October/November 1995, pgs. 70-71

American Muslim Activism

By Shawn L. Twing

Thousands Protest U.N. Inaction in Bosnia

On Sept. 16, tens of thousands of Muslims from all over the United States and Canada converged on the United Nations building in New York to protest U.N. inaction in Bosnia, calling the organization a witness and accomplice to genocide. During the event organized by the Task Force for Bosnia, an umbrella organization for several Islamic advocacy organizations across the United States, marchers held signs announcing the death of the U.N. on the eve of its 50th anniversary.

Leading the march were Abdul Malik Mujahid (president, Islamic Circle of North America), Imam Jamil Al-Amin, Imam Plemon El Amin (Amir of Shura Ministry of Imam Warith Deen Muhammad), and Khalid Iqbal (vice-president of the Islamic Society of North America). The march was telecast world-wide via satellite.

CAIR Releases Special Report on Anti-Muslim Bias

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a 35-page report entitled "A Rush to Judgment: A Special Report on Anti-Muslim Stereotyping, Harassment and Hate Crimes Following the Bombing of Oklahoma City's Murrah Federal Building, April 19, 1995" in September, to make the public and opinion makers aware of the hate crimes suffered by America's Islamic communities in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing.

The detailed report includes statements involving individual harassment and threats, actual and threatened violence against Muslims and mosques, numerous excerpts from the media assuming the bombing originated in the Middle East before the identity of the alleged perpetrators was known, and published articles from a variety of American media sources targeting Muslims or people of Middle Eastern heritage for the attack. CAIR plans to use the publication as part of its campaign to educate the American public about Islam to counteract the ugly stereotypes of Muslims evident in the immediate aftermath of the Oklahoma City tragedy.

AMC Draws Attention to Journalists Murdered in Algeria

The American Muslim Council (AMC), a Washington, DC-based Islamic advocacy group, expressed its outrage about the continued murder of journalists in Algeria since the 1992 military coup d'état that plunged the country into civil war between the state and militant Islamists. In a Sept. 7 press release, AMC denounced the intentional targeting of journalists in Algeria and called on the government and the opposition to take steps toward ending the conflict that has cost an estimated 40,000 lives. AMC also called on the Algerian government to forgo the planned Nov. 16 elections until the core causes of the crisis have been resolved, and asked that the United States and the European Union contribute to finding solutions for Algeria's desperate situation.

Two American Mosques Vandalized

New Jersey and Georgia have been added to the list of states where mosques have been vandalized during the last year, according to the Islamic Public Affairs Council (IPAC) of New Jersey and representatives from the Clarkstown Muslim community in Clarkstown, Georgia. IPAC reported that the New Jersey mosque was vandalized in the early morning hours of Sept. 17. Windows, outside walls and trees were spray-painted with graffiti and flammable liquid was spread across the floor of an adjacent building.

Later that same week, representatives of the Clarksville Muslim community reported that vandals had desecrated a Clarksville mosque by burning satanic symbols into its carpet, breaking windows and light fixtures and discharging fire extinguishers. Dekalb County (Georgia) police officials say two arrest warrants have been issued for the crime.

Islamic Groups Call for Investigation of Leader's Arrest

Islamic groups across the United States expressed their support for Imam Jamil Abdallah Al-Amin, a Muslim leader in Atlanta, Georgia, during an Aug. 28 press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Imam Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, was arrested for aggravated assault in connection with the Aug. 7 shooting of a 19-year-old Atlanta youth. During the press conference, Imam Amin denied the charges against him and raised several questions of his own.

Of particular concern to Amin and his supporters was the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Joint Counterterrorism Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, who had agents present when Atlanta police took Amin into custody two weeks after the shooting during what should have been a routine arrest. Amin maintains that the involvement of the FBI is related directly to Special Agent William Grant, who has conducted surveillance on the Atlanta mosque for the past four years, and who has declared publicly that his goal is to arrest Imam Amin. Atlanta law enforcement officials originally said that the agents were part of the investigation, but later told the press that they were friends of the arresting officers who went along to see the arrest.

Appearing with Jamil Al-Amin was William Miles, the victim of the shooting, who says he was pressured into identifying the religious leader by members of the Atlanta police department. He maintains that he never saw the person who shot him and that he was threatened with legal action by Atlanta police officials if he did not identify Imam Al-Amin. When asked what he thought about the ordeal, he told the audience, "I feel like I have a hole in my leg and the shooter is still out there."

Present at the conference were Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic advocacy group, and Abdurahman Alamoudi, executive director of the American Muslim Council (AMC) also based in Washington. Other Islamic organizations who have expressed their support for Imam Jamil Al-Amin are the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).

Shawn L. Twing is the news editor of the Washington Report.