Arab American and American Muslim community leaders attorney Nabih Ayad, L, Allie Berry, Imad Hamad, Osama Siblani, Dawud Walid and Nadia Fadel address law enforcement officials during an April 30 meeting in Dearborn addressing tensions over surveillance that have risen in recent weeks between communities and agencies like the FBI.

DEARBORN — Recent allegations regarding FBI agents coercing American Muslims to act as informants were addressed at a community roundtable discussion held last Thursday. The meeting, organized by the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO), took place at the Lebanese American Heritage Club in Dearborn. The roundtable allowed members of the community to speak directly with representatives of the local branch of the FBI, as well as other government agencies.
Recent reports from across the country have surfaced over the past several months alleging that FBI agents are approaching American Muslims at their local mosques and forcing them to spy on their fellow community members.

Local U.S. law enforcement officials during a meeting with Arab American and American Muslim leaders at the Lebanese American Heritage Club in Dearborn on April 30. PHOTO: Mariam Habhab

On both a local and national level, the FBI is denying that any such activity is taking place. Andrew Arena, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit office, admitted that while the use of informants is an integral part of the Bureau’s work, it is against their policy to target mosques or any other religious institution.
“There is a lot of talk about ‘stories’ being passed around, and that is exactly what they are: ‘stories,'” claimed Arena. “What happens in situations like this is information that is unsubstantiated gets passed along to the media, and people become fearful and paranoid.”

Arena went on to say that should evidence of any wrong doing by FBI agents be found, they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

“If one of our agents is doing something illegal, there will be a thorough investigation and the U.S. Attorney will prosecute whoever is involved,” he stated.

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Michigan, said that it is unlikely that these allegations are false, since the reports have been coming from various Muslim communities across the U.S.

“Our main concern is that these reports are coming in from all across the country, not just Metro Detroit,” he stated. “It cannot be a coincidence.”

The meeting came shortly after the FBI announced that it would be suspending its direct involvement with CAIR.

Arena told the roundtable participants that the Bureau made a decision on a national level to temporarily cease direct contact with CAIR, due to the organization’s involvement in the case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a charity that is suspected to have ties to Hamas. Arena added that the decision does not mean that the FBI will not attend meetings or functions where CAIR representatives are present.

“We are not saying that we won’t attend a meeting if CAIR is there,” Arena said. “Today’s meeting proves that.”

Walid said that the informant issue is causing a wave of paranoia among Muslims who visit their mosque regularly. According to reports that CAIR is receiving, individuals are also being asked by agents to find out where people are donating their money.

“We’ve received reports that Muslims are being asked to report back on who raises their hand to donate and to which charities,” Walid continued. “Zakat is one of the main obligations of Islam, and people are feeling intimidated when it comes time to donate at their mosque.”

“There is no doubt that this is a serious matter that merits attention and further discussion,” stated Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Michigan, who attended the meeting. “At this time there is a lot of information being passed around, and people are understandably concerned.”

Hamad added that the roundtable served as an opportunity for community members to voice their concerns to the government representatives who were in attendance.

“Active dialogue has always been the most effective method to address any differences or disputes, and we are confident that meetings like this will help resolve this issue,” he said.

Walid said that CAIR, in coordination with several other Muslim organizations, has asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to launch an internal investigation on a national level to look into these allegations.

“This is a serious problem that we hope can be alleviated, for the sake of both the community and law enforcement,” Walid said. “This is having a chilling effect in Muslim communities across the country.”