[Peace] Fwd: Re: UIUC Student Detained BY FBI

[Simona Sawhney]

>Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 16:46:55 -0500 (CDT)
>From: raana aziz ahmed <rahmed at students.uiuc.edu>
>
>
>
>Meeting in Urbana will be tonight at 8 PM in the courtyard cafe of the
>Illini Union.
>
>
>
>On Thu, 30 May 2002 m-quest at northwestern.edu wrote:
>
> > Dear Friends:
> >
> > I greet you with an emergency request for help for a comrade. 
>Some of you may
> > know Ahmed Bensouda. He is of medium height with dreadlocks and 
>has a slight
> > British accent.
> >
> > Ahmed Bensouda, who just graduated this month from the UIUC polisci program
> > with his BA, an international student from Dubai, U.A.E., a 
>crucial member of
> > The Israel Divestment Campaign, the Democratic Solidarity Committee, and
> > Urbana-Champaign Unity & Struggle, needs are assistance.
> >
> > I was informed by a friend that he was picked up and arrested from his
> > apartment in Urbana today by the FBI at 2:30 pm.  Recently, the 
>INS came to his
> > home to do what is now the standard interview for young Arab and Muslim
> > visiting student males.  Ahmed is a secular anti-authoritarian, 
>and all answers
> > to the questions they asked, despite him being a community activist, were
> > answered honestly and accurately, as he does not fit their 
>Islamicist profile.
> > He was not "happy" after Sept. 11, he has no military training, 
>no experience
> > with explosives, flying lessons, etc.-you know the drill.
> >
> > We don't know if these agents will return him tonight or sometime soon.  We
> > don't know the nature of his being detained.  Some of these feds 
>may have their
> > Arab and Muslim student activists mixed up.  On the other hand they may be
> > targeting the Palestine solidarity movement which has been among the most
> > strong at the UIUC campus the past two years.  Some of us were scheduled to
> > travel shortly to visit the occupied territories.
> >
> > **IMPORTANT**
> >
> > 1) There will be a meeting tonight at 8pm at UIUC to start a local based
> > solidarity committee, call ahead for the location TBA.   For now 
>that contact
> > is Rana, who can be reached at rahmed at uiuc.edu  and 217-201-1547.  I will
> > coordinate any Chicago based efforts.  I can be reached at 773-680-0376 and
> > m-quest at northwestern.edu
> >
> > 2)   We need help in securing the services of a lawyer 
>immediately.  Preferably
> > a progressive one who is familiar with immigration law.  This 
>lawyer will have
> > to confirm Ahmed's whereabouts and why the feds have detained him.
> >
> > 3) With this information we can organize the appropriate type of protest
> > campaign on a local and national level.
> >
> > Please forward to as many folks who can show their solidarity in any way.
> >
> > Matthew Quest
> > M.A. African Studies
> > UIUC graduate 2001
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > 
>********************************************************************** 
>**********
> > Strong people do not need strong leaders
> >                                                         --- Ella Baker
> >