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Release Demanded for American Muslim Held in Turkey
Saleema
07/06/01 at 02:00:22
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RELEASE DEMANDED FOR AMERICAN MUSLIM HELD IN TURKEY American Muslim arrested for "insulting" regime, "illegal" prayer meeting, Islamic attire (WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/5/2001) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the U.S. Department of State to demand the release of an American Muslim being held in Turkey on charges that he insulted the secular regime in that country, held an "illegal" prayer meeting in a private home and wore banned Islamic attire. According to media reports, the charges against Aydogan Fuat (also known as Sheikh Abdul Kerim Fuat) came after a prayer meeting he led last week in the city of Izmir. If convicted, Fuat, who is a naturalized American citizen, could serve up to three years in prison. American consular officials in Izmir were at first refused permission to visit Fuat to assess his condition and investigate the charges. In a letter to Lorne W. Craner, Assistant Secretary for the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote: "As American Muslims, we value the right to freely practice one's faith. It is unconscionable that the Republic of Turkey, a nation that is a close ally of the United States, would violate such basic religious freedoms as the right to pray, to voice spiritual convictions and to wear religious attire. "I would therefore respectfully request that the State Department: 1) exert every effort to dissuade Turkish officials from continuing to violate international norms of religious and human rights, 2) demand the immediate release of Mr. Fuat, 3) enter this incident in the State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom to be issued in September, and 4) coordinate joint action on this and other violations of religious rights in Turkey with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom." Copies of the letter were sent to the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom and Office of Turkish Affairs, as well as the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Turkey has a long history of human and religious rights violations, including banning Islamic attire in government offices and universities, and labeling normal religious activity as "extremist." Turkish elected official Merve Kavakci was even denied the right to take her place in parliament merely because she wore a religiously-mandated headscarf. CAIR is a Washington-based Islamic advocacy group.                    - END - CONTACT:     Ibrahim Hooper at 202-488-8787        E-Mail: cair1@ix.netcom.com ----- CAIR Council on American-Islamic Relations 453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20003 Tel: 202-488-8787 Fax: 202-488-0833 E-mail: cair1@ix.netcom.com URL: http://www.cair-net.org

Re: Release Demanded for American Muslim Held in Turkey
Saleema
07/06/01 at 17:48:28
I feel for this guy, but you know, we have to respect the laws of lands we visit if they are different from our own, granted we are not being asked to go against the law of Allah T'allah. He was being forced to do something which is against Allah. The whole of the earth is a masjid and a Muslim has a right to pray anywhere on earth. In which case, our punishment under unjust laws should be handled with the patience and perserverance of a Muslim.  It seems that too often people invite trouble and then turn to Allah T'allah to solve the problem, or other people even. Perhaps he knew he was inviting trouble. But that doesn't mean that we should not help a distressed brother or sister who is in need of our help. Allah says in the Qur'an that we should forgive people even as Allah forgives us for out faults. Do we not invite trouble on ourselves and then realize our mistake and turn to Allah for help? Just as Allah is Merciful to us we should be merciful to each other. and come off very high and mighty in some of my posts. I think i sense that you are frustrated in your posts, i don't think that you come out high and mighty in them. But you would know yourself better.  :) but I do understand how volatile and politically charged regions there can be, and I would expect to conduct myself in such a manner to avoid be incarcerated. So would I be. But we don't know if he put himself in such a situation intentinally or not. We only have bits and pieces of the story. It seems to me from your post that it may have been his intention to be incarcerated to draw attention to issues. Perhaps it was his intention to drew attention to gross violations of Allah's laws and that in a country where there are 90 percent Muslims. But is that wrong? A Muslim should feel at home in any Muslim country. That is his right. This guy needs to do his best, with other Muslims support, to get out of the situation, but perhaps its best to let Turkey resolve Turkey's problems, and for us in American to continue to lend support in whatever way we can. That is what CAIR is doing, lending support to him. It is best to let Turkey resolve it's own problems, you are right. But that doesn't mean that people over there, wether from Turkey or not should not be able to practice their religion. Maybe the sheikh is Turkish, the CAIR report did mention that he was a naturalized citizen and his name seems to sugges that his is Turkish also. Maybe if it was a sheikh from Turkey I might understand why this is a more pressing issue, and that the religious freedom international acts are called to work. Those religious freedom laws are meant to be applied all over the world, Turkey included. But we know how bigoted the UN, US and practically the whole world is that many times they ignore these rules becuase it serves them some evil end. Just because its an AMERICAN sheikh, we should be outraged and the international community should get involved at this point, if they have not already. It has nothing to do with him being American. It has to do with the fact that he is a human being and a Muslim. Since he has American citizenship the US is obliged by it's own laws to help him wherever he is in the world, whether on top of a mountian or at the bottom of the sea. But the US ignored his plight because Turkey is a close ally of the US and because the man is Muslim. Were it an non-muslim American guy such a thing would be on the front pages and the public would be outraged. But since he is Muslim the American public doens't even that that an American is stuck somewhere where his is facing imprisonment. Do you remember that teenage kid that went to some country because and vadalized cars there and he was facing the paddle and the American public was outraged? Well, why isnt' the American public being informed about this? If attempts to change that situation of Islamic repression in Turkey have failed from the inside, and outside so far, then lets none of our other brothers and sisters go there to suffer, and lets see what we can do from the outside in. Definately. You are right. For the most part we should do that. But it is also necessary to work from the inside too. Just free prosin, not imposin, could be ignorance, could use some adminstratin guidance- Come on.  :) Don't be so sarcastic. We are not that bad. Even my posts have been eidted and delted. you will learn the rules of the board and they are in line with Islamic behavior. All of us slip sometimes. [wlm] Saleema
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