Angry and saddened, members of a Muslim community in New
York state's capital have been staying away from their mosque for fear
of being labeled terrorists as they await a bail hearing Tuesday for
two men accused of supporting terrorism. The hearing is the second
proceeding against the pair associated with an Albany mosque and
arrested in an FBI sting operation. It was granted by U.S. Magistrate
David Homer after a possible translation error turned up in key
evidence against them. Yassin Aref, 34, and Mohammed Hossain, 49, were
first ordered held without bail on August 10 when they pleaded not
guilty to charges of money laundering, supporting a terrorist
organization and conspiracy. At the time, U.S. authorities said the
evidence included an address book found in what they called a terrorist
training camp in northern Iraq that referred to Aref as "the commander"
in Arabic. The Justice Department says FBI translators now read the
word as "brother" in Kurdish.In the wake of the translation
controversy, other Muslims in Albany call the case a tragic
misunderstanding. About 7,000 Muslims live in Albany and nearby towns.
"I'm upset. It's racial profiling," said Abdul Malik, who worships at
the small Albany mosque where Aref serves as spiritual leader. "They
are honest men, good family men." [more ]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.
]