Was Ashcroft Tough Enough?

AIM.ORG ^ | NOVEMBER 26, 2004 | SHERRIE GOSSETT

[CHARLITE]

John Ashcroft has resigned as Attorney General, under fire in the media for supposedly violating the human rights of terror suspects. But perhaps he didn't crack down hard enough and fast enough. Consider the case of a "well-respected" leader of the Muslim community, a scholar who befriended Jews, a peacemaker who worked for years towards inter-faith understanding and a better community.

On January 13, 2003, however, Cleveland cleric Fawaz Damra was arrested by the FBI at his Cleveland area home and charged with lying on his citizenship application by not disclosing a previous arrest and ties to terrorist groups. Damra pleaded not guilty and was released on $160,000 bond. Damra, the leader of Ohio's largest mosque, has now been convicted and stripped of his citizenship for lying about his connections to terrorist groups. But he can't be deported until a federal court hears his appeal, which could take 18 months. He's been sentenced to two months in prison.

Sherrie Gossett is Associate Editor of the AIM Report and can be reached at sherrie.gossett@aim.org

[inquest]

I can't say that he was tough enough on illegal immigration. He certainly showed he was capable of cracking down on it, but he seemed to get cold feet when it came to enforcing the law where it mattered most.

Somehow, I doubt that his successor will be particularly inclined to, either.