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KFWB NEWS 980 -- ALL NEWS ALL THE TIME

Saturday, June 29, 2002

Mueller Tells Muslims They Provided Key Help After Sept. 11

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) 6.28.02, 12:10p -- FBI Director Robert
Mueller told a convention of American Muslims on Friday they
have provided "substantive assistance" in investigating
terrorism since Sept. 11, including key help translating for
suspects who speak Arabic. Mueller also noted, however, that
some members of the American Muslim Council in the past had
made statements supporting terrorism.
"My presence generated some controversy," Mueller told the
group, in reference to a handful of calls that he should not
speak to the group. He noted the organization's head condemned
the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon
after they happened. But the FBI director also said some
people associated with the group "have in the past made
statements that indicated support for terrorists and terrorist
organizations," and said all Americans should be outraged by
such statements.
Nevertheless, Mueller defended his appearance, saying, "It is
critically important for us to develop a strong relationship."

Among the assistance Muslims in the United States have
provided to law enforcement was an outpouring of people
volunteering to serve as Arabic translators, Mueller said.
That allowed the FBI to double the number of such experts and
substantially reduce a backlog of items needing translating,
he said.
Some Arabic translators also have gone to the U.S. naval base
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to help interview suspected al-Qaida
or Taliban suspects detained there, Mueller said.
The FBI director also sought to assure the group that his
agency will not abuse broad new powers to fight terrorism, by
trampling on civil liberties or unfairly singling out Arabs or
Muslims.
"We are out to address terrorists," Mueller said. "This is in
no way a war against Islam."
The group opened its 11th annual meeting Thursday with a
daylong lobbying session on Capitol Hill. Clutching red
booklets titled "How Our Laws Are Made," many of the members
seemed determined, if hesitant, to engage in this ritual of
citizenship -- most of them for the first time.
The United States has frozen the assets of some of the
charities to which the council has urged its members to
contribute, citing alleged links to terrorists. The council
has disputed those characterizations, and stressed that it is
a mainstream organization.

-- continued --

Participants in this year's conference, whose theme is
"American Muslims: Part of America," showed the pressures of
this age of increased FBI surveillance. Many shunned media
interviews, fearing they might invite police scrutiny of their
activities.
"We're particularly pleased that you have decided to come out
as Americans," Eric Vickers, director of the American Muslim
Council, told them during an orientation session Thursday.
The list of issues for which they seek political attention is
long: a Palestinian state, Iraq, Kashmir, new FBI surveillance
tactics and racial profiling of Muslims since Sept. 11.
"I think it will be tough," said Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the
Saudi Institute, a pro-democracy group. "There has been a
realization that we need to resolve our internal issues and
deal with the world, America specifically, in a very clear and
concise manner. But with a weak community, you can't do the
job you need to do."
About 50 people took part in Thursday's session, sitting
quietly in a House meeting room to bone up on the basics of
talking to elected officials and using federal
anti-discrimination laws to protect their rights.
The citizen-lobbyists also got the Islamic perspective on the
need for a Palestinian state, the tumult between India and
Pakistan over Kashmir and the failures of the oil-for-food
program in Iraq.
"I've never done anything like this before, so I'm out here to
watch and learn from the people who have the experience," said
Zayed Yasin, 22, of Scituate, Mass., who found himself at the
center of controversy for using the term "jihad" in his
Harvard University commencement speech.
"It's part of living in this country. Every community that has
issues important to it needs to be involved in the political
process to get those issues addressed," Yasin said, adding
self-consciously, "I haven't been that good about it either."

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