FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    May 1, 2002

CONTACTS:
Asim Ghafoor             (202) 497-2219
 
 

Pastor Responds to Media Reports

Ann Arbor Religious Leader Troubled by Media Frenzy Over Inaccuracies
 
 

Ann Arbor, MI--The Committee to Free Rabih Haddad issued the following statement, written by Pastor Rabih Haddad:

"Ever since my arrest on December 14 of last year, I have been railroaded by the government in a series of actions that had denied me the most basic of rights. Rights that attract the oppressed and persecuted of the world to this haven of liberties and freedoms. From the beginning, there has been nothing but allegations, insinuations, innuendoes, and lies. This, while my legal proceedings were taking place behind closed doors in a shroud of secrecy and imposed suspicions because of "national security concerns". It took legal action on my part and the part of other concerned entities and elected officials to finally make the record of my previous hearings public. I couldn't wait. I was certain that once everything came out the world would know the truth. What a dreamer I was!

"Headlines like "Haddad Less Than Honest" and "U.S. Files Link Founder of Charity to Al-Qaeda" sprang up, and it dawned on me that the media, true to its "sensationalist" fashion of reporting, acted like a group of sharks on a feeding frenzy. They seemed to have lost all measures of objectiveness. I was accused of being "less than honest" when the headline should've read "The Government Lied". Indeed it did, and that is exactly what Mr. Herschel Fink, an attorney for the Detroit Free Press, was quoted as saying in the Chicago Tribune (4/20/02). He boldly and honestly declared that the government's actions showed that it was "lying when it said that national security would be compromised by lifting the veil of secrecy." Jay Stephens, the Associate U.S. Attorney General, said in a statement: "We have concluded in regard to the single individual in this case that the release of past transcripts of the immigration proceedings as required by court order, will not cause irreparable harm to the national security." They knew it all along and they were engaged in a deliberate dis-information propaganda campaign, and still are, to assassinate my character and tarnish my reputation, my only true asset in this world. The media "looked the other way" and let them get away with it.

"Judge Timothy Workman of London did not! He "threw out" the U.S. extradition case against Lotfi Raissi on April 26th. I wish I had a judge like that. Prosecutors acting for the U.S. had "promised to produce evidence Ö The evidence never materialized" reports the Chicago Tribune (4/5/02). I couldn't help but wonder about how this man's life, like mine, was disrupted, his family broken, and his reputation forever blemished.

"The other headline read "U.S. Files Link Founder of Charity to Al-Qaeda". I was outraged! There was no mention of this in any of the three hearings that I had. It was actually mentioned at the end of the INS' response to my appeal of the bond denial. It came in the form of a "declaration from the FBI," not an affidavit, not a sworn statement, but a "declaration" that I was observed at overseas locations that "housed and supported terrorist organizations associated with Al-Qaeda." This is supposed to have taken place in the late 80's to early 90's. I declare that the FBI is dishonest. The proof is quite simply that I left the region in mid-1992 when there was no such thing as Al-Qaeda. I wonder if they are referring to the same overseas locations where the Consul from the U.S. Embassy used to pay me regular visits at the height of the "Gulf War" and where we used to share views and exchange ideas. I was the Director of External Relations of one of the major Muslim relief organizations at the time. It was also, at those very locations, where I received an official invitation from the U.S. Embassy to attend a special reception in honor of a high ranking State Department official visiting the area in regards of USAID projects for the refugees.

"The late 80's and early 90's was a time when the U.S. was pumping all sorts of aid into Afghanistan. Some of that aid later helped found the "Taliban" as some analysts contend. What does the FBI declare about that? Why doesn't the FBI declare to the nation and the world how it could not protect the lives of over 3,000 innocent victims of terrorists on whose trail the FBI, CIA, and probably numerous other government agencies have been for years? Victims among who were tens and maybe hundreds of Muslims. No one knows exactly how many, and we may never know because no one makes mention of them. What about the victims of home grown terrorism in Oklahoma City? No "PATRIOT ACT" was enacted against the many U.S.-based terrorist networks, some of which are still operating today.

"But if it is "guilt by association" then why isn't the same standard applied to the Enron scandal and the close relationships and associations its top executives have with top executives of the government? How many lives have those associations terrorized and jeopardized?
 

"This is a sad day for democracy and freedom where the media becomes a rubber stamp for the government's propaganda machine, even an accomplice at times, and relinquishes its main role of being the watchful eye of the people. I am deeply troubled and saddened by the fact that the media ignored the real facts in my court transcripts and chose to go after the "scoop." The real scoop is that the government lied and the judge was biased. She (the judge) chose to ignore the overwhelming evidence of my strong ties to the community and suppressed witness testimony and was less than honest on at least one issue and here are the supporting facts:
 

1.  In her "Memorandum of Bond", which is the rationale behind her denial of bond, Judge Hacker states that Imam Mohammad Al-Galeini stated that I was employed by Global Relief Foundation. She did not note, however, the Imam's clear deficiency and poor command of the English language and that he only meant to indicate his knowledge of my association with GRF. She also suppressed the Imam's testimony on re-direct examination by my attorney in which he clearly indicated that he did not know for a fact what my source of income was.
2.  I explained repeatedly in my testimony that the letter from GRF that was submitted to the Woodchase Apartments was for the purpose of proving income but not employment. I regret that GRF used the word 'employ', since the letter was only to show what I truly expected to receive and in no way misrepresented my ability to pay the rent.
3.  Judge Hacker referred to Special Agent Pilot's testimony about bricks of cash in my briefcase but failed to mention that on cross-examination the agent admitted identifying the denomination of that money as being single dollar bills. The manner in which the judge chose to present this information would lead one to believe that the money was somehow illegitimately procured.
4.  Judge Hacker asserts that I admitted to founding GRF when the record only reflects that I merely stated that I was the Chairman of the Board, and then she inserted the matter of the government's investigation of GRF when this was never stated by anyone during the hearings and was not part of anyone's testimony or evidence, which shows clear bias.
5.  The judge also presented my source of income being zakat as some suspicious transaction when it is no different that tithing or love offerings that priests receive all over the world.
6.  And finally, Judge Hacker asserts that I have "admitted" that I was in possession of my old passport. I am appalled by this claim because it has no foundation in reality. In fact, when she asked about that I answered that I was not sure what happened to my old passport and whether or not it was returned to me after obtaining my current one. Also, the copy of the court transcripts that I have received nowhere reflects this issue being brought up. The judge recorded the proceedings, however, and if the transcripts do not show this exchange between the judge and me, the tape should. But if it's neither in the record nor on the tape, then where did the judge get this information?

"All this is a mere summary of many issues that were raised in my appeal of Judge Hacker's decision, which should've been among the documents released by the INS, and I am baffled by the fact that none of this was reported by the media.

"It is also noteworthy that after the second hearing, and while I was still in the video-conference room in Monroe, feeling extremely distressed at the way my character was assassinated, I asked one of the officers that were present with me, "Is it just me, or does everybody read every word on every form they sign?" The officer's reply was, "Heck, I've fibbed on a few forms before." I can't help but wonder how many law abiding citizens would measure up to this kind of scrutiny and how many of those who donít would be behind bars for such minor, unintentional infringements?"

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Phillis' note: Remember, you can write to Rabih at: Rabih Haddad #30189-039, Metropolitan Correctional Center, 71 W. Van Buren St., Chicago, IL 60605.

Please forward this message to anyone who may be interested.