A good omen. Bruce
(12/30/2004): ORANGE COUNTY Muslims See Imam's Case as an Omen 'High level of fear' reported as Islamic agencies field dozens of calls after religious figure agrees to leave the United States. By Kimi Yoshino Times Staff Writer December 30, 2004 One day after a well-known Muslim cleric gave up his immigration fight and agreed to leave the country in order to win release from detention, many Muslims in Southern California reacted with concern, saying the case has renewed fears that government efforts to fight terrorism will limit their civil rights. Some said Wednesday they worry that if Wagdy Mohamed Ghoneim, an imam at the Islamic Institute of Orange County, could be targeted by the Department of Homeland Security, they, too, might be forced out of the country. "There's a high level of fear," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Anaheim-based Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Most of the calls I've been getting have been asking, 'Shall we start packing up? Are we next?' " Ghoneim was arrested Nov. 4 at his Anaheim home for overstaying his visa. He has remained in custody at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in San Pedro. A hearing to determine whether he should be granted bond was held Tuesday. But before the judge issued her written ruling, Ghoneim decided to leave, citing poor health. Government officials said they believe Ghoneim, who came from Egypt in 2001, may have been giving speeches and helping raise funds for groups with terrorist ties. His attorney denied the allegation, saying there was no evidence to support their claim. News that Ghoneim agreed to leave the country provoked dozens of calls Wednesday to local Arab American organizations. Mosques in Claremont and Anaheim called the Council on American-Islamic Relations to schedule workshops aimed at calming the community. Ayloush said many in the Muslim community feel deeply ambivalent about Ghoneim's decision to give up the fight. "The last thing the community wants to see is for him to have a heart attack and lose his life [in custody]," he said. "On the other hand, his packing up and leaving is unfortunately a dent in our civil rights struggle." Abdul Rashid, the public relations chairman at Ghoneim's mosque, agreed that it was a wise choice for the imam. But, he said, "For the community, no. This sends a message in respect to the community that we couldn't win. "Because he is Muslim, it's a different outcome." (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-imam30dec30,1,2888323,print.story) ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $4.98 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Q7_YsB/neXJAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
