Detroit groups to protest FBI terrorism on Nov. 5
Feds change story about Imam’s assassination
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Detroit
Published Nov 2, 2009 9:29 PM
Funeral services for Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah were held Oct. 31 at the Muslim Center on Detroit’s west side. More than a thousand people attended the memorial from the Detroit area and around the United States. The Muslim leader had been gunned down by FBI agents on Oct. 28.
Speakers at the services stressed that Imam Abdullah was known throughout the city and country as a peaceful man who worked tirelessly to help the poor people in the community surrounding the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque, where he had presided for decades. Questions were raised about the account of the events given by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s office and the corporate media.
According to information that surfaced just days after his assassination, the Imam was shot 18 times by FBI agents at a warehouse in Dearborn, located right outside the city of Detroit. The warehouse had been set up by the FBI in an attempt to frame the mosque members for involvement in “stolen goods.” The purported “stolen goods” were also supplied by the FBI.
Imam Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Michigan, told the Fighting for Justice radio program, which aired on the Detroit affiliate of Air America on Nov. 1, that “Imam Luqman was shot 18 times before he was handcuffed and placed on a stretcher. In a meeting between the FBI, representatives of the U.S. Attorney’s office and area leaders of the Muslim community on Friday, they informed us that Imam Abdullah never fired on the federal agents. They said that the Imam shot at an FBI dog and then he was shot by the agents. The dog was medivaced to a veterinary hospital while the Imam received no medical attention,” Imam Walid said.
Also speaking on the program was Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin of the Muslim Center, where the funeral was held for the assassinated leader. Imam El-Amin corroborated that “Imam Abdullah had multiple, multiple, multiple gunshot wounds to his body.” El-Amin, a funeral director by profession, prepared the slain leader’s body for burial.
Imams Walid and El-Amin, plus other prominent Islamic leaders in the Detroit area, have called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Imam Abdullah’s death. Callers to the radio program viewed the shooting and the arrests of other Masjid Al-Haqq members as a continuation of the federal government’s Counter-Intelligence Program (Cointelpro), which was implemented against so-called dissidents between the 1950s and the 1970s.
The African-American community suffered the most damage from the Cointelpro terror operations, which resulted in the deaths of numerous leaders and the framing of others by the federal government and local police agencies across the country.
Groups to demonstrate at Federal Building
In response to the assassination of Imam Abdullah, the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (MECAWI) has called for a mass demonstration outside the federal building in downtown Detroit on Nov. 5, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. The demonstration is designed to both condemn the assassination of the Islamic leader as well as demand an independent investigation into his death at the hands of the FBI.
A statement issued by MECAWI on Nov. 2 said that “The FBI and the media headlines are trying to cover up this outrageous murder. But their story has changed every day as more and more facts have come to light. Even the government’s own ‘criminal complaint’ makes it clear that there was no reason for this huge assault on the Muslim community.”
Groups endorsing the demonstration include the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, Latinos Unidos of Michigan, Students for Justice in Palestine, the Detroit Green Party and Workers World Party.
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Stop FBI Terrorism Against Detroit’s Islamic Community
Demand an Independent Investigation Into the Assassination of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah of Detroit's Masjid Al-Haqq
Demonstration – Thurs. – Nov. 5 – 4:30 PM
FBI Office – McNamara Federal Bldg
477 Michigan Ave. at Cass in downtown Detroit
On October 28 the FBI launched a terrorist attack against members of the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque on Detroit’s west side. Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah was gunned down – 18 bullets in his body. Eleven of his fellow Muslims were arrested.
The FBI and the media headlines are trying to cover up this outrageous murder. But their story has changed every day as more and more facts have come to light. Even the government’s own criminal complaint makes it clear that there was no reason for this huge assault on the Muslim community.
There is no mention of any “terrorism” charge in the government’s documents.
Most of the charges are rights of all citizens under the U.S. Constitution:
The victims owned guns (so does half the population).
The victims had knives (so does half the population).
The victims preached separatism (freedom of speech).
Other charges are about receiving stolen goods – usually not an FBI concern – except that in this case the FBI set up an entire warehouse operation to lure in and entrap victims. These charges were based on informants who were themselves criminals.
Charges of mail fraud are the same as those used to frame-up and jail Marcus Garvey. The FBI called in a medivac helicopter for the dog that was shot, but gave no medical attention to Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah.
Community members know the work of the Imam and his followers in feeding and housing poor people for the past 30 years or more.
The FBI is well known historically as a racist, murderous and terrorist organization.
Their own documents – released under the Freedom of Information Act – have shown how they collaborated with the KKK in the 1950’s and 60’s to threaten, beat and kill civil rights workers (remember Detroiter Viola Liuzzo).
The FBI followed, wiretapped and threatened Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family. Many believe that the FBI was party to Dr. King’s assassination.
The FBI carried out raids, arrests and murder of Black Panther Party members, the American Indian Movement and others in the 1960s and 1970s under its Cointelpro Program.
The FBI was involved in harassing and threatening the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X for many years. Many believe the FBI was involved in Malcolm’s assassination.
This demonstration is being called by the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (MECAWI) – (313) 671-3715 – http://mecawi.org
And endorsed by:
Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality
Latinos Unidos/United de Michigan
Students for Justice in Palestine
Green Party, Detroit Chapter
Workers World Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2009
11:05 AM
CONTACT: National Lawyers Guild (NLG) [1]
Paige Cram, Communications Coordinator,
212-679-5100, ext. 15, communications@nlg.org
National Lawyers Guild Calls for Immediate and Independent Investigation Into Assassination of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah by FBI Agents in Dearborn
NEW YORK - November 2 - The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) calls for an immediate and independent investigation into the FBI's fatal shooting on October 28 of Islamic leader Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah in Dearborn, Michigan. The FBI killed him during a series of raids of the Masjid Al-Haqq Mosque by federal and local law enforcement officials in which 11 others were arrested. While mainstream media outlets are calling the killing and arrests a counter-terrorism operation, the raids arose out of criminal complaints containing no specific allegations of violations of federal law or acts of terrorism.
All reports from local residents and community leaders indicate that Imam Abdullah and Mosque members were dedicated to improving the community, feeding hungry neighborhood residents and helping young people in need, even letting many sleep in the mosque during inclement weather.
By publicizing the killing and arrests as related to terrorism, absent any such allegations in the complaint, the FBI seems to be engaging in the same tactics used in its Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), in which it spied on, infiltrated and disrupted political movements. Imam Abdullah had a close relationship with Imam Jamil Abdullah al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, was a field organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and later served as national chairman of the Black Panther Party (BPP).
The FBI and mainstream media blamed the organizing work of SNCC for the urban rebellions in over 200 cities in the late 1960s. The Black Panther Party was COINTELPRO's primary target, but it targeted a vast array of others, including Martin Luther King. In light of these events, we cannot trust the claim that COINTELPRO has been abandoned. Many have been imprisoned on spurious charges-Al-Amin, for example, maintains his innocence in the deaths of Atlanta law-enforcement officers and has sought an appeal of his case. Reports indicated that he has been harassed and placed in isolation in the Georgia prison system. Over two dozen BPP members were killed by law enforcement between 1968 and 1971.
The National Lawyers Guild advocated on behalf of, and represented, members of the BPP and other political organizations. The FBI tried to have the Guild labeled as a subversive organization, and for many years spied on and infiltrated the association and its individual members.
Guild president David Gespass said, "It took more than twenty years to prove in court that Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were targeted and murdered by the FBI and Chicago police. We cannot wait that long for the truth of what happened to Imam Abdullah."
The National Lawyers Guild [1] is dedicated to the need for basic and progressive change in the structure of our political and economic system. Through its members--lawyers, law students, jailhouse lawyers and legal workers united in chapters and committees--the Guild works locally, nationally and internationally as an effective political and social force in the service of the people.
The International National Council for Urban Peace, Justice and
Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 10/31/2009 - 4:54pm.
October 30, 2009
We, as members of the International Council for Urban Peace, Justice and Empowerment are appalled by the raids on Masjid Al-Haqq and a halal meat packing plant that left Imam Luquman Ameen Abdullah dead. We are demanding an independent investigation into this action that is clearly the result of a climate of Islamaphobia fed by law enforcement and a media bent on sensationalism.
This complaint and the resulting raid are nothing more than government sponsored terrorism against a group that was working to help the community. This action is inconsistent with statements by President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder which call for mutual respect for Muslims in the United States. The inconsistencies in this investigation are glaring. The case is based on the sworn statements of informants. These informants were convicted criminals who were paid by the federal government for their 'work'. These criminals were used to engage and entrap law abiding citizens.
We have seen the media statements that Imam Abdullah was the head of a separatist group called Ummah, which means Brotherhood. Ummah means community--not brotherhood. Al-Ummah is not now, or has ever been, a Black Separatist and radical group, as any discrimination on the basis of skin color is forbidden in the Koran. We as an organization have never heard Imam Abdullah make any statements consistent with the statements in the complaint. We have never seen any actions that would be consistent with the allegations in the complaint.
The media has stated that there is a sign at the mosque that states that "There is no God but Allah." There is only one god, who is known by many names in many cultures. Why was this statement even mentioned? The FBI has stated that this was not a terrorism case. However, the investigation was conducted by a counter terrorism unit. They mention threats against the government and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Is this a terrorism case or not?
Much is also being made of the fact that many of the members of the Masjid Al-Haqq converted to Islam while in prison. The inference is that, while they served their time in prison, sought to change their lives by developing a practicing faith--they have not really changed.
Much is also being made about Imam Jamil Al-Amin being the leader of Al-Ummah. Various articles state that he is serving time in a federal prison facility for federal charges after murdering two police officers. The fact is that those were state charges and he is being housed in a federal penitentiary on state charges. All of the facts--not just the words of paid informants--need to be brought out in a clear and unbiased manner.
The fact is that Masjid Al-Haqq, under the direction of Imam Abdullah, fed the hungry, housed the homeless, worked with gangs and the formerly incarcerated to turn a crime ridden and drug infested neighborhood around to becoming a productive community. The fact is that a complaint is not an indictment.
The fact is that the media is engaging in an Islamaphobic feeding frenzy. The most disturbing fact is that a religious leader who reached out to his people and his community is dead, the victim of a society that sees anyone who is different as dangerous.
Amir El Hajj Khalid A. Samad and T. Rashad Byrdsong On behalf of the International Council for Urban (Formations) Peace, Justice and Empowerment Contact information
Washington's Imam Musa: FBI assassinated Luqman Ameen Abdullah to intimidate the Black American Muslim community
Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:42:02 GMT
The following is the transcript of a Press TV interview with US Muslim activist and director of Masjid Al-Islam in Washington, DC, Imam Abdul Alim Musa, on the recent killing of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah by US federal agents during an alleged shootout in Detroit.
Over one thousand American Muslims gathered in the city of Detroit on Saturday to mourn the prayers leader who was shot several times by the FBI in an apparent attempt to arrest him.
As well as giving a new angle into what actually occurred, Imam Musa's intriguing comments can also provide an insight into the current atmosphere of the American Muslim community and the US establishment's attitude toward Islam in general.
Q. The FBI has said that Imam Luqman resisted arrest and shot the police dog before being killed. Do you have any other information on what took place?
A. I am now reading what I have in my hand, the indictment from the United States court. This is about a 42-page indictment, and this indictment has information that was given to the federal government by certain informants. I want to read a portion of this document to give you an idea why we call the Imam Luqman killing an assassination by the FBI.
If you notice the government, in order to do something to you, they have to prearrange a scenario so that they do whatever crime that they want to commit. When they wanted to invade Iraq they said there were weapons of mass destruction. So, this is what they said. Although it wasn't true it justified the invasion.
I would like to read what source number one, who is an FBI informant, says about Imam Luqman. This is in December 2007. It says source number one testified that on many occasions he heard Luqman Abdullah preach that Islam should be spread through violent jihad and advocate violence against the government and against law enforcement.
Abdullah told his followers that if the police tried to take his weapon or tried to apprehend him he would respond with violence and they will have to shoot him before they can arrest him. Ok, this is a government informer giving the government the information that they want to justify using violent means against Imam Luqman.
So, what we are saying is that we refer to his killing as an assassination by the federal government. This is to intimidate the rest of the Muslim community. The Muslims in America are under a lot of pressure and the masjids, the Muslim centers, the community centers are full of government infiltrators, spies, and saboteurs who try to break the back of this wonderful Islamic movement in North America.
So what the government is doing by assassinating Imam Luqman is trying to intimidate the Muslim community, especially the black community. And I say that because the immigrant community, which is about half of the Muslims in the United States and the African American Muslim community, which form the other half, have different views about Islam in America and how it should be fostered.
The immigrant community has been frightened since the 9/11 terrorist attack and they practice the kind of American style Islam. Now, the killing of Imam Luqman is to intimidate us. But our message is different. We will not be intimidated by the United States government or by the FBI.
We all state clearly what Imam Luqman said on one occasion. I have from the same information something that source two, another government informer said about Imam Luqman. This is on December 12 2007. Source two told me he had been with Luqman Abdullah outside the masjid on that day and he was able to surreptitiously record their conversation.
S2 told Abdullah he had authority to donate five thousand dollars to pay to have someone do something during the 2006 Super Bowl in Detroit.
Abdullah said he would not be involved in injuring innocent people for no reason. If there is something to be done it is going to be legitimate. This is what we are saying.
This is from the FBI's own records. They had sent an informer to donate five thousand dollars to have Imam Luqman do some terrorist type thing at the super ball, which was in Detroit in 2006. Imam Luqman, by sticking to his principles of Islam, said and this is recorded on page four of the FBI indictment, it says that Imam Luqman said he would not be involved in injuring innocent people for no reason.
You see, so, this is the principle that we all follow here in America. This is in their own FBI record. They knew, already, that Imam Luqman was not violence prone. They already knew that he would not do any harm to any citizen, by his own words, that was not legitimate and that we would not harm innocent people for no reason.
But when you listen to the television and the radio and all of the news they try to portray Imam Luqman and his group, and the larger group, al-Ummah [not Ummah, which is usually interpreted as the overall Muslim community] as violence prone; as wanting to establish an independent Islamic state in North America ruled by Sharia law and that Imam Jamil Abdullah Al Amin, which is the leader who is now in a super max prison up in Florence, Colorado would be its leader.
Q. Can you give us a little bit of information about this group, Ummah. Can you explain a little bit about it?
A. al-Ummah is led by Imam Jamil Abdullah Al Amin who was a great civil rights leader during the 1960s. He converted to Islam in 1972 and became a part of one of our great Islamic movements in North America called Dar al-Islam Movement.
When that movement broke up in about 1980 and 1981 Imam Jamil Al Amin inherited or kept together one section of that group. That group became known as al-Ummah or basically the community, and so, they have centers all around America, in Atlanta in Detroit, in many cities in Philadelphia, and other cities around the country.
It is mostly an African American organization and it believes in the principle of strong leadership, and so, the goal of this leadership, and I am telling you from experience; I have worked very closely with the brothers, we have been friends and associates for 25 or 30 years now; this group's goal is to spread Islam in America, not through violent means, but by what the Quran says - bring to the way of the lord through wisdom and preaching.
So their goal is to invite the American people to Islam through beautiful preaching, through Da'wa [Arabic for invitation], through Tabligh [Arabic for proselytization] through all the legitimate means, but the government in America is fearful of any group that has any Islamic organization with good strong leadership, especially if that leadership has ties to Muslims around the world, which Imam Jamil Al Amin does.
So the goal of the government is to destroy this group and to send the message to other African Americans that the federal government will not allow any unified, organized Islamic activities to be carried on inside of the United States of America. But we have a message for them. We will not be intimidated by the government of the United States of America.
October 31, 2009
American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT) Calls for Probe Into FBI Shooting Death of Luqman Ameen Abdullah
A coalition of local and national organizations which includes the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), MAS-Freedom, Muslim Students Association - National (MSA-N), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), and United Muslims of America (UMA) issued a statement and press release earlier today calling for a probe of the shooting death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah.
In the press release AMT states:
It is imperative that an independent investigation of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah's death make public the exact circumstances in which he died.
Locally, in the Chicagoland region at least one prominent American Muslim leader from the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago consultative body is urging the community's leaders to also make some noise in order to bring about an independent investigation of the shooting death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah. The crux of this leader's argument seems to be that since there is a presumption of innocence and Imam Luqman had not yet been proven guilty, the FBI shot and killed an innocent man.
In an email exhorting other Chicagoland leaders to step up in calling for an investigation into Imam Luqman's shooting this leader ridiculed the notion that Imam Luqman was anything but a peaceful man who fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless and worked for the community. If Imam Luqman was looking to wage a war on America why hadn't he done it yet asked the local leader rhetorically? Clearly Imam Luqman has at least one very passionate supporter in the Chicagoland leadership.
Others who were perhaps more close to Imam Luqman did not sanitize Imam Luqman's beliefs quite as much. Dr. Ihsan Bagby, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky and a board member of the Muslim Alliance in North America (a national African American Muslim institution on whose board Imam Luqman sat), reportedly told the Detroit News that Imam Luqman's organization - Ummah - is anti-government but does not advocate violence.
Many American Muslim leaders seem to want an independent investigation into th shooting death of Imam Luqman. The facts surrounding this shooting support the call for an independent investigation. Furthermore and under the circumstances, an independent investigation is an absolute must if the FBI is to regain/retain credibility with the American Muslim community.
The 43 page affidavit by FBI Special Agent Leone notes in multiple places, based on transcripts of audio recordings of conversations with Imam Luqman (purportedly recorded by undercover informants and without Imam Luqman's knowledge) that he was frequently armed, sometimes wore a bulletproof vest and spoke of dying in a shoot out rather than being arrested if he were ever confronted by law enforcement. Regardless of whether or not these claims by Imam Luqman were true, clearly the FBI was on notice that this man may very well put up a deadly struggle. As such, why didn't they attempt to arrest Imam Luqman in a setting that would have lessened the chances of deadly shootout taking place?
One cannot help but think of the recent "raid" on a slaughterhouse in Kinsman, Illinois (this raid was in connection with the then sealed indictment against Tahawwur H. Rana on charges of providing material support to a terrorism conspiracy). Unlike the move on Imam Luqman in Detroit which was based on an arrest warrant, the action on the slaughterhouse in downstate Illinois was based on a search warrant. According to local news reports including eye witness accounts the FBI had a used a massive show of force including nearly 100 agents and even a helicopter.
It may be reasonable to assume that the FBI used a large team of agents and resources as a deterrent for anyone at the Kinsman, Illinois slaughterhouse who may want to resist the execution of the search warrant. To a lay person this strategy of overwhelming force in order to protect law enforcement agents might make sense. Furthermore, this strategy, whether it is so intended or not, has the benefit of protecting the lives of individuals upon whom the search warrant is served by deterring them for even trying to resist.
So, if a search warrant merits a small army of federal agents, then why would an arrest warrant (which seems to be a far more serious matter than a search warrant) not merit similar or even greater precautions and deterrence measures? What did the attempted execution of the warrant on Imam Luqman and the others named in the arrest warrant look like? Why has this not been discussed by the media thus far?
Also, given that the FBI believed, based on what they purportedly heard from two years worth of audio recordings and informant statements, that Imam Luqman is armed and is likely to resist arrest with deadly force, why did the FBI not attempt to arrest Imam Luqman in a setting where there was a greater element of surprise and where he had fewer options to flee?
Lastly, there remains the question of whether or not deadly force was necessary. The news reports are not clear as to what exactly Imam Luqman did or did not do. It is known that an FBI dog was shot and killed. Reportedly the dog was killed by Imam Luqman. Did the FBI agents kill Imam Luqman in a moment of retaliation in an already tense and deadly situation?
These and other and better questions need to be answered in a independent investigation of the shooting death of Imam Luqman. American Muslim leaders have a responsibility to mobilize a grassroots civil action campaign to pressure the FBI into conducting an independent investigation.
The credibility of the FBI within sectors of the American Muslim community is abysmally low as a result of its policy and program of conducting "assessments" of potential threats by "proactively" pursuing leads that take undercover FBI informants into otherwise legitimate, lawful and constitutionally protected gatherings (this policy was revealed with Muslim Advocates and other civil liberties groups recently successfully sued to get the FBI to turnover some of it surveillence policies). The shooting death of Imam Luqman has the potential of escalating skepticism of the FBI's motives to the kind of deep-seeded distrust and even contempt or hate of the FBI as Imam Luqman was portrayed as having in the affidavit of Special Agent Leone.
This is not acceptable. It is not acceptable for the FBI and the American Muslim community to be at odds with one another. Like it or not, there are real threats out there. There are people who wish to bomb and kill and terrorize Americans in America for political gain. We know very well that the people who are responsible for this wanton violence are indiscriminate in their attacks and have no qualms about killing Muslims. That means American Muslims are at as great a risk of being victims of future terrorist attacks as anyone.
At the same time, if the terrorists wish to use American Muslim institutions and resources and try to recruit within the American Muslim community, then it is imperative that there be a strong relationship between law enforcement and the American Muslim community based on mutual trust and respect. American Muslims cannot possibly know what to look for and how to detect clues to extremist operations without the help and support of law enforcement (including the FBI).
An independent investigation into the shooting death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah is a must for all of the foregoing reasons. It is the right thing to do and it is the pragmatic thing to do as well.
The Killing of Imam Luqman Abdullah
Monday, 02 November 2009 16:51
Ali Jafri
Courtesy of Islamic Insights
What is the true story?
By now, most of us have heard the news of the killing of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah by the FBI in Detroit, MI. There are many questions surrounding the death of Imam Luqman. Although I do not have the answers to these questions, there are a few issues that come to mind.
Yesterday I was able to read the criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan (Case: 2;09-mj-30436) on October 27, 2009. Included in the complaint is a 43-page sworn affidavit by FBI Special Agent Gary Leone. This affidavit chronicles nearly two years of surveillance by the FBI on Imam Luqman and Masjid al-Haqq in Detroit. The complaint discusses terms such as kuffar, Qureish, revolution, Imam Jamil, jihad, hadith, etc. This is odd. The reason this is odd is that these terms have absolutely nothing to do with what the criminal complaint charges the 11 individuals with.
Law enforcement has drummed up this incident to be terrorism-related, or somehow related to the faith or political views of Imam Luqman and his community. The mainstream media has predictably followed suit. But the actual charges against these 11 individuals say otherwise. The charges mentioned are as follows: possession of body armor and fire arms by a convicted felon, providing firearms to a convicted felon, tampering with a motor vehicle identification number, mail fraud, and selling/receiving stolen goods. There are absolutely no terrorism-related charges in this complaint. There are no charges in any way related to the religious or political views of Imam Luqman. Two years of investigation, and no material support charge, no conspiracy charge, nothing. When asked why Imam Luqman had not been charged with terrorism, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Terrence Berg said, "The charges speak for themselves." And that is exactly my point.
As often has been the case in these so-called "terrorism" cases, smaller charges are brought and law enforcement still acts as though they brought terrorism-related charges. And the public doesn't know the difference. We have seen this pattern again and again under the Bush administration, and President Obama has continued this dishonest policy. Look at the words being used in the context of these arrests in the media and the statements given by law enforcement, and ask yourself what they have to do with the charges which are alleged. Why are they saying this is related to terrorism? Do they think we can't read what they themselves wrote? What does being a Sunni or a fundamentalist or a Muslim have to do with tampering with a motor vehicle identification number?
"O you who believe! If a liar/evil person comes to you with a report, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you have done." (49:6)
What was the nature of this investigation by the FBI? According to its complaint, at least three agents were used by the FBI in surveillance of Masjid al-Haqq. The complaint stated that these agents constantly said and did things in order to make Imam Luqman or others at the mosque say or do something which would lead to an arrest on terrorism charges. For example, the criminal complaint mentions how one agent told Imam Luqman he is interested in blowing up people during the Super Bowl in Detroit, and Imam Luqman responded that he would not be involved in killing innocent people (see information from confidential source S-2, paragraph 14). This is just one example, and there are many similar examples in the complaint. Obviously this does not come as a surprise, because this is what the FBI does for a living. But we should realize that after two years of this harassment, the best material they could come up with is in their complaint.
This incident is another reminder to the Muslim community. When someone is spending time and effort in order to set us you and put you in prison, they are not your friend. This is not an attempt to thwart a crime. This is an attempt to set your you-know-what up. There is a difference. Any criminal defense attorney will tell you never to speak to law enforcement without an attorney present. Most will tell you that if the FBI comes to speak with you, even with an attorney present, you would be crazy to speak with them. This is because the goal of law enforcement is to get a criminal conviction. It is beyond disappointing that some members of our Muslim community, both Sunni and Shia, know what the FBI is doing to their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters on a daily basis, yet they continue to want to buddy up to these same agents. How many more examples are needed before we open our eyes?
I do not know what all transpired with Imam Luqman and his community. I do not know if they are guilty or innocent of any of the alleged crimes. What I do know is that a man exercised his First Amendment rights, and he did not commit a crime by doing so. Had he committed a crime or a terrorism-related offense, it would be in the complaint. Instead, all we see are regular criminal offenses being alleged.
Unfortunately there is a segment of our community more interested in looking like the "good Muslim" than in standing up against oppression or finding out the truth. These Uncle Toms have predictably made irresponsible statements regarding Imam Luqman and his mosque without any of us even knowing all the facts. The Muslim community must stay away from these types of organizations and mosques, whose leadership will lead our community away from the sunnah of our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny).
Let's for a minute believe all the allegations in the complaint. Would this justify this man being killed? Would it justify the alleged 18 shots fired at him? Why all the references to Islam in the complaint if he is not charged with any political or terrorism related offenses? Why all this talk about Imam Jamil?
Please, let us open our eyes.
