Feds engage in Islamophobia

Hmm... does the Prez know about this?

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.

In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.

The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York.

Confiscating the properties would be a sharp blow against Iran, which has been accused by the U.S. government of bankrolling terrorism and trying to build a nuclear bomb.

A telephone call and e-mail to Iran's U.N. Mission seeking comment were not immediately answered. Nor was a call to the Alavi Foundation.

Now that's hope and change to believe in but it's also baffling. 

Of course, it's also fodder for the apology tour... after all, Obama is slated to be out of the country again soon is he not?

The AP was sure to seize on the civil liberties threat thread:

It is extremely rare for U.S. law enforcement authorities to seize a house of worship, a step fraught with questions about the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

The action against the Shiite Muslim mosques is sure to inflame relations between the U.S. government and American Muslims, many of whom are fearful of a backlash after last week's Fort Hood shooting rampage, blamed on a Muslim American major.

"Whatever the details of the government's case against the owners of the mosques, as a civil rights organization we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of worship could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths and may send a negative message to Muslims worldwide," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The mosques and the skyscraper will remain open while the forfeiture case works its way through court in what could be a long process. What will happen to them if the government ultimately prevails is unclear. But the government typically sells properties it has seized through forfeiture, and the proceeds are sometimes distributed to crime victims.

Let's use the funds to pay the families of the fallen in the War on Terrorr restitution... after all, restitution has been bandied about by more than a few of those in power has it not?

It's a superb idea... and no better use for the money could be found.

Crossposted(*).

Comments

[tim aka The Godless Heathen]

“Suspicion about the Alavi Foundation transcends three administrations," Rubin said. "It's taken ages dealing with the nuts and bolts of the investigation.”

Just as I thought, Obama had very little to do with this. Though at least he didn’t stop it, (he would have been a fool but that’s never stopped him before) the heat that would have come down if he had would’ve been unbearable even for him.

The bigger question is why is Iran, as a state sponsor of terror, allowed to operate a foundation here? I'm thinking....the US isn't allowed to in Iran...could be wrong...