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FBI deters muslims from voting against bush Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1011muslims11.htmlhttp://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1011muslims11.html
FBI's queries of Muslims spurs anxiety
Dennis Wagner
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 11, 2004 12:00 AM
FBI agents are knocking on doors of Valley Muslims asking questions aimed at detecting and deterring terrorism before Wednesday's presidential debate at Arizona State University and the Nov. 2 election, say Islamic and civil rights leaders.
"They want to leave no stone unturned," said Deedra Abboud, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Arizona. "And they want to make sure nothing disrupts the election . . . But it does concern us because it's against the American way, and it's a waste of their time."
Agents across the nation have been instructed to "foster the impression that law enforcement is focused on individuals who might be a threat," according to the FBI's so-called "October Plan," which was disclosed when CBS News obtained an e-mail from the bureau's "04 Threat Task Force." advertisement
Special agent Susan Herskovits, an FBI spokeswoman in Phoenix, said they are not only interviewing Muslims. She declined to describe how subjects are chosen except to say, "We have not been sent a list. We've been sent a directive to talk to as many people as we can about a potential al-Qaida attack between now and the election."
The scenario was described by Abboud this way:
A pair of agents come to the front door and ask to chat. They don't allow a friend, lawyer or tape recorder during the interview. But it's completely voluntary and informal. Just a few questions:
Who are your friends?
How do you feel about the Bush administration?
What do you think of U.S. foreign policy in Israel?
Would you become a confidential informant?
Herskovits emphasized that those contacted by agents are not necessarily viewed with suspicion, but as potential information sources. She said there are no formatted questions, and anyone may decline to be interviewed.
It is unclear how many Arizonans have been approached in recent weeks. Herskovits wouldn't say. Abboud claims nearly every Muslim she knows has been approached. But other Muslims in the Valley say they've seen no problem at all.
"I have not been interviewed, and nobody close to me has been," said Jamal Naser, 46, a Phoenix furniture store owner who came to America from Palestine two decades ago. "To be honest, I think they (federal agents) are just picking people at random."
Jay Khan, 50, an East Valley financial consultant, said he's never been questioned and knows of only one acquaintance interviewed. Khan, an ethnic Pakistani born in Africa, said investigators may be targeting Middle Easterners who adhere to the Wahhabi, an extremist version of Islam that influenced Osama bin Laden. During the past year, Arizona agents have met several times with Abboud and other Muslim leaders, trying to assuage concerns and work out problems.
Naser Ahmad, board president at the Islamic Center of the Northeast Valley in Scottsdale, said the FBI notified his mosque recently about plans for a flurry of interviews, but he doesn't know of anyone who was questioned recently.
Others backed the portrayal by CAIR, which is widely regarded as the place to go for Arizona Muslims who have problems with the government.
David Hadley, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of the East Valley, said he and others recently dined together after completing a fast. A few days later, he said, FBI agents called one of his meal companions and asked by name about those who attended the event. "I couldn't figure out how they knew we were there," said Hadley.
Abboud said some of those contacted by the FBI face a chilling dilemma: Cooperate and risk falling under suspicion because of "wrong" answers, or decline the interview and worry about being put on a watch list or harassed.
Eric Bjotvedt, a Phoenix attorney, said he's represented a number of immigrants who were questioned and feared that their legal status in America was in jeopardy. One client, he said, moved to Canada rather than face more questioning.
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, defended the FBI and said Muslims need to stand against what he calls the "Islamo-fascist terrorists" by fighting their ideology. "If we don't want the government breathing down our necks, we should be doing the anti-terror work on our own," he said.
Abboud said she understands that federal agents are trying to protect the homeland. However, she said, it is as much a waste of resources to contact Muslims about al-Qaida as it would be to question Christians about the Irish Republican Army.
She said the interviews have spawned a creeping distrust within the Islamic community: "We're starting to look at each other sideways now: 'Are you a spy? Do I need to watch what I say so it can't be twisted?' A lot of them come from this kind of suspicious background, like in Iraq (under Saddam Hussein) where they'd turn each other in for money."
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