To add your name, organization, mosque or Islamic center as a signatory to this statement, click here or e-mail  bestusa80@hotmail.com. 

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U.S. Muslim Coalition Considers Suspending Relations with FBI
Move comes following incidents of FBI targeting mosques, Muslim groups

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/17/2009) � A coalition of major national Islamic organizations today announced that it is considering suspending outreach relations with the FBI, citing recent incidents in which American mosques and Muslim groups have been targeted.

In a statement, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), said:

Muslim communities throughout the United States have made significant advances in promoting and contributing to a fair, free and pluralistic society.

Through civil rights advocacy, civic and political engagement, and the promotion of dialogue with interfaith leaders and law enforcement agencies, Muslim Americans continue to be a positive and stabilizing force in keeping our nation safe and secure from acts of violence and foreign threats.

Despite fear-mongering by a vocal minority, Muslim Americans are natural allies of law enforcement agencies in ensuring the wellbeing of our nation. Muslims are law-abiding and productive citizens who uphold the democratic principles of freedom, equality and justice.

Yet recent incidents targeting American Muslims lead us to consider suspending ongoing outreach efforts with the FBI.

In California, the FBI sent a convicted criminal to pose as an agents provocateurs in several of that state�s mosques. An FBI agent allegedly told one of the mosque attendees that the agency would make his life a "living hell" if he did not become an informant.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) wrote in a recent statement, headlined �FBI Losing Partnership with American Muslim Community� - �Trust is the cornerstone of any partnership between law enforcement and communities. It can only be established and maintained through clear and open communication. Without this, trust is eroded and suspicions arise on all sides. This clearly does not serve anyone's interests�It is now up to the FBI and law enforcement agencies to re-engage with the Muslim American community, and re-build trust and respect.�

See: FBI Losing Partnership with American Muslim Community

http://www.mpac.org/article.php?id=793 

Early last fall, the FBI began a disengagement campaign in its relations with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation�s largest and most respected Muslim civil rights organization. The FBI suspended contacts with CAIR pending the resolution of unspecified �issues.�  

In response, the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, an umbrella organization of many Muslim groups, suspended outreach to the FBI in February. The council�s letter to the FBI stated in part:  

�Our commitment to ensuring the rights, interests, and prosperity of American Muslims and all Americans is unconditional. We hope the FBI will have the foresight to restore its relationship with such a vital link to the American Muslim community.�

See: http://www.shuracouncil.org/images/special/onlineDocs/Shura-DOJ_Re_CAIR_Feb2009.pdf 

We believe the FBI�s unjustified actions are based on the May 2007 designation of some 300 groups and individuals, including several major American Muslim groups such as CAIR, the Islamic society of North America (ISNA) and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), as �unindicted co-conspirators� (UCC) in conjunction with the Holy Land Foundation trial in Dallas, Texas.

Making this unjust designation public violates the Justice Department�s own guidelines and wrongly implies that those listed are somehow involved in criminal activity. 

Bias and faulty premises dominated post-9/11 law enforcement analysis of the Muslim community and the threat assessment to national security. The waning days of the previous administration witnessed a flourishing of anti-Muslim activity. 

There is even inter-agency information being disseminated that claims civil rights advocacy is part of a Muslim conspiracy to implement Shari�a law in order to destroy the United States. Recent government actions seemed to be based on this bizarre premise. 

These McCarthy-era tactics are detrimental to a free society.

The credibility of all Muslim organizations who maintain ties to the FBI that do not react decisively is undermined in the eyes of the community. Our fear is that counter-intelligence programs are quelling lawful dissent. 

What is most frightening is that FBI abuses are no longer covert, and are slowly being integrated into the already expansive laws regulating law enforcement activity.  

Internationally, in light of President Obama�s initiative of dialogue with the Muslim world, such actions negatively impact U.S. interests. 

If the FBI does not accord fair and equitable treatment to every American Muslim organization, including CAIR, ISNA and NAIT, then Muslim organizations, mosques and individuals will have no choice but to consider suspending all outreach activities with FBI offices, agents and other personnel. This possible suspension, of course, would in no way affect our unshakable duty to report crimes or threats of violence to our nation. 

We call on the FBI to reassess its positions on profiling and the use of informants as agents provocateurs within the Muslim communities. We further request objective evaluation of the sources of information and analysis utilized to formulate decisions.  

Notwithstanding such requests, we call on Muslim organizations and individuals to petition their elected representatives to hold hearings to address these grave matters of concern to the Muslim community.  

We fully expect that the President�s calls for inclusion will not be derailed by irresponsible elements in and outside of government fomenting anti-Muslim bias in this great nation.

