Five former colleagues of Florida Rep. Cory Mills (R) have confirmed that he had seriously considered converting to Islam around the time of his marriage in 2014.
However, his partner’s response doesn’t align with what Mills’ ex-colleagues have described.
Mills has faced considerable scrutiny lately, particularly following a domestic incident on February 19 at his upscale penthouse. This not only required a police response, but also unveiled discrepancies in how Republican lawmakers described his new romantic involvement and an ongoing divorce.
This led Blaze News to investigate further into Mills’ situation, shedding light on complex dynamics within the Republican party, which traditionally emphasizes Christian values. Notably, Mills married Mohamed Al Hanouti, a figure connected to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a fundraiser for Hamas. Their wedding reportedly occurred in a mosque, potentially with a requirement for the groom to convert to Islam. Moreover, at least one acquaintance of Mills mentioned that after he married Rana Al Sadi from Iraq, he began practicing Islam.
Iranian-American activist Sarah Rabiani recently argued, in an article on Daily Mail, that the claims in Blaze’s reporting are not entirely accurate. This marked the first public acknowledgment of their relationship since allegations of domestic issues arose.
A police report associated with the incident stated that officials overheard Mills instructing Rabiani to misrepresent the cause of her injuries. Rabiani has maintained that no violence occurred and emphasized that their faith should not be a point of contention, adding that they attend Christian services together and pray privately.
Rabiani recalled, “He said, ‘We need to go over there and take care of it.’”
She further noted, “Not only did he attend church with my family and me, but we also pray together before meals. The assertion that he is Muslim is incorrect; I can personally affirm his Christian faith.”
The Daily Mail alluded to a joint trip taken by the couple during Easter as evidence supporting her claims. As previously reported by Blaze News, Mills, who runs an international weapons business, traveled to Türkiye and Syria over the Easter period.
Since Blaze’s initial report, more of Mills’ former peers have come forward, confirming their own conversions to Islam during Mills’ marriage. While four of them spoke only off the record due to fears of reprisal, one individual, Max Woodside, who led Mills’ team, openly shared his skepticism about Mills’ narrative.
Woodside, who previously worked with Mills and had significant interactions with future Middle Eastern officials, stated, “I’m not afraid of him. He knows we’re done.”
He recalled discussions around 2013 after returning from Afghanistan. He mentioned telling Mills, “I think it’s his current wife that he’s divorced,” and indicated that Mills seemed to express a need to handle a situation regarding his wife. Mills reportedly claimed at that time, “No, I’ve converted. I’m a Muslim.”
Though Woodside confirmed Mills expressed this conversion, he admitted to not witnessing any actual practices. “I’ve never seen him convert,” he remarked.
Robert Spencer, the founder of Jihad Watch, speculated that Mills’s marriage took place at the Dar al-Hijra mosque in Virginia. Spencer expressed doubt, given Al-Hannouti’s connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. He explained that Islamic law prohibits Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim men, raising questions about the validity of Mills’ marriage without conversion.
He conjectured, “He might not have realized the implications, but otherwise, he wouldn’t have been allowed to marry Al-Sadi.”
The interpretation of Mills’ supposed conversion varies. Some friends believe he was simply seeking a way to marry his partner, while others claim he genuinely converted and maintained his Muslim identity after the wedding.
When pressed about his conversion amid complicated dynamics involving his fiancée’s family in Iraq, Mills recounted that he acted to ensure she wouldn’t be arrested during her visit to see a dying relative.
Mills mentioned engaging with an imam for assistance in navigating these familial complexities, yet maintained that it didn’t alter his faith or church attendance.
His former colleagues have voiced criticisms regarding Mills’ political motivations, suggesting that he will do whatever it takes to further his agenda. Woodside highlighted this inconsistency, saying, “Coley is out for himself.”
