Islamic groups voice frustrations together at

By Stephanie Erickson, Sentinel Staff Writer, December 15, 2002

Every day, five times a day, they stand shoulder to shoulder, unifying the rich, the poor, the happy and the sad, and then kneel in prayer to Allah. On Saturday, Central Florida Muslims welcomed leaders from top Islamic groups across the country to join them. They recited verses from the Quran, ate curry chicken and rice pudding, and then, they listened. They heard each other’s frustrations, shared perspectives and vowed to unify to end discrimination against Florida Muslims. Now, they hope to unite blacks, Christians, Hispanics and others in their fight. The national leaders directed Central Florida Muslims to build alliances with other groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, to visit churches and synagogues, and to convince law enforcement of the need to have more cultural sensitivity. Nearly 200 people gathered at the Islamic Society of Central Florida’s worship center in Orlando to discuss how to stop actions they say have curtailed civil rights since Sept. 11.There have been 183 incidents of hate crimes against Muslims in Florida since Sept. 11, 2001, said Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society said he used to worry about racial profiling as a driver who is black. ”Now I have to be concerned about flying while Muslim,” he said. Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, director of the American Muslim Association of North America in Miami, said he has received numerous telephone threats. If another minority group were being similarly threatened, there would be riots, he said.”But this is a shy community,” he said of Muslims. “They cannot express themselves. ”Attention focused on Florida Eric Vickers, executive director of the American Muslim Council, said his group has declared Florida the battle ground for fighting discrimination against Muslims because the intensity of the discrimination is stronger in Florida than anywhere else. ”This is the state that took three medical students and treated them like common criminals,” he said. The three Muslim students were detained this year in South Florida after a Georgia restaurant patron said she heard them talking about a terrorist attack on Miami. They were never charged but were suspended from school. Other incidents discussed Shahid Shaheen of Tallahassee told the story of a man who drove a truck into the Islamic Center Mosque near the Florida State University campus in March. The man pleaded guilty last month to a federal hate crime. At least one organizer initially said that Saturday’s meeting was spurred in part by the recent arrest of Palestinian American businessman Jesse Maali on federal charges of hiring illegal aliens and money laundering. But Mohammad Qazi of the American Muslim Alliance, a group that helped organize the event, said that was not one of the motivating factors. Maali’s name was never mentioned at the meeting. Sami Al-Arian, a suspended Palestinian professor from the University of South Florida accused of having terrorist ties, compared the medical students’ situation to that of Robert Goldstein, a Jewish podiatrist who plotted to blow up an Islamic center in St. Petersburg. Authorities found 37 destructive devices when they responded to a domestic-disturbance call at Goldstein’s home.
“If this isn’t terrorism, I wonder what is?” Al-Arain said. “Yet is he called a terrorist? No, he was called a podiatrist. ”Steve Cole, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said decisions by federal prosecutors are made by evidence and not by any other factors. ”Everything we do is based on what we feel is a good-faith effort, and it’s not based on race, ethnic background or religious background,” Cole said.Wire services were used in this report. Stephanie Erickson can be reached at 407-420-5347 or serickson@orlandosentinel.com0 Comments