Rahman may, of course, be a Muslim whose loyalties lay more with the umma than with the United States, and that may have motivated this leak: he wanted to protect the Islamic Republic of Iran from a strike by the hated Zionists.
However, his full name is Asif William Rahman, and William is not a name that Muslims give to their children. While Asif Rahman is an Arabic name that Muslim Arabs or non-Arabs could have, the “William” suggests that he is a Christian Arab.
If he is, however, that doesn’t mean that he didn’t act out of sympathy for the umma and hatred for Israel. Many Christian Arabs identify wholeheartedly with the Islamic perspective on global affairs. Whether or not they are aware that they’re aligning with a jihad force that doesn’t respect them as equals and would subjugate them is another matter. When the dhimmi laws were enforced, Christians had to affirm the Islamic perspective on various matters, or else their lives would have been at peril. Not long after the Ottoman Empire abolished the dhimma in the mid-nineteenth century, the Arab nationalist movement arose. This movement attempted to establish common ground between Muslims and Christians on the basis of a shared Arab identity. In practice, this meant that the Christians would identify with the Muslims so completely as to adopt the Islamic political agenda as their own.
By now, this has become a cultural habit among many Christian Arabs. Asif Rahman could have been acting out of that mentality.
Another possibility, which in the final analysis may be more likely, is that he is simply a leftist who hates Israel because he identifies it as a colonialist oppressor of the “Palestinians.” There are hordes of such people on university campuses today; why not also in the CIA?
“Former CIA analyst sentenced to 37 months in prison for leaking Israeli attack plans,” AFP, June 12, 2025:
A former CIA analyst who leaked top secret US intelligence documents about Israeli military plans for a retaliatory strike on Iran was sentenced to 37 months in prison on Wednesday, the Justice Department said.
Asif Rahman, 34, who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency since 2016 and held a top secret security clearance, was arrested by the FBI in Cambodia in November.
In January, Rahman pleaded guilty at a federal courthouse in Virginia to two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information….
According to a court filing, on October 17 Rahman printed out two top secret documents “regarding a United States foreign ally and its planned kinetic actions against a foreign adversary.”
He photographed the documents and used a computer program to edit the images in “an attempt to conceal their source and delete his activity,” it said.
Rahman then transmitted the documents to “multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them” before shredding them at work….
The leak led Israeli officials to delay their retaliatory strike.
Bexarkat says
I seem to recall the George Habash, founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was an Arab Christian as well. As physician he violated is Hippocratic Oath daily.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
As were Michel Aflaq, the founder of the Baath Party, and Tariq Aziz, Saddam’s Foreign Minister
gravenimage says
Sadly true–some Christians in Dar-al-Islam have embraced their oppression and aid those who want to persecute and murder them. Appalling but not entirely uncommon.
Taffy says
Who gave this guy a top secret clearance? Under Biden, the vetting process seemed to be nonexistent. In the day, even to obtain a secret clearance, members of the defense investigative service would interview all your friends, neighbors, professors, and the like to make sure that you checked out. Your passport and Visa. records would be scrutinized to make sure that you did not travel to foreign countries whose ideologies were different than that of the US. They would investigate your financial status to ensure that a simple bribe would not compromise classified information.. Now, it seems that security clearances are illusory, with a little correlation between a cleared individual and the general population with respect to being a security risk.
Daniel Triplett says
The entire executive branch is still forbidden by the 2011 Obama Executive Order from speaking, writing, or training anything derogatory about Islam, Muslims, or Jihad. Wilfull blindness.
MJ Raichyk, PhD says
The scattered date references in this article makes it unclear when he did his dirty work… Although the statement that the discovery made Israel delay their ”retaliatory strike” means it has no relation to this current ”pre-emptive strike”…. Yet the capture and trial seem current… ttyl
ploome says
many muslims use Christian name in USA
gravenimage says
This is also true–his middle nam may not be “William”. but somtthing lik “Wassim”. But given that he is using “Asif” as his first name, this is less likely.
Billy says
Islam and its Muslims are a continuous, terroristic threat with discrimination, segregation, and violence against ALL Non-Muslims as taught in Islam’s Quran(Quran 9:5, 29, 111, etc.). Muslims are obligated to Allah to perform jihad with their MONEY and with their LIVES.
Allah’s hateful Islam, a Terrorist-Criminal Enterprise and a Murderous Cult, and its Believers, Terrorists for Allah(Quran 9:41, 88; 5:35, etc.), continually fund, promote, and practice ideological subversion, propaganda, bigotry, discrimination, deceit, supremacy, segregation, hatred, incitement to violence, genocide, and terrorism as taught in Islamic Law, Sharia, and in Islam’s Quran. Muslim actions should be legally challenged with a multi-faceted force of Western Laws like Muslims wield against Americans and Westerners via Tax Exempt Organizations, the Media and Hollywood, Foreign Funding, etc. because Islam violates and is incompatible with Western Laws(Quran 9:5,29, 111; 49:15; 60:4 etc.).
Like a Foreign Terrorist Organization(FTO) designated by the USA Secretary of State, Islam functions as a MUSLIM TERRORIST ORGANIZATION(MTO) fighting against Non-Muslims and NOT A PEACEFUL religion under Western Law because Islam funds, teaches, and promotes Terrorist Criminal Organizations with Muslims as Terrorists for Allah(Quran 9:5,29, 111; 49:15 etc.).
Allah’s demoniacal Islam, a hateful Antichrist Ideology, is using Western Freedoms and Laws against Non-Muslims to conquer Non-Muslims under Islamic Rule. Non-Muslims should legally designate Islam as a Muslim Terrorist Organization(MTO) where Mosques, Muslim Schools, Islamic Centers, Sharia Courts, and Muslim Organizations are banned because of their segregation and discrimination to fight back against ISLAMIZATION, Muslim subjugation, discrimination, and tyrannical violence(Quran 9:5,29,111; 60:4; 98:6-7 and more).
Sahih Bukhari 3126 says, “… the Prophet said, He who fights so that Allah’s Word(ie. Islam) should be superior, fights for Allah’s Cause.” Allah in Quran 9:111 says, “Surely Allah has purchased from the believers[Muslims] their souls and their money so that they may have the garden[Heavenly Paradise]. They engage in war for the sake of Allah[ie. Allah’s Cause), so they kill and are killed…”.
Under Islam and Islamic Law, Muslims have the Legal Right and the Quranic Duty to terrorize Non-Muslims because neglecting this QURANIC DUTY is a Crime against tyrannical Allah. Jihad means warfare against Non-Muslims to ESTABLISH ISLAM’S RELIGION(Quran 3:115, 151; 9:5, 29, 111; Muslim Law Manual: “Reliance of the Traveller”, o9.0 and more).
More specifically, Islam, a terroristic-totalitarian way of life, is a Muslim Terrorist Ideology and Murderous, Criminal Enterprise of: intolerance, continuous war, discrimination, segregation, supremacy, genocide, polygamy, propaganda, deceit, hatred, incitement, sedition, rape, terrorism, and violence against all Non-Muslims as taught in the Quran(Quran 2:208,216; 4:65, 89,95, 115; 5:14,64; 8:12,39,60, 74; 9:5,21,29,36, 41,49, 73,88, 111,123; 21:92; 49:15; 60:4; 61:9-11; 62:6; 89:14; etc.).
Winston 101 says
Billy,
Would you ever consider writing a reference book to the Quran that was alphabetized by subject? For example: all the surahs that are about, or refer to jihad, unbelievers(kafirs), women, etc. You seem to have a grasp of where all the subject are. It would be a great reference tool.
WPM says
Who vets these agents ?Who does the background checks ,who checks the websites they visit on government computers ? This guy was on the payroll for 9 years only getting a 37 month sentence a little over 3 years ? Maybe the death sentence for treason should be more fitting sentence .Who are his handlers ,his inside allies .This is the “first time” he got caught I doubt this is the first time he sent information to our enemies? How many more jihadist moles are serving their Islamic masters in the alphabet agencies brought in by the Biden ,Obama America should fail administrations? I think this is a bigger problem then the cold war between 1946-1990 with Americans working in agencies where they can undermine our interest as a nation from the inside.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
The US government should extradite him to Israel, and waive any immunity that he might have as an US citizen so that Israel can try him as an enemy combatant. What he did may not technically be treason against the US, but Israel can treat him exactly the way they treat captured Hamas or Hizbullah fighters
Make an example out of him, so that others in the CIA who get such bright ideas will know what may happen to them. This will be a case where even courts can’t block it, since he’s not being deported, but just turned over to another country for a crime committed against it
Rick Gordon says
Extremely frustrating … I believe the label from WW II is ‘Quisling’ from a Norway citizen that turned against his government. In the US my fear is the result of our very poor somewhat anti-American public education of the last few decades. We will pay the price for a long time …………………….
Lion heart says
As Canadian Christian guy originally from Iraq , I wanna say to Robert I am a big fan of you sir and your massive knowledge about Islam evil ideology however just correction the Christians of the Middle East are not Arabs ethnically and they only Arab Christians out there are those who ata already Arabs from like Saudi Arabia etc.. and converted to Christianity .
GE says
37 months? That’s all????
gravenimage says
Yes–this is a pathetic sentence.
Eva says
37 months is a joke.
When did the death penalty for treason fall out of use?
That’s what this POS deserves.
OLD GUY says
In keeping with the lefts environmental plan, I believe the New Green Wind Electric Chair would be the answer.
Eva says
Dragging it out so it’s longer and more painful…I like it.
But as a fallback, there’s always the classic lead injection.
gravenimage says
Asif William Rahman, former CIA analyst, sentenced for leaking Israel’s Iran retaliation plans
…………………………….
Glad he has at least been caught and sentenced.
Brenrod says
I wonder how we are going to neutralize those Muslim sleeper cells in USA if we have Muslims in our intel services?
Fred Aprim says
The question to ask here is, has the West in general helped and protected the Christians of the Middle East? Since WWII, the West has completely ignored to protect (beyond empty statements) the Christians with the exception of the case of Lebanon in certain times.