Shura Council Asks Govt.
to Be Transparent
Los
Angeles, CA: In an effort to calm the fears of worshipers,
several Southern California area organizations and their leaders
filed a Freedom of Information Act request May 15 seeking
answers from the FBI about suspected monitoring of religious
institutions.
The ACLU of Southern California filed the request on behalf
of six groups, including the Council on American Islamic Relations,
the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California and area
mosques, and six leaders in the Muslim community. The government
has so far refused to explain repeated news reports describing
FBI surveillance of mosques and numerous personal accounts
of worshipers who were questioned about their faith at home
and at work.
"We are people of faith and our mosques are peaceful
and tolerant places of worship," said Shakeel Syed, executive
director of the Islamic Shura Council. "But people are
being scared away from worship because of reports that mosques
and those who pray at them are being monitored. People are
afraid that practicing their religion or even visiting a mosque
will make them a suspect of the government."
The government has 20 business days to respond to this request,
which seeks information pertaining to whether area mosques
and community leaders are being monitored and if so, why,
said Ranjana Natarajan, staff attorney for the ACLU/SC.
"We firmly believe that mosques are peaceful places of
worship and we will continue to meet with law enforcement
officials and cooperate in legitimate law enforcement investigations,"
said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR. "However,
it is our right to expect transparency from our government."
The ACLU has filed FOIA requests in 20 states on behalf of
more than 150 organizations and individuals, including advocates
for the environment, animal rights, labor, religion, Native
American rights, fair trade, grassroots politics, peace, social
justice, nuclear disarmament, human rights and civil liberties.
So far the government has released documents that reveal FBI
monitoring and infiltration by the FBI and local law enforcement,
targeting political, environmental, anti-war and faith-based
groups around the country.
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