Detained Muslim praises FBI for making US safe
In this June 16, 2010 file photo, Yahya Wehelie, from Burke, Virginia, displays his US passport, in Cairo, Egypt. (AP)
Published: Jul 17, 2010 00:35 Updated: Jul 17, 2010 00:37
WASHINGTON: A Virginia man arrived back in the US Friday afternoon after being stranded in Egypt for two months after the FBI put him on a no-fly list.
Yahiya Wehelie, 26, of Burke, Virginia, found that his travels to Yemen caught the attention of the FBI. Since Yemen has become a hot spot in the war on terror, the FBI wondered why the US citizen chose that country to study in. The bureau put him on the US no-fly list, leaving him stranded in Egypt for two months.
FBI agents questioned him there about his time in Yemen, Wehelie told reporters. He went to Yemen nearly two years ago at his parents' urging to learn Arabic and “gain some direction in his life.” But it was when he tried to return home to finish his education and get a job, that Wehelie, who is of Somali decent, was stopped in Cairo.
His brother, Yusuf Wehelie, 19, also traveled to Yemen and was questioned for several days in an Egyptian jail. He was eventually allowed to return to the US.
Last month the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the government's no-fly list, saying that citizens are routinely placed on the list without good cause and without any recourse to clear their names.
Wehelie's predicament also attracted the attention of Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who was alerted to Wehelie's situation by a constituent and contacted the State Department, according to DeLauro's spokeswoman, Kaelan Richards.
FBI spokesman Michael P. Kortan told reporters that, as policy, the agency does not comment on who was on the watch list, but recent terrorism plots showed the need "to remain vigilant."
In an interview with The New York Times, he said: "The FBI is always careful to protect the civil rights and privacy concerns of all Americans, including individuals in minority and ethnic communities."
Wehelie told reporters in phone interviews Thursday that he does not know why US officials reversed course, but said he holds no ill will toward the government for its investigation.
He added that he does not begrudge the government for conducting the investigation, and praised the FBI for its attempts to make the United States safe.
"I'm not angry at all. I know who I am and I knew eventually I would go home," he said. "They're trying to find the bad people, so more power to them."
Wehelie said he lived in an inexpensive Cairo hotel and got by on fast food coupons provided to him by the US Embassy.
Wehelie, who married a Somali woman while in Yemen, said he is looking forward to a home-cooked meal of his mom's lasagna.
"Until I see with my eyes, and then hug him and kiss him that this is Yahiya, then I'll be happy," his mother told reporters.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group, had taken up Wehelie's cause and questioned how Muslim citizens could be denied return to the country without due process.
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said Thursday he is glad that Wehelie's case has been resolved. But the overall concerns remain.
"It doesn't alter the seemingly existing policy of barring Muslims from re-entry" to the United States and using the no-fly list to pressure Muslims into abandoning constitutional rights that would be afforded them if they were being questioned in the US, Hooper said.
Comments
WALLABEE
Jul 17, 2010 20:42
Report abuse> a Muslim advocacy group
Amazing how, whenever CAIR is mentioned, these pseudo-journalists only describe it as a "Muslim advocacy group" or "Muslim civil rights group", etc. The implication is that they are a legitimate civil rights group protecting Muslims from prejudice.
The fact is that CAIR was founded by the Islamist group "Muslim Brotherhood" and declared an unindicted co-conspiritor in a terrorist funding trial. A number of the original founders of CAIR have been shown to be terrorists and banned from the US. Some have been incarcerated on terrorist related charges.
And recently, they have been accused of defrauding fellow Muslims via a bogus legal representation scheme. (providing unlicensed legal advice for a fee)
But amazing enough, none of this is ever mentioned by the news media, along with their quotes from CAIR.