"Operation Green Quest" Singles Out Muslims

Islam Online ^ | 21 March 2002 | Marwa El-Naggar, IOL Staff

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

CAIRO, March 21, (IslamOnline) - The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation raided several Muslim organizations Wednesday morning, in Virginia, Georgia, and Washington D.C., a prominent Muslim American told IslamOnline Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with IslamOnline, Dr. Mohamed S. Omeish, President of the Success Foundation, said that several organizations had been raided, including the Success Foundation, a not-for-profit, charity foundation set up for educational and humanitarian work. The Muslim World League offices were also raided, as well as several Muslim-owned businesses, such as MAR-JAC companies, and Sterling Management.

"The raids were all carried out at approximately the same time, for the element of surprise," he stated.

Omeish said that although the FBI claimed that they were not specifically singling out Muslims, "everyone who was targeted was Muslim, and all organizations raided were Muslim."

"I was a witness to what happened. About 15 FBI agents raided the Success Foundation offices around 11 a.m.," he said noting that all the raids were carried out at the same time.

"The FBI agents burst into the offices, wielding their weapons. They told everyone to put their hands up and turn around. They conducted body searches on all the employees, and asked us if we had any weapons on us. Obviously we did not," he said.

"The FBI then took everyone's personal information. We then asked them the reason for the raids and asked to see their warrant. They showed us the warrant which was issued on March 13, 2002.

"The FBI agents wanted to interrogate us, but we demanded the presence of our lawyers, after which they stopped questioning us and told us we could go home."

"We refused to leave the offices until they left, which happened around 6 p.m. During this time they refused to let us use the phones, whether to make calls, or to answer them. They took all the documents they found in the office, including the computers."

"They asked us to contact the agent in charge of the interrogations regarding the raids, dubbed "Operation Green Quest", if we wanted to help them in any way," Omeish added.

"Evidently there is a group of people in the [George W.] Bush administration who would like to see that Muslims are not allowed to help their fellow Muslims overseas, even if this help was legitimate. The Success Foundation is a respectable, legitimate charity," he stated.

When asked if Muslims could take any action regarding these developments, he said, "We have to find out more. Why are we a part of this investigation? Are there going to be any criminal charges against us?"

"We have to talk to our lawyers," he added. "We are going to hold a press conference at noon today to voice our outrage against what happened, but in order to take any legal action, we will have to talk to our lawyers."

"Muslims in America are being consistently targeted by the government. The FBI claimed that they were after any organizations that allegedly funded 'terrorists', but the organizations they raided were legitimate charities and businesses," he said.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

To think, they are actually shocked that they are being "targeted" by the FBI! DUH!

They're feigning indignance. The only reason they are moaning is because the PC elements of our govt. will listen. In their own countries, they would be be summarily rounded up, beaten, and raped or worse. It's all a front.

[gaspar]

Its interesting to note that a list of Muslim agencies operating in the US in 1997 provides only the name and telephone number of the Success Foundation. As the telephone was a 703 area code it would be a good bet that the Success works out of either Herndon (a notorious anti-American center of Islamist activity) or Alexandria, Virginia (ditto).

[tet68]

Shouldn't this be,

American government is consistently being targeted by Muslims.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Hmmm, now that you mention it...

[Maceman]

There are only four kinds of people in America:

a) Native Americans
b) Naturalized Americans
c) Guests of the American people
d) Criminals

[MadRobotArtist]

You my friend are a rare person indeed.

[Congressman Billybob]

Maybe this covers the subject:

If if walks like a duck, looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then kill it before it lays an egg that will become another duck." Of course, that only applies if ducks have recently destroyed your World Trade Center Towers and killed 3,000 of your citizens.

Does anyone know any ducks who have done such things recently?

(And if this doesn't make quote of the day from John Huang 2, he isn't paying attention.)

Congressman Billybob

[TigerLikesRooster]

This is giving charity a new meaning. In this new sense, raising funds for IRA, ETA, ELF is called a charity. These guys are poor homeless souls needing shelter and food. That may be true. But they also need AK-47, RPG, and Bentonite-coated Anthax spores. Silica-coated one applies, too.

[koba]

American $ are a priority for many of the immigrants who come here.

[RaceBannon]

...the world's smallest violin...playing my heart weeps for you....

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

That's what I'm thinking: grab a violin and sing me a sob story.

[Kermit]

Here's what I wrote Islam Online:

Dear Sirs:

Your motto is: credibility and distinction. How about some common sense? It has been proven that Muslim Charities have been used as fronts to hide the distribution of money to terrorist groups. Should the FBI be looking at the Sons of Norway or the Boy Scouts for evidence of this support for terrorism?

"Operation Green Quest" targeted an intertwined group of charities, foundations and businesses, which are organized in a suspicious way with numerous intances of cross-ownership, shared directors and other characteristics.

It is suspected that there are 100 sleeper Al Qaida cells in America. Al Qaida members are Moslems. Where should the FBI look for Al Qaida members if not at Moslems? They are hiding and don't wear t-shirts saying "I'm Al Qaida". Where's your common sense?

And why are you enflaming Moslem anti-American bigotry? Credibility? Distinction? Come on folks, get your act together.

Regards,
John Tuttle

You too can comment to Islam Online too.

[pttttt]

More on this here: http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/651944/posts

and here:

http://www.webactive.com/freespeech/fsrn20020320.html

Sorry it's left-wing Pacifica but they've got more details.

Does "Dulles" refer to Dulles Airport in the Washington DC area? Wasn't that where the airliner which hit the Pentagon on 9/11 took off out of?

[Clovis_Skeptic]

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation raided several Muslim organizations Wednesday morning, in Virginia, Georgia, and Washington D.C.,

It is about time!!!!!!!!!

Thank God for Operation Green Quest.

[Dec31,1999]

Never Forget!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yep. They hate it when we shut down terrorist funding.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Damn straight. I still feel the fangs-out anger from Sept. 11th. The USA has been the world's doormat for too long. It's time to be ruthless. As Americans, we must maintain our adherence to violence against terrorism.

[Dec31,1999]

Big BUMP to that! To be frank, we in the NYC metro area must all suspect we are going to be nuked or bio-weaponed eventually. If so, please retaliate in full.