Home > Magazine > Around Town > Panel on post-9/11 human rights abuses affecting Muslims, black communities, and immigrant communities of color

 

Panel on post-9/11 human rights abuses affecting Muslims, black communities, and immigrant communities of color

Suzanne Sen
May 2016
Panel on post-9/11 human rights abuses affecting Muslims, black communities, and immigrant communities of color

On the 10th anniversary of the unjust targeting of two Atlanta Muslim youth—Shifa Sadequee and Haris Ahmed—Project South, Justice for Shifa, and several co-sponsoring groups held a panel discussion on April 7, 2016 at Masjid Al-Mu’minun, titled “Real Talk about the ‘War on Terror’: Islamophobia, Preemptive Prosecution, and the Attack on Dissent.” In the current political climate of bigotry and fear targeting Muslims and communities of color, said moderator Azadeh Shahshahani, Legal & Advocacy Director with Project South, this is an apt moment to discuss, stand in solidarity, and mobilize.

Shifa Sadequee’s story was a highlight of theevent. It was documented in a recent HBO film, questioning the unethical practices of FBI’s targeting of Muslims. Shifa was born in the U.S. and went to Bangladesh to be married. There he was abducted while shopping by men in civilian clothing and kept in solitary for 3.5 years pretrial under a “ruse law” in which the FBI has the authority to fabricate when there is no justification for arrest. His family is asking for his release and for the end of policies of preemptive prosecution of Muslim-Americans, says Sonali Sadequee, Shifa’s sister. Fear driving action is not what is needed, she says; we must build relations and connections with each other and understand the bigger picture.

Imam Furqan A. Muhammad, Imam at Masjid al-Muminun spoke of being black in the 60s as like having a disease. After becoming Muslim, he knows that‘jihad’ and ‘mujahuddin’ are really not the ‘curse words’ that people now fear. The public is misin-formed and education is the key, he declared.

Stephanie Guilloud, Codirector of Project South, a movement-building organization, discussed possible strategies for collective transformative community building: as public surveillance increases, the public can assert its rights as in the Hijabs and Hoodies events and marches on Washington. Rather than retreat into isolation, we can educate and build relations. 

In the Q& A period it was noted that a “pro-white rally” was being planned by Klansmen and white nationalists for Stone Mountain on April 23. Final words were be careful, be informed.

 

Cosponsors for the event were Advancing Justice–Atlanta, Community Masjid of Atlanta-West End, Council on American-Islamic Relations–Georgia, Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, Jewish Voice for Peace–Atlanta, Inner-City Muslim Action Network–Atlanta, Islamic Center of North Fulton (ICNF), Islamic Center of West Georgia, Masjid Al-Mu’minun, National Lawyers Guild–Georgia, Roswell Community Masjid, and West Cobb Islamic Center.


Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.


  • Add to Twitter
  • Add to Facebook
  • Add to Technorati
  • Add to Slashdot
  • Add to Stumbleupon
  • Add to Furl
  • Add to Blinklist
  • Add to Delicious
  • Add to Newsvine
  • Add to Reddit
  • Add to Digg
  • Add to Fark

Back to articles

 

DIGITAL ISSUE 

03_24-Cover-NMACC-W.jpg

 

eKhabar

Sign up for our weekly newsletter
eKhabar

        

Potomac_wavesmedia Banner ad.png 

TrophyPoint-Webads-200x200-4.jpg

  NRSPAY_Khabar-Website_2x2_Ad.gif

Krishnan Co WebBanner.jpg

Raj&Patel-CPA-Web-Banner.jpg

Embassy Bank_gif.gif 

MedRates-Banner-11-23.jpg

DineshMehta-CPA-Banner-0813.jpg