Muslims fear backlash from Fort Dix attack plot
FORT DIX, N.J. -- Authorities' description of six suspects charged with plotting an attack on Fort Dix as "Islamic militants" is causing renewed worry among New Jersey's Muslim community.
Hundreds of Muslim men from New Jersey were rounded up and detained by authorities in the months following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but none were connected to that plot.
Now, Muslims fear a resurgence of anti-Islamic sentiment and incidents of bias. "If these people did something, then they deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law," said Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer who represented scores of detainees after the 2001 attacks. "But when the government says 'Islamic militants,' it sends a message to the public that Islam and militancy are synonymous.
Don't equate actions with religion."
The Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee's New Jersey chapter participated in a conference call Tuesday with FBI officials to discuss security matters.
"What we're all afraid of is a new backlash," said Hesham Mahmoud, a spokesman for the group. A survey by the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations counted 70 incidents of discrimination or bias against Muslims in New Jersey in 2005, the last year for which figures are available.
Nationwide, the group counted 1,972 incidents in 2005, up from 1,522 in 2004. That is the highest level reported to the group in its 12-year history. The group issued a statement Tuesday praising authorities for foiling the plot.
"It seems clear that a potentially deadly attack has been averted," the group said. "We applaud the FBI for its efforts and repeat the American Muslim community's condemnation and repudiation of all those who would plan or carry out acts of terror while falsely claiming their actions have religious justification."
Yaser El-Menshawy, chairman of the Majlis Ash-Shura of New Jersey, the state's council of mosques, condemned the plot and said he is glad it was not carried out. But he said the motivation of people who plot against the government "cannot be stopped simply by law enforcement or military means alone."
He said U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, among other issues, needs to be examined dispassionately. "We are going to have to take a look at it and see where we are right and where we are not right," El-Menshawy said. "If that's not the case, then I fear we are in for a very long and difficult period."
At a news conference after the suspects appeared in U.S. District Court in Camden, U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie was careful to differentiate between those charged in the plot, and the larger, law-abiding Muslim community.
"This should not be taken as a generalized indictment against the Muslim community in New Jersey," he said. "We would not want this to tar the reputation of the Muslim community in New Jersey and the work they do for law enforcement every day."