Abdel-Moniem ibn Ali El-Ganayni (Arabic: عبد المنعم بن علي الجنايني) is an Egyptian-born American nuclear physicist, former prison Imam, and an active member of the Pittsburgh Muslim community.
His father, Sheikh Ali ibn Abdel-Moniem El-Ganayni (الشيخ علي بن عبدالمنعم الجنايني) was educated at the prestigious Al-Azhar University, where he completed his elementary, secondary, and high school studies.
Part of El-Ganayni's prison outreach included the creation of the PA DOC Monitor, a website examining the condition, and necessary reform of the Department of Corrections.
The DOE officials instead focused on a seemingly innocent Islamic book entitled, "The Miracle of the Ant", authored by Turkish Islamic publisher Harun Yahya; unbeknownst to El-Ganayni, the content of Yahya's book was largely, if not completely duplicated from a Pulitzer Prize winning work entitled, "Journey to the Ants" published by Harvard University Press.
El-Ganayni distributed excerpts from book to prisoners (both Muslim and non-Muslim) while serving as an Imam at Forest State Correctional Institution.
Specifically, El-Ganayni raised concern over an FBI raid of a Pittsburgh mosque during Friday prayers, where attendees were searched and forced to stand outside while being questioned.
[3] On June 26, 2008, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) with Schnader, Harrison, Segal, and Lewis as co-counsels filed a lawsuit on behalf of El-Ganayni alleging that the DOE revoked his clearance due to criticism of the FBI and U.S. foreign policy.
However, the court requested supplemental briefing regarding Count III, specifically concerning the DOE's interpretation, application, and adherence to executive procedure.
El-Ganayni stated that he would rather return to his birthplace than live in America as a second-class citizen and that he "feel[s] very sad that the American people have lost a good bit of their Constitution," quoting John Adams who said, "once you lose your rights and liberties, it's very hard to get them back.