News and Views

What happens to the guy who calls the FBI about a suspicious guy at the mosque?

Published

December 6, 2010

Bismillah walhamdolillah.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z27rJYxUdy0[/youtube]

Watch the video, please. The Muslim who reported the suspicious behavior at the masjid — that man doing his civic duty — he was arrested by the FBI because the suspicious behavior turned out to be an ex-con sent by the FBI as an informant.

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I lived in So. Cal. for some 9 years, and for part of that time I attended several masajid in Orange County. Many of the faces in the video are people I have met and talked with after salat, in tajweed circles, and at community picnics. And the man who reported the suspicious behavior, the man they arrested, I remember him as a good man, a decent father and regular attendee of the masjid. According to the video the FBI alleges that the good man they arrested lied on a visa application. Funny the repayment for doing the right thing.

Alhamdolillah, at least the story of the good man has a decent ending — detailed in the Washington Post coverage — after protesting to judges that he was too dangerous to be set free on bond, the US attorneys had no choice but to retreat 110% when the informant came forward and contacted the defense. Alhamdolillah, the good man was freed and all charges dropped. But how many other good men and women are left for years in prisons because the truth that might set them free is suppressed for the sake of political expediency, the “good press” that comes from getting a conviction at any cost.

I want to believe that US law enforcement actually wants to protect us all, but the truth is that US law enforcement agencies operate not only on an ends justify the means basis, but also by trying to manufacture terror cells where none exist, and by punishing good and honest Muslims who fail to perceive just how unjust justice is here.

The rest of the story on Al Jazeera‘s web site: Muslims took out restraining order against an FBI agent sent to spy on them. The agent is suing his former handlers.

“An FBI informant who attempted to infiltrate an Islamic community centre in the quiet Californian town of Irvine scared Muslim worshippers so much with his talk of violent jihad that they took out [a restraining] order against him…” (sic)

“Southern Californian Muslim community leaders have expressed outrage over the FBI’s methods, saying it undermines any efforts to build trust.”

Link to coverage of this story at The Washington Post.

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Related Topics:FBI informant Injustice innocent masajid Mosque Muslim suspicion target

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Tariq Nisar Ahmed

Bismillah walhamdolillah. May Allah accept my repentance and yours. I am an attorney, a stepfather, a husband, a son, and a Muslim. Studying Islam is a means, reflecting what I have learned is a must, and to Allah is the inevitable return. If you would like my help, know that Allah is the source of all aid. If you would like to contact me, try tariqnisarahmed at Gmail, LinkedIn, Twitter, or add me as a friend on Facebook.

10 Comments

abu abdAllah Tariq Ahmed

December 6, 2010 at 12:56 AM

Full props to CAIR-Los Angeles, too, mashaAllah. The video and coverage due them much credit, alhamdolillah. May Allah put barakat in all their work, all over the country.

Reply
-Umar-

December 6, 2010 at 6:31 AM

With regards to spying, forget undercover
agents, I feel that every wesite I visit is being recorded and inscribed onto some kind of
government database.

I even get the feeling every comment I post on MM is recorded and added to my profile.

But for me… It is all just suspicion. As for our scholars, they can be SURE every website they visit is being watched by the government. Of that there is no doubt.

And finally for the record, I’m just a normal law abiding citizen.
Thinking about it, the need to include the above line is evidence that I feel I’m being watched. :S

Reply
- Greg
  
  December 6, 2010 at 9:34 PM
  
  Washington Post brought us The Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and they broke this story a little after midnight on Saturday. They’re still about the only one covering it.
  
  Umar you’re right about the surveillance. I don’t know about your private affairs but anything you say publicly is regarded as fair game now. (Google: cryptome org social spy pdf.)
  
  One thing you should not be afraid to use is your voice in the name of peace and accountability.
  
  Reply
  - lessiey
    
    December 6, 2010 at 9:59 PM
    
    CNN just covered it too:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEucJiHUbAk
    
    But the funny thing is, Aljazeera newsclip in this post is dated 14 Aug 09
    Why did take too long (over a year) for others to catchup ?
    
    Reply
lessiey

December 6, 2010 at 8:52 AM

THIS NEWS SHOULD GO MAINSTREAM !!
This news should be read together with the alleged christmas tree bomber who was also cultivated by FBI !
I suggest everyone to make a little effort to spread the news on their own for the sake of protecting our brothers and sisters from danger which they might not foresee.

FBI has become something like a gangster group where they can do anything they want and no one can question them.

With FBI, why does anyone need an AlQaeDUH !!

May Allah guide us and protect us all.

Reply
- Hazara
  
  December 7, 2010 at 2:10 PM
  
  It does not change the fact that the stupid Somali kid that so many people here are falsely claiming to be a victim wanted to murder and slaughter innocents in the name of our faith. And evidently, a lot of people are trying to pin the blame on the FBI instead of the radical beliefs of the stupid kid. If it wasn’t for the FBI, it would have been someone else. Stop making excuses for extremists and have the courage to condemn and repudiate them for once. Hating Western society does not give anyone an excuse to blow up innocents, and if you feel that strongly that all non-Muslims are evil, perhaps you shouldn’t be living in the West, right?
  
