Leader of Seattle Mosque Arrested, Muslims *Shocked*

The leader of a Seattle mosque was arrested on Nov. 15th as he got off an airplane by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Number of articles appearing in the US media about this? One.

Have imams being arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force become so commonplace that it is no longer 'news', or is the lack of MSM coverage more evidence that the MSM doesn't want you to associate terrorism with Islam? Hmmm, I wonder if a Christian pastor had been arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force would the media reaction be any different?

Notice this Seattle Post Intelligencer piece makes sure to qualify Abu Abrahim Sheik Mohamed's name by noting that he is a 'respected leader':

The respected leader of a Rainier Valley mosque was arrested Monday on an immigration charge, surprising those who knew his work in Seattle's Somali community.

Trust me on this one: 'Immigration charges' + 'Joint Terrorism Task Force' = 'I lied on my Visa application about not being a member of al Qaeda'

Federal agents with the Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Abu Abrahim Sheik Mohamed at Sea-Tac Airport as he got off a domestic flight, federal criminal justice sources said....

While he is being held only on the immigration violations, the Joint Terrorism Task Force is continuing its investigation, a source said.

As if lying about being a terrorist on your Visa application is just some minor infracton.

Mohamed, a native of Somalia, has led prayers as the imam of Abu-Bakr Mosque for the past five years.

Have I mentioned lately where I believe Osama bin Laden to be hiding out? No. Well it aint in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Wrong continent. Try a continent that starts and ends with "A". No, not Antarctica, guess again. And if I were to hazard a guess (and this is an educated guess based on evidence) as to exactly where on that continent Osama bin Laden was hiding out I would begin with the place where bin Laden first attacked the U.S....

"I know the man. I'm shocked to hear that (he was arrested), if he's the one I have in mind," said Hisham Farajallah, president of the Islamic Center of Washington.

Several Somali immigrants expressed surprise Tuesday after hearing of Mohamed's arrest, saying the imam was well regarded in the community for his counsel on a wide range of family issues.

"He is a leader for all the Somali community, not just for the mosque," Hassan Nur said as he arrived at the mosque for midafternoon prayer.

Nur and a man named Ali said that Mohamed would solve "99 percent" of the problems brought to him, helping people with questions related to marriage, parenting, addictions and youths.

I hear the Taliban also could solve 99% of familial problems within minutes.

They said Mohamed even started a summer program at the mosque to keep youths off the street and out of trouble.

Again, as if fascists of all stripes aren't social reformers. They are. You know, solve our ills by forcing us to follow Allah.

"I've never heard of him doing anything wrong," Nur said.

Mohamed is "a wise man in every aspect," said Mohamed Abdi, president of Somali Community Services of Seattle.

I wonder if Abu Abrahim Sheik Mohamed's 'wisdom' and service to his community included advising his friends and neighbors to follow the the Somali Islamic tradition of female genital mutilation?

Mohamed has been the only imam at the mosque, which started six years ago without a prayer leader.

Though open to Muslims of all national origins, the mosque is used mostly by Somalis.

In November 2004, the Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested 14 people at about a dozen Seattle-area locations, including a business one block from the original location of Abu-Bakr Mosque.

Among those arrested in the November 2004 raids was Karim Abdullah Assalaam, who told an FBI informant that "his whole Muslim crew" is involved in an ongoing bank fraud scheme for personal gain and because "you can't go to war broke," court documents say.

In a tape-recorded conversation about guns, Assalaam told the informant, "I just want to die a Shaheed," which he defined as a martyr "who dies in the cause of Allah."

Assalaam is to be sentenced next month after acceding to a federal plea agreement.

In addition to the single mention of Abu Abrahim Sheik Mohamed's arrest in the U.S. press, the Iranians give the story a little ink. Iranian Quran News Agency's story is actually just a reprint of the SPI article, but it is interesting that the Iranians would give this some space but not, say, CNN.

Posted by: Rusty at 11:04 AM | Comments (22) | Add Comment
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