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

[parenti susan rose]

I'll contact those people in AWARE who have been working on the Mutual Aid
Pact.
Susan

On Thu, 30 May 2002, Simona Sawhney wrote:

>
>
>
>
> >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
> > >
>
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