Muslims in Canada - are they next?
Friday, March 22, 2002
Staff Writer Ottawa Muslim Network
On Thursday, March 21, leaders of major national American Muslim organizations
held a news conference in Washington, D.C., to
express their outrage over law enforcement raids on a number of Muslim
offices and homes in the U.S. on Wednesday night. The Muslim organizations
say that this is a a "violation" of their community. Targets of the raids
included some of the most respected leaders and organizations in the American
Muslim community, including the International Institute of Islamic Thought, the
Graduate School of Islamic Social Sciences, the Muslim World League and the Fiqh
Council of North America.
Media reports indicate that law enforcement agencies served search
warrants and created fear and possibly abuse of authority.
The raids involved law enforcement officers from a group created by the
Treasury Department after the Sept. 11 attacks. Agencies
involved in the raids included Customs, Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms, FBI, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and U.S.
Postal Service.
Associated Press reported that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups joined together Friday in an appeal to governments not to trample human rights with new measures meant to clamp down on terrorism. Other media organizations have reported that " federal customs agents also seized documents, files, three desk-top computers, numerous diskettes, and other documents from homes and offices".
At Friday prayers in Ottawa, Muslims discussed the impact of the U.S. authorities actions and wondered if similar action will be taken in Canada. Many were just getting over the many negative reactions as a result of the September 11 incident, and are now faced with renewed fears and misgivings about government authorities in Canada. Some of the questions posed were: Are we next? And what can we do ? The Imam at the Ottawa Mosque told the congregation that they must deal with every situation with justice and with objectivity. That one must not hate another individual irrespective of his or her religion but one must stand up for justice wherever injustices exist.
Many among the Muslim community are uneasy with the turn of events in the U.S. and are worried about their organizations and institutions in Canada. Stress among refugees and immigrants are becoming visible, and many are taking refuge in more fervent adherence to their faith.
Muslim groups in the U.S. who sponsored the news conference say harassment of respected Islamic institutions and families sends a hostile and chilling message to the American Muslim community and contradicts President Bush's repeated assertions that the war against terrorism is not a conflict with Islam. They also say the targets of these raids deserve the presumption of innocence and have the right to learn what allegations, if any, the government used as the basis for their search warrants.
Muslims in Canada are now uneasy about possible action by Canadian authorities.