By Shakeel Syed
(Shura Council Majlis Member)
and Kalim Farooki, Facilitator
Garden Grove: Growing onto a three-month-old relationship between Southern California Muslim leadership and the FBI in the context of “Multi Cultural Advisory Committee”, the Shura Council of Southern California invited the FBI to meet and speak with the Muslim leadership.
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Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Chairperson of Shura Council formally welcomed the guests and said that Islam promotes peace and justice for all, emphasizing that all citizens should be safe and assuring that Muslims will continue to work in partnership with other communities for the safety of all citizens.
Shakeel Syed, Majlis Member of the Shura Council introduced the guests to the members of the Shura Council of Southern California who were meeting at the Islamic Society of Orange County on Saturday August 14, 2004. Shakeel Syed informed the members of the ongoing dialog over the past three months between the FBI and the community to foster an environment of better understanding and mutual respect.
Mr. Matt McLaughlin, Supervisory Special Agent and FBI-LA Spokesperson accompanied with Ms. Norma Loza, Special Agent & Liaison Multi Cultural Advisory Committee, addressed the Muslim leadership at the Shura Council of Southern California meeting.
Mr. Matt McLaughlin, Supervisory Special Agent, thanked the Shura Council for the invitation and gave an overview of their perspectives on the critical issues of ‘hate crimes’, ‘Patriot Act’, among others. He emphasized the importance of collective work and urged for cooperation. Matt McLaughlin also assured the community on behalf of the District Director, Mr. Richard Garcia that he is determined to see that his staff will comply to the highest professional standards and that the Bureau will not tolerate any hate crimes.
The presentation was followed by a dialog between the Shura Council representatives and the FBI officials. The audience expressed their concerns for feeling intimidated by the law enforcement agencies and not being treated fairly as required by the US Constitution. Muslims must feel free to practice their religion and attend the Mosque and support charity for the needy without any fear. Mr. McLaughlin said that FBI is determined to protect the civil liberties and citizen rights and also ensure that all agents receive the necessary sensitivity training.
There were many questions that community members wanted to ask but for lack of time the meeting had to adjourn. However, the Shura Council assured the community of their plans to hold a town hall meeting with FBI. The Shura Council members overwhelmingly supported this initiative by show of hands.
Shura Council Chair and Vice Chair, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi and Imam Saadiq Saafir respectively assured full support and cooperation for the safety of everyone. The Multi Cultural Advisory Committee will continue to meet with the FBI to pursue enhanced understanding of FBI policies and practices and to strive to enhance the FBI’s understanding of community perspectives.