FOIA suits filed against FBI & MI AG regarding Imam shooting

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cair-mi-files-foia-suits-for-video-audio-of-imams-killing-106125798.html

CAIR-MI Files FOIA Suits for Video, Audio of Imam’s Killing

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today filed lawsuits against the FBI and the Michigan Attorney General for its non-release of video and audio recordings of the fatal shooting of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah last year by FBI agents.

The FBI, which led a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement task force that executed a series of raids that culminated in the death of Imam Abdullah, has denied Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted by CAIR-MI for public information related to the case.

SEE: Lawsuits Coming Today in Death of Imam (Detroit News)

http://bit.ly/cYT6Y5

Information requested by CAIR-MI, including all audio and video surveillance from the crime scene in which Abdullah was fatally shot and documents relating to the multi-jurisdictional law enforcement raids, has not been provided by either the FBI orMichigan Attorney General.

CAIR-MI recently filed similar suits against the Michigan State Police, Dearborn Police, Detroit Police and Wayne County Sheriff departments for not releasing public information.

Civil rights and interfaith leaders recently expressed concerns regarding unanswered questions and inconsistencies in released reports after the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division released a report exonerating the FBI in fatal shooting of Abdullah.

SEE: FBI Cover-Up (The Michigan Citizen)

http://michigancitizen.com/fbi-coverup-p9124-1.htm

Local Muslim Leader Explains Lingering Concerns (Mlive.com)

http://bit.ly/adL2y1

“Now that various government agencies have released reports about the fatal shooting of Imam Abdullah, we are troubled that some law enforcement agencies are failing to release public information that has been requested,” said CAIR-MI Staff AttorneyLena Masri.

Masri said CAIR-MI will release a report in the near future highlighting inconsistencies in currently released reports and raising questions that were left unanswered in the DOJ’s superficial and premature report.

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

DawudWalid

Dawud Walid is currently the Executive Director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), which is a chapter of America's largest advocacy and civil liberties organization for American Muslims and is a member of the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) Imams Committee. Walid has been interviewed and quoted in approximately 150 media outlets ranging from the New York Times, Wall St Journal, National Public Radio, CNN, BBC, FOX News and Al-Jazeera. Furthermore, Walid was a political blogger for the Detroit News from January 2014 to January 2016, has had essays published in the 2012 book All-American: 45 American Men on Being Muslim, the 2014 book Qur'an in Conversation and was quoted as an expert in 13 additional books and academic dissertations. He was also a featured character in the 2013 HBO documentary "The Education of Mohammad Hussein." Walid has lectured at over 50 institutions of higher learning about Islam, interfaith dialogue and social justice including at Harvard University, DePaul University and the University of the Virgin Islands - St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses as well as spoken at the 2008 and 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Conventions alongside prominent speakers such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Congressman Keith Ellison. In 2008, Walid delivered the closing benediction at the historic 52nd Michigan Electoral College in the Michigan State Senate chambers and gave the Baccalaureate speech for graduates of the prestigious Cranbrook-Kingswood Academy located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Walid was also a featured speaker at the 2009 and 2010 Malian Peace and Tolerance Conferences at the University of Bamako in Mali, West Africa. He has also given testimony at hearings and briefings in front of Michigan state legislators and U.S. congressional representatives, including speaking before members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in Washington, D.C. Walid has studied under qualified scholars the disciplines of Arabic grammar and morphology, foundations of Islamic jurisprudence, sciences of the exegesis of the Qur’an, and Islamic history during the era of Prophet Muhammad through the governments of the first 5 caliphs. He previously served as an imam at Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit and the Bosnian American Islamic Center in Hamtramck, Michigan, and continues to deliver sermons and lectures at Islamic centers across the United States and Canada. Walid was a 2011 - 2012 fellow of the University of Southern California (USC) American Muslim Civil Leadership Institute (AMCLI) and a 2014 - 2015 fellow of the Wayne State Law School Detroit Action Equity Lab (DEAL). Walid served in the United States Navy under honorable conditions earning two United States Navy & Marine Corp Achievement medals while deployed abroad. He has also received awards of recognition from the city councils of Detroit and Hamtramck and from the Mayor of Lansing as well as a number of other religious and community organizations.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *