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No Court Orders Obtained for Monitoring of Mosques, Muslim Homes, Businesses
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders of the Washington-area Islamic
community will hold a news conference this afternoon to offer their reaction
to the reported secret monitoring of radiation levels at more than 100 Muslim
homes, businesses and mosques in the capital region and in other areas
nationwide.
WHAT: Muslims React to Secret Radiation Monitoring
WHEN: Friday, December 23, 4 p.m.
WHERE: CAIR Capitol Hill Headquarters, 453 New Jersey Avenue S.E.,
Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726; Nihad Awad, 703-851-4051;
Rabiah Ahmed, 202-439-1441
According to an exclusive online article by U.S. News & World Report:
"In search of a terrorist nuclear bomb, the federal government since 9/11
has run a far-reaching, top secret program to monitor radiation levels at over
a hundred Muslim sites in the Washington, D.C., area, including mosques,
homes, businesses, and warehouses, plus similar sites in at least five other
cities, U.S. News has learned. In numerous cases, the monitoring required
investigators to go on to the property under surveillance, although no search
warrants or court orders were ever obtained, according to those with knowledge
of the program. Some participants were threatened with loss of their jobs when
they questioned the legality of the operation, according to these accounts ...
No dirty bombs or nuclear devices have ever been found -- and that includes
the post-9/11 program. There were a lot of false positives, and one or two
were alarming, says one source. But in the end we found nothing."
SEE: "Nuclear Monitoring of Muslims Done Without Search Warrants"
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/nest/051222nest.htm
In a statement, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) said:
"This disturbing revelation, coupled with recent reports of domestic
surveillance without warrant, could lead to the perception that we are no
longer a nation ruled by law, but instead one in which fear trumps
constitutional rights.
"All Americans should be concerned about the apparent trend toward a two-
tiered system of justice, with full rights for most citizens, and another
diminished set of rights for Muslims."
CAIR noted that just yesterday, a judge refused to prohibit U.S. border
personnel from singling out American Muslims on their way home from a
religious conference that begins today in Canada.
Also yesterday, CAIR announced that it filed a freedom of information
(FOIA) request over President Bushs post-9/11 executive orders authorizing
electronic surveillance of Americans and others in the United States without
first obtaining court approval, as required by the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA). CAIR says it may file a similar request for documents
relating to the radiation monitoring.
CAIR, Americas largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 31 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding
of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American
Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American
Muslim community. To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/
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