A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| yunus |
| 07/04/02 at 10:46:27 |
| Salaam I found this on the times union website I guess it was in todays paper. The follow up article is not much better then the first one. At least in this one it says that he is allegedly tied to terror and they state that he has not been charged or convicted of any crime. I doubt the success of getting them to have a retraction of the story. In all honesty while i do not like the article and i think that it is a direct attack on the muslim community and Imam Hanooti it is not are place to tell them not tor run a story because we do not like what it has to say. That is the first step towards censorship. At least this story is a little more fairly reported since they say that he is allegdly tied to terror and not "tied to terror". Anyways I think that we should keep sending editorials on the article i think that would help. And if people want to boycott the paper call them up and tell them specifically you are doing so because of this article. Here is the followup article: Questions put Muslim leader's future in doubt Colonie-- Mosque board contacting authorities about allegations linking their imam to terrorists By BRENDAN LYONS, Staff writer First published: Thursday, July 4, 2002 Trustees at the Islamic Center of the Capital District said they will contact law enforcement authorities about allegations their imam was linked to terrorism investigations, leaving the future uncertain for the spiritual leader of the area's largest mosque. Sheik Muhammad Al-Hanooti, 65, who became imam of the center in 2000, has never been charged with a crime or formally alleged to have supported terrorist organizations. But a Times Union report published Sunday showed that he once allegedly raised more than $6 million for a Middle Eastern terrorist organization and was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, according to court records and a classified FBI memorandum. "The ICCD board of trustees is currently evaluating this situation and contacting the appropriate authorities and resources in order to determine the best course of action for the benefit of the community at large," said a statement issued by the group Wednesday. In an interview last week at the Colonie-based mosque, Al-Hanooti denied allegations by the FBI that he was once a fund-raiser for Hamas, an outlawed Palestinian organization whose leaders have publicly claimed credit for numerous terrorist strikes and suicide bombings. Tariq Niazi, who was president of the Islamic Center's Board of Trustees when Al-Hanooti was hired, said members were stunned by the federal allegations because their imam has never shown any indication of being anti-American and has lashed out at terrorists as "murderers." "He's a person of very moderate views," Niazi said. "He genuinely likes this country and appreciates the freedom of this country. I have seen him do nothing but condemn terrorism and condemn violence." A classified FBI memorandum issued a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks alleges that Al-Hanooti raised money for Hamas in the early 1990s while he was imam at a Jersey City, N.J., mosque. It was there that Al-Hanooti also had contact with some of the terrorists convicted in connection with the February 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. A 1995 memorandum filed in federal court by then-U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White names Al-Hanooti -- along with scores of others, including Osama bin Laden -- as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 bombing that claimed six lives and injured thousands. Al-Hanooti last week said he was interviewed twice by FBI agents investigating the bombing. Meanwhile, the memorandum from Dale L. Watson, head of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, that was sent to the Department of Treasury last November outlined the government's case against several people and organizations that authorities believe may support terrorism operations. Al-Hanooti vehemently disputes the report and said he believes that if federal officials had proof of him having any ties to terrorist fronts or fund-raising efforts that they would be able to document it and arrest him. He also disputes a portion of the FBI memo that states he attended a three-day 1993 meeting at a Philadelphia hotel where federal authorities, using electronic and physical surveillance, determined Al-Hanooti and senior leaders of three alleged terrorist fronts discussed fund-raising efforts in the United States. Al-Hanooti was hired as imam of the Capital Region Islamic Center following a nationwide search, according to officials there. Before that, he worked at a large mosque in Falls Church, Va., but left in 1999 after a disagreement with board members there, he said. |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| mwishka |
| 07/04/02 at 11:21:00 |
| actually, i find this article to be much worse! the title of it will cause the thought to form in the public mind that he has now been tried and convicted. the albany paper is just a "bad" paper, with people on its staff, and running it, who have a particular view of the world which is harmful, and they use the paper to attempt to propagate that harm into our local communities. you can see it over and over in not only what they print, but how they choose to print it, and, especially, in what they choose not to print. mwishka |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| yunus |
| 07/04/02 at 21:46:53 |
| I dont really think its much better then the first article either but at least they added that he is allegedly tied to terror. The Fact is that all mainstream papers are horrible in their coverage on the war on terrorism and related issues. Obvioulsy the writer has a certain bias but we really cant dictate to the Times Union what to report and what not to report. The fact is that in their eyes they believe that is a news worthy story since they can oust a man as supposdly having ties to terror here in our communtiy. Other then a letter writing campagin and individuals choosing to boycott the paper I dont see where we can take it from here. Obviously this was their half heartes attempt at clarifying the 1st story. |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| mwishka |
| 07/04/02 at 23:16:10 |
| brother yunus, oh, i also agree that there isn't any particularly effective way to help a newspaper that's openly biased. what i did mean about this paper, though, which i had hesitated to make any clearer, i guess, is that it has a decidedly pro-israel editorial staff and board. i don't think the paper used to be quite like it is now, from what i can remember from even three years ago. when the most recent wave of the intifada was felt last year, i saw this paper start out with a medium degree of evenhandedness to its coverage - perhaps not wanting to lose readers if it showed its true view, or perhaps thinking if things got no worse it would never be forced to reveal the degree of its bias, OR maybe waiting to see how biased the readers showed themselves to be before it "reared up" for full onslaught. i saw the change in attitude toward palestine-israel reporting happen in the space of one week: when the israeli army first dared to fire a miltary missile from a military helicopter into civilian traffic to murder an individual, it was so shocking that even the albany paper ran a large picture of the wrecked car still sitting in busy commuter traffic. the only thing is, they printed it as a black-and-white picture on the front page of the last section of the paper. it couldn't be ignored as startling, unsettling, unbelievable news, but they used their creativity to play it down as much as they could. in contrast, two days later that absolutely-out-of-his-mind-with-desperation bus driver drove into those soldiers waiting at a bus stop, where there were also civilians waiting, and THAT story, not of the horror of war, but of the terror of desperation, made it onto the front page of the paper, in, of course, color. no, i also agree that nothing anyone says is likely to help this paper report more unbiased news stories. and i personally tend to think that any long-lasting positive, humankind benefiting changes in the world have to come at the quietest, lowest levels of everyday life, person by person and mind by mind. this is the reason i don't tend to get involved with groups anymore - i burned myself out doing that, and feel i can be much more effective just being myself, not doing anything special, not making special efforts - just carrying out every second of every day, with every person i meet, what i define for myself as my own personal responsibilities on and to the planet. but i don't mean to imply that organized efforts are always for naught! not at all. though you have to remember that newspapers are now much more aware of the public's strategies to influence change, and i can even say as a reader of a paper that if i see more than just a few letters on any one subject, i discount their good will and honesty. you can see periodically that there are some very organized pro-israel reactive letter-writing blocks in this area, who will send in 4 to 6 letters almost every time even the word "palestine" appears in that paper. (by the way, it doesn't anymore - that paper uses only "the occupied territories" for the whole of palestine.) so keep in mind that numbers of letters from individuals who seem to have no connection to one another actually can do more to cause people to think more openly about an issue or a subject. um ok, that's all i'm going to say about that. (bro siddiqui, i thought your idea of meeting with them in person, IF you could get them to do that, might be a good thing to do. just be sure you sweep any and all chips off your shoulders before you meet them, because you can bet they'll load up extras on their own shoulders on purpose! i didn't say anything supportive when you put the post up because i'm not really a member of the muslim community here, and i felt that was who you were addressing your idea to...) mwishka |
| 07/04/02 at 23:31:45 |
| mwishka |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| yunus |
| 07/04/02 at 23:39:42 |
| Muslims have gotten so much bad press in the past year what we really need is to do something other then a rally or a teach in /educational event. I agree with you that i doubt that any mainstream news media will ever report the palestinian situation fairly and even handed. We need to build bridges here in our community on a personal basis with non muslims. People can do this very easily just strike up a conversation with a neighbor once you have done this maybe invite the person over for dinner etc. I have been thinking that maybe we should do some of the things that churches in the area do such clothing drop off collecting food for the needy here in our community and maybe having a free meal once a week at the mosque not only insha Allah would we get reward from Allah but it could be a good way to help people and build connections with non muslims and show them the other side of Islam that they do not hear about. Also i think a fund raising dinner to rebuild palestinians houses would be a good way to have a postive event and help people and at the same time getting a message across about the occupation in a postive light that a rally just doesnt when publicized by a mainstream paper. Also its very hard for somone to criticize you for trying to help a homeless person. I think that activities like this could be a good way to build strong ties to the community and have people realize that muslims are not outsiders but in intgral part of our local environment and at the same time have the ability for positive article. |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| saadia |
| 07/05/02 at 09:18:18 |
| [slm] I thought the follow up article was the first article. It was basically a shorter version anyway. Mr Lyons and I exchanged a few e mails back and forth and what he says and what he did are two very different things. He kept trying to stress to me how it pained him to write all that because he found Imam Hanooti to be so kind and unlikely to be connected to terrorism and then he writes two crappy articles bases on unfounded allegations as though it were fact. The latest article makes it seem like he will be booted as our Imam based on what Mr Lyons "uncovered". [wlm] |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| siddiqui |
| 07/05/02 at 10:10:28 |
| [slm] Thats a good udea Br yunus why dont we start off with mr Brendan lyons I hope you had a smooth( in the good sense ;) ) Dawah opportunity yesterday, would love to hear about your experiences may Allah swt bless you and accept you ameen please pray for me [wlm] |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| nouha |
| 07/08/02 at 16:15:36 |
| [slm] yesterday there was an open meeting for anyone to come in at ICCD and discuss what the TIMES have been doing to shikh hanooti. someone mentioned that he should sue the TIMES for abusing his reputation. some people thought maybe it would be a good idea to fire the shiekh but then there would be no imam for ICCD.... ??? inshallah all goes well with his family ameen wasalam nouha:) |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| Seeker |
| 07/08/02 at 17:53:38 |
| [slm] Actually at the meeting held at ICCD, my mother who went told me that the community decided to support Sheikh Hanooti against the libelous attacks made by the Times, instead of letting him go. Members of the board at ICCD also are planning to confront the Times about this situation. If only there was a more effective way of stopping this new age of McCarthyism. ~Tauhirah |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| yunus |
| 07/08/02 at 18:06:59 |
| I am not sure that there we would even be a case against the Times Union. Under the law I am not sure if what they did can be construed as libel. The fact is that why we dont like the article they did not make up information but stated some facts (like their is a federal document that was filed in federal court that names him a unindiated co conspirator) and alledge things based on these facts. While i dont like what the paper has to say and i see the information they site to say he is "allegedly tied to terror" as circumstatial evidence and the fact remains there is nothing concrete I dont think we can tell the paper not to publish such an article merely because we dont like what they have to say as long as the article states that he is allegedly tied to terror and they use some sort of evidence and the article attempts to be fair handed. I doubt if there is such a case against the paper for libel people may just ending up wasting money on a lawyer and bringing more bad publicity to Imam Hanooti. |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| saadia |
| 07/09/02 at 08:57:29 |
| [slm] O man! I didn't know there was a meeting at ICCD! I agree w/bro Yunus, suing won't get us anywhere and if anything draw bad attn. I'm all about boycotting the Times Union and writing them a letter telling them why. Their opinion and editorial sections has been very one sided for the most part, with articles from William Safire especially, where's the other side? And why haven't they printed any of the letters we wrote? Assuming Bro Siddiqui and I aren't the only ones who wrote to them. Has anyone seen anything in the paper? [wlm] |
| 07/09/02 at 16:23:55 |
| saadia |
| Re: Times Union Follow Up Article |
|---|
| mwishka |
| 07/09/02 at 09:59:37 |
| ok, dumb here -- is that the capital district masjid? the one i keep calling schenectady but it's um colonie or something... ummmm..must be "islamic center"?? bummer. i'm on their mailing list - guess they didn't use it to let people know. [i should go see imam hanooti, he knows me by face at least, though might not remember my name. i kind of feel bad that i haven't gone already. wish i'd known there was a meeting - would have even abandoned my work to go....(and then i would have been in a LOT of trouble. eh oh...can't be helped sometimes...) < < < um talking to myself a little here...sorry..] if anything else like that comes up, could someone please put it up here? (or was it up but i missed it......?) mwishka |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |