AMERICAN MUSLIMS FINGERPRINTED BY U.S. AT CANADIAN BORDER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMERICAN MUSLIMS FINGERPRINTED BY U.S. AT CANADIAN BORDER
CAIR calls for probe of 'profiling,' says incident chills religious
freedom


(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/29/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil
rights
and advocacy group today called for a formal investigation by the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into an incident at the Canadian
border in which American Muslim citizens were apparently singled out
for
special security checks based on their attendance at an Islamic
conference
and then held until they agreed to be fingerprinted.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
the
incident was a disturbing example of religious profiling that would
have a
chilling effect on the constitutional rights of American Muslims,
particularly the right to the free exercise of religion, freedom of
speech,
peaceful assembly, and the right to be "secure in their persons…against
unreasonable searches."

A number of the up to 40 Muslims who were singled out for questioning
and
fingerprinting told CAIR that they were returning from a weekend
Islamic
conference of more than 10,000 in Toronto when they were stopped by
U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at the Lewiston Bridge
crossing near Niagara Falls, N.Y. (CBP is part of the Department of
Homeland Security. For conference details, see:
http://www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com/)

Several of the Muslim citizens held at the border for up to six hours
on
Sunday night and Monday morning told CAIR they objected strenuously to
being fingerprinted, but were informed by CBP representatives that "you
have no rights" and that they would be held until they agreed to the
fingerprinting procedure. One person was allegedly threatened with
arrest
if she attempted to leave the detention area without being
fingerprinted.

CBP officials on the scene cited "orders from above" to justify their
actions. One CBP official reportedly agreed with a Muslim traveler that
"it
would not look good" if the news media saw the detention area filled
exclusively with Muslims in Islamic attire. CAIR is investigating
similar
reports of demands for fingerprinting of conference attendees at other
border crossings.

When contacted by CAIR, a CBP spokesman in Washington, D.C., initially
said
fingerprinting of American citizens would be a "violation of policy."
He
later said fingerprinting would be allowed "if there was a law
enforcement
reason for doing so," but would not state what that reason might be.

Media reports on the incident quote CBP officials as saying some of the
Muslim citizens who were fingerprinted had names similar to those on
watch
lists. But that claim does not explain why everyone in the group of
conference attendees, even Muslim converts, were fingerprinted.

SEE: "Muslim-Americans Say Border Inspections Were Unwarranted"
http://www.wkbw.com/morenews/morenews.asp#8

Local DHS officials now say they will hold a community meeting next
week to
address the concerns of those who were forced to be fingerprinted.

"The image of a room full of American Muslim citizens apparently being
held
solely because of their faith and the fact that they attended an
Islamic
conference is one that should be disturbing to all Americans who value
religious freedom," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "This
incident
must be investigated to determine what the policy on fingerprinting
Muslim
citizens is and who is behind it."

Awad also urged anyone treated in a similar manner to contact CAIR's
Civil
Rights Department by calling 202-488-8787 or e-mailing
civilrights [at] cair-net.org.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 30 offices
and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance
understanding
of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American
Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual
understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper [at] cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail:
rahmed [at] cair-net.org

NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a journalist's window
to
the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called
ISLAM-INFONET, receive news releases and other materials dealing with
American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.

To SUBSCRIBE to ISLAM-INFONET, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair [at] cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

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