Abdul Malik, right, and Aalim Ammar walk in front of the Masjid As-Salam (House of Peace) mosque at 278 Central Avenue in Albany this morning. (Steve Jacobs / Times Union)
Mohammed Hossain
Posted on 8/5/2004, 1:57:36 PM by 1Old Pro
Mohammed Hossain's journey to owning Little Italy pizzeria began in an unlikely place: Bangladesh. Hossain and his wife, Mossamat, emigrated with their 1-year-old son, Abuhamza, from Bangladesh in 1985 in search of opportunity to lift themselves out of grinding poverty. Their native tongue is Bengali and they arrived in this country knowing little English. Hossain worked as a dishwasher in diners, where he learned Greek and English. He gradually moved up to a position in the kitchen, with throwing pizzas being part of his repertoire. Nine years of saving allowed the family to rent a small storefront and open a pizzeria he called Little Italy in 1994. Adapting the menu to the neighborhood, they added fried chicken, hamburgers, beef patties, gyros and sweet potato pie. They eventually bought the building and moved into an apartment above the pizzeria with their five children. When the kids -- who attend Annur Islamic School in Schenectady -- aren't using booths in the pizzeria as study tables, they do small jobs for their parents. Except for a brief post-Sept. 11 backlash, business has grown steadily, and the couple has bought at public auction and fixed up income properties off Central Avenue. ''I'm proud to be an American,'' Hossain says. ''When I was in high school in Bangladesh, I looked at a map of America and I dreamed of coming to this great land. Since I've been here, opportunity has kissed my feet. Hard work has done the rest.'' Hossain has one regret he hopes to rectify soon. ''I'd like to sell the pizza shop and the houses and let my wife go back to college to get her Ph.D.,'' he says. She arrived in this country with a graduate degree in sociology but couldn't find work in that field, he explains. ''I feel guilty every day of my life,'' Hossain says. ''She has a master's degree and she works all day in a pizza shop. She should be out helping someone. Or teaching. I want to give her the chance to continue her education.'' |
t |
| Albany mosque raid uncovers missile plot |
| By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Last updated: 9:27 a.m., Thursday, August 5, 2004 |
| WASHINGTON -- Two leaders of a mosque in Albany, N.Y., were arrested on charges stemming from an alleged plot to help a man they thought was a terrorist purchase a shoulder-fired missile, federal authorities said Thursday. |
The men have ties to a group called Ansar al-Islam, which has been linked to the al-Qaida terror network, according to two federal law enforcement authorities speaking on condition of anonymity.
The two arrests came as FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agents executed search warrants at the Masjid As-Salam mosque and two Albany-area residences, officials said. The men were identified as Yassin Aref, 34, the imam of the mosque, and 49-year-old Mohammed Hoosain, one of the mosque's founders.
According to law enforcement officials, the two are being charged with providing material support to terrorism by participating in a conspiracy to help an individual they believed was a terrorist purchase a shoulder-fired missile.
The individual was in fact working undercover for the government and no missile ever changed hands. Aref and Hoosain were allegedly involved in money-laundering aspects of the plot, the officials said.
The investigation has been going on for a year and is not related to the Bush administration's decision earlier this week to raise the terror alert level for certain financial sector buildings in New York and Washington, the officials said.
In Albany, some mosque members gathered early Thursday outside the institution for morning prayers.
More details about the case were expected to be released later Thursday by the Justice Department in Washington.
------
Associated Press writer Michael Virtanen contributed to this story from Albany, N.Y.
"It's New York! There are Jews all over the place... and we're Democrats, on top of everything else! What else could we be expected to do, really? ALLAH AKBAR-- !"
Yeah, that's the ticket. Have you met my wife, Morgan Fairchild?
Abdul Malik, right, and Aalim Ammar walk in front of the Masjid As-Salam (House of Peace) mosque at 278 Central Avenue in Albany this morning. (Steve Jacobs / Times Union)
Mohammed Hossain
These people lie through their teeth. It's time to step up surviellance and arrests.
bump
STINGER STINGEES STUNG!
Al Sharpton, please pick up the white courtesy phone. Calling Al Sharpton.
It appears that they have followed this group for months. I guess one of them bought a plane ticket and that forced the raid.
A Bangledeshi opens a restaurant called "Little Italy".
Go figure.
excerpt:
NEWARK, N.J. - A British arms dealer appeared in U.S. District Court today, on charges that he tried to complete the sale of a shoulder-fired missile, with the understanding that it was going to be used to shoot down an American commercial airliner, the U.S. Attorney's Office and Justice Department announced today.
Just trying to "blend in".
"Religion of Peace" bump.
Albany, is just a couple of hours from NYC. It makes sense that people who want to attack NY would set up camp , mosque, in Albany.
A classic example of multi-culturalism!
The government is loading Upstate NY up with thousands of muslims. They are bringing them in from everywhere. They bring in 5,000 at a time and place them in these dying cities. I am totally baffled as to why the government wants to bring in so many muslims. I don't understand it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.