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September 19, 2006

US: Raid On Home Of Missouri Muslim

News from the Columbia Tribune, the Columbia Missourian and Associated Press via the Kansas City Star and the Seattle Pi states that the home of a mosque leader from Columbia Missouri was raided early yesterday.

The exact reasons for the search, like the raid on the Detroit-based Muslim charity Life for Relief and Development yesterday are not known, as the warrants were sealed.

The mosque leader is 54-year old Shakir Abdul-Kaf Hamoodi, who lives with his wife Lamya Mukhlef Najem. Hamoodi was born in Iraq, but has lived in Columbia for 21 years. He is a vocal critic of the Iraq war. His home had recently been daubed with graffiti.

About twelve FBI agents descended on his home, and throughout the day, boxes were removed. Hamoodi said: "They came in, asked questions, I told them the answers and they left."

Three days earlier, there was a meeting between FBI officials and Muslims at a local mosque, the Islamic Center of Central Missouri. This meeting was held to improve community relations, and the raid is thought by some to have damaged the trust-building measure on Friday.

Corey Brand, president of the Islamic Center of Central Missouri, said: "I could not believe that he would be involved in anything evil. I've known Shakir Hamoodi for years, and he's quite highly respected. This is absolutely going to damage relationships."

FBI Supervisory Special Agent Richard Thornton, who addressed Muslims at the center, had asked for that meeting, according to a member of the center, Ahmed Habib. However, Thornton had told the Missouri Tribune that Habib had asked for the meeting.

During that meeting, Muslims voiced their concerns that a Columbia-based charity had been shut down by the FBI in 2004. That charity, the Islamic American Relief Agency, was said by the US Treasury to the be the American affiliate of the Khartoum-based Islamic African Relief Agency, one of 40 affiliate organisations with links to IARA. The Treasury had said that IARA, including the Columbia charity "provided direct financial support" to Osama bin Laden.

On its website the Treasury stated: "Evidence also shows that as of early 2003, IARA was responsible for moving funds to the Palestinian territories for use in terrorist activities, notably serving as a conduit to Hamas in one Western European country. In part, funds were raised through IARA collection boxes marked "Allah" and "Israel", signaling the funds would be directed towards attacks against Israelis. Within the last year, IARA was reportedly linked to the Belgium office of the Al-Aqsa Foundation.

The U.S.-based branch of IARA/ISRA is located in Columbia, Missouri, and was founded in 1985 as the "Islamic African Relief Agency, United States Affiliate." In 1999, the charity substituted "American" for "African" in its name."

On Friday at the Islamic Center of Central Missouri, FBI agent Thornton had said that people who had contributed large amounts of funds to the Islamic American Relief Agency could face questioning from the FBI.

Ahmed Habib said: "We wanted to show them that the mosque is open to them. I’m surprised this type of thing would happen so soon afterward."

According to FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza, agents arrived at Hamoodi's home in Woodberry Court, The Pines in southwest Columbia at around 8 am. Neighbours said that the removal of boxes and computer equipment from Hamoodi's home continued until 4 pm.

Ibrahim Hooper from CAIR spoke of the coincidence of the timing of the raids on Mr Hamoodi's home and the offices of Life for Relief and Development. He said: "After learning about the Columbia raid, I have to say the timings are odd."

Hamoodi grew up in Anah, northern Iraq, and studied in Iraq, Scotland and France. He migrated with his wife to Columbia in 1985. He is the father of five children born in the US. His wife teaches at a Muslim school in Columbia, and Hamoodi himself owns an international market.

He used to be the outreach worker at the Islamic Center of Central Missouri. Several members of the Muslim community in Columbia said that they felt personally targeted after the raid on Hamoodi's house.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 19, 2006 4:49 PM

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