A U.S. coalition of major Islamic organizations is threatening to stop cooperating with the FBI because of what it says is anti-Muslim bias by the federal arm and the “targeting” of American Muslims.
In a statement, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT) cited in particular an incident in California, in which it says that “the FBI sent a convicted criminal to pose as an agent provocateur” in several mosques. A federal agent allegedly told one of the mosque-goers that the FBI would make his life a "living hell" if he did not agree to become an informant.
“Muslims are law-abiding and productive citizens who uphold the democratic principles of freedom, equality and justice,” AMT contended.
Another leading Muslim coalition, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), recently issued
"FBI abuses are no longer covert."
a statement headlined "FBI Losing Partnership with American Muslim Community."
MPAC warned that “federal law enforcement cannot establish trust with American Muslim communities through meetings and townhall forums, while at the same time sending paid informants who instigate violent rhetoric in mosques. This mere act stigmatizes American mosques and casts a shadow of doubt and distrust between American Muslims and their neighbors.”
Yet another Muslim umbrella group, the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, suspended “outreach” to the FBI in February.
AMT’s recent statement protested the 2007 designation of Muslim groups such as CAIR, the Islamic society of North America (ISNA) and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), as "unindicted co-conspirators" in the Holy Land Foundation trial in Dallas, Texas.
Muslims “will have no choice but to consider suspending all outreach activities with FBI offices, agents and other personnel.”
"McCarthy-era tactics"
“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,” the group wrote, adding that “these McCarthy-era tactics are detrimental to a free society.”
FBI “abuses,” it complained, “are no longer covert, and are slowly being integrated into the already expansive laws regulating law enforcement activity.”
“In light of President Obama's initiative of dialogue with the Muslim world,” it warned, such actions “negatively impact” U.S. international interests.
If the FBI does not reconsider its policy, Muslim organizations, mosques and individuals “will have no choice but to consider suspending all outreach activities with FBI offices, agents and other personnel,” the group warned.
“We call on the FBI to reassess its positions on profiling and the use of informants as agent provocateurs within the Muslim communities,” the Muslim groups declared, adding the caveat that “this possible suspension, of course, would in no way affect our unshakable duty to report crimes or threats of violence to our nation.”
FBI: Our Job is to Prevent Attacks
The FBI defended its decision to spy in mosques. “What matters to the FBI is preventing a massive attack,” said former counterterrorism chief Robert Blitzer. Mosques and other religious institutions are of particular concern, he added, because potential terrorists could consider them a safe place to plot attacks.
Despite the Muslim groups' reactions, the FBI believes that spying in mosques is an effective and necessary means of fighting terrorism. Officials pointed out that famous terrorist convictions, such as that of Egyptian cleric Omar Rahman for planned attacks in New York City, had begun with information revealed by undercover agents in mosques.
In the case in question, the FBI's undercover work led to the arrest of 34-year-old Ahmadullah Niazi, a native of Afghanistan who has a brother-in-law working for Osama bin Laden. Niazi was recorded talking favorably about gathering weapons, blowing up buildings, and sending money to Afghan terrorists, and suggested that the FBI informant undergo terrorist training in Yemen or Pakistan, the FBI says. Muslim groups have suggested that the FBI arrested Niazi because he refused to become an informant.