander asserted to investigators that this contribution was used to support his own non-profit research and to help publish his then upcoming book on the subject of Muslim-Christian relations. Siljander further asserted that he, instead of lobbying, referred Robert P. Hanrahan, a registered lobbyist who did in fact legally represent IARA, a claim which is supported by Robert Hanrahan's affidavit and DOJ records.[55] However, the government claimed that this was not a legitimate donation, implying that Siljander had instead used the funds as a quid pro quo to lobby for the U.S. based charity.

On January 12, 2012, Siljander was sentenced to a year and a day in prison which, with good behavior, effectively equates to four to five months of actual time served.[56] He turned himself in on March 10, 2012 to Federal Correctional Institution, Petersburg. Despite his short sentence and the nature of his charges, Siljander was originally assigned to the medium security prison, not a camp. He was soon transferred to the low security facility which typically housed violent offenders and pedophiles with a 10-year sentence or less remaining to be served.

Weeks before his scheduled release, Siljander was diagnosed with a rare terminal cancer called Rhabdoid Sarcoma and was expected to die in three months or less. Having no health insurance and prior to the Affordable Care Act passage, Siljander voluntarily doubled his prison sentence and was transferred to the maximum security facility at Federal Medical Center, Butner. After a round surgery and radiation, Siljander was released from prison on December 20, 2012 to be reunited with his family for the holidays. He has been cancer-free for 7 years, and according to doctors at Duke University Hospital and consulting doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Siljander may be one of the only adults to survive this rare form of cancer.

The language used by federal prosecutors in the press conference announcing Siljander's indictment prompted global headlines[57][58][59][60] which mischaracterised Siljander as having associations to terrorism and terror funding. Clarifying the record, however, the presiding Judge Nanette Laughrey is quoted during sentencing saying: "But the truth is, when you look at this objectively, this is not a case about [Siljander] aiding a terrorist, it just isn't..."[61]

Also, under the government's own headline, "Terrorism and National Security", the Justice Department included the Siljander guilty plea as one of their two announced successes against terrorism. The inflammatory and misleading January 2008 press conference provoked a firestorm of fallacious media reporting that continued through 2013.[62]

The day following the initial press conference, the Justice Department's Press Release corrected the "terrorism" statements by stating, "It is important to note that the indictment does not charge any of the defendants with material support of terrorism, nor does it allege that they knowingly financed acts of terror."[63] It went largely unreported.

Upon his release from prison, Siljander publicly protested his innocence, and claimed that two Muslim co-defendants (whom he had never met nor spoken with) had been induced to give false testimony against him in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Siljander's open letter to his newsletter subscribers was quoted in full in several venues, and contains the following narrative:

Throughout my 15 years in various levels of government, I tried to make the world safer by political means. This failed. However, these experiences led me to revelations that address the needs of a dominant issue in our time—bridging the growing divide among Christians, Muslims & Jews. Over time this work produced a model for peacemaking and problem solving in complex crises in places like Iraq, Libya and Sudan. These efforts gained traction for peacemaking with U.S. & world leaders; while my controversial book on the subject, A Deadly Misunderstanding, was being readied for a major release. My approach required working with both friends and enemies of our country. To support this exciting peace and faith bridging work, we raised funds for travel, research and writing. One donor, a 25-year-old U.S. based, government approved Muslim charity, was recommended by one of my Muslim associates in the work. The charity's principals were later indicted on grounds of supporting terrorists and misappropriating [U.S.] government grant funds. Those opposed to my [peacemaking] work seized this opportunity to discredit me by insisting I testify against the charity. I refused to give a false testimony and was consequently indicted on outlandish charges of money laundering & conspiracy. This exploded into a media frenzy tying me with terror funding, even though the judge reminded prosecutors that the case had nothing to do with terrorism or national security. After four years of exaggerated accusations, all major charges were dropped, leaving only obstruction of justice for claiming to the FBI that I had not lobbied for the Muslim charity and [for] not registering as a lobbyist.[64]