Community Meeting to Discuss Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes and FBI Tactics against Muslims

It happens tonight at 6:00 p.m. PSU, Smith Memorial Student Union Room 228 (Multi-cultural Center)

Ken O'Keefe recently attended a speaking engagement sposored by SUPER in Portland. Salem-News.com photo by Dexter Phoenix

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Local activists are asking the community to please come out to discuss ideas on how Portland can respond to the recent hate crime perpetrated against the Corvallis mosque as well as the intolerable increase in unjust vilification and general atmosphere of fear and intimidation facing our Muslim Community following the recent attempt by Mohamed Mohamud, a 19 year old Somali-American, to detonate what he believed to be a bomb at Pioneer Square.

In addition to standing up to the hateful backlash by some bigots, and regardless of Mohamed's intentions, the actions of the FBI must also be called into question.

A disturbing pattern is emerging across the country in which the FBI are announcing "foiled terrorist plots" in which their own agents are instrumental in the provocation, planning and financing. The Muslim suspects are then charged with the most serious terror violations for attacks they couldn't have planned, much less carried out, on their own without the encouragement, resources, and technical expertise of Federal Agents.

The way in which these investigations are handled by the FBI is at minimum irresponsible, if not illegal in some cases. It needlessly places Muslim members within our community in danger by what seems to be intentionally manufacturing the maximum amount of fear and panic in our cities.

This Wednesday we will gather at PSU with others in the community that are concerned about the attacks on religious freedom, and on Muslims in particular, as well as the responsibility of law enforcement to minimize rather than increase the risk to our communities. Together we can discuss and decide on a response to these recent attacks in our community.

Source: News release from: SUPER (Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights)