No consideration of the possibility that DHS might really have something on Yusuf Cat Stevens Islam and Tariq Ramadan. No consideration of all the many questions surrounding CAIR, most notably why several CAIR officials have been arrested on various terror-related charges. From OfficialWire, with thanks to Ali Dashti:
LOS ANGELES, CA — (OfficialWire) — 12/15/04 — On Monday, December 20, a coalition of community, interfaith and civil rights organizations will host an emergency town hall meeting to discuss what they say is the unfair targeting of Muslims by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Invited speakers will include representatives of DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, and Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as local attorneys and family members of immigration detainees. Hundreds of community members are expected to attend.
Over the last few months, several Muslim religious leaders in California have been detained on minor immigration infractions and have been denied bail. Recent cases include the detentions of Imam Wagdy Ghoneim (Islamic Institute of Orange County in Anaheim), Abdul Jabbar Hamdan (West Coast Islamic Society in Anaheim) and Abdel Malik (Islamic Center of Irvine). According to their attorneys, these individuals have been in the country legally and have filed all necessary documents to maintain their status.
Dozens of complaints of harassment have also been filed by American Muslim travelers. The incidents include being unable to remove their names from the ‘No Fly List,’ repeated stops and interrogations at airports, exclusion from entry to the United States, and revocation of visas for no stated reason. Islamic leaders and activists prevented from entering this country include Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) and Swiss professor Dr. Tariq Ramadan.
“While we are all in full support of securing our nation and its borders, we believe the selective application of the law only reinforces the widespread perception that government officials are targeting Islam and Muslims,” said Sabiha Khan, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Southern California (CAIR-LA).
CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties group, is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 30 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
If CAIR really wants to promote mutual understanding, why won’t they answer my questions?