I feel sorry for this young man, who had no experience, a mama’s boy (as his father said), who had interest in Islam for only the last two months. I can say without any doubt that he was entrapped by the FBI, taking advantage of his youth and lack of experience. I have met some similar young people in a correction facility, as I have been a volunteer for nine years, delivering Jumah prayers frequently to Muslim inmates. One person confided to me that he would be released shortly, after spending several years in prison, and he was going to join the Marines, and when he was in the Gulf area, close to Iran, he would jump and swim to the Iranian shore. After that, he would walk maybe through Kuwait or Iraq, and then go to Saudi Arabia to perform pilgrimage. I told him, “Brother, do you think if you jump, the Iranians would receive you with open arms? They would arrest you, treat you as a spy, put you in prison, and even maybe torture you. Do you think you would be able to walk across the border from Iran to Iraq and then to Saudi Arabia? You seem to be dreaming. You are thinking about the old Islamic empire when the Muslims used to move from one place to the other without any hindrance or any other problems. What would the Americans do to you? They would arrest you and put you back in prison.” All he needed was simple advice! He never, again, thought about this idea. After he was released, I know he got a job, and he is functioning quite well in the community without any problem. I encountered similar cases like that, and they just needed simple conversations and counseling. All that young Ohio man needed was simple advice by a Muslim from the local Islamic Center. According to my experience, it was an entrapment by the FBI so that they make headlines and claim they arrested terrorists, and many times for political reasons, because it’s related to young, inexperienced Muslim kids. I had three experiences with the FBI in the past. In the late 80s, I was frequently in the news media, as I was elected in 1988 as a member of the National Platform Committee for the Democratic Party in Washington State. One day, an FBI agent called me from Spokane. They wanted to come down to my office and talk to me. Two agents arrived, introducing themselves with their badges. Before they asked me any questions, I explained to them, “As a U.S. citizen, I know my Constitutional rights. I do support the Palestinian people, just like the Italians or the Irish supporting their heritage.” Then, I added, “I will never, ever participate or encourage any action considered violent or illegal against the United States, and that I have to abide by the law of the land.” I remember the interview lasted for no more than 5 to 7 minutes. They did not ask me one single question. They thanked me and left. I got calls years later by two FBI agents (as they claimed). One was from Seattle in the mid-90s. Somebody wanted me to bring some information about Iraq, as it was reported that I was visiting Iraq frequently. I was chairman of Arab Americans against Military Intervention in the Gulf. I immediately told him, “I am not a spy. My action to prevent the war was not just for the interest of the Iraqis, but for the United States as well.” One time, a person came to my town. He told me that he was a retired FBI agent. He showed me a flyer that he was distributing in Seattle against the Israelis. He wanted me to be involved and come to Seattle. I totally refused and told him, “If I oppose Israel, it is in the open, and it would be part of my political agenda when dealing with foreign policy.” I talked to my lawyer about those incidents. He simply advised me that there was no need to file any complaints, as there was no illegal action committed. I am saying this because there is a potential entrapment for every active Muslim, Palestinian, or Arab. Finally, I want to say about my email being hacked, fax being jammed with hundreds of pages, threatening letters mailed to me anonymously when I was running for statewide public office. I did complain to the postmaster, called the FBI, but I never got any response.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:42:25 +0000
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