Another Victory Over Terrorists: How the US is 'Protected'

During the Saddam era, four anti-Saddam Kurdish men worked with British & American welfare agencies in Kurdistan. When Saddam Hussain invaded in 1996, their lives were endangered. US govt officials airlifted them first to Turkey, then to Guam where they were thoroughly vetted. Authorities permitted them to settle in the US in 1997. They all eventually settled in Harrisonburg, Virginia with their families who also managed to escape from Saddam’s Iraq. Eventually, some 70 Kurdish families settled in the city. Over the years, they regularly sent money to relatives in Iraq & also for welfare projects, to help build schools & hospitals. Given the situation in Iraq, the money _had_ to be sent indirectly -- via bank accounts in Turkey, or else via the informal _hawala_ system -- essentially a clearinghouse system of offsetting payments against receipts in two countries.

In the summer of 2005, officials from some 12 US govt agencies began ‘investigations’ of these financial transactions -- illegal under the Patriot Act. The four men were arrested in October 2005. One, the most articulate, who had often translated in courts for free, was convicted by a jury who saw _only_ that the Patriot Act was violated. The prosecutor pointed out how such informal financial methods undermined the very stability of the US financial system. Two of the men then pleaded guilty, out of fright; the fourth is awaiting trial. US officials thoughtfully provided a Croatian translator for the three men whose English was less than perfect (well, it’s a peculiar non-American language, isn’t it? Aren’t they all the same?) Sentencing will be on the 26 June.

Prof J Barkley Rosser has done the most to publicise these unfortunate men’s situation, which neither the local paper, nor any national papers or journals wanted to know about. Only a local monthly journal,;eightyone was concerned (be sure to read the _June 2006_ issue.) The ; Washington Post has, however, finally roused itself.

These men are in danger of deportation, & their US citizenship applications are in jeopardy. I give below Prof Rosser’s conclusion, from his guest contribution to ; Juan Cole’s blog (scroll down to ‘Rosser Guest Op-Ed: Innocent Kurdish-Americans Victimized by Patriot Act’). Prof Rosser says:

“These cases arose out of a Joint Terrorism Task Force based in Roanoke involving many agencies. They searched and searched and found nothing, but needed to show somebody that they were doing good. So, they nailed these people who have done nothing wrong other than try to help their neighbors, ignorant of the law. Given the visits to the mosque by the FBI and the general situation, it is clear that this reflects a broader anti-Muslim character of these investigations and the associated lack of respect for human rights. One can appreciate that this statute might need to be used against actual terrorists if there is no other evidence that can be used against them in court (much as Al Capone was eventually convicted of income tax evasion). But no one says these men are terrorists.”

Power has no use save abuse. The officials involved have all done their bureaucratic duty, against undoubted terrorists: from Iraq, no less, with Muslim names, worshippers at a mosque, underminers of US banks. -- How could they _not_ be terrorists??

At worst, one or two junior officials might -- just might -- receive a leetle slap on the wrist. But otherwise we observe yet another successful battle in the War on Terror.