FBI Recruiting Muslim Spies, Group Says

(AP)  A Michigan Muslim organization said Thursday it has asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate complaints alleging the FBI is asking followers of the faith to spy on Islamic leaders and congregations.

The Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan sent a letter last week to Holder after mosques and other groups reported members of the community have been approached to monitor people coming to mosques and donations they make.

Sandra Berchtold, a spokeswoman in the FBI's Detroit office, had no immediate comment.

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said such complaints aren't new, but concerns grew after a recent revelation the FBI planted a spy in a Southern California mosque.

An FBI agent testified in February at a detention hearing that an informant infiltrated several mosques in Orange County, Calif., and befriended Ahmadullah Niazi, brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden's bodyguard. Niazi was charged with lying about his ties to terrorist groups on his citizenship and passport applications.

Former FBI agents and federal prosecutors have said spying on mosques is one of the government's best weapons to thwart terrorists, but agents need to have credible and specific information before sending in a plant.

Walid said the complaints in Michigan amount to a "fishing expedition."

"If there was a specific imam who they felt was telling people to support Osama bin Laden, that's a different story - we wouldn't have a problem with that," he said. "Community members would be the first people to report to federal law enforcement if such things were being said."

Walid said the most common complaints have come from people with pending immigration issues being approached by agents to monitor mosques in exchange for help in resolving their citizenship cases.

He said the Detroit area's Muslim community - one the country's largest - has been supported by non-Muslim groups and individuals, and that a Catholic youth organization, a Baptist pastor and an interfaith group promoting peace and justice have all written letters calling for a federal investigation.

"The attorney general has not been in office for that long," Walid said. "He's in the process of revamping the Justice Department. It's extremely necessary for him to take a serious look at this issue."

[anastasia_spiy]

i will be the spie...the end

[iola09]

You say locking up the Japanese helped the country do actually have any proof to back this up. I am guessing no and any way the best fighters during the war was a Japanese infantry. So look up the facts before you post them. any way why do you need spies in the mosque what does terrorism have to do with Islam you have to be actually not really be a Muslim in order to be a terrorist. if that's the case then how about we put spies in the Christian church due to the fact that people have went in shooting up the place or Sunday school teachers raping and killing kids and don't get me going on the priest. or what about spying on every company that is sending funds overseas to Israel? Its stereotyping and the last time I check it doesn't hold up in the court of law.

[Smellthecoffee]

Please, enough already. of coarse you would want a Muslim to find out about Muslims. Daaa! Oh, and why wouldn't American's of the Muslim faith not volunteer to join the FBI and help stop any attacks on this land? If they do not like being asked to help our country, tell them to leave. They are not being forced. Please close the mosques that are producing terrorists to go to Somilia and watch them the Muslims they way they watched the Germans in WWII in this country. Remember what they did to the Japanese, it may not have been nice but how many American lives did it save....Smellthecoffee

[postman228]

Islam is the most LOVE LOVING and peace loving religion in the world that respect each and everybody regrdless of their faith. Islam always tells its follower to respect other faith and it follower. islam always teaches it follower NOT TO beat, torture and bleed to death to a "non follower". Islam never teaches to behead a non follower. islam is the most peace loving religon in the world when compare to ANY religion in the world. THE FOLLOWERS OF ISLAM ARE THE "MOST TOLERANT" AND MOST UNDERSTANDING" AND "MOST BEAUTIFUL LOVING WORDS SAYING" PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. Did I say anything wrong? HOW MANY NORMAL PEACE LOVING PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH ME?.
Posted by signtwo

what are you smoking sir...i wideguess widespread molestation of children in the form of arranged marriages sometimes resulting in 8 year olds marrying 50 year olds, force rape of wives by muslim men being upheld as legal, honor killings, JIHAD, and the degredation of women and all of those who disagree with your faith and teachings is purely a loving form of expression get bent you horses ass. ISLAM = TERROR....don't believe me, just ask an islamic woman how much she likes being jailed for talking to a man or how much women like getting acid thrown in there faces...this religion is a disgusting example of perversion of the highest degree...but what do you expect when it was founded by a great rapist and village pillager......

[abbe91]

"I wonder how many lives could have been saved if Bill Clinton started doing this right after the first WTC bombing in 1993!
Posted by gunownerdan at 9:06 AM : Apr 16, 2009 "

Bush had the info about 9/11 and disregarded it.

[Editorial_Response]

So what is the problem. Do the Muslims not know that this is the job of the FBI and CIA? The FBI spies on people inside the United States of America and the CIA spies on foreign entities. At any one time there may be a dozen American organizations spying on different groups throughout the world. Someone may be spying on me right now. So what! Get used to it.

If the Muslims need to be told that fact then tell them that they are going to be spied on so that the other 300 million of us do not have to live in fear of losing our lives due to radical Muslim extremists. THis is for the safety of their own followers as much as it is everyone else. If the Muslims do not like this fact then they should get the hell out of the United States.

These fools with their religion of hate are not going to run amok.

Do the followers of the Muslim religion not realise that if they are not spied on then they are all guilty when something happens rather than the lone perps?

[TheMasses01]

FBI Recruiting Muslim Spies, Group Says
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The FBI needs to get one of their hardcore Muslums to pal around with Barry to start building a criminal case on him.

[remarkor]

Oh BS, if the FBI under Leon Panetta is recruiting Muslim SPIED, it's not to spy on O'butthead's arabic/muslim terrorist brothers....you can count on that!

He'll be recruiting them to spy on Americans with their handy dandy US citizens TERRORIST LIST, like the tea party protesters, Christians, any white American gun owner, returning veterans, and those claiming state's rights and independence from communist government takeover supporting a FREE America governed by We The People!
Posted by Rowdy106

Keep clinging to your guns and religion Mr. Paranoia!

[tomadams99]

For you liberals reacting negatively to the enlistment of muslim spies...did you protest loudly regarding the implied fact that veterans are also a target for spying, or those that follow Geithner and Sebelius's lead to not pay taxes. Of course spying is going to occur in all facets of life. Have you had your head in the sand that long. What in the devil do you think governments involve themselves in (left or right...it does not matter) to maintain power and influence. As it was once stated in Magruder's High School American Government book (since removed), "Government is not about people, it is about power and influence."

[martin9p2]

The FBI/CIA shouldn't spy on people because it might offend those people? And if the spied-upon people find out, they can go public and say they are offended. Give me a frickin' break. To make an extreme example, ... the mafia has no right to make civil rights complaints if the FBI recruits mafia informers.