- END -

Signatories to this statement include:

ORGANIZATIONS

COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS

1. Hon. Ramsey Clarke
2. Hon. Mike Gravel
3. Hon. Paul Findley
4. Hon. Pete McCloskey
5. Dawud Williams
6. Brian Hoff
7. Mariama Burton
8. Mohamed Dadabhoy
9. Ahmed Isa
10. Lauren Brightwell
11. Obaid Achekzai
12. Mustaqim Syed
13. Fatma Elashmawi
14. Hazem Ibrahim
15. Zack Jalanbo
16. Rima Arafeh
17. Rebeca Hernandez
18. Asma Hanif
19. Khadijah Rivera
20. Shadi Muhammad
21. Amin AbuAmara
22. Mohamad Shafi
23. Saif Hussain
24. Mikal Akhtab
25. Shujah Khan
26. Nasir Abdur-Rahim
27. Dr. Mohammad Toor
28. Bahri Aliriza
29. Honey Shekarchi Baluch
30. Thomas Michel Tom
31. Suhaib Alzubi
32. Dennis Cobbins
33. Nasser Alameddin
34. Sharon Tipton
35. B. Nimri Aziz
36. Jamil Chaudri
37. Mustafa Khan
38. Taher Rasheed
39. Shahnawaz Saigal
40. Rami Aweti
41. Arshad Ameen
42. Sam Beck
43. Shane Yoder
44. Maura Yasin
45. Fazle Tiwana
46. Afzal Ahmed
47. Shakil Zaman
48. Said Goueli
49. Thomas Michel
50.  mahmoud Abutair
51. Zohra Siddiqi
52. Saad Khattabi
53. Jennie Alkhalafat
54. Sam Miller
55. Hussam Ayloush
56. Arefa S
57. Isam Zaiem
58. Asem Abusir
59. Mauri Saalakhan
60. Julia A. Shearson
61. Lobna Hewedi
62. M. Shafi Chaudry
63. Mujeeb Khan
64. Lori Saroya
65. Ahmad Al-Akhras
66. Celeste Snyder
67. Ghayth Kashif
68. Mustafaa Carroll
69. Mohammed Aslam
70. Deeba Sultani
71. Ugas Jillaow
72. Muhammad Khattak
73. Shams Rehman
74. Saad Mohammad
75. Ahmed Mohamed Hussein
76. Syed Wajahat
77. Javed Alam
78. Mukhtaar Mujahid
79. Imran Khan
80. Asim Mohammad
81. Taneeza Islam
82. Mohammad Mansour
83. Karen Dabdoub
84. Sumayya Khatib
85. Sherrel Johnson
86. Sharaf Mowjood
87. Muhammed Kamal
88. Ramzy Kilic
89. Numair Alani
90. Edgar Hopida
91. Fuad Limani
92. Homayoun Khajavi
93. Debra V. Wilson
94. Ashraf Ibrahim
95. Michael Gipson
96. Syed Bukhari
97. Sharon Peterson
98. Nabil Elbaz
99. Mahmoud Charif
100. Sayed Sabek
101. Abdul Majid
102. Bilal Yasin El-Amin
103. Taj Ashaheed
104. Chris Burke
105. Mohideen Khader
106. Aly Mohamed
107. Jahan Z
108. Borhan Khatib
109. Laurie Jaghlit
110. David J. Sanders
111. Abdul Karim
112. Saleem Toor
113. Sister Ruhina
114. Sally Howell
115. Omar Zarka
116. Johnny Kakar
117. Mohammad Rahman
118. Ernest Assel
119. Zeshan Mustafa
120. Walker Peterson
121. Yasmin Awad
122. Faisal Siddiqi
123. Hodari Abdul-Ali
124. Jafar Siddiqui
125. Zia Islam
126. Janice Tufte
127. Abdourahmane Thiam
128. Nurjunaidah Pare (Binti Abdullah)
129. Melinda Niekum
130. Mohammad Younis
131. Sener Akturk
132. Abida Rahmani
133. Ernest Assel
134. Fatih Ramazanoglu
135. Mehmet Cevi
136. Muhammad Afzal
137. Mujeeb Lodhi
138. Uzan Mustafa
139. Sharissa Sakcriska
140. Mohammed Khalili
141. Baseer Ahmad
142. Deborah Gordon
143. Ernest Assel
144. Bassam Mansour
145. Sameer Parmar
146. Razi Hashmi
147. Amadu M. Turay
148. Neal Koni
149. Bahaadur AbdulAhad

To add your name, organization, mosque or Islamic center as a signatory to this statement, click here or e-mail  bestusa80@hotmail.com.