Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago condemns plot on Dutch newspaper
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kiran Ansari
Interim Executive Director
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
231 S. State Street, Suite 300,
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Phone: (312) 506.0070
Fax: (312) 506.0077
director@ciogc.org
The Council condemns alleged terrorist plot by two Chicago men planned on foreign soil
Chicago, Illinois – October 27, 2009 - The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (the Council) is very disturbed and concerned by the arrest of two Chicago men on federal charges for their alleged roles in conspiracies to provide material support and/or to commit terrorist acts against overseas targets. According to federal law enforcement officials today, these two men alleged to attack facilities and employees of a Danish newspaper that published inappropriate cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005. The Council urges all American-Muslims in Illinois to be alert and report any suspicious activity to the law enforcement agencies in their area. The Council also strongly condemns the actions of the alleged defendants if proven in a court of law.
The defendants charged in separate criminal complaints unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago are David Headley, 49 and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48 announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The complaints remained under seal temporarily after the defendants’ arrests, with court approval, so as not to compromise further investigative activity.
“The alleged plot is an attack on our values. The acts of these two individuals, if proven true, are despicable. The Muslim community in Illinois, like other faith communities, thank our law enforcement agencies for their vigilance, ask our community members and all citizens to be alert and report any suspicious activities to their law enforcement agencies, and appeal to our citizens and our media not generalize conclusions from these individual acts” said Kiran Ansari, the Interim Executive Director of CIOGC.
The Council rejects any association between this alleged plot and Islam. The Fiqh Council of North America re-affirmed Islam’s absolute condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism several years ago in a detailed statement which sets forth the textual authorities that prohibit terrorism and religious extremism (read here).
“The two alleged plotters are not representative of main stream American-Muslims. There are criminal elements in every faith community, whether Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhists. An entire faith should not hijacked by the actions of disturbed or maligned individuals” said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Chairman of the Council. “American-Muslims across the board condemn the alleged criminal violence of these two individuals” he added.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains mere allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Council calls upon all mosques in Illinois to re-double their efforts to unequivocally remind American-Muslims of Islam’s unwavering prohibition against terrorism and religious extremism and to continue their vigilance in keeping Illinois mosques and Muslim community centers free of all criminality.
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago is a 17 year old federation of over 50 mosques and Muslim organizations throughout Illinois. The Council’s mission is to unify the diverse American-Muslim community in Illinois, to strengthen and sustain Muslim institutions and individuals through programming that builds skills and capacity and to organize and mobilize the 400,000 American-Muslims in Illinois to work in collaboration with the broader community to advance the common good.
END
Interim Executive Director
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
231 S. State Street, Suite 300,
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Phone: (312) 506.0070
Fax: (312) 506.0077
director@ciogc.org
The Council condemns alleged terrorist plot by two Chicago men planned on foreign soil
Chicago, Illinois – October 27, 2009 - The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (the Council) is very disturbed and concerned by the arrest of two Chicago men on federal charges for their alleged roles in conspiracies to provide material support and/or to commit terrorist acts against overseas targets. According to federal law enforcement officials today, these two men alleged to attack facilities and employees of a Danish newspaper that published inappropriate cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005. The Council urges all American-Muslims in Illinois to be alert and report any suspicious activity to the law enforcement agencies in their area. The Council also strongly condemns the actions of the alleged defendants if proven in a court of law.
The defendants charged in separate criminal complaints unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago are David Headley, 49 and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48 announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The complaints remained under seal temporarily after the defendants’ arrests, with court approval, so as not to compromise further investigative activity.
“The alleged plot is an attack on our values. The acts of these two individuals, if proven true, are despicable. The Muslim community in Illinois, like other faith communities, thank our law enforcement agencies for their vigilance, ask our community members and all citizens to be alert and report any suspicious activities to their law enforcement agencies, and appeal to our citizens and our media not generalize conclusions from these individual acts” said Kiran Ansari, the Interim Executive Director of CIOGC.
The Council rejects any association between this alleged plot and Islam. The Fiqh Council of North America re-affirmed Islam’s absolute condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism several years ago in a detailed statement which sets forth the textual authorities that prohibit terrorism and religious extremism (read here).
“The two alleged plotters are not representative of main stream American-Muslims. There are criminal elements in every faith community, whether Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhists. An entire faith should not hijacked by the actions of disturbed or maligned individuals” said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Chairman of the Council. “American-Muslims across the board condemn the alleged criminal violence of these two individuals” he added.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains mere allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Council calls upon all mosques in Illinois to re-double their efforts to unequivocally remind American-Muslims of Islam’s unwavering prohibition against terrorism and religious extremism and to continue their vigilance in keeping Illinois mosques and Muslim community centers free of all criminality.
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago is a 17 year old federation of over 50 mosques and Muslim organizations throughout Illinois. The Council’s mission is to unify the diverse American-Muslim community in Illinois, to strengthen and sustain Muslim institutions and individuals through programming that builds skills and capacity and to organize and mobilize the 400,000 American-Muslims in Illinois to work in collaboration with the broader community to advance the common good.
END