  Reply
  - Middle Ground
    
    December 7, 2010 at 4:36 PM
    
    There are stupid people everywhere. Anyone stupid enough can be duped into doing something violent if you try long enough ( a year in the case of this Somali kid). To me, this shows that any case where an informant is involved could be a trap like this.
    
    Reply
  - Greg
    
    December 7, 2010 at 4:43 PM
    
    Most kids get into stupid things, don’t take it far enough to get into any real trouble, and years later realize how dumb they were. I can think of several times in my own life that, had there been some kind of provocateur around, or had there not been some kind of supervision, I might be in jail today.
    
    In college, an overzealous new security guard at the campus bookstore buddied up to me, showed me some marijuana in a jar, and later asked me if I could get some for ‘his friend.’ I told him I didn’t sell but I could ask somebody. On the appointed day I was lucky enough to have a friend who talked me OUT of doing that and helped me see that something just wasn’t right. The officer’s ‘friend’ happened to be an Irvine police officer and this situation is called entrapment. It didn’t matter that I didn’t actually do it, under University policy I lost my job.
    
    The one time I did go to jail (not a minor but still a kid) it took a Texas police officer LYING to make probable cause, and violating what I had always been told was my Constitutional right to be secure in my personal effects.
    
    Hazara, I agree with you that violent extremism cannot be tolerated. But please show me a single attempted act of religious terrorism not somehow abetted by our own government.
    
    Reply
  - lessiey
    
    December 7, 2010 at 8:10 PM
    
    What do you consider a kid to be ?
    A grown up being with great understanding of the world and how things work around?
    Do you even think he has a good comprehension of his own faith ? while many older people born into the faith are still struggling to learning its basics ?
    
    ” It does not change the fact that the stupid Somali kid that so many people here are falsely claiming to be a victim wanted to murder and slaughter innocents in the name of our faith ‘
    
    Stop calling every terrorist activities a muslim does is in the name of his faith.
    Have a look at the conversation that kid had with an FBI agent:
    
    NOTE: I DO NOT ENDORSE HIS VIEWS, RATHER CONDEMN IT, Iam just quoting the incident.
    
    Undercover FBIÂ Agent:Â Â You know thereâ€™s gonna be a lot of children there?
    Mohamud:Â Â Yeah, IÂ know, thatâ€™s what Iâ€™m looking for.
    Undercover FBIÂ Agent:Â Â For kids?
    Mohamud:Â Â No, just for, in general a huge mass that will, like for them you know to be attacked in their own element with their families celebrating the holidays.Â And then for later to be saying, this was them for you to refrain from killing our children, women . . . . so when they hear all these families were killed in such a city, theyâ€™ll say you know what your actions, you know they will stop, you know.Â And itâ€™s not fair that they should do that to people and not feeling it.
    
    He didnt do it due to his faith, rather due to his revenge, just like MOST other attacks, none of those terrorist attacks were conducted coz they hate their freedom or liberty. It was all political and personal revenge. Even the timequare bomber was taking revenge for his people being killed in drone attacks at home. But the media (esp. visual media) wouldnt mention any of that, Just saying a muslim guy and his nationality would do for them.
    
    again: I do not endorse any of those views
    
    If you have read the washington post coverage of this FBI and mosque incident, you’ll know the FBI agent was repeatedly and constantly trying to provoke the mosque members into saying or doing something. Iam glad they had the courage and cautiousness to report that to the FBI.
    
    A Kids, or call it rather a teenager, can be provoked to do many things if he is repeatedly exposed to a certain way of thinking. None of us know to what lengths the FBI has gone to brew his mind to commit a crime. Their blood boils really fast, i know that myself since i’ve gone through that stage (not of any extreme ideologies, but our local politic stuff)
    
    I do not blame every acts committed by people in our faith on the west, there are plenty of culprits in our ummah, and there are plenty of incidents where they are dragged into some crime.
    
    In the case of that Kid, he should have given proper guidance and education on his own deen than leaving himself to the wolves to be served with ammunitions and ambitions of violent acts.
    
    ” Stop making excuses for extremists and have the courage to condemn and repudiate them for once “
    I do not !! and i condemn any act of terrorism inlcuding recruiting for it, be it a muslim or the FBI
    
    ” If it wasnâ€™t for the FBI, it would have been someone else ”
    How do you know ? Do you think you have full knowledge about the unseen ?
    If he were given proper guidance he could have even been turned into a productive individual in the community and in his religion.
    
    ” Hating Western society does not give anyone an excuse to blow up innocents, and if you feel that strongly that all non-Muslims are evil, perhaps you shouldnâ€™t be living in the West, right? “
    BULLOCKS !! as clearly explained above, no one does it out of hate of the western society or non-muslims. Thats just a myth created by western media. Almost all of them are of political nature or personal revenge.
    
    Iam sorry for the harsh words, none are meant to be taken personal.
    
    Reply
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