Muslim Americans Profiled as Surveillance Crosses Sacred Line

The news of Ahmadullah Sais Niazi’s arrest began with a raid on his Tustin, Calif. home on Feb. 20. Papers called the resident an associate of Al Qaeda. They even gave his address out.

The story came with fantastic headlines. ABC news proclaimed, “The Feds Pop Alleged Al Qaeda Associate.” Neighbors were pictured in the LA Times staring at the house as if it was haunted by the ghosts of 9-11.

It turned out, Afghanistan-born Niazi, 34, simply didn’t report on his immigration papers that his sister was married to Amin al-Haq, an alleged security coordinator for Osama Bin Laden.

But the FBI relied substantially on an informant to paint Niazi as more than just a liar on legal paperwork. The informant, 46-year-old Craig Monteilh, had penetrated Orange County mosques for over a year before being cut loose in 2007.

Niazi is charged with perjury, naturalization fraud, misuse of a passport obtained by fraud and making a false statement to a federal agency, according to the LA Times.

Today, as civil rights groups line up against the FBI, these issues represent what may become the first glimpses at the deep fault lines of distrust between the Muslim-American community and the government agency. A distrust that must be soothed if we as Americans can truly live as a cohesive and safe society.

This is most likely leading up to courtroom quakes that may redefine freedom of speech within religious communities and immigrant communities. They may decide if Muslim-Americans can be partners in fighting terror or only suspects.

According to the Council of American Islamic Relations, Niazi is being punished for not becoming an informant himself. In 2007, Niazi reported Monteilh to authorities because he spoke of violent acts against the government. They met at the Islamic Center of Irvine. The ICI retained a restraining order against Monteilh with the help of Niazi, CAIR said.

Also, after Niazi reported Monteilh in 2007, an FBI agent threatened Niazi that if he did not become an informant himself, they would make his life a “living hell,” according to CAIR.

Essentially, we are at the moment of finding out how “American” a Muslim-American really is.

Are Muslims going to be arrested for wiring money overseas to relatives in need? Are Muslims going to be arrested if their sisters marry someone 15,000 miles away whom the government deems too close to terror?

The raid in Niazi’s home did not turn up anything linking him to extremism. His potential guilt is less important than the FBI’s surveillance strategies.

Perhaps the Jewish Journal’s God Blog sums up the concerns:

“The question is whether law enforcement should be allowed to invade sacred space in the name of public safety. And if so, are my prayer requests going to make it into a report somewhere?”

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Credit:Credit: Abrahim Appel, 30, a freelance journalist residing in Fullerton, California. He recently acquired his B.A in Afro-Ethnic and American Indian Studies from Cal State Fullerton. He works as a live-in caregiver and is researching masters and PhD programs in Arab-Diaspora Studies or International Relations with an emphasis on ethnic relations while considering a career with the Peace Corps.