Posted on 07/04/2002 3:16:24 AM PDT by kattracks
NEWARK, N.J., Jul 04, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Mohamed El Filali like some other Muslims across the nation plans to avoid large public gatherings over the holiday for fear he'll be mistaken for a terrorist by edgy law enforcement officers or suspicious citizens.
"As a Muslim, especially during this specific holiday, I have a concern of being racially profiled by the police and the federal agents," said El Filali, an official with the American Muslim Union based in nearby Paterson.
In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, carried out by Islamic extremists, El Filali's fears are being echoed by Muslims across the country - particularly in light of nonspecific warnings of possible attacks timed to coincide with Independence Day.
The FBI and state and local police plan to have undercover officers at major July Fourth events - baseball games, parades and fireworks displays - with the express purpose of spotting potential terrorists.
"Every time there is a high alert, Muslims have to be on a higher alert for a backlash," said Sohail Mohammed, an immigration attorney from Clifton. He planned to be out of the country on the Fourth of July, taking in Niagara Falls from the Canadian side of the border.
Muslims, and particularly Arab-Americans, are deeply concerned about how they are perceived this Independence Day, said Ra'id Faraj, a spokesman for the Council on Islamic-American Relations of Southern California.
"They don't want to be targets because of their ethnicity or background," he said.
As a result, many plan to simply stay home.
"I know so many Muslims who would love to take part in (July Fourth celebrations) but are afraid of what some ignorant people might do, either members of the public or uninformed law enforcement officers," said Hani Awadallah, president of the Arab-American Civic Organization in Paterson.
He said the topic was recently discussed in a local mosque, and at least 15 people said they wanted no part of any Independence Day crowds, fearing the hassle it might bring.
Sandra Carroll, a spokeswoman for the Newark FBI office, said Muslims should not be afraid to celebrate the holiday.
"Just because of their dress or nationality, they won't be treated any differently than any other citizen," she said.
Not all Muslims are afraid. Aysha Mirza, a Rutgers University student, will be among those watching fireworks Thursday night.
"Anyone who covers and wears hijab and is Muslim-looking, I can understand that they would be scared," she said. "But my loyalty to this country and my patriotism is not something to be questioned. We love this country as much as anybody else does."
A leader of the Detroit area's large Arab-American community said he was not aware of Muslims avoiding public celebrations of Independence Day.
"On the contrary," said Imad Hamad, Midwest regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. "The spirit is really up and people are really excited about it."
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On the Net:
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination: http://www.adc.org
By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
Don't think we'll see Adam Shapiro, Noam Chomsky, Alan Dershowitz and Jerrold Nadler out waving the American flag (Nadler may attend for the food).
We don't hear much about all that. But let Mueller meet with a Muslim group and all heck breaks out in the media.
Good for you Aysha.
Im just flat out sick of the term "Racial Profiling"...its almost never used accurately by those who invoke it.
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