Right Wing Group Promotes "Anti-Islam" on Websites
- SANTA ANA, Calif. – Mona Shadia, IFN
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ms. Deirdre Eliot, who told a federal magistrate that Ahmadullah Niazi, brother-in-law of an alleged bodyguard of Osama bin Laden, is a terrorist-sympathizer, is actually in danger of being guilty by association herself, for supporting a right-wing group that has promoted anti-Islamic rhetoric on its Web sites.
In 2004, Eliot gave $2,000 in political contributions to the Lincoln Club of Orange County, ....
...a conservative organization with chapters throughout California.
(http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?24962643468)
The Orange County chapter's newsletters are riddled with topics on "fundamentalist Islam" and "radical Islamists."
Brigitte Gabriel, an anti-Muslim advocate, who’s been described by the New York Times Magazine as a “radical Islamophobe,” was invited to speak at one of the group's events. On the group’s Ventura County chapter Web site, articles and letters are posted by writers who claim that Islam is a danger to society's development and progress. Another article claims that Western Europe has but two options: "Submission, Islam, or death."
"It is a serious flag when a government prosecutor of Ms. Eliot’s position and role is associated with a group that is clearly promoting anti-Muslim bigotry in its most hateful form," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Greater Los Angeles-area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Her generous contribution to a group that is spreading Islamophobia and her refusal to repudiate or disassociate herself from its views sends an unspoken yet strong message on how she views Muslims and about her possible personal biases in driving this case against members of the Muslim community.”
Although Niazi is not facing any terrorism-related charges, Eliot's attempt was to link him by association to persuade U.S. Magistrate Arthur Nakazato to deny Niazi's bail release. Her attempts failed when Nakazato set Niazi’s bail at $500,000 and ruled that he would be confined to electronic monitoring, home detention and must surrender his passport and travel documents. Niazi posted his bail on Feb 27. When asked by IFN if her personal political choices and views might stand in the way of a fair trial for Niazi, Eliot said "I'm not going to comment about anything."
Niazi, 34, an Afghan native and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was picked up from his Tustin home on Feb. 20 by federal agents on suspicion of perjury, naturalization fraud, misuse of a passport obtained by fraud and making a false statement to a federal agency. Authorities allege Niazi's sister, Hafiza, is married to Amin Al-Haq, who's identified in the indictment records as a high-ranking al-Qaida member. According to the prosecutors' indictment, Al-Haq was identified by the United Nations Security Council as an individual associated with bin Laden and al-Qaida around and after Sept. 11, 2001.
During the hearing on Feb. 24, Eliot said Niazi's case doesn't stop with immigration fraud, but that he's directly involved with terrorists. To her allegations, Nakazato replied one cannot pick their relatives.
Aside from questioning whether Eliot's personal involvement with a right-wing, anti-Muslim supporter group can keep her neutral in carrying the charges against Niazi, CAIR is maintaining that Niazi's arrest was to punish him for refusing to become an FBI informant.
According to CAIR, Niazi approached their Anaheim office about the FBI's request saying he was threatened by FBI Agent Thomas J. Ropel III if he refused to cooperate. According to Ayloush, Niazi alleged Ropel told him his life will be made a “living hell” if he refused to cooperate.
“These coercive and intimidating methods used to pressure Muslims into becoming informants or instigators at the risk of severe retaliation are unacceptable," Ayloush said. “Such practice erodes the trust between the Muslim community and the FBI and generates fear and intimidation."
In 2007, Muslims from the community – including Niazi – complained to Irvine police and the local CAIR office about a man who spoke of organizing terrorist plots. He was later identified as Craig Monteilh, and it became known that he had posed as a Muslim convert to spy on Muslims in mosques. (IFN, Aug. 2007: http://www.infocusnews.net/content/view/15942/350/) Monteilh, 46, has a history of criminal records, including serving a recent sentence for conning people out of more than $150,000.
“The issue is less about the ex-con who is guilty of a long criminal history involving grand theft, fraud and narcotics. It is about the FBI and its practices," Ayloush said. “It appears that the FBI continues to view the entire American Muslim community as suspect and treats it as such. Infiltrating mainstream and very open mosques the way FBI informants would infiltrate white supremacist groups illustrates the FBI's perception of American Muslims as a community that must be constantly monitored, instead of being treated as an equal partner in fighting crime and terrorism."
Niazi played a role in helping the Islamic Center of Irvine obtain a restraining order against Monteilh, who spoke of organizing terrorists plots and tried to recruit others to join him in what he called the fight against the infidels, Ayloush said. Now, Niazi is being held in prison on fraud charges.
The restraining order was granted to the Islamic center for three years, said Issa Edah-Tally, board president of the Islamic Center of Irvine.
"We filled a restraining order against Monteilh because we felt he was a threat to the Muslim community and society at large," Edah-Tally said. “Niazi was a person that reported Monteilh to the Islamic center, and he provided information that assisted the Islamic Center of Irvine to obtain the restraining order."
To that, Monteilh said the leaders of the Islamic center filed the restraining order to protect Niazi.During the hearing, Defense attorney Chase Scolnick said the government should be welcoming and rewarding those who identify individuals such as Monteilh to the community, but, instead, Niazi was punished for it.
CAIR sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to investigate whether Niazi's arrest and charges were a result of him refusing to become an FBI informant. “This investigation should examine when and how agents and officers seek to recruit American Muslims as informants and how these individuals are treated if they refuse recruitment," Ayloush said.
During a press conference on Feb. 26, Monteilh, who went by the name Farouk Al-Aziz, said he was paid by the FBI to identify Muslim extremists. Monteilh said he believes the FBI has information, relayed by him, about seven other extremists who are current members of the Islamic Center of Irvine. Monteilh held his press conference after filing a petition to lift the restraining order, saying he wants to clear his name from any terrorism-related charges. Monteilh claims the FBI broke promises to reward him for his service. When asked if his choice to speak out was a result of the FBI's broken promises, Monteilh said no, but that he believes his work was a service to his country.
Monteilh said Niazi spoke of bombing vacated buildings and shopping malls in Orange County to harm the United States economically. The FBI paid Monteilh from $2,500 a month and up to $11,000 over a one year period for his services, he said. His payments included bonuses that he received when he reported suspected terrorists to the FBI. When you work for the FBI, “you have to earn your money,” he said.
He added his “handler” from the FBI told him former President George W. Bush was being briefed about Niazi, who was considered to be an imminent threat. When asked if he's surprised with the lack of terrorism charges against Niazi, he said no. According to the indictment, Niazi failed to state that he used other names on his naturalization documents. Authorities also allege that Niazi used an unlicensed money transfer system to transfer funds to another country.
“Hawala" is often relied on by people from Afghanistan and Pakistan to transfer money from one country to another. Although the system is legitimate, it is sometimes exploited by those seeking to avoid U.S. monitoring of financial records, the indictment states.
CAIR's role in the case is not to represent Niazi, but only to ensure his civil rights are protected, Ayloush said. However, the FBI’s tactics and Eliot’s personal and political involvements are greatly troubling to the Muslim civil rights organization. Incidents during the hearing such as repeated allegation by Eliot that Niazi is a danger to the community because of his relationship to his brother-in-law “sadly reveals a deeply biased mindset which perceives a Muslim to be guilty until he or she can prove his or her innocence,” Ayloush said.
Niazi plead not guilty at his arraignment on March 2. His pre-trial date is set for April 6, and his trial is scheduled to begin on April 14.