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                              Tuesday, September 25, 2001

When the FBI guys come knocking, it's the worst of times
By Riad Z. Abdelkarim

<http://www.dailynewslosangeles.com/opinions/articles/0901/25/lvew01.asp>


    The  ring  at  my  doorbell  that Sunday afternoon was
    innocent enough. I set aside my laptop computer and my
    half-eaten Chicken McNuggets and went to the door.

    When  I  first  peered out and saw two sharply dressed
    men in business suits and dark sunglasses, I thought I
    was  being  visited  by  a  pair of friendly Jehovah's
    Witnesses.

    As I opened the door, however, it struck me that these
    men  were  a bit older than the young men of faith who
    usually canvassed the neighborhood.

    Any   lingering   doubt  about  their  identities  was
    immediately  erased  when  the  two  men flashed their
    badges  and  announced  --  in true X-Files fashion --
    that   they   were   with   the   Federal   Bureau  of
    Investigation.

    "What can I do for you gentlemen?" I asked.

    My  initial  puzzled  reaction  turned to concern when
    they  explained  that  they  wanted  to  speak with me
    "about   the   events   of  last  Tuesday,"  obviously
    referring  to  the  horrible terrorist attacks against
    the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

    I  told  them that I would be happy to speak with them
    if  they  made  an appointment to meet me later at the
    local   office  of  the  Council  on  American-Islamic
    Relations,  where I served as a member of the board of
    directors.

    Although  the  agents  were somewhat taken aback by my
    request,  they  ultimately  agreed. An appointment was
    made  for  the following evening, but the agents never
    appeared   to  interview  me  nor  did  they  call  to
    reschedule the meeting.

    The next morning, I awoke ill and asked that my clinic
    patients be rescheduled before stepping out to pick up
    some over-the-counter medication.

    During  this  time,  two  other agents visited both my
    home  and work place. When the agents did not find me,
    they  warned  my  wife ominously that they "would keep
    coming back."

    I  was  finally  able  to  reach  one of the agents by
    cellular  phone, and I made an appointment to meet him
    and his partner at a local coffee shop.

    What  ensued can best be described as a combination of
    a    fishing   expedition   and   a   scene   from   a
    straight-to-video B-movie.

    Holding  a  thin  folder  stamped "SECRET" in front of
    them,   the  agents  initially  queried  me  about  my
    background.  One  of  them  stopped in mid-sentence to
    change  a  question  from  "When  did  you come to the
    U.S.?" to "Where were you born?"

    They  appeared  somewhat  surprised when I mentioned I
    was born in Santa Monica, California, and had lived in
    Southern California my entire life.

    I  was then quizzed about my political views with such
    vague  questions  as  "Are  we  the  bad  guys in this
    thing?"  I  told the agents in no uncertain terms that
    there  could  be  no  justification whatsoever for the
    horrible terrorist attacks that had taken place.

    Further,  I  informed them that my political views are
    widely  known  because I frequently write commentaries
    that  are  published in newspapers around the country.
    In  fact, in the days following the terrorist attacks,
    my commentaries condemning the assaults and expressing
    the  shared  grief and outrage of American Muslims had
    appeared   in   newspapers   in   California,   Texas,
    Connecticut, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, and Madrid,
    Spain.

    The  agents  subsequently  inquired  about my numerous
    affiliations   with   several   prominent  and  widely
    respected   American   Muslim   advocacy   and  relief
    organizations.  At  no  time  was  I  asked  about any
    specific  individual,  nor was I asked to identify any
    suspects in photographs.

    The  interview's  low  point came when I asked why the
    agents had gone to my clinic, when I had provided them
    with  a  cellular telephone number at which I could be
    reached.

    Their  answer  spoke  volumes about the aimlessness of
    this investigation:

    "When  we  learned  that you were out sick, we thought
    that our worst fears had been realized -- that you had
    fled the country."

    I could no longer restrain my laughter.

    "Give me a break," I exclaimed incredulously.

    To  where  would  I  flee?  I am an American. I do not
    possess nor do I desire any other citizenship.

    By  the  end  of the 75-minute ordeal, I was convinced
    that  the  agents  were  not  acting  on  any specific
    information but were instead groping wildly for straws
    in the dark.

    I found this quite disheartening.

    I   harbor   no  ill  will  toward  those  agents  who
    interviewed   me.   I  realize  that  they  were  just
    following orders. Like other Americans who are Muslims
    or  of Arabic ethnicity, I earnestly support the FBI's
    attempts   to   vigorously  investigate  this  heinous
    terrorist act and bring those responsible to justice.

    What  I  do  not  appreciate  is being singled out for
    questioning  merely  because of my faith, my ethnicity
    or my legitimate political activism.

    As noted in a Christian Science Monitor editorial this
    week,  "to have FBI agents with no preparatory contact
    knocking  on the doors of Arab or Muslim citizens with
    no  clear  ties  to  acts  of  crime  is a sure way to
    instill fear right where cooperation is most needed."

    In  legal  parlance,  this  practice is referred to as
    "profiling." In my book, it's just plain racism.

    And it has no place in my country.

    ---

    Riad  Z.  Abdelkarim  is an American-born, -raised and
    -educated  physician  active  in  the  American Muslim
    community. He lives in Southern California.

      _________________________________________________

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