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U.S. judge blasts FBI case against Albany Muslims<br>
24 Aug 2004 23:21:56 GMT<br><br>
Source: Reuters<br>
<br>
(New throughout)<br><br>
By Ellen Wulfhorst<br><br>
ALBANY, N.Y., Aug 24 (Reuters) - Two Islamic men accused of supporting
terrorism after an FBI sting operation were ordered released from jail on
Tuesday by a judge who blasted the government's case by saying there is
no evidence they have any links to terrorists.<br><br>
U.S. Magistrate David Homer ruled Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain should
be released on $250,000 bonds and held in home detention under electronic
surveillance while they await trial. He said that could take up to two
years so the men will be allowed to work and attend mosque until the
trial.<br><br>
The pair had been ordered held without bail earlier this month -- a
ruling largely based on an address book that prosecutors said was found
in an Iraqi terrorist training camp. The book referred to Aref as
"the commander" in Arabic.<br><br>
The government now says that translation was an error and the word is
"brother" in Kurdish.<br><br>
The order to release the two comes amid criticism that the Bush
administration's anti-terrorism policies have caused authorities to leap
to unfounded conclusions in cases that have fizzled or been dropped
altogether after initial high-profile announcements.<br><br>
Muslims in Albany -- home to about 7,000 followers of Islam -- have
called the arrest of the two men a tragic misunderstanding and many have
avoided attending mosques out of fear of being labeled
terrorists.<br><br>
Aref, 34, the leader of an Albany mosque, and Hossain, 49, a pizzeria
owner, were arrested in a sting operation in which authorities said they
agreed to help an FBI informant launder $50,000 from the sale of a
shoulder-fired missile as part of a fake plan to assassinate a Pakistani
diplomat.<br><br>
They pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, supporting
terrorism and conspiracy on Aug. 10.<br><br>
NO TERRORIST LINK<br><br>
The judge chided the government, saying the case is much weaker now than
it first appeared. He said the two were not plotting violence and are not
a danger to the community.<br><br>
"The evidence in this case appears less strong today," Homer
said. "There is no evidence ... to support the claim that Mr. Aref
has any contact with any terrorist organization."<br><br>
"There still is no evidence of Mr. Hossain's involvement with any
terrorist organization," he said.<br><br>
The judge said the case could take one to two years to come to trial as
much of the evidence has to be translated from foreign
languages.<br><br>
Defense attorney Terence Kindlon said the government was not merely
overzealous but had presented false information.<br><br>
"We've gone from something that sounded sinister and ominous and
scary and terrible to zero in less than two weeks," he told the
judge. "Our government doesn't need to go after a pizza man and an
Iman who are perfectly innocent."<br><br>
He added: "All we have here is basically the wreckage of the first
hearing at which the government presented a lot of information that
turned out to be bogus."<br><br>
Members of Aref's and Hossain's families were tearful during the hearing,
but they were greatly relieved by the ruling, said Faisal Ahmad, a
teacher at Aref's mosque.<br><br>
"I think they are very thankful to God," he said. "We just
have to be patient. It's a test. Everything is a test."<br><br>
Prosecutors argued that whether the word was "commander" or
"brother" was irrelevant and does not affect the criminal
charges the two men face. They say the pair were willing participants in
the sting operation set up by the FBI.<br><br>
Defense attorneys argued that Hossain thought the money was a loan, that
Aref was brought in to unofficially witness the deal and that both men
were victims of entrapment.<br><br>
Under terms of their release, which is likely in one to two days, neither
men may leave the area without permission. While both men have
surrendered their passports, Hossain's five children would surrender
theirs as well. <br>
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U.S. Revokes Visa for Muslim Scholar <br><br>
Tuesday August 24, 2004 8:31 PM<br><br>
<br><br>
By TOM COYNE <br><br>
Associated Press Writer <br><br>
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Acting at the request of the Department of
Homeland Security, the U.S. government has revoked the work visa of a
Muslim scholar who had been scheduled to teach at the University of Notre
Dame this fall. <br><br>
Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen who has been criticized for links to
Islamic militants and for remarks branded anti-Semitic, was supposed to
begin teaching on Tuesday, the first day of the fall semester. <br><br>
State Department spokeswoman Kelly Shannon cited the Immigration and
Nationality Act, part of which deals with aliens who have used a
``position of prominence within any country to endorse or espouse
terrorist activity.'' Another section bars aliens whose entry may have
``potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United
States.'' <br><br>
Both sections were amended under the USA Patriot Act, passed after the
Sept. 11 attacks. <br><br>
Shannon did not immediately say whether either section applied to
Ramadan's case. <br><br>
``We don't know a reason why either of those should apply to Tariq
Ramadan,'' said Matt Storin, a Notre Dame spokesman. ``He's a
distinguished scholar. He's a voice for moderation in the Muslim world.''
<br><br>
Shannon said the move came at the request of the Homeland Security
Department. <br><br>
Notre Dame appointed Ramadan earlier this year to be its Henry B. Luce
professor of religion, conflict and peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute
for International Peace Studies. <br><br>
Ramadan remained in Switzerland, and Storin said he would relay to him a
message seeking comment. <br><br>
Ramadan has been teaching at the College of Geneva and the University of
Fribourg, both in Switzerland, and has gained a popular following among
European Muslims in showing how Islamic values are compatible with those
of secular European society. <br><br>
``In many ways he has defined what it means to be a European Muslim,''
said Muqtedar Khan, a political scientist at Adrian College in Michigan.
``He has essentially tried to bridge the culture gap.'' <br><br>
However, terrorism expert Yehudit Barsky of the American Jewish Committee
charged that Ramadan has tried to bring legitimacy to Islamic militants.
<br><br>
``We really had hoped the university had exercised more caution in
bringing him over here,'' she said in a recent interview. <br>
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