3 months ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - In the wake of a federal seizure attempt against a Muslim organization's U.S. holdings, local Muslim community leaders expressed concern Thursday about the implications of what they called an unprecedented move by the government.
"The Muslim community believes it will have a chilling effect on the First Amendment rights to exercise your religion," Council on American Islamic Relations executive director Basim Elkarra said.
Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.
"I think the community will watch this closely and especially coming at a bad time right after Fort Hood, where our community is concerned about backlash," Elkarra said. "Now our mosques are being seized."
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim follower and Army psychiatrist, is suspected of killing 12 soldiers and one civilian in last Thursday's shooting spree at Fort Hood.
Elkarra said CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, would continue to monitor the case as it moved through the court system.
News10/KXTV
