U.S. Muslims angered by detention of teenage girls

Source: www.stuff.co.nz Muslims in the United States are angered by the detention of two local teenage girls on immigration charges, amid claims by the FBI that the girls pose “an imminent threat to security”. The two girls, both 16, one born in Bangladesh and one in Guinea, were being detained in federal custody at an immigration centre in Pennsylvania. While the U.S. authorities said the girls were only accused of immigration violations, and there are no other charges against them, the FBI alleged that they pose “an imminent threat to the security of the United States based on evidence that they plan to be suicide bombers". The two girls, who live in New York, were arrested on March 24. Neighbours, friends and classmates denied the FBI claims, describing them as “scary”. "This is part of a larger pattern, we feel, that targeted a lot of vulnerable and innocent people," said Adam Carroll of the Islamic Circle of North America, who was acting as a family spokesman for the girl from Bangladesh. "It is scary and it alarmed a lot of the community here. A lot of Muslims feel that there is a pattern of over-reaching and guilt by suspicion," he said. Both the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District in New York asserted that "It's an immigration case.” But the head of the Arab American Institute in Washington, DC., James Zogby, said that the “suicide bomber” allegations remain worrisome. "The fact that it's out there is troubling because we've seen that too many times," said Zogby. "We've seen the issue of leaks or suggestions and ... it creates a broader suspicion which almost always turns out to be bogus,” he added.