A race against fate
- Thread starter al-fajr
- Start date
Ibn Uthaymin
Junior member
I think he used to contribute to Muslimmatters.
May Allah free him
May Allah free him
Assalamu'alaykum,
Released just over a month ago, the following is a statement from the Mehanna family a year after Tarek's unjust arrest:
To Tarek’s loyal and courageous friends and supporters,
It is tough to believe that an entire 12 months has elapsed since Tarek was arrested on October 21st, 2010. Without wanting to sound cliché, it has certainly been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for my family and I. Ironically, despite being the one directly impacted by these events, Tarek has yet to show any signs of impatience or frustration at his circumstances; he has easily been the strongest of my family members throughout this entire ordeal.
Dispelling the Myths,
This milestone presents an important opportunity to once again cut through the misinformation disseminated by the mainstream media and the government regarding why Tarek is being targeted in this way. On the day of his arrest, a media circus ensued following allegations made by the FBI that Tarek had planned to carry out a mall shooting terror plot. Now, to date the government has provided Tarek and his attorneys with over 4,000 pages of evidence that they intend to submit once the trial begins. Out of those 4,000 pages, NONE of them mention any wrong doing on Tarek’s part. One of the major challenges that his attorneys have faced in sifting through the evidence is that none of it points to any criminal activity or intent on Tarek’s part. Furthermore, in the affidavit, one discovers the conspicuous absence of any charges pertaining to the alleged “mall shooting” plot that the media trumpeted on the day he was arrested. Furthermore, the evidence addressed in the affidavit, evidence drawn from conversations that Tarek had with friends and acquaintances, is also very misleading. By presenting only fragments of sentences rather than providing the conversations whole cloth, the FBI hopes to hide the context of those statements from the public in order to paint a demonizing picture of Tarek. At the end of the day, however, all that the FBI will have at its disposal are its doctored conversation fragments, because none of the documented evidence contains any reference—not even a single word—to the allegations that Tarek intended to commit the horrible things that were said of him.
The Tarek Mehanna Support Committee:
With respects to mobilization of support on the ground here, a great deal has happened over the past year. There have been numerous hearings, and Tarek has made a number of court appearances, giving those who care about him an opportunity to see their friend again, and giving Tarek an opportunity to witness the level of support that exists outside of the prison walls. I am happy to inform all of you that with every subsequent event that we here at the Tarek Mehanna Support Committee has planned, momentum has been gradually building, and we have felt increasingly empowered to take on support initiatives of increasing scale. The first event that the group held was at the Cambridge Public Library, as an awareness event that was attended by 50 people. More recently, the those of you who attended Tarek’s latest court hearing will recall that upwards of 300 people attended the hearing. The Committee has also orchestrated a concert event, made possible thanks to the extremely generous contributions of musicians who felt moved enough by Tarek’s case to write an album of songs about it. These are just a few of the many events that have been held, and there will be many more forthcoming, so we strongly encourage everybody to join us and help make a meaningful difference for a just cause. Moving forward, the Support Committee has a number of important plans that are currently in the pipeline. One of these projects consists of holding open forums through the support of a coalition of student groups at different schools who have shown an interest in spreading awareness about Tarek’s case. Another important objective we are working towards is to reach out to Massachusetts state officials and to open dialogues with those groups and individuals who are in a position to spread the truth about not only what Tarek is going through, but also the experiences of all the other individuals who have been similarly persecuted because of their religious affiliation
The Legal Team.
That said, I would like to take a moment to express my family’s most sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the amazing men and women on Tarek’s legal team over at the law firm of Carney & Bassil. At this point, the team includes six attorneys who are very committed to Tarek’s case. Shortly before the last hearing date, an independent attorney joined the team, bringing with her extensive experience in prosecution of white collar and corporate fraud cases. Considering the enormous volume of documents the FBI plans to submit as evidence, her skill in quickly filtering through lengthy documentation will be a great asset to Tarek’s defense. More recently, two more defense attorneys were added to Tarek’s team, and in addition, the Court has granted the legal team $100,000 to cover defense expenses.
Closing note:
There still remains a great deal of work to be done on behalf of both Tarek and others who share his circumstances. Fear is still ripe among Muslims living here in America, and earlier on, this kept many people from participating in the efforts being undertaken to defend Tarek and to push back against all of the misinformation being circulated by mainstream media. For those of you who are afraid to participate or contribute, it is for your own sake that Tarek, my family and I urge you vehemently to reconsider. In the big scheme of things, it makes no difference to Tarek, my family, or myself whether or not you specifically become more active and involved in these efforts. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to those who have actively participated in the planning and execution of Support Committee projects, however more than anybody else, you are helping yourself by joining us. You will be doing what you know is the right thing, which is to support your brother and friend at a time when your aid is of the greatest value.
Released just over a month ago, the following is a statement from the Mehanna family a year after Tarek's unjust arrest:
To Tarek’s loyal and courageous friends and supporters,
It is tough to believe that an entire 12 months has elapsed since Tarek was arrested on October 21st, 2010. Without wanting to sound cliché, it has certainly been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for my family and I. Ironically, despite being the one directly impacted by these events, Tarek has yet to show any signs of impatience or frustration at his circumstances; he has easily been the strongest of my family members throughout this entire ordeal.
Dispelling the Myths,
This milestone presents an important opportunity to once again cut through the misinformation disseminated by the mainstream media and the government regarding why Tarek is being targeted in this way. On the day of his arrest, a media circus ensued following allegations made by the FBI that Tarek had planned to carry out a mall shooting terror plot. Now, to date the government has provided Tarek and his attorneys with over 4,000 pages of evidence that they intend to submit once the trial begins. Out of those 4,000 pages, NONE of them mention any wrong doing on Tarek’s part. One of the major challenges that his attorneys have faced in sifting through the evidence is that none of it points to any criminal activity or intent on Tarek’s part. Furthermore, in the affidavit, one discovers the conspicuous absence of any charges pertaining to the alleged “mall shooting” plot that the media trumpeted on the day he was arrested. Furthermore, the evidence addressed in the affidavit, evidence drawn from conversations that Tarek had with friends and acquaintances, is also very misleading. By presenting only fragments of sentences rather than providing the conversations whole cloth, the FBI hopes to hide the context of those statements from the public in order to paint a demonizing picture of Tarek. At the end of the day, however, all that the FBI will have at its disposal are its doctored conversation fragments, because none of the documented evidence contains any reference—not even a single word—to the allegations that Tarek intended to commit the horrible things that were said of him.
The Tarek Mehanna Support Committee:
With respects to mobilization of support on the ground here, a great deal has happened over the past year. There have been numerous hearings, and Tarek has made a number of court appearances, giving those who care about him an opportunity to see their friend again, and giving Tarek an opportunity to witness the level of support that exists outside of the prison walls. I am happy to inform all of you that with every subsequent event that we here at the Tarek Mehanna Support Committee has planned, momentum has been gradually building, and we have felt increasingly empowered to take on support initiatives of increasing scale. The first event that the group held was at the Cambridge Public Library, as an awareness event that was attended by 50 people. More recently, the those of you who attended Tarek’s latest court hearing will recall that upwards of 300 people attended the hearing. The Committee has also orchestrated a concert event, made possible thanks to the extremely generous contributions of musicians who felt moved enough by Tarek’s case to write an album of songs about it. These are just a few of the many events that have been held, and there will be many more forthcoming, so we strongly encourage everybody to join us and help make a meaningful difference for a just cause. Moving forward, the Support Committee has a number of important plans that are currently in the pipeline. One of these projects consists of holding open forums through the support of a coalition of student groups at different schools who have shown an interest in spreading awareness about Tarek’s case. Another important objective we are working towards is to reach out to Massachusetts state officials and to open dialogues with those groups and individuals who are in a position to spread the truth about not only what Tarek is going through, but also the experiences of all the other individuals who have been similarly persecuted because of their religious affiliation
The Legal Team.
That said, I would like to take a moment to express my family’s most sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the amazing men and women on Tarek’s legal team over at the law firm of Carney & Bassil. At this point, the team includes six attorneys who are very committed to Tarek’s case. Shortly before the last hearing date, an independent attorney joined the team, bringing with her extensive experience in prosecution of white collar and corporate fraud cases. Considering the enormous volume of documents the FBI plans to submit as evidence, her skill in quickly filtering through lengthy documentation will be a great asset to Tarek’s defense. More recently, two more defense attorneys were added to Tarek’s team, and in addition, the Court has granted the legal team $100,000 to cover defense expenses.
Closing note:
There still remains a great deal of work to be done on behalf of both Tarek and others who share his circumstances. Fear is still ripe among Muslims living here in America, and earlier on, this kept many people from participating in the efforts being undertaken to defend Tarek and to push back against all of the misinformation being circulated by mainstream media. For those of you who are afraid to participate or contribute, it is for your own sake that Tarek, my family and I urge you vehemently to reconsider. In the big scheme of things, it makes no difference to Tarek, my family, or myself whether or not you specifically become more active and involved in these efforts. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to those who have actively participated in the planning and execution of Support Committee projects, however more than anybody else, you are helping yourself by joining us. You will be doing what you know is the right thing, which is to support your brother and friend at a time when your aid is of the greatest value